Tom and Jerry

[Commode]

What about the famed cat and mouse duo from MGM?  Don't they get any love?

As for me. I rather enjoy this particular short.  Any of youse guys got any favorite Tom and Jerry's?

[Spark Of Spirit]

I referred to Tom & Jerry once as a sort of Zen experience when done right. I stand by that statement.

Turn your brain off and enjoy the mayhem. There's no dialogue to keep track of (most of the time), no complex plot twists, just zany comedy with a cat and a mouse.

[Avaitor]

Wow, I haven't seen this in a while. This isn't quite a favorite, but it's rather well done, and classic Tom.

Make me pick a favorite, and this would be up there, for sure.

[Commode]

One custard pie!  Let me have it!  One of my favorite lines from a cartoon.

This one is also a good one.

[Avaitor]

One custard pie!  Let me have it!  One of my favorite lines from a cartoon.

This is another great one. The plot is nothing new for cartoons, even for the time, but it's all about the execution, and this one just kills.

This one is also a good one.

Another classic. I remember watching a Pixie and Dixie cartoon a while back that ripped off a few Tom & Jerry shorts, including the ending of this one. I can usually defend a lot of those cartoons, but that isn't one of them. This one trumps Pixie and Dixie any time.

I'd love to post some Tex Avery shorts, but I don't know if that would justify it's own thread, since he made cartoons outside of Warner and MGM, and then I should also make threads for Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and the like.

[Angus]

I give it lots of love. It's what put Hanna and Barbera on the map, before they became producers to all those crazy talking animal shows.

Don't you believe it!
Touche monsieur pussycat.
Is you is or is you ain't my baby.
Gee, I'm throwing away a million dollars....but I'm happy!

[Avaitor]

So Warner is finally making a T&J set akin to the Looney Tunes ones, just as it deserves. It should be out in chronological order, with no tampering with the shorts, tons of extras, and supposedly great new prints.

Seems like a good time to bump the thread. Also, talk about Tex's stuff and the rest of the MGM studio's work if you so choose to.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I need to start getting these sets. So much awesome.

[Kiddington]

I'm just surprised that WHV is actually releasing stuff geared towards the actual animation collector again, and not just the soccer mom crowd looking for a digital babysitter.

Dare I take back my scathing comments about them from a few days ago? Well... no. NO. I have to see, before I believe. It sounds nice, yes, but let's see if they actually follow through on this without fucking it up first.

...as for the topic at hand, love Tom & Jerry. Always have, always will. I'm a slapstick kinda guy (when it's done right), and this is right up my alley.

[Mr. Big]

Anyone have opinions on the Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones' take on the characters?

I'll admit that the Deitch shorts are a guilty pleasure. The fact that they were done by Eastern European artists who've never seen the original shorts before gave it a bizarre feel that just made it interesting to watch. Although I find it sad that many animation fans equate Deitch with T&J rather than his other works featuring original characters (the Terrytoons made under Deitch's run were among my favorite to come out of New York's animation industry.

As for Chuck Jones, well, he himself admitted he never got it. Some nice poses here and there, but they aren't my favorites.

[Avaitor]

Eh, I don't think the European arthouse take on the characters worked too well. The odd audio hooks were obnoxious most of the time, and it really feels like he wasn't into it at all.

And Jones' stuff just bores me. I love the man, but he couldn't come anywhere near close to Bill and Joe when it came to the duo.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yeah, I love Chuck, but his Tom & Jerry material was just not very interesting to watch.

[Mr. Big]

Eh, I don't think the European arthouse take on the characters worked too well. The odd audio hooks were obnoxious most of the time, and it really feels like he wasn't into it at all.

Heh, yeah the sound effects were pretty weird. They were present in other cartoons Deitch did in Prague.

Thought I'd at least link this. Gene Deitch writes about working on "Tom and Jerry" and his feelings about them. He even gives his two cents on the Jones shorts.

[Commode]

Cartoon Network aired the Tex Avery cartoon "The Counterfeit Cat" as the last cartoon during the Tom and Jerry block today(it should be obvious that this is not a T&J cartoon).  I didn't get to see the whole hour of the block, but was this simply a mistake, or has the Tom and Jerry block turned into a more general MGM block as of late?  It'd be pretty cool if more Tex Avery shorts air on CN.

[Avaitor]

Whoa, that's crazy.

First I've heard of something like this happening.