Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases Volume 3 features a diverse collection of 14 shorts directed by Hanna-Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby, that were originally released between 1941 and 1956. “The Two Mousketeers,” which was released in 1952, won an Academy Award ® for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. The short features the character of Nibbles the mouse in what became a successful Mousketeers theme, prompting Hanna-Barbera to create a total of four adventures in the Mousketeers series, including “Touché Pussycat” (1954), which earned an Oscar ® nomination and is also featured on the DVD.
Other shorts featured on the DVD include “Smitten Kitten“ (released in 1952), where Tom falls head over heels for a beautiful feline, resulting in his losing all interest in chasing after Jerry. In “Designs on Jerry” (1952), Tom masterminds the ultimate mousetrap. “The Pecos Pest “(1955) has Jerry meet his singing, guitar-playing, country uncle. In “The Flying Sorceress“ (1956, voiced by June Foray), Tom leaves home to become a witch’s companion. In “Blue Cat Blues“ (1956), Tom contemplates being hit by a train after his feline girlfriend leaves him for wealthy Butch the cat. Other shorts include “Puttin’ on the Dog“ (1944), “Fine Feathered Friend“ (1942), “The Bowling Alley Cat“ (1942), “The Night Before Christmas“ (1941), “Cat Napping“ (1951) , “The Flying Cat“ (1952), and “Baby Butch.”
This was great, a trip back to some of the best that Tom and Jerry have to offer. What makes it even better for me is that my kids are at an age where they enjoy Tom and Jerry as much as I did when I was younger. We popped the DVD in and sat back to relax and watch one of the greatest cartoon duos in history. I am going to handle this a bit different than an overall review: I will give you some quick thoughts on each cartoon and tip you to what I remember when I first watched them as a kid.
“Cat Napping” – Tom is just trying to catch a rest in his hammock, but Jerry is already there. Jerry obviously thinks he is entitled to the hammock since he was there first. The sliding down the tree branches back to the hammock is always a fun scene. And the marching ants is what I remember most from this episode as a child. Tom beats on the neighborhood dog Spike because he thinks he has Jerry wrapped up in the hammock and gets the short end of the stick. It is interesting how the violence is so over-the-top cartooney that you just really don’t mind it so much.
“The Flying Cat” – Tom wants a little taste of the little yellow canary. We don’t know if Jerry is really friends with the canary, if he doesn’t want to see any little birdies hurt, or if the enemy of his enemy is his friend. I love how the bird house is so high up in the air, like how the heck did anyone build it that high? It makes for some good comedy. Tom falls into an attic with a dresser and ends up getting some ladies apparel that he uses like bird wings. Now we have a flying cat and all sorts of crazyness ensues. I love the disbelief on Jerry’s face when he sees Tom flying through the air.
“The Two Mouseketeers” – Can something be a classic of a classic? “The Two Mouseketeers” is one of the classic cartoons of Tom and Jerry and won an Academy Award. It damn well should have; it is just plain awesome. You know what I reminded of in this cartoon the most, the absolutely stunning artwork of the food on that table. Tom must guard this huge banquet from the two mouseketeers, and you know how this is going to turn out. Nibbles really is the cutest little mouse, and when he speaks French, it is the best. Touché, pussy cat, is something that most everyone has heard before. This is a Tom and Jerry cartoon that feels universally known to me. The only thing that might not fly in this day and age is the apparent drunkenness of little Nibbles after Tom throws him in a glass with champagne. He is quickly over it, though, and the episode continues. Poor Tom seems to really get it in the end for not completing his job of guarding the feast. Books could be written about how good this episode is.
“Baby Butch” – Probably one of my least favorite characters is the alley cat, Butch, who in this episode pretends to be a baby for the free room and board. One of the episodes where Tom and Jerry help each out out in the end against a common enemy.
“Designs on Jerry” – Best part of the episode is watching Tom working at the drafting board building a better mousetrap. It is so elaborate and well conceived…if only it actually worked that well. The drafting board mouse representation of Jerry comes alive and warns Jerry about the trap, giving him a leg up on Tom. This episode is really all about the drafting board mouse, cat, and Jerry. Once Tom wakes up and builds the trap, Jerry already has it figured out. Once I started watching it again, I remembered how cool the drafting board blue print scenes were.
“Pecos Pest” – Uncle Pecos stops and spends the night with Jerry on his way to the big city for his television debut. The stuttering singing Pecos steals the show by showing an indifference to Tom, and every time one of his guitar strings breaks, he plucks a wisker off of Tom’s face for use. Jerry has to keep his uncle out of trouble, but it sure seems Pecos can take care of himself.
“Touché Pussycat!” – Ah, good ole Nibbles, off to Paris to the King’s Mouseketeers Headquarters to visit Jerry. He has a note for Capitaine Jerry: ”This is my son, whom you promised to make a Mouseketeer,” from Francois Mouse. Jerry gets him training, and, damn, Nibble is awesome. Jerry also teaches little Nibbles how to be a gentleman to the Lady Mice by helping them over puddles in the street, sometimes at Jerry’s expense. Jerry does not think he can make Nibbles a Mouseketeer and sends him home, but on his way home Nibbles finds that he needs to help poor Jerry in a sword fight against Tom. I love the sound effect they have when Nibbles keeps slicing off a piece of Tom’s tail. Nibbles once again becomes a bit tipsy as he gets flushed down the sewer system with some champagne. Then Jerry spanks him to teach him a lesson.
“The Flying Sorceress” – Halloween classic. Tom gets reprimanded for breaking something while chasing Jerry, and he decides he might find a better lot in life by going to visit an old lady on Sunnydale Road and maybe live with her. She is a witch and needs a cat for her broomstick. Tom has got himself into it this time. I remember the super-rocket broom as a kid, and the fact that the witch was quite scary and tells Tom if he doesn’t hang on he will get himself a headstone in her backyard graveyard. When the witch goes out, Tom takes her magic broom and tries to capture Jerry; that is, until the witch catches him abusing the broom and gives him a real ride. Oh, wait, it was just a dream…or was it?
“Blue Cat Blues” – Not a real favorite of mine. Tom and Jerry, though, are playing nice together. But Tom has an attraction to a female cat, and it Jerry tells us all about it. I do not like the Jerry narration, just seems out of character for the series. Butch and Tom go at it trying to impress the female cat, but in the end it just seems a depressing cartoon. Especially when Jerry seems to go through the same thing. The end scene is both of them sitting on the railroad tracks with a train horn in the background. A nice look at Tom and Jerry getting along, though.
“The Night Before Christmas” – Gorgeous drawing and animation for this episode. We get to see Jerry check out all the Christmas decorations and presents first hand. A bit of Tom chasing Jerry around the house, and Tom seems to be drawn a bit differently this episode. More catlike and less human. Once he gets Jerry outside in the snowstorm, he has a bit of change of heart, and Tom and Jerry have a great Christmas. I loved this episode and think that it could rank as one of my favorite Christmas cartoons. Jerry as the icicle mouse where Tom warms him over the fire by holding his tail always stands out in my mind as being humorous. The music for this episode is a step up from the regular awesome music and sound effects that usually accompany an episode.
“The Bowling Alley-Cat” – Tom and Jerry hijinks at the bowling alley. Nothing real in depth about this one, but that does not mean that it does not work.
“Fine Feathered Friend” – Tom and Jerry at the farm. I always loved the chicken laying the eggs who is a real protective mother. Tom gets caught with his hand trying to get Jerry when he hides under the chicken’s warm legs, where she is also trying to keep her baby eggs warm. Then when the babies are hatched Jerry tries to trick the mother into thinking he is also a baby chick so she will keep him safe from Tom. I like the third character of the chicken; it adds something fun to this epsidoe.
“Puttin’ on the Dog” – Ha, ha, Tom with a fake dog head so he can try and catch Jerry behind the fence of the dog pound. Tom is real determined to get Jerry rather than finding something safer to do. Jerry sits with Spike, but Tom is not so bad at playing the dog if Jerry isn’t tricking him. I love the fact that they drew so many different types of dogs; it adds depth to the pound for sure. In the end Tom is chased up a flag pole with all the dogs barking up a storm.
The quality of the DVD is much better than watching the episodes on regular television. What is there really to say about the music and sound effects? They are just classic and work so well with the cartoons. When you do not have much dialogue (if any) in the cartoons, the music and sound effects really are put out there, and here they do not disappoint. The cover art is new to introduce a new generation to Tom and Jerry. My kids love it, and you should take the opportunity to introduce your children to it, as well. I know some of the adults out there may even pick it up for themselves. Classic.
Tom and Jerry Greatest Chases Volume 3
Street Date: October 13, 2009
Check out the Official site: http://www.kidswb.com/
Own it on DVD!
I’ve been meaning to purchase the entire DVD collection for my boy for Christmas. I hesitate b/c I enjoy catching them on TV. It becomes an event rather than something on the DVD. Having said that, however, I am likely to get the DVDs. If I had to pick, I’d probably pick T&J over Looney Tunes as my fav cartoon series. The bowling alley ep here is one of my favorites. The music of Scott Bradley is the underappreciated gem of the old cartoons, especially the ones from the 1940s.
Have you ever seen Tom and Jerry Tales, the modern ones from a few years ago? Unlike every other incarnation, these folks brought in all that happened before: the characters, the settings, etc. You get to see Jerry’s guitar-playing cousin again, Spike, Tyke, Butch, etc. They’re really good.
We do like catching them on TV as well, but having on demand it is the same as having the dvd I think. THe bowling alley ep didnt really do it for me I am more about the holiday and mousekeeters for me. Yeah something about the way they are drawn though and the coloring just doesnt work on the new ones for me regardless of the settings. Better than some of the mess they have tried to come up with in the Tom and Jerry universe though. Yes the music is totally underappreciated.
For me its tough to see some of the scenes as an adult and say wow is that really ok for my kid? Sitting on the train tracks being depressed and all that stuff. But as a kid I guess I never understood it so it was ok