Tom's original owner (known to fans as Mammy Two Shoes) made her last appearance in Push-Button Kitty (1952) and his later owners George and Jones would not appear until Pet Peeve (1954). With this film coming in-between, his owner would be a cowboy that we have never seen before and would never see again.
In this short film, Tom's cowboy owner tells him that he won't get any food until he gets rid of Jerry. Naturally Tom does not have much luck getting rid of Jerry.
This is a fine short and one that has stayed in my memory since I saw it as a little kid. However, it doesn't quite reach the level of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons. The main problem here is there are no real laugh out loud moments. There are gags that made me chuckle and smile, but I never really laughed the way I do watching the best Tom and Jerry films. The closet I came was with the water drinking gag. However, the storyline is simple and charming. The animation is great, and farm setting allows for some great background art.
As always Scott Bradley's musical score is wonderful. I especially love his use of the song, Making Love Mountain Style throughout the film. This song was written by Herb Moulton and Jack Scholl. Scholl had written such songs as Throw Another Log on the Fire, The Wish That I Wish Tonight, The Old Apple Tree, You, You Darling and My Little Buckaroo. It was a major hit for Dorothy Shay in 1947. You can listen to her version of the song below.
The song would later be performed by The Dining Sisters in the short film, Musical Merry-Go-Round #1 (1948). They would later release this song on its own. That version can be heard below.
The credited animators on this cartoon are Irven Spence, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. Robert Gentle is the credited background artist. Some fans have compared this short to Texas Tom (1950). Not only do these two films have similar settings but there are even some similar gags involving a bull that has a nearly identical design to the one in Texas Tom.
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