Directing Animator
Posted:
Jul 15, 2006, 4:55 PM
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Favorite Tom & Jerry cartoon(s)
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I thought I would try to inject a little life back into the MGM page, seeing how no one else has posted to it in nearly a month.
Anyway, what is your favorite MGM T&J cartoon and why? There are no wrong answers here, folks... so let 'er rip!
I'll start with my top 5 personal favorites:
1. Yankee Doodle Mouse:
Everything in this cartoon clicks: the inventive music score by Scott Bradley (interpolating the WWI standard, Over There) and the razor-sharp timing and break-neck pace of the gags (particularly the opening sequence when Tom chases Jerry into the basement and gets pummeled non-stop with everything but the kitchen sink). My favorite scene is when Tom fires the Roman candle and the little "sparks" chase Jerry through the garden hose and inside the basement walls; that scene just crackles with energy!
2. Part-Time Pal:
This is a fascinating cartoon in that it just reveals another layer to the complex relationship of this cat and mouse; with Jerry doing all he can to protect an inebriated Tom from the wrath of Mammy Two-Shoes. My favorite scenes are when Tom raids the icebox (the music underscore here is particularly effective) and when he attempts to rouse M2S from her slumber with a pitcher of water.
3. Cat Fishin':
This my all-time favorite in terms of pacing, gags and personality animation. I was so enthralled with the music score for this cartoon (with its shades of Vaughn-Williams and Gershwin) when I was a kid that I actually taped the soundtrack off-the-air and would constantly play it back on my brother's audio system. My favorite scenes are the establishing shot (very atmospheric) after the opening titles, and the progressive deconstruction of Spike as he is unwittingly dragged off the pier and through the pond by Tom.
4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse:
What's interesting about this cartoon is that a lot of the "horror" scenes are played more-or-less "straight". Scott Bradley's music contributes greatly to Jerry's transformation scenes. Excellent use of shadows and stark lighting.
5. Heavenly Puss:
This cartoon is markedly different from the other T&J cartoons that were released the same year (1949). There is a strong fantasy element here. Everything in this cartoon is top-notch; the animation, the personality delineation, the music, the lighting effects, etc. This is one cartoon that you can look at without seeing the opening titles and say that it is an MGM production--because the production values are so high. Compare this cartoon with Tennis Chumps (1949) and you'll see the difference: the gags are softer, the emphasis is more on story and personality. My favorite scene is Tom's desperation as time begins to run out and his frantic attempts to persuade Jerry to sign the "certificate of forgiveness" that will enable Tom to enter the pearly gates and escape eternal hellfire.
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"Sit, Ubu, sit... good dog!" ("Arf"!)
(This post was edited by zavkram on Jul 15, 2006, 4:57 PM)
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Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Jul 16, 2006, 12:33 AM
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Tom and Jerry were at the top of their game while Joe Barbera and the late Bill Hanna were directing them. The later Gene Deitch and Will Snyder "counterfeits" make me cringe. Even the Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow versions fail to recapture the nuances of the cat / mouse dynamic.
Oneuglybunny has almost every Tom and Jerry release: Whiskers Away, Wild & Wacky Adventures, Greatest Chases, Spotlight Collections One and Two, Tom and Jerry the Movie, and Tom and Jerry and the Magic Ring. Clearly, I'm a big Tom and Jerry devotée, and I'm sorely pressed to single out particulars. Here goes anyway:
1. The Flying Cat - Absolutely ingenious! Tom gains the ability to fly, and pursues both Jerry Mouse and that little yellow bird. And that flight music has to be the happiest scoring I've ever heard! Gorgeous gags, too. Unbeatable humor after Tom crashes into the mailbox: little flying cats circle his head. Out of ten stars, this one scores a twelve.
2. The Cat and the Mermouse - Ultimately a delirium sequence, having a cat explore an underwater world is magnificent! Though Tom pursues the mermouse for most of the short, at the end, the mermouse tries mightily to pull Tom free of a malicious octopus's grasp. This is where all the later directors go wrong: right from Puss Gets the Boot, Tom intends only to tease and torment Jerry Mouse, rarely meaning to cause bloodshed or death. Their relationship isn't hateful, it's more like sibling rivalry, which is why they can form a partnership when the need arises (The Tot Watchers, for instance). Notice how this short ends with Jerry resuscitating Tom, having apparently rescued him from drowning.
3. Puss Gets the Boot - The debut for Jasper and Jinx, who would later be renamed Tom and Jerry. This is our introduction to the cat and the mouse, and defines who they are and how they interact. The chemistry is there, as are the "sets" and the scoring, and theater audiences ate it up and clamored for more.
4. Push Button Kitty - I've chosen this for no better reason than it portrays Tom purely as the victim. He starts out as a comfortable, contented housecat ... then suddenly, he's an obsolete discard. In one horrible minute, his whole life threw snake eyes, and his future went bankrupt. "It's progress," Mammy tells him, and Tom nods as though he understands. [see attachment] But the look in his eyes says he can't understand: "Why me? Why now? Why all at once?" And just like that, poor Tom is a nowhereling.
5. The Night Before Christmas - One of their early works, and the first to show Tom has a conscience. Yes, the cat chases the mouse ... and rescues him from a snowdrift. True, the mouses pummels the cat with a boxing glove ... and prevents the cat from getting his tongue caught in a mousetrap.
Obviously, there is a tremendous range to these characters, and in the masterful hands of their creators, Tom and Jerry became the comedy team of an era. Earlier, ZavKram and I kicked about some analyses of The Karateguard a while back. It had Joe Barbera writing the gags, and it stayed largely on-model with the characters ... but it lacked the warmth and the subtlety that the late William Hanna lent to his productions.
Pardon me for saying this, but any present-day attempt to resurrect the Tom and Jerry duo will not give us the beloved cat and mouse we remember; instead, we will see only two zombies going through the motions. Far better would be original characters that come without the nostalgic baggage. But that's just my ugly head roaring.
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Supervising Animator
Posted:
Jul 16, 2006, 8:01 AM
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I'm also a huge Tom and Jerry fan. However I will admit that I enjoyed a few of Chuck Jone's versions of the cat and mouse duo-Jerry could not have been any cuter in Chuck's style.
Anyhow here are a few favorites
1.A Puppy's Tale: Right from the minute I saw this one it tugged on my heartstrings. Jerry accidently "rescues" a bunch of puppies from drowning- and one really likes him and follows him home! Jerry tries to protect the puppy from Tom as the cute little fellow loves Tom's bed and milk.This is one of several cartoons in which after Tom finally gets rid of them-he has a conscious. He searches for both Jerry and the puppy in the pouring rain. (he is convinced that both have drowned) The entire cartoon is sweet, funny and heartwarming. Definately one of my favorites.
2.Mice Follies:My favorite in the Jerry and Nibbles shorts. Ingenius and adorable complete with fabulous music.
3.Jerry and Jumbo-Disguising a baby elephant as a giant mouse? Brilliant! This one is another great "Jerry finds an ally" cartoon.
4.The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R.- yes,this one is a Chuck Jones one- but I can never get enough of this one-it's so awesome. Jerry is a spy on a mission to steal a refridgerator full of cheese from Tom.
5.Snowbody Loves Me-another Chuck Jones one. Jerry is freezing in the snow-and Tom is nice and warm in a cheese shop. Another one in which Tom feels guilty for his actions-the end is wonderful and charming-and Jerry with a piece of cheese around his waist as a tutu is adorable!
6.Johan Mouse-I adore this one to pieces. I love Johann Strauss' music and I love Tom and Jerry-works perfectly.
7.Tom and Jerry at the Hollywood Bowl-Another classical music themed short-marvelously done.
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Bugs Bunny cartoons are not supposed to feature a lisping Viking rabbit hunter enthusiastically professing his operatic love for a bunny in drag.
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Supervising Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Jul 16, 2006, 2:58 PM
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Unlike you guys, I aim for the adult-stuff for these cartoons aren't aimed for little children (my former classmate actually thinks that this was made on TV and meant for kids) . Anyway, here it is! Part-Time Pal (1947) Any cartoon which has a character drunk is a funny cartoon. With him switching sides and being friendly to Jerry (I hate it when he's friendly with Jerry and NOT drunk  !), to him waking up M2S (Why did CN cut out him saying "One for the money, ..."? I'm glad that it's on T&JSC2.) which is hilarious, to the background music of songs that are known for drunks singing, this should've been nominated for Academy Awards.
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Supervising Animator
Posted:
Jul 16, 2006, 5:38 PM
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well I also like "Baby Puss" (ironically I also hated it as a kid) The Cats singing "You kill him" is absolutely hillarious!
So Cameron, you'd probably love "BlueCat Blues" Tom loses his girl to Butch, gets drunk and sits on the railroad tracks while Jerry narrates.
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Bugs Bunny cartoons are not supposed to feature a lisping Viking rabbit hunter enthusiastically professing his operatic love for a bunny in drag.
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Directing Animator
Posted:
Jul 16, 2006, 10:44 PM
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I actually heard that song on the radio the other day; I didn't hear who the artists were on the recording, but the rendition I heard is note-for-note what one hears in the cartoon, including the plucked guitar notes at the beginning which in the cartoon are done by two of the cats on Tom's whiskers. If you ever get a chance to listen to the original recording of this song, you'll realize how deft the parody of it is in Baby Puss! 
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"Sit, Ubu, sit... good dog!" ("Arf"!)
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Jpeg Master / Moderator
Posted:
Jul 16, 2006, 10:46 PM
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Pecos Pest & all the rest before 1958.
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Supervising Animator
Posted:
Jul 17, 2006, 3:19 PM
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These are my favs:
Yankee Doodle Mouse
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse
Heavenly Puss
The Cat Concerto
The music and action/gags compliment each other very well.
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Supervising Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Jul 19, 2006, 5:26 PM
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Overall, I have to say that anything that Fred Quimby produced for T&J was good. After that, it went way down hill [unsure]!
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(This post was edited by cameron3 on Jul 19, 2006, 5:26 PM)
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Directing Animator
Posted:
Jul 20, 2006, 2:34 AM
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Here's a caption for your recent avatar, Cameron:
"Yo, babe!" 
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"Sit, Ubu, sit... good dog!" ("Arf"!)
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Intern
Posted:
Aug 21, 2006, 9:00 PM
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I know I'm in the minority but the Chuck Jones era Tom and Jerrys are the best Tom and Jerry cartoons EVER!
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Jpeg Master / Moderator
Posted:
Aug 21, 2006, 10:47 PM
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Bloodychamp, your the first to say that the post 1958 T&J cartoons are the best. Is it the stories you liked, because the artistic value of those cartoons are inferior to the pre-58's. Check out the shading of all the elements in Kitty Foiled. There is a reason that most cartoon historians get excited about the old days, because the old saying is true, they don't make them like they use to! Even the title cards are really simple compared to the oldies.
(This post was edited by bmode on Aug 21, 2006, 10:49 PM)
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Directing Animator
Posted:
Aug 21, 2006, 11:27 PM
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Well, with regard to the Chuck Jones-produced Tom and Jerry's, there is no denying that they are very stylish-looking (perhaps the most stylish-looking theatrical cartoons of that period). The problem is that, more often than not, they are simply not funny! Most of the time, the pacing is sluggish and the gags are weak, despite the fact that Michael Maltese was on board as writer for some of these. Part of the problem was that story elements and gags took a back seat to personality animation. To paraphrase Leonard Maltin, the cartoons became just one subtle pose after another.
There were exceptions, of course... The Cat Above and The Mouse Below is a wonderful cartoon that successfully utilizes elements of its WB predecessor, Long-Haired Hare.
Regarding the cartoons produced (in Czechoslovakia) by Gene Dietch's "Rembrandt Films" in the late 50's, they suffered from crummy animation, weak stories coupled with a general lack of understanding of the dynamic behind the characters and music that sounded (again, to paraphrase Maltin) like it was recorded in a men's lavatory. In fairness, the Czech animators were shown only a handful of the classic MGM Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by Hanna-Barbera--so that they might be able to get a better grasp of what the characters were like.
Also, there were three particular cartoons that stand out from the others in the Dietch series:
The Tom and Jerry Carton Kit: This one, I think, was the best of the lot... which isn't saying much, of course; but it was an interesting cartoon done in a style reminicient of the old Fleischer "out-of-the-inkwell" series. In this cartoon T&J are placed in various situations and given a variety of destructive props with which to commit mayhem. Many times the backgrounds (often just a plain field of color) would dissolve behind the characters to suggest the passage of time and space.
Tall in the Trap (I'm not 100% certain that this is the correct title): In this one, Tom plays a mousetrap-slinging "killer-for-hire", who the local sherriff engages to rid the town of Jerry. If the gags seem familiar, it's because the story is by none other than WB veteran cartoon writer Michael Maltese.
Carmen Get It: This cartoon is a throw-back to the classic Hanna-Barbera entries Tom and Jerry at the Hollywood Bowl and The Cat Concerto. In this one, T&J raise cain during a production of Bizet's Carmen. The conductor depicted in this cartoon bears a striking resemblance to the legendary Italian maestro, Arturo Toscanini.
As for the others, they are generally downright bad, IMHO... Maltin suggests that MGM simply wanted to keep cashing in on the popularity of Tom and Jerry after the departure of Hanna-Barbera, but wanted to do it as cheaply as possible by outsourcing the animation.
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"Sit, Ubu, sit... good dog!" ("Arf"!)
(This post was edited by zavkram on Aug 21, 2006, 11:30 PM)
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Intern
Posted:
Aug 22, 2006, 1:54 PM
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Whoa Whoa Whoa I said nothing about Deitch lol!
Keep in mind that in the window of time Abe Levito was also directing some cartoons. His were a little weaker than Jones'. I've been in discussions before about how funny or unfunny Ckuck's TnJ's are. I think the fact that Chuck himself was the one who downplayed these cartoons late in his career (in those interviews) influences that lack of respect that these cartoons get. I think he only did that because WB was who gave him jobs the rest of his life and he sort of became the unofficial spokesman for the animation department.
The cartoon whose name escapes me right now...where Jerry's strange cousin in the top hat visits is one of my favorites. He's a magician, I think. Jerry goes shopping in the fridge at one point and accidentally buys Tom's nose lol! That cartoon's totally funny like many of his others. It's also progressive and borderline creepy without losing it's cartoony nature. That's classic Chuck Jones, right up there with "The Dot and the Line" or "What's Opera Doc," imo.
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Supervising Animator
Posted:
Aug 22, 2006, 6:51 PM
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^ That would be "the Haunted Mouse"
I love a few of Chuck Jone's Tom and Jerrys but Hanna Barbara was indeed the classic.
And I'll also admit that when it comes to Deitch, I have a weakness for one called "it's Greek to meow" as well as "Carmen Get it"
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Bugs Bunny cartoons are not supposed to feature a lisping Viking rabbit hunter enthusiastically professing his operatic love for a bunny in drag.
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Directing Animator
Posted:
Aug 26, 2006, 1:24 AM
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Whoa Whoa Whoa I said nothing about Deitch lol! I know... I was actually attempting to address both your and Bmode's comments in the same post! Sorry for the misunderstanding! And yes, it's true that Levitow's cartoons in that series were the weaker ones. In fact, I've seen some of his Pepe LePew cartoons for WB that personally I didn't think were very good.
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"Sit, Ubu, sit... good dog!" ("Arf"!)
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Apprentice
Posted:
Nov 25, 2007, 3:39 PM
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Heavenly Puss
Part-Time Pal
Mouse in Manhattan
The Night Before Christmas
Mouse Trouble
Trap Happy
Springtime for Thomas
Southbound Duckling
Quite Please
The Little Orphan
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Member
Posted:
Nov 27, 2007, 6:21 PM
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One of my favorites is I think it is called That's my Mommy. Where the little duck thinks Tom is his Mama and Jerry tries over and over to show Tom's true intentions with little Quackers. Tom then later bonds with the duckling AWWW
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Inbetweener / Contributor
Posted:
Nov 29, 2007, 11:39 PM
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It's so damn impossible sorting thru the dozens & dozens of superb Tom & Jerrys that HB did, but these three have fought tooth & nail and emerged (not without, perhaps, some blood!) from the rest of the crowd:
THE TRUCE HURTS
SATURDAY EVENING PUSS (glad I finally saw the "unexpurgated" version on YouTube!)
TEXAS TOM
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"As we say in Swahili: 'OOP!'"
--George of the Jungle
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Key Animator
Posted:
Dec 1, 2007, 8:17 AM
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"Ah, the sweet story of a mouse life". (I think that's right.)
Chuck Jones had a problem with making Tom and Jerry cartoons, but this was the 60's when these cartoons were made. Disnay did more TV cartoons, Hanna-Barbera tried theatrical cartoons with Loopy de Loop (And I'm still waiting for the DVD of his cartoons), but the real doozy was Looney Tunes-Merrie Melodies after "False Hare".
None of the WB cartoons between 1964-1969 had Bugs Bunny in them. Instead it was Road Runner, Sylvester, and Daffy with Speedy Gonzales. Who did the Road Runner cartoons in the mid-60's? I knew it wasn't Chuck Jones.
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Thank God for kids who love obscure things-Lee Hazelwood (1929-2007)
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Lead Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Dec 1, 2007, 9:34 AM
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Slightly off-topic here, but Rudy Larriva (gasp!) is credited with the mid-60s RR toons you refer to.
My fave T&J is subject to change, but I've always liked "Texas Tom." His cowboy serenade scene is perfect.
(This post was edited by mreiof on Dec 1, 2007, 11:43 AM)
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Inbetweener / Contributor
Posted:
Dec 1, 2007, 12:30 PM
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"Ah, the sweet story of a mouse life". (I think that's right.)
Actually, it's AH, SWEET MOUSE-STORY OF LIFE.
That's a pun on an old Victor Herbert song, "Ah, Sweet Mystery Of Life"......and among all the horrible puns making for the titles of Chuck Jones' T&J's, THIS one probably takes the cake.
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"As we say in Swahili: 'OOP!'"
--George of the Jungle
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Inbetweener
Posted:
Dec 17, 2007, 3:42 PM
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Right, if anyone's read any of my previous posts on this cavern of the board, firstly- sorry for wasting seconds of your life while you read them! and secondly- you'll know that I don't...actually...mind...some of the Gene Deitch shorts. Oh, don't think I'm insane, about the first half-dozen are weird/rubbish, but the later ones are a vast improvement.
But anyway, some faves of mine:
* Springtime for Thomas - about my favourite of the 'Tom is smitten' stories, the best bit is the chase through the (really quite extensive) gardens, accompanied by a superb Scott Bradley score.
* Yankee Doodle Mouse - 90% of wartime cartoons now look terrible, racist, or just terribly racist. This is not one of them. As a youngster watching these in the early 1990s, the only thing I was confused about was the military reports Jerry signed, and didn't pick up on things like the 'Hen Grenades' Jerry throws.
* Mouse For Sale - nothing particularly bold or clever about this one, I just like Tom's exaggerated expressions, which are more off-model than usual. For some reason, I really like the bit where his eyes pop out, roll down his arm, do a half-scream by themselves and then leap back onto his head. It looks a lot less disgusting than it sounds, really.
* Pecos Pest - because of all the characters Jerry has befriended, this is by far the best one (although his cousin was pretty good too, I preferred Droopy's twin in the similarly-veined Double Trouble).
* Blue Cat Blues - Although Tom is *really* off-model in many of these shots here, I like the unusually bleak story here, especially where Tom signs a contract for a car with "312 monthly payments at 112% a year...it cost him an arm...and a leg...and he willingly sold himself into slavery" as he's signing such contracts. Quite what the car dealer is doing selling a car to a cat in the first place, I don't know!
* Timid Tabby - on a budget of about $3, and with backgrounds that I could probably nearly match, this one triumphs simply for the ending- it's about my favourite one of the whole lot because it's silly.
* Buddies Thicker than Water - Yes, this Gene Deitch one. At nine minutes long (I thought they had budget limitations?), it's nearly the longest T&J cartoon of the entire theatrical shorts, and uses those minutes well to set up a proper tale. The soundtrack moves from nice and dramatic to genuinely chilling when the record of scary music is turned on. There's also plenty of neat touches- Jerry's impressionist print of Tom on his wall, the modern art bloke on the top of the pink apartment, the way he dozily puts his dressing gown on upside down as he first wakes up, the neat chic decor, the way Jerry immediately produces a glass of wine as soon as Tom opens the wine, the fact that a cat and mouse can drink about four bottles of wine between them (and Jerry doesn't get hungover!), the only time Tom and Jerry are drunk together, the instant gourmet meal (which as a child I believed really existed).
It's not perfect by any means (I don't like how Tom becomes so mean so suddenly, oh, and the horse whinny when the owner comes into the room- a horse whinny! The scream sounds overall in the Deitch T&Js were rubbish, frankly), but it's the most under-estimated of the later T&Js.
* The Tom & Jerry Cartoon Kit - it's neat, it's different, it has an amusing narrator (the cartoon would've been even better had he narrated throughout the whole cartoon, I'd imagine) and I haven't seen any other cartoon like this of its time, with the exception of Duck Amuck. It also has a fantastic musical score, although that could be me watching these cartoons on YouTube, where most videos havel 'toilet quality' music there.
* Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life - terrible title (although not as bad as 'Of Feline Bondage'), but a brilliant Jones cartoon with, thank goodness, timing, great pacing, and lots to like. My favourite bit is where Jerry runs around much faster than Tom, then runs over his head, causing Tom to suddenly gain so many forehead wrinkles. One of the best comical poses Tom has. I also like, as is a feature in many of the Jones T&Js, the unusual way Tom runs. Look at how T&J are running just before Tom nearly flies out the window.
* Cannery Rodent - and at the intro here- that's surely not physically possible to do! Anyway, the main reason I like this one is really for the groovy soundtrack, and the build-up to the credits sequence. What I don't like is that Tom appears to change model in between every scene- in one part he looks like the Grinch, the next his eyebrows have inflated to double their size...
Oh, I've conveniently done enough for a top 10, but in any order!
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"Stop steaming up my cup!"
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Inbetweener
Posted:
Feb 1, 2008, 3:03 PM
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Mouse Cleaning
The Truce Hurts
Heavenly Puss
Million Dollar Cat
Mouse in Manhattan
The Night Before Christmas
Springtime For Thomas
Dog Trouble
The Lonesome Mouse
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