The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
01-27-10, 08:22 PM
#1
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The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Forget the Oscars and the nominations - while those T&J shorts are wonderful, none of them come close to my sect of "Perfect".
What makes a "Perfect Tom and Jerry short" to me? There's a couple of factors:
the animation
I can't fault a single T&J short from 1940 through 1949, not really, because the animation has always been at the top of its game. The furniture had its gloss, its shadows; the woodwork was all carved-out and beautiful. Tom's eyes had the glint of Emerald green, and that little white stripe between his eyes (they lost that white stripe in the 50's shorts because their budget was thinning out) Jerry was always pretty much Jerry, nothing you can really say about his formation, or so-called evolution. He got less squeaker, is all I can say. No complaints.
the plot/end story
I always get the biggest kick out of a well-thoughtout story, with a cute gag at the end to clinch the deal. There were a lot of great stories for these two characters: just think - Tom dies and goes to heaven Heavenly Puss, but it is only a dream, and this short factors in both the stories of Scrooge and It's A Wonderful Life. Tom awakens after the nightmare, all the while dying to live (no pun intended), and finally grateful that he is alive. He finds Jerry and showers him with Brotherly Love. A great ending to a short that had a great story.
That's just one example. My Bodyguard is another one. True, the cat and mouse do not make amends at the end, but the ending is quite a surprise and nobody expects. I find the end where the dog is back in the dog catcher's truck (with big strong padlock) with a priceless look on his face to be the end that caps off at brilliant. Of course, Jerry's denial of the whole thing puts the icing on the cake, with him whistling after the dog catcher's truck, and Tom chasing Jerry.
Mammy Two-Shoes
As Tom's owner, she is the better antagonist than when they got pc-friendly and made up the same kind of shorts with the bulldog sitting in for Mammy. I'll take a Mammy short over a Bulldog short any time. Mammy scolding Thomas; Mammy screaming at Thomas; Mammy calling Tom Thomas added a certain layer of intimacy that just isn't there when the Bulldog is scolding and screaming at "Tom." The best Mammy shorts are Old Rockin' Chair Tom and Mouse Cleaning because we see truth in advertising. Mammy is responsible for the house, and she can't get her job done with that dang mouse about. Especially when said mouse is messing with her while up on a stool (when her switchblade fell out of her house smock from Jerry's shaking of the stool, I nearly fell over myself. Then her dentures came down...oh man, sick minds.
The Music
I love it when they fuse Swing-Jazz with Symphony music - like in The Mouse Comes to Dinner, you get a little of both. In The Zoot Cat, you get a lot of one and tiny bit of the other. Othertimes, it can be reversed where you only a tiny bit of the jazz, but you still get it. Or not.....Kitty Foiled seems dominated with Oreshration-Symphony music, with no Jazz, but we don't mind. The pace is furious, the music is excellent, and it has the last ingredient in making the Perfect Tom and Jerry Short:
The Chase
How often are the duo actually chasing each other in any given short? Oh, they'll chase one another for awhile, until Tom decides he's got a brilliant idea, then the comedy shifts in another direction. Then maybe they'll chase again some more for a bit before Jerry gets a brilliant idea.
My nomination for the Perfect Tom & Jerry cartoon would have to be...
Kitty Foiled
Why? The animation is essentially top-notch - Tom is furry consistently (sometimes, in other shorts like A Mouse In The House, another animator will come in and do a scene, and the characters will lose their lush look and instead be streamlined with hardly a fur out of place), furniture is all perfectly antique (although I guess it was modern then, but that don't matter much to me 60 years later), and it's all frantic chase, chase, chase. Even a little canary bird is involved here. Never a dull moment in this wild short.
Don't get me wrong, folks. If a short doesn't have frantic chase scenes, that doesn't matter to me, due to the points I've made above. I love the stories they came up with for Puttin' On The Dog, The Million Dollar Cat, and Polka-Dot Puss, just to name a few.
Your nomination for the Perfect Tom & Jerry Short?
What makes a "Perfect Tom and Jerry short" to me? There's a couple of factors:
the animation
I can't fault a single T&J short from 1940 through 1949, not really, because the animation has always been at the top of its game. The furniture had its gloss, its shadows; the woodwork was all carved-out and beautiful. Tom's eyes had the glint of Emerald green, and that little white stripe between his eyes (they lost that white stripe in the 50's shorts because their budget was thinning out) Jerry was always pretty much Jerry, nothing you can really say about his formation, or so-called evolution. He got less squeaker, is all I can say. No complaints.
the plot/end story
I always get the biggest kick out of a well-thoughtout story, with a cute gag at the end to clinch the deal. There were a lot of great stories for these two characters: just think - Tom dies and goes to heaven Heavenly Puss, but it is only a dream, and this short factors in both the stories of Scrooge and It's A Wonderful Life. Tom awakens after the nightmare, all the while dying to live (no pun intended), and finally grateful that he is alive. He finds Jerry and showers him with Brotherly Love. A great ending to a short that had a great story.
That's just one example. My Bodyguard is another one. True, the cat and mouse do not make amends at the end, but the ending is quite a surprise and nobody expects. I find the end where the dog is back in the dog catcher's truck (with big strong padlock) with a priceless look on his face to be the end that caps off at brilliant. Of course, Jerry's denial of the whole thing puts the icing on the cake, with him whistling after the dog catcher's truck, and Tom chasing Jerry.
Mammy Two-Shoes
As Tom's owner, she is the better antagonist than when they got pc-friendly and made up the same kind of shorts with the bulldog sitting in for Mammy. I'll take a Mammy short over a Bulldog short any time. Mammy scolding Thomas; Mammy screaming at Thomas; Mammy calling Tom Thomas added a certain layer of intimacy that just isn't there when the Bulldog is scolding and screaming at "Tom." The best Mammy shorts are Old Rockin' Chair Tom and Mouse Cleaning because we see truth in advertising. Mammy is responsible for the house, and she can't get her job done with that dang mouse about. Especially when said mouse is messing with her while up on a stool (when her switchblade fell out of her house smock from Jerry's shaking of the stool, I nearly fell over myself. Then her dentures came down...oh man, sick minds.
The Music
I love it when they fuse Swing-Jazz with Symphony music - like in The Mouse Comes to Dinner, you get a little of both. In The Zoot Cat, you get a lot of one and tiny bit of the other. Othertimes, it can be reversed where you only a tiny bit of the jazz, but you still get it. Or not.....Kitty Foiled seems dominated with Oreshration-Symphony music, with no Jazz, but we don't mind. The pace is furious, the music is excellent, and it has the last ingredient in making the Perfect Tom and Jerry Short:
The Chase
How often are the duo actually chasing each other in any given short? Oh, they'll chase one another for awhile, until Tom decides he's got a brilliant idea, then the comedy shifts in another direction. Then maybe they'll chase again some more for a bit before Jerry gets a brilliant idea.
My nomination for the Perfect Tom & Jerry cartoon would have to be...
Kitty Foiled
Why? The animation is essentially top-notch - Tom is furry consistently (sometimes, in other shorts like A Mouse In The House, another animator will come in and do a scene, and the characters will lose their lush look and instead be streamlined with hardly a fur out of place), furniture is all perfectly antique (although I guess it was modern then, but that don't matter much to me 60 years later), and it's all frantic chase, chase, chase. Even a little canary bird is involved here. Never a dull moment in this wild short.
Don't get me wrong, folks. If a short doesn't have frantic chase scenes, that doesn't matter to me, due to the points I've made above. I love the stories they came up with for Puttin' On The Dog, The Million Dollar Cat, and Polka-Dot Puss, just to name a few.
Your nomination for the Perfect Tom & Jerry Short?
Last edited by Buttmunker; 01-27-10 at 08:27 PM.
01-27-10, 08:48 PM
#2
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
I do love Tom & Jerry. You listed some absolute classics. One of my favorites is 'Yankee Doodle Mouse' from '43. This is the one where they have the fireworks fight in the basement. Great animation, non-stop action, and some great WWII sight gags starting with the 'Cat Raid Shelter' signs at the beginning. It even has a consistently furry Tom.
01-28-10, 12:23 AM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Christmas episode - T&J fight all around the Christmas tree, until Jerry leaves the house through the mail slot. Tom blocks it so Jerry can't get back in, but later feels guilty because it's snowing. In a panic, Tom rescues Jerry and defrosts him by the fire. Jerry then prevents Tom from drinking a bowl of milk where Jerry had previously hidden a mousetrap. Jerry goes to a mousetrap that Tom had set up, but it was a musical one.
I've never liked the later ones from 60s with the weird, jerky, angular animation. Dicky Moe the whale, the safari one, etc.
I've never liked the later ones from 60s with the weird, jerky, angular animation. Dicky Moe the whale, the safari one, etc.
01-28-10, 09:14 AM
#7
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
I love me some Tom & Jerry.
I was shocked when I first saw this one, and it wasn't that long ago either:
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I was shocked when I first saw this one, and it wasn't that long ago either:
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01-28-10, 09:21 AM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Buttmunker you should've put it up cuz..well it's a lot better when you see it.
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Last edited by Solid Snake; 01-28-10 at 09:27 AM.
01-28-10, 10:12 AM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
There was one favorite episode of mine, where Tom & Jerry battled it out in the basement I think? And they used toys, fireworks as their arsenal. It was just pure mayham destruction all around. Anyone remember the name of that one?
01-28-10, 12:33 PM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Jerry and the Lion
Little Quacker
That's My Mommy
The Two Mouseketeers
Jerry's Diploma
Jerry's Cousin
Little Quacker
That's My Mommy
The Two Mouseketeers
Jerry's Diploma
Jerry's Cousin
01-28-10, 12:37 PM
#12
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Originally Posted by Rainet
There was one favorite episode of mine, where Tom & Jerry battled it out in the basement I think? And they used toys, fireworks as their arsenal. It was just pure mayham destruction all around. Anyone remember the name of that one?
Here's the IMDB link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036547/usercomments
01-28-10, 01:50 PM
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
I nominate Pecos Pest (1953)
My favorite and most memorable one-reel; it's not a prototypical example of Tom & Jerry since there's a guest star which changes the typical dynamic but it's a perfect example of how Tom can't ever win.
My favorite and most memorable one-reel; it's not a prototypical example of Tom & Jerry since there's a guest star which changes the typical dynamic but it's a perfect example of how Tom can't ever win.
01-28-10, 03:51 PM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Zoot Cat and Heavenly Puss are probably the most famous, beloved, and therefore best T&J cartoons.
Can any of you "experts" illuminate me on the series of sci-fi Tom & Jerry's? I remember several shorts that took place on a big round space station. I think they were late '50s efforts. Are they on DVD?
Can any of you "experts" illuminate me on the series of sci-fi Tom & Jerry's? I remember several shorts that took place on a big round space station. I think they were late '50s efforts. Are they on DVD?
01-28-10, 04:48 PM
#17
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
The Missing Mouse was always one of my favorites.
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01-28-10, 04:55 PM
#18
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
And Mice Follies, too.
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Though everything here is bringing some fun memories. Grew up on this stuff.
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Though everything here is bringing some fun memories. Grew up on this stuff.
01-28-10, 07:53 PM
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Originally Posted by The Cow
"Is you is, or is you ain't my baby.."
01-28-10, 09:31 PM
#20
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
^^^"Won't you believe it?!" That freaked me out as a kid since he never spoke, but was that ever a reference to something else?
01-28-10, 09:36 PM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Originally Posted by rabbit77
^^^"Won't you believe it?!" That freaked me out as a kid since he never spoke, but was that ever a reference to something else?
01-28-10, 09:39 PM
#22
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
"Don't. You. Believe It."
Searching for that one I came across another clip of Tom (in a similar beat-up fashion) saying it.
Couldn't get anything about the source of the voice clip. Probably culled from whatever they had in studio.
Searching for that one I came across another clip of Tom (in a similar beat-up fashion) saying it.
Couldn't get anything about the source of the voice clip. Probably culled from whatever they had in studio.
01-28-10, 09:39 PM
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Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Originally Posted by Mabuse
Can any of you "experts" illuminate me on the series of sci-fi Tom & Jerry's? I remember several shorts that took place on a big round space station. I think they were late '50s efforts. Are they on DVD?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guided_Mouse-ille
The other 2 are listed in the wiki as well.
01-28-10, 09:51 PM
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The absolute Beat-All, most Purr-fect TOM & JERRY short:
Originally Posted by rabbit77
but was that ever a reference to something else?
The only other reasonably common vocalization is made by Tom when some external reference claims a certain scenario or eventuality to be impossible, which inevitably, ironically happens to thwart Tom's plans - at which point, a bedraggled and battered Tom appears and says in a haunting, echoing voice "Don't you believe it!", a reference to some famous World War II propaganda shorts of the 1940s.
