Comments on The Truce Hurts

[PorkyandDaffy]

What are your thoughts on the Tom and Jerry cartoon, THE TRUCE HURTS?

I just watched this cartoon again today, and I loved it. A clever plot, with Tom Jerry and Spike signing a peace treaty to never fight again and to be friends. They live with each other, but after a while, begin to have many troubles.

The cartoon is very funny, and has a lot of funny parts, especially in the middle like the cat's reaction to seeing Tom save and kiss Jerry, and when Spike punches the other dog in the mouth and knocks all his teeth out numb. The ending is great. This is now one of my favorite T&J cartoons.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Larry T]

I love this cartoon so much I even re-created a cel and background from the fighting three-way at the beginning and end of the cartoon.

What I love the most about this cartoon is the fact that you, as a viewer, don't really need to know a lot about the characters as a series. In fact, if it's your very first T&J cartoon you've ever seen, you can get the jist of it- It plays mostly on the situation, the characters themselves, and the events. But ..... since the characters have individual personalities, those traits start to seep back out (Butch still clouts Tom on the head to get the apple out of his throat, rather than a more humane way to do it, and Tom is still pretty rough on Jerry in attending to his morning toilette). The fact that a steak has been thrown into the melee just accelerates the process. My favourite scene is the three-way fight, as I said earlier.... heh, heh, EVERYONE gets clobbered, even Jerry!!!

What great timing and structure in the plotline- this one is truly in my list of top ten T&J cartoons!!! :D

[Brandon Pierce]

This is actually a pretty good cartoon. And, one of the rare times in which the dog speaks to the mouse (with the exeption of the cartoon where Butch becomes Jerry's servant, whatever the title was...).

[Matt Yorston]

I believe you're referring to "The Bodyguard" (1944).

[DarthGonzo]

Yeah, I really have a soft spot for The Truce Hurts. It's just a really good cartoon all around. The scene at the beginning and the end of the cartoon with all three characters wailing on each other is just perfect. It's a shame the blackface scene is always removed, though. A personal favorite scene is when Butch cuts Tom the ring from the middle of the steak, so the cat stabs him with his fork.

A few other things worth mentioning

It's pretty common knowledge that the black cat seen in this cartoon is also named Butch, although the 50 Years of Cat and Mouse filmography (which I dont think was written by the authors) identifies him as Meathead. I think Meathead was the orange cat with the larger nose from Sufferin' Cats, who showed up again in Baby Puss (which was also Butch's first appearance), Saturday Evening Puss, Sleepy Time Tom, Life With Tom and Smarty Cat. The orange cat in Old Rockin' Chair Tom and Mucho Mouse simply is Butch in a different color and, in the former cartoon, named Lightening. The 50 Years book identifies the little tan cat as Shorty, which is a good enough name as any. Another tan cat shows up in Sleepy Time Tom and Life with Tom. This cat seems to be based on Butch's model sheet, although colored differently. I think Baby Butch was the first use of the name Butch in association with the character mentioned above.

Anyone seen Chuck Jones' short Matinee Mouse? He uses a clip from The Truce Hurts at the end of the cartoon. Hanna and Barbera's Tom, Jerry and Spike are beating each other up on screen while Jones' Tom and Jerry (who have been slightly redesigned here to match the H/B incarnations, something done again in The Shutterbugged Cat) fight in the theater. Suddenly, the Tom, Jerry and Spike onscreen (with the aid of new animation copying the H/B style) stop and watch the characters fighting in the audience. Very interesting.

Anyone wanna start a new thread discussing another Tom and Jerry cartoon. Here are some ideas: Old Rockin' Chair Tom, The Milky Waif, Cue Ball Cat or His Mouse Friday?

[Matthew Hunter]

Very funny cartoon. I think it's one of the best Tom and Jerry toons.
-Matthew

[Crazy Tom]

Originally posted by Matthew Hunter
Very funny cartoon. I think it's one of the best Tom and Jerry toons.

I totally agree with that. This clearly is one of T&J's best, even though it did not win any awards. My favorite scene...the whole meat sequence, with the truck passing by the three of them and splashing them in "blackface" mud (good thing I have the full version of it), going all the way to the de-ratification of the treaty. Clearly a classic, except mauled by CN.

[The Spectre]

Butch and Spike are clearly DIFFERENT BULLDOGS! There is quite an easy way to tell them apart (except in those occurences when he doesn't speak):

- Butch sounds like Billy Bletcher
- Spike sounds like Jimmy Durante

[Jave]

Spectre, please stop reviving threads, if you want to express your thoughts, start a new thread or post on a recent one. Thanks.

- Javier :chilly:

[The Spectre]

Care to explain why? On other messageboards it is the custom not to create redundant threads. What's the problem with reviving them?

[Jave]

Matthew Hunter explained it better in this thread:

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=82730

- Javier :chilly: