DarthGonzo
11-25-2001, 11:08 PM
Blue Cat Blues
released November 16, 1956
produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
animated by Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Lewis Marshall
backgrounds by Robery Gentle
layout by Dick Bickenbach
musical direction by Scott Bradley
filmed in Cinemascope
Summary
Tom sits dejected on the railroad tracks, ready to commit suicide. Above him on a trestle, Jerry remembers what drove his best pal to such a drastic end and admits, "It's better this way." You see, Tom and Jerry were once bestest friends without a care in the world, until "she" entered the picture. "The minute he saw her", says Jerry, "I thought he'd flip his lid. And he did". Cut to the top of Tom's head doing flip-flops. A "magnetic attraction" draws Tom closer to this feline bombshell, who causes the love-struck cat to become "putty in her hands". She demonstrates this by molding Tom's face into that of a jackass. "I've never seen him so happy, or so much in love." says Jerry. "But Tom had a rival: Mr. Butch." Sure enough, Butch once again steals Tom's girl away from him. Undaunted, Tom, flowers in hand, tries to win her back. "I pleaded to him as a friend to give her up but he ignored me", says Jerry. Unfortunately for Tom, Butch has given Toodles a gigantic wreath of flowers. Tom tries perfume, just as a truck filled with the stuff pulls into the kitten's driveway, another gift from butch. Tom spends his life's savings to buy her a pea-sized diamond. However, Butch's rock is so big they have to wear safely helmets to look at it. Next, Tom decides to buy a car. "It cost him an arm and a leg." We see Tom sign these away on contracts. "But he willingly sold himself into slavery, for love." Sadly, Tom's old jalopy is nothing compared to Butch's stretch limo. "Tom went downhill fast after that", says Jerry. "He started drinking." Tom drinks bottle after bottle of cream, his pupils becoming gauges reading "full". Jerry saves Tom from the gutter, just in time for both friends to see Butch and Toodles drive by, happily married. Back in the present, Jerry is thankful he has a girl who loves him "with every bit of her true blue, ever-lovin' heart." Just then, Jerry's girl drives by with a rival, happily married. Jerry joins Tom on the tracks, the train whistle blowing ominously in the distance. Iris out.
Commentary
Blue Cat Blues is, sadly, a really depressing cartoon. Hanna and Barbera had done many cartoons like this before, such as Springtime For Thomas, Casanova Cat and Muscle Beach Tom. However, this one has the added twist of being a flashback narrated by Jerry, making Blue Cat Blues unique in this regard. While all the previous cartoons dealing with this subject matter were done in a humorous way, Blue Cat Blues plays disturbingly serious, with a few weak gags to remind us this is supposed to be funny. The very idea that Tom and Jerry are depicted as best pals pulled apart by love is a strange idea, and doesn't get this cartoon off to a good start. With each one of Tom's attempts to woo his girl away from Butch, the cartoon falls apart around itself. The depressing narration does very little to help matters. It justs makes things worse, as the narration is given in a flat, monotone sort of way. The ending is probably the worst part of this cartoon. There is nothing funny about Tom and Jerry sitting on the railroad tracks side by side, waiting to die. The train whistle in the background of this final scene is really spooky and there are plenty of other ways this cartoon could and should have ended. It's not too surprising that Blue Cat Blues does not air all that often on Cartoon Network, at that is probably just as well. If one really wants to see this cartoon, it was available (in pan and scan of course) on the "Tom and Jerry Festival of Fun" videocassette, as well as the second "Art of Tom and Jerry" laserdisc.
The animation is decent, even with the simplified character designs and the pastel backgrounds. Irven Spence and Ken Muse are really trying their hardest here, and it is still easy to pick out their work. Interestingly, the scene of Jerry rescuing Tom from the gutter is an exact copy of a similar scene at the end of The Cat and the Mermouse.
Scott Bradley's score is the strongest thing about this cartoon, standing out at a time when most other Tom and Jerry scores were going through the motions. Of special note is the reappearance of a popular Tom and Jerry theme that dates all the way back to Puss Gets the Boot. Interesting how someone on the T&J staff still remember their roots.
I'm almost tempted to say Blue Cat Blues is a classic simply for it's unique strangeness. It's certainly different from anything before or since. Watch this alongside a cartoon like Trap Happy. It's like night and day.
released November 16, 1956
produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
animated by Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Lewis Marshall
backgrounds by Robery Gentle
layout by Dick Bickenbach
musical direction by Scott Bradley
filmed in Cinemascope
Summary
Tom sits dejected on the railroad tracks, ready to commit suicide. Above him on a trestle, Jerry remembers what drove his best pal to such a drastic end and admits, "It's better this way." You see, Tom and Jerry were once bestest friends without a care in the world, until "she" entered the picture. "The minute he saw her", says Jerry, "I thought he'd flip his lid. And he did". Cut to the top of Tom's head doing flip-flops. A "magnetic attraction" draws Tom closer to this feline bombshell, who causes the love-struck cat to become "putty in her hands". She demonstrates this by molding Tom's face into that of a jackass. "I've never seen him so happy, or so much in love." says Jerry. "But Tom had a rival: Mr. Butch." Sure enough, Butch once again steals Tom's girl away from him. Undaunted, Tom, flowers in hand, tries to win her back. "I pleaded to him as a friend to give her up but he ignored me", says Jerry. Unfortunately for Tom, Butch has given Toodles a gigantic wreath of flowers. Tom tries perfume, just as a truck filled with the stuff pulls into the kitten's driveway, another gift from butch. Tom spends his life's savings to buy her a pea-sized diamond. However, Butch's rock is so big they have to wear safely helmets to look at it. Next, Tom decides to buy a car. "It cost him an arm and a leg." We see Tom sign these away on contracts. "But he willingly sold himself into slavery, for love." Sadly, Tom's old jalopy is nothing compared to Butch's stretch limo. "Tom went downhill fast after that", says Jerry. "He started drinking." Tom drinks bottle after bottle of cream, his pupils becoming gauges reading "full". Jerry saves Tom from the gutter, just in time for both friends to see Butch and Toodles drive by, happily married. Back in the present, Jerry is thankful he has a girl who loves him "with every bit of her true blue, ever-lovin' heart." Just then, Jerry's girl drives by with a rival, happily married. Jerry joins Tom on the tracks, the train whistle blowing ominously in the distance. Iris out.
Commentary
Blue Cat Blues is, sadly, a really depressing cartoon. Hanna and Barbera had done many cartoons like this before, such as Springtime For Thomas, Casanova Cat and Muscle Beach Tom. However, this one has the added twist of being a flashback narrated by Jerry, making Blue Cat Blues unique in this regard. While all the previous cartoons dealing with this subject matter were done in a humorous way, Blue Cat Blues plays disturbingly serious, with a few weak gags to remind us this is supposed to be funny. The very idea that Tom and Jerry are depicted as best pals pulled apart by love is a strange idea, and doesn't get this cartoon off to a good start. With each one of Tom's attempts to woo his girl away from Butch, the cartoon falls apart around itself. The depressing narration does very little to help matters. It justs makes things worse, as the narration is given in a flat, monotone sort of way. The ending is probably the worst part of this cartoon. There is nothing funny about Tom and Jerry sitting on the railroad tracks side by side, waiting to die. The train whistle in the background of this final scene is really spooky and there are plenty of other ways this cartoon could and should have ended. It's not too surprising that Blue Cat Blues does not air all that often on Cartoon Network, at that is probably just as well. If one really wants to see this cartoon, it was available (in pan and scan of course) on the "Tom and Jerry Festival of Fun" videocassette, as well as the second "Art of Tom and Jerry" laserdisc.
The animation is decent, even with the simplified character designs and the pastel backgrounds. Irven Spence and Ken Muse are really trying their hardest here, and it is still easy to pick out their work. Interestingly, the scene of Jerry rescuing Tom from the gutter is an exact copy of a similar scene at the end of The Cat and the Mermouse.
Scott Bradley's score is the strongest thing about this cartoon, standing out at a time when most other Tom and Jerry scores were going through the motions. Of special note is the reappearance of a popular Tom and Jerry theme that dates all the way back to Puss Gets the Boot. Interesting how someone on the T&J staff still remember their roots.
I'm almost tempted to say Blue Cat Blues is a classic simply for it's unique strangeness. It's certainly different from anything before or since. Watch this alongside a cartoon like Trap Happy. It's like night and day.