Tom and Jerry:2005

We end our trip through time with Tom and Jerry with "The Karate Guard". Joseph Barbera returned one last time to co-direct this cartoon. He passed away soon after.


The cartoon takes the idea of Spike being Jerry's bodyguard and puts a martial arts spin on it. Jerry's karate skills are no match for Tom's flyswatter (there's that darn flyswatter again). The mouse is offered help by a mystical mentor who gives a magical gong to Jerry.


Whenever Jerry is in trouble with Tom, he simply bangs the gong to summon Spike the dog, who pummels Tom in classic violent fashion. Even when Tom attaches pillows to Spike's ears to block the sound of the gong, the cat's good fortune is short-lived.


In one impressive scene, Tom is launched directly at the camera, passes it and hits the roof of a house, all in one continuous shot, where he then claws frantically at the roof as he slides down. Tom enlists the help of Butch and his cronies and paintballs prove to be Spike's kryptonite. However, soon the cats are mere bowling pins to be knocked down by a balled-up Tom.


Tom is reduced to a servant, waiting hand and foot on Spike and Jerry, who gorge themselves on popcorn.
As with most cartoon series, the later, lackluster efforts of Tom and Jerry should not diminish the films of thier glory days, when fast-paced action, great music and violent mayhem ruled the screen with hilarious results.
Thanks to everyone who visits here for toughing it out through what became the longest timeline to complete due to my gaps in posting.
Coming up next will be another installment of PD Warehouse. From there...well, I have some ideas for characters who deserve the timeline treatment but I am open to any suggestions as well. Drop me a comment and let me know of any characters you would like to see highlighted here and I will see what I can do. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tom and Jerry:2001

When I made my last post, I was so grateful to reach the end of the Deitch/Jones films that I actually implied this timeline was over. Not true, as Tom and Jerry would not go away so quietly.
In 1975, H-B made some new cat and mouse cartoons for television, but the violence was turned down to an extreme and the duo were more buddies than enemies.
I hate to even mention the Filmation cartoons of the early '80s, which make the Deitch cartoons seem like animation masterpieces.
H-B took another crack at Tom and Jerry in the 90's before the rights were turned over to Turner and more specifically, Warner Bros.


I will spare you any mention of "The Tom and Jerry Movie".
Plenty of direct-to-video releases have resulted, as well as today's highlighted cartoon, "The Mansion Cat".
Not much to say here really. Amidst very simplified backgrounds, Tom and Jerry wreck havok in the house while thier owner is away.


While trying to watch his own performance in "Muscle Beach Tom", the cat is forced into the VCR by Jerry and ejected in cassette form. In a moment resembling a scene from "Terminator", Tom is frozen, shattered and reassembled and the slow-paced chase resumes.


A water bed is punctured, fireplace soot is tracked everywhere, and an out-of-control vacuum cleaner sucks up everything it gets near. Tom gets a plunger stuck on his rear and drives a lawnmower through the house.


Finding his home destroyed doesn't seem to effect Tom's owner much, who just makes a dry observation on Tom's worth.

Tom and Jerry:1967

Tom's shark troubles continue in "Cannery Rodent". Why did I pick this cartoon? I actually dig the music over the opening titles. There, I admitted it.


Now that I have gotten that shameful revelation out of the way, let's move on. The cat and mouse chase leads our heroes onto a conveyor belt and into a cannery where they are sealed within properly-labeled cans.


Tom escapes easily with the aid of his claws while Jerry is left trapped in his can until he is captured and released in the same manner. Jerry repays Tom with a bite to the finger.


Tom repeatedly ends up in the water below where a hungry shark awaits. In yet another "friendship" moment, Jerry rescues Tom from the shark with some conveniently-placed pepper. Tom doesn't have such an easy change of heart, as evidenced by his devil horns, which quickly pop Jerry's halo.


Jerry earns his own devil horns, however, when he uses the classic "fake shark fin" gag to send Tom swimming for his life into the horizon.
This would be the final year for theatrical Tom and Jerry cartoons, but is this the end? Nope. The mandatory wrap-up/conclusion post is forthcoming.

Tom and Jerry:1966

Zzzzz...huh? Wha? Sorry, I must have dozed off there. "Filet Meow" has Jerry once more in charge of protecting a goldfish from Tom's starving belly. A simple needle to the feline's rear thwarts his first attempt.


Tom discovers that by wearing a trashcan, he can now be protected from any future needle attacks. Bear with me, folks. Tom attacks Jerry with an axe but (as I have pointed out before) Tom apparently has no feeling in his tail, which allows Jerry to place it on the chopping block without his knowledge. Luckily it screws right back in place.


Still wearing the trashcan, Tom is mistaken by the garbage man for actual trash and is thrown out. Tom returns and rigs up a hose system beneath the fishbowl to suck out his prey.


In order to accept the ending of this cartoon, you would have to accept the fact that Jerry finds a pet store that delivers a man-eating shark to his bathtub. Tom unknowingly sucks the shark through the tube and is forced to flee for his life.


Oh...and the shark apparently falls in love with the goldfish...or something.

Tom and Jerry:1965

In sifting through the Tom and Jerry cartoons from this period, I can come across a few that are more tolerable than the others. "Tom-ic Energy" is one. I think I enjoy the films where Tom is simply chasing Jerry. No fancy backdrops, no real plot, no forced situations...just a simple chase.


One little detail that I like from Chuck's films is that he sometimes has action occuring during the title sequence. Yes, it results in the eye being distracted from actually reading the names of the people who worked on the film, but I feel it gives things that extra boost of energy right from the start.


Some gags are typical (a stoplight momentarily interrupts the chase, for example). Not to mention a strange sequence where Tom is mistaken for a female by an amorous cat. Pepe Le Pew would be proud.


A seemingly helpful act from Jerry is anything but, as the overzealous mouse inflats Tom's body with an air pump, resulting in the classic "deflating balloon" gag.


Jerry saves Tom from an angry dog, proving that the two characters actually need each other, filling the void in thier otherwise meaningless existances.

Tom and Jerry:1964

We all know that Tom is able to sing. He does so in "Solid Serenade" for example. The difference between that cartoon and "The Cat above and the Mouse Below", however, is that the former is actually entertaining.


Concert halls are also nothing new as a backdrop for Tom and Jerry's feuding. "Cat Concerto" and "The Hollywood Bowl" come to mind. The difference between those cartoons and this one? I think you know the answer.


Tom sings excerpts from "Barber of Seville", annoying Jerry, who lives beneath the stage. Jerry attempts many unfunny ways to silence Tom, including a rubber band and publically licking a lemon.


A plunger to the face and a sack to the head, which sends Tom crashing through the stage floor, result in Jerry concluding the opera, which is odd because I thought he was looking for peace and quiet.


It will only get harder for me to pick cartoons from this period because they are so unmemorable that I have forgotten what most of them are about, and I'm not really in the mood to watch them in order to find out. I've been a bit moody lately, folks. Bear with me.

Tom and Jerry:1963

As I said, I enjoy Chuck Jones films very much, but it is clear that he never quite knew what to do with Tom and Jerry. The films have that great Jones look to them but the stories are rather flat and they are anything but funny.


The title of Pent-House Mouse comes from the fact that Tom lives in a penthouse (and it conveniently rhymes with mouse, I suppose). A starving Jerry comes across an unwatched lunchbox at a construction site near Tom's house.


Typical construction site physics ensure that Jerry is dropped into Tom's waiting hand. Jerry escapes back to the work zone only to figure that Tom's mouth offers a more safe place to be.


There is a strange flyswatter sequence that needs no more attention here. Finally Jerry manages to dump Tom off the roof, into the construction site, where an out of control barrel ride lands the cat into a dog show. Offscreen violence ensues.


Jerry takes command of Tom's penthouse and should be grateful that ice cubes melt. Chuck Jones, Mike Maltese, Ken Harris, Ben Washam...what could possibly go wrong? Several things apparently.

Tom and Jerry:1962

Has it been this long already? Wow. First, I need to apologize yet again for my absence. Life has been very busy and the days go by very fast. I appreciate the kind words I have received from folks and the gentle reminders about my poor, neglected blog. I will try to get back on track with it.


So we move on to 1962 and wrap up this horrible period in Tom and Jerry's career. "High Steaks" is yet another glimpse into the abusive relationship between Tom and his owner. Tom's pain does not really come from Jerry, but rather his hot-tempered owner.


A backyard cookout is disrupted by Jerry's attempts to swipe some of the food and by Tom's attempts to stop him, which always result in Tom pissing off his owner, who inflicts disturbing punishment upon the cat.


Tom gets his face pressed in a grill and an agitated soda bottle in his mouth before getting tied to a recliner, which I think Jerry hooks onto a car to tow the helpless cat away...or something. I honestly stopped watching after I snagged the last screenshot. It's that bad.


The Tom and Jerry reins would be handed over to Chuck Jones. Jones is one of my favorite directors, but even he could only slightly improve the series. Emphasis on slightly.

Tom and Jerry:1961

Once the amazing H-B Tom and Jerry cartoons came to an end, the series was placed in the hands of Gene Deitch. To say that the films took a bizarre turn would be an understatement. Watching these cartoons is like watching an eerie T&J nightmare.


"Down and Outing" sounds like it would be typical fare for H-B (Tom goes fishing with his owner and Jerry tags along), but in the hands of Deitch, who had never seen a Tom and Jerry cartoon before taking over the series, the situation becomes creepy.


Shaky animation, off-model characters and a tin-like soundtrack all contribute to the cartoon's lackluster quality. Am I being too harsh? Possibly since I am comparing the films to what had come before, and let's face it, there is no comparison.


Anyway, Tom is abused severly by his owner, even though some might say the cat brings it upon himself. After a hellish car ride to the lake, we are now ready for some fishng-type shenanigans.


However, we never really get any. The potential for such a set-up never pays off as Tom's owner opts to fish with Jerry while Tom is bound with rope in the boat.

Tom and Jerry:1958

The final Hanna-Barbera directed Tom and Jerry cartoon from the Golden Age is "Tot Watchers". All that would follow in the long career of the famous cat and mouse would pale in comparison to the films from 1940-1958.


A negligent babysitter (who is more interested in talking on the phone than watching the baby) continuously mistakes Tom's attempts at maintaining the child's safety as a threat.


Tom and Jerry working as a team never sits too well with me, since they make much better adversaries, but I guess it is nice to see that they can put aside thier differences for a moment when a baby's life is at stake.


The obligatory construction site is always the perfect place for two heros to prove how far they will go to keep a child safe. The typical violence is absent here (well, except for Tom's run-in with Spike, but the thrashing is left to our imaginations as it takes place off screen).


A weary Tom and Jerry return home with the baby, only to be blamed for his kidnapping, and they are carted off to jail.
Is this the end of our Tom and Jerry tribute? Nope. Come back and bear the pain with me as we continue on to a rather disturbing phase of the cat and mouse's career.