Down and Outing (1961)

 

This short film is the second Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Gene Deitch. It is definitely not an improvement over his first Tom and Jerry film. 

In this short film Tom's owner takes him fishing. Unknowingly to Tom's owner Jerry tags along on this trip. Tom's attempts to eat Jerry end up ruining the whole trip. 

This is another very weak Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry short. Once again, the story is a promising one for Tom and Jerry. It may be basic, but it fits in the mold of some the Hanna and Barbera Tom and Jerry shorts quite well. Some of the gags would have been strong if William Hanna and Joseph Barbera had been directing as well. However, under Deitch's direction, the whole film falls flat. The timing is consistently off, some of the drawings are often downright poor, the sound effects are bizarre and ill-fitting and many of the slapstick gags come off as more painful than funny. It also doesn't help that Tom's new owner is distinctly unlikable, come off as overly cruel to Tom to the point of unpleasantness. It makes you wonder why this guy even has a cat. Especially when he seems to hate him so much.

I will admit this cartoon has a few things going for it. The background art is quite pleasing to look at. Also, the use of Scott Bradley's Tom and Jerry theme music adds a bit of life to the otherwise uninspired proceedings. 

This is the first appearance of Tom's new owner. This new character visually resembles Clint Clobber, a character from Deitch's time at the Terry Toons studio. Some online have even referred to this character as Clint Clobber. However, the two are actually quite different. Underneath his rough exterior Clint Clobber actually has a good heart. The same cannot be said for Tom's owner, who is often extremely abusive to Tom and loses his temper very easily. He is voiced by Allen Swift. Swift is best known as the voice for the villainous Simon Bar Sinister on Underdog. He also worked as a kiddie show host. He hosted the popular kiddie show, The Popeye Show from 1956 to 1960. He would play a sea captain named Captain Allen Swift in live-action segments between the cartoons. He also voiced and played plenty of characters on the kiddie show, Howdy Doody. Tom's owner would only appear in two more cartoons, High Stakes (1962) and Sorry Safari (1962). 

The credited writer for this film is Larz Bourne and Tod Dockstader is credited as the sound effects artist. This is a rare Tom and Jerry short where no animators are credited. This marks the 116th Tom and Jerry short overall. This film is available on the DVD sets Tom and Jerry: Classic Collection Volume 5, Tom and Jerry's Summer Holidays, Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection, Tom and Jerry: Tough and Tumble and Tom and Jerry: Mouse Trouble as well as the VHS Tom and Jerry: Little School Mouse. 

-Michael J. Ruhland