The A-Tom-inable Snowman (1966)

 

This marks the 150th Tom and Jerry short and the third directed by Abe Levitow. 

In this short film, Tom chases Jerry through the Alps. Whenever Tom gets hurt from his failed efforts a St. Bernard brings him to with his barrel of alcohol making Tom drunk.

Like most Abe Levitow directed shorts this cartoon is considerably weaker than the Chuck Jones directed ones. There are some weak drawings here and the timing can feel quite a bit off. Meanwhile the gags feel overly familiar, repetitive and not that funny. The ending gag simply feels out of place and more strange than funny. 

In defense of this cartoon though, the background art is nice to look at, and the musical score is quite fun

The credited animators on this film are Ken Harris, Don Towsley, Tom Ray, Dick Thompson, Ben Washam and Philip Roman. Bob Ogle gets a story credit. Dean Elliott gets a music credit. The credited layout artist is Robert Givens and the credited background artist is Bob Inman. This is one of only three Tom and Jerry cartoons Bob Inman worked on. The others were Love Me Love My Mouse (1966) and The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967). He would also work with producer Chuck Jones on the TV specials How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), The Pogo Birthday Special (1969) and A Very Merry Cricket (1973). He also worked on many animated TV series including The New Three Stooges, Off to See the Wizard, It's the Wolf, Motormouse and Autocat, The Roman Holidays and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. 

This cartoon appears on the DVD sets Tom and Jerry: Paws for a Holiday, Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection, Tom and Jerry: Winter Wackiness and Tom and Jerry: Winter Tails as well as the VHS sets Tom and Jerry: Blue Cat Blues, Christmas Cartoon Capers and Christmas Collection: Looney Tunes (despite having Looney Tunes in the title this VHS features three Tom and Jerry cartoons (the others being The Night Before Christmas (1941) and Snowbody Loves Me (1964))) plus the Laserdisc set The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume III: The Chuck Jones Cartoons. It also appeared on the Toon in With Me episodes The Snow Day (2021), No Rats, Ands or Buts (2021), A Most Unusual Winter (2023), On Location (2024) and Holiday Markets (2025). 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Matinee Mouse (1966)

 

Matinee Mouse marked the first Tom and Jerry cheater cartoon since Smarty Cat (1955). For those of you who need a refresher, this term refers to a cartoon that heavily relies on clips from previous films. While this short was made during the Chuck Jones era, the cartoons clips that are used all come from the Hanna and Barbera era. As such William Hanna and Joseph Barbera get a director's credit here. This is one of only two (the other also being a cheater) Tom and Jerry shorts from this era that Chuck Jones does not take credit on. This film uses clips from the shorts, The Truce Hurts (1948), Professor Tom (1948), Love That Pup (1949), Jerry's Diary (1949), Jerry and the Lion (1950), The Flying Cat (1952), The Missing Mouse (1953) and The Flying Sorceress (1956).

In this short film, Tom and Jerry are fighting as usual, when they decide to call a truce. Now deciding to be friends the two decide to go to their local movie theater. That movie theater just happens to be showing Tom and Jerry cartoons that day. Each of them laughs at the other's pain onscreen which leads to them fighting again. The idea of Tom and Jerry watching their own films in a theater was done before in Cruise Cat (1952). 

This is definitely the better of the two cheater Tom and Jerry cartoons from this era. The premise is quite charming. While the storyline may be predictable, it is fun. It suits the characters of Tom and Jerry perfectly and it is fun to see their reactions to what is happening on screen. I also loved the cameo by Droopy on one of the movie posters. 

This said, it has the flaw of every one of these Tom and Jerry cheaters. The previous material simply works much better in the context of the original cartoons. Because of this while I laughed at some of these scenes in the original shorts, I did not laugh seeing them presented simply as isolated clips. There is also the flaw here that the Chuck Jones era versions of these characters don't always match the Hanna and Barbera versions. Because of this there are some very jarring moments as we cut from the new to the old footage and back again. 

The credited animators on this film are Ken Muse, Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Ray Patterson and Lewis Marshall. These are all animators from the Hanna and Barbera era. Tom Ray gets a story credit. Dean Elliott gets a music credit. This is the 149th Tom and Jerry cartoon. 

This cartoon is available on the DVD sets Tom and Jerry: Classic Collection Volume 6 and Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection as well as the VHS set Tom and Jerry in Matinee Mouse and the LaserDisc set The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume III: The Chuck Jones Cartoons. It aired on the Toon in With Me episodes When Jimmy Met Mabel (2021), A Tribute to the Movies (2021), Soup-Off (2022), A Cracker Barrel of Laughs (2023), Time for Recess (2024) and 2024 Rewind (2024).

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Filet Meow (1966)

 

Once again Abe Levitow returns to the director's chair for another Tom and Jerry cartoon. 

In this short film, Jerry tries to protect a goldfish from Tom, who plans to eat her. 

The plot here is quite similar to that of Jerry and the Goldfish (1951), however this cartoon doesn't reuse any gags from that previous film. The Tom and Jerry Wiki states that the goldfish here is the same one who appeared in that previous short. If that was indented to be the case (which I have my doubts about), the character was heavily redesigned for this film. This is a much more obviously feminine fish down to wearing lipstick and eye shadow.  

This is an enjoyable if unexceptional cartoon. The storyline is while not new has also not be overdone either. While most of the gags aren't great, there are a couple of good ones, especially those involving the shark. The characters are just as likable as ever. Probably the film's greatest asset though is Dean Elliott's jazzy score. This score is very fun and memorable. When I saw that this would be the next cartoon I would review for this blog, I could hear the music in my head before rewatching it. 

Once again though, these cartoons directed by Abe Levitow lack the great timing and superior drawings seen in those directed by Chuck Jones. 

This cartoon has the distinction of being the first Tom and Jerry cartoon to air on the METV channel. This was on January 2, 2021 as part of the premiere of the channel's Saturday morning cartoon block. It would later play on the channel as part of the Toon in With Me TV series on the episodes, Toony Can't Swim Because of the 20 Minute Rule (2021), 1970s Fashion Trends (2023), Scrappy Living (2023), Bill & Toony's Tops (2024) and World Tuna Day (2025). 

The credited animators on this cartoon are Don Towsley, Tom Ray, Dick Thompson, Ben Washam and Ken Harris. Bob Ogle is the credited writer. Philip DeGuard is the credited background artist and Robert Givens is the credited layout artist. Mel Blanc and June Foray provide the vocal effects (though no actual words are spoken in the film). 

This film is available on the DVD sets Tom and Jerry: Classic Collection Volume 6 and Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection, the VHS set Tom and Jerry: Little School Mouse and the LaserDisc set The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume III: The Chuck Jones Cartoons.