Slicked-Up Pup (1951)

 

This short film marked the second screen appearance of Spike the bulldog's young son Tyke. The character had not appeared in a cartoon since Love That Pup (1949) and wouldn't appear again until That's My Pup! (1953). Like in his previous film he does not talk here, only letting out a few barks. He would not gain the ability to use words until 1990 with TV's Tom & Jerry Kids Show (a delightful and underrated TV series). This cartoon however did feature a slight change in both Tyke and Spike. This is a change in color. The two go from the light gray they were in their previous cartoon (or cartoons in the case of Spike) to what the Tom and Jerry Wiki refers to as "creamy-tan." They would remain this color for the rest of their career in theatrical shorts but would revert back to their original color in Tom and Jerry Kids Show. 

In this short film Tom accidently gets Tyke dirty as he is chasing Jerry. This makes Spike very angry. Spike tells Tom that he is stepping out for a bit but if Tyke is messy when he comes back, he will pulverize the poor cat. Unfortunately for Tom, Jerry overhears this and sees it as the perfect opportunity to get back at his foe. Jerry does everything he can to get Tyke messy, while Tom does all he can to clean Tyke up. 

This may not be the most original story with the idea of Tom having to keep something (or in this case someone) clean or else having been done a few years earlier in Mouse Cleaning (1948). However with Tom and Jerry the point is never the originality of the premise but rather the execution. Luckily the execution is wonderful here. Like always the best laughs don't come from the gags themselves but rather the great character animation. The character animation couldn't be better here. Jerry tricking Tom into playing a game of Tic-Tac-Toe on Tyke's body is a standard cartoon gag. However watching Tom carefully thinking about his next move and being so delighted with himself after doing it is hilarious. The same is true of his brief pride from winning the game of Tic-Tac-Toe before he realizes what he has done. Once again without saying a word Tom is one of the most expressive cartoon characters out there and he always feels completely real to us. This cartoon also features a truly clever extended gag at the end with Tom trying to disguise Tyke as a chicken. The sheer ridiculousness of this gag and the idea that anyone would be fooled is laugh out loud funny. This film also benefits from a wonderful score by Scott Bradley. While Scott Bradley's music is always wonderful, this is an especially lively and fun score. 

 The credited animators on this cartoon include Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. This is the 60th Tom and Jerry cartoon overall. 

Below is the movie poster for this film.

His Mouse Friday (1951)

 

Though you will never see this cartoon on Boomerang or METV, there is a lot to enjoy about it. 

In this short film, Tom finds himself adrift out at sea. When Tom arrives on an island, he sees tries to find food. This is when he spots Jerry and decides he would make a great snack. Jerry disguises himself in blackface so that Tom will think he is a cannibal and be afraid and go away. 

Just looking at the plot description above it is easy to understand why this film is not shown on TV today. The racial stereotypes are simply no longer considered to be appropriate for any children watching TV today. The film though is available on DVD appearing on the DVD set Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 3. There is a very strange bit of censoring here. In the final scene (slight spoilers) a small native pokes Jerry with an arrow and states, "Mmmm... barbecued mouse!" In this censored version (using a zoom and a pan), the small native is kept offscreen, yet we can still here his dialogue. However, when we see the large natives that corner Tom as well as Jerry in blackface, it becomes hard to understand, what this small bit of censorship actually accomplishes. 

Though this film may not be politically correct there is a lot to enjoy here for Tom and Jerry fans. The slapstick in the early scenes is hilarious. This is especially true of Tom's attempts to get food before he spots Jerry. The gag with the coconut is especially funny due to how perfect William Hanna's timing at this time was. Though very impolitically correct hearing the deep voice come out of Jerry as he is in blackface, took me by surprise the first time I saw this and made me laugh out loud. Tom's imitation of Jerry later is equally funny.  

Unfortunately, though this film has some great gags, there are less gags as a whole than other Tom and Jerry shorts of this era. The ending is also too predictable and not as funny as it should be. Yet neither of these flaws keep this from being a fun cartoon. 

The credited animators are Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence, Ray Patterson and Ed Barge. The film would be reissued into theaters in 1958 and again in 1964. 

Heard on the soundtrack is a song called Chloe (Song of the Swamp). This song was written by Neil Moret and Gus Kahn in 1927 and was very popular with jazz and swing musicians. This song had been recorded by a large number of artists including the All-Star Orchestra, Tracy Brown Orchestra, The Colonial Club Orchestra, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Guy Lombardo and The Ravens. However, the most famous version of this song is a 1945 parody version by Spike Jones and His City Slickers (which he performed in the feature film, Bring on the Girls (1945)). Below you can listen to Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of this song as well as Spike Jones' parody version.

  

Below is the movie poster for this film. 




Nothing can ever compare to the ugliness of this cover for the 1973 Walton Super 8 version of the film to watch at home. What the heck is this?

Resources Used

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/His_Mouse_Friday

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/a-musical-up-roar-1949-51/

Sleepy Time Tom (1951)

 

Sleepy-Time Tom is another Tom and Jerry gem.

In this short film Tom comes home from spending a night on the town with his cat buddies (Butch, Meathead and (according to the Tom and Jerry Wiki) Lightning (though his design looks different to me here)). When he gets home, he is dead tired and goes straight to sleep. However, Jerry has been raiding the ice box while he was gone. This causes Tom's owner to be so upset that she says she will kick him out if he falls asleep while Jerry is stealing food. Tom does all he can to stay awake. 

This cartoon is a perfect showcase for Tom as a character. Though Jerry is also in this film, Tom is clearly the star. Tom completely shines here. Much of what makes this cartoon work is the character animation for Tom. Once again, he doesn't say a word here, but we can see every thought he is thinking. Because of this he feels more real to us than many characters in live action movies. There is not a single scene in this cartoon where we cannot relate to and understand Tom. We all have had times when there was work to do but we felt dead tired. The animation here so perfectly captures this that as much as we enjoy the slapstick comedy, we also really feel sorry for Tom. This also shows one of the main ingredients for why Tom and Jerry stands out among the many series of chase cartoons. Tom doesn't have to be a bad guy or a villain. He is a relatable character that we all see a little of ourselves in. This is because he is just like us, a guy simply trying to do his job. This makes it more appealing than simply watching an evil villain chase after an innocent hero. 

While this cartoon may not be as consistently hilarious as some other Tom and Jerry films, when the gags land, they land beautifully. No matter how many times I watch this cartoon, the coffee scene and the ending always make me laugh out loud. 

The credited animators on this film include Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. It would be reissued to theaters in 1958 and again in 1966. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

  

Jerry's Cousin (1951)

 

This short film introduced one of the most popular supporting characters in the Tom and Jerry franchise. This is Jerry's cousin, Muscles Mouse. Though this is his only theatrical short, the character has gone on to become a fan favorite. He would later appear in multiple episodes of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (the one from the 2010's, not the one from the 1970's) as well as the Tom and Jerry in New York episode, Stunt Double Trouble (2021). A mouse named Freddie appeared in the direct to video movie, Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring (2002). This mouse had the exact same design as Muscles. However, there is no mention of this character being Jerry's cousin and in fact he doesn't get along with Jerry. This has led to a debate as to whether or not this is the same character. That feature film would get a video game adaption (for the Game Boy Advance) in which Freddie would be a boss. 

In this short film Jerry is once again having trouble with Tom. Jerry sends a letter to Muscles asking him to help with Tom. When Muscles comes over, he soon makes short work of Tom. 

This is a delightful cartoon. The main reason this film works is that Muscles is a wonderful character. The idea of Tom meeting an incredible strong mouse is a perfect story idea that really helps this film stand out. The mixture of his pure tough guy "don't mess with me" attitude and his protectiveness of Jerry helps make Muscles a character who is immediately appealing. While there may be funnier Tom and Jerry cartoons, the gags here all work very well. Once again, these gags are typical cartoon gags that work especially well because of great character animation and William Hanna's perfect timing. One of the best examples of this is the most famous gag in the cartoon. This is when Tom calls a group of hit men (or hit cats) to take out Muscles (this scene would later go on to internet fame as a meme). The gag on its own would only be amusing. However, the animation of Tom looking shady as he calls them, and the silly George Raft inspired walk of the cats make it truly hilarious. This film also has a near perfect ending. 

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera made have had this film on their mind when they made the Pixie and Dixie TV cartoon Cousin Tex (1958). The cartoon (which aired as part of The Huckleberry Hound Show) had meeces Pixie and Dixie being visited by their cousin Tex, who makes short work of the cat Mr. Jinks in a similar way to how Muscles does to Tom. 

This cartoon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This year it was the only film from a different studio than UPA to be nominated. Its competition was only two cartoons. The other two films were Gerald McBoing Boing (1950) and the Mr. Magoo cartoon Trouble Indemnity (1950). The winner that year would be Gerald McBoing Boing, which is truly a wonderful cartoon. You can watch both of these UPA film below. 

This film was released to theaters on April 7th, 1951. It would be reissued to theaters on My 24, 1958. The credited animators on this cartoon are Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Irven Spence. It would also be included in the feature length compilation, Tom and Jerry Festival of Fun (1962). Though this movie featured no new animation, Jerry's Diary (1949) was used as a framing device to make it feel like a feature length movie instead of simply a selection of cartoons. The cartoons included in this movie were Old Rocking Chair Tom (1948), The Little Orphan (1949), Jerry’s Cousin (1951), Professor Tom (1948), Mouse Cleaning (1948), Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), Mouse Trouble (1944), Nit-Witty Kitty (1951), Push-Button Kitty (1952) and Saturday Evening Puss (1950).

Here is your typical ugly movie poster for this cartoon. 

Motion Picture Daily, 1951

Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Lenoard Maltin. 

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Jerry%27s_Cousin 

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/tom-and-jerry-festival-of-fun-1962/

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Jerry and the Goldfish (1951)

 

In this short film, Jerry becomes good friends with a goldfish. Meanwhile Tom is listening to a radio cook show. When the show talks about a recipe involving fish, Tom gets very hungry and decides to cook the fish. Jerry must protect his little buddy. 

This is a wonderful short. Though this is another cartoon, where Jerry teams up with a friend against Tom, it feels like a pure example of what makes Tom and Jerry great. Besides the voice on this radio (provided by Daws Butler, who would later voice many characters on Hanna-Barbera's TV cartoons including Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound) and Tom's scream (provided by William Hanna), this cartoon plays without dialogue like a classic silent movie. The best Tom and Jerry cartoons are often the ones with the least dialogue and that is definitely true here. Because of this lack of dialogue this film is heavily carried by the character animation. Like always this is one of the best parts of this short. Some of the best character animation is early on in the film when Tom is listening to the radio. The way the expression on his face immediately changes is very funny as is his way of sneaking over to the fishbowl. There is a lot of great slapstick throughout this film. Jerry putting Tom (literally) through the wringer and the wonderful ending gag are just two of the comedy highlights here. Once again William Hanna's timing is simply perfect and even makes the simplest of gags work very well. 

The only real flaw, I find in this cartoon is that when it comes to the characters that Jerry befriended over the years, the fish is one of the least fun and interesting. However, since Tom and Jerry are so dynamic here that doesn't really hurt the cartoon. 

The animators on this film include Irven Spence, Ray Patterson, Ed Barge and Kenneth Muse. The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1958. In 1960, the radio scene was reanimated for television airings with the radio being replaced by a TV. This reanimated version would not appear in subsequent TV airings afterwards and today the original version appears on TV airings. Part of Scott Bradley's musical score would later be reused in Happy Go Ducky (1958). 

The following is a review from The Exhibitor magazine. "JERRY AND THE GOLDFISH. MGM - Cartoons. 7min. The little goldfish, a special pal of Jerry becomes the target for Tom, who wants to make a meal of him. Thus starts one of the fastest chases in any cartoon, with Tom, of course, never quite succeeding and the goldfish saved. The gags, treatment, etc., are well out of the ordinary class. This is one of the best in the series. EXCELLENT. (W -320). 

The plot of Jerry befriending a fish would later be used again in the Chuck Jones directed Tom and Jerry film, Filet Meow (1966). However, that cartoon was not a remake of this short. Besides the basic plot idea these cartoons have little in common. 

Here is a typically ugly movie poster for this film.