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.
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?
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