Tom and Jerry (1:30am) - 12/2/01

[Jon Cooke]

"Landing Stripling"
"Mouse Cleaning" - edited
"Puss 'N' Toots" - edited

The last two also had redubbed Mammy.


-Jon

[Tintin]

Originally posted by Jon Cooke
"Landing Stripling"

Isn't it a Tom & Jerry cartoon? I am never understand talk.

[DR. BELCH]

It's a Tom and Jerry short...a Dietch, nonetheless. I wonder if some people saw his name on the credits, screamed, and went to bed, thus cheating themselves out of a couple of Mammys. ;)

[J Lee]

I wonder if some people saw his name on the credits, screamed, and went to bed, thus cheating themselves out of a couple of Mammys.

Seriously, that may be the point -- they've done that several times in the past few months, running a Deitch first, figuring it will cause channel changing by all but the die-hard fans, and they following it up with two Mammy T&J cartoons.

They might consider this same strategy on LNB&W -- run one of those really awful mid-to-late 30s Betty Boop/Pudgy cartoons first to scare all but the bravest away, and follow it up with four or five other un-PC cartoons for the rest of the hour. ;)

[DarthGonzo]

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
It's a Tom and Jerry short...a Dietch, nonetheless. I wonder if some people saw his name on the credits, screamed, and went to bed, thus cheating themselves out of a couple of Mammys. ;)

Funny, two weeks ago they aired Lonesome Mouse, Sleepy Time Tom and Polka-Dot Puss. Then last week they aired Dickie Moe first. Initially I was thinking I had got my hopes up for nothing, but then Push Button Kitty and Nit Witty Kitty aired. I didnt let Landing Stripling bother me last night!!

[DarthGonzo]

Hmm, that leads me into a good question, what do you guys think is the best Gene Deitch cartoon. I kinda like The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, if only for the "The coffee and cigarettes are for the cartoonists" joke.

[J Lee]

My favorite is Deitch's final T&J, "Carmen Get It." Of all his cartoons, that's the only one I can picture the plot and gags working as a MGM Hanna-Barbera short (though with much better animation and music, of course).

[DarthGonzo]

Originally posted by J Lee
My favorite is Deitch's final T&J, "Carmen Get It." Of all his cartoons, that's the only one I can picture the plot and gags working as a MGM Hanna-Barbera short (though with much better animation and music, of course).

Well, I think most Deitch Tom and Jerry cartoons, save Dicky Moe, would probably work as H/B shorts. Sometimes when I watch these and Chuck Jones' cartoons I try to visual the H/B designs. I have an easier time doing this with Deitch's cartoons.

I think it was nice that the animation crew really tried to make up for the weak animation by attempting to keep Tom on model as much as they could. Some poses seem straight out of the H/B years. What I really dont like about these cartoons are the musical scores, especially the constant refrain of the Tom and Jerry theme in various forms. Tom's strange, canned plea of "No..nonononononono!!!!" in these cartoons freaks me out, as does Jerry's "Aww, wooza, wooza, wooza" in Dicky Moe.

[Jack]

Originally posted by DarthGonzo


Well, I think most Deitch Tom and Jerry cartoons, save Dicky Moe, would probably work as H/B shorts. Sometimes when I watch these and Chuck Jones' cartoons I try to visual the H/B designs. I have an easier time doing this with Deitch's cartoons.
I do the same thing sometimes, and it is easier with the Dietch cartoons. They tried to use the sorts of expressions Hanna and Barbera used. The thing I don't like about the Jones version is that he completely revamped it. He threw out mannerisms, character designs, and other things that make Tom and Jerry Tom and Jerry. That, and to me, a lot of them them look too much alike. Save for the few times they were in exotic locales, they always ran about in that same house with red walls and white trim.


Jack :D

[DarthGonzo]

Originally posted by Jack

I do the same thing sometimes, and it is easier with the Dietch cartoons. They tried to use the sorts of expressions Hanna and Barbera used. The thing I don't like about the Jones version is that he completely revamped it. He threw out mannerisms, character designs, and other things that make Tom and Jerry Tom and Jerry. That, and to me, a lot of them them look too much alike. Save for the few times they were in exotic locales, they always ran about in that same house with red walls and white trim.


Jack :D

Well, this is because all the Jones' character designs were never updated and modified (save for "Shutter Bugged Cat" and "Matinee Mouse"), whereas the H/B cartoons were not only animated by four men with slightly different styles, but also had character designs that seemed to change slightly every year as new model sheets were made up.

Fast forwarding through several H/B era Tom and Jerry cartoons the other day, my eyes wandered towards the color scheme of the houses in all these cartoons. The walls were usually pastel green, yellow, pink or blue. Interesting.

[DarthGonzo]

...and it seems me that all those years of working with a nasty big-eyebrowed Tom gave Jones enough practice for when he began work on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

And why didnt Jones or Deitch ever bring in Spike to spice up the shorts. I liked his cute cameo in "The Mansion Cat", which is one of the few good things about that cartoon. Hopefully Spike, Nibbles or Butch will show up in "The Magic Ring."

[J Lee]

Well, I think most Deitch Tom and Jerry cartoons, save Dicky Moe, would probably work as H/B shorts. Sometimes when I watch these and Chuck Jones' cartoons I try to visual the H/B designs. I have an easier time doing this with Deitch's cartoons.

OK, I'll give you "Mouse Into Space," which could have worked as a mid-50s H-B cartoon plotline. My problem with some of Deitch's other T&J cartoons, especially the ones with the Arnold Swift-voiced owner (and Swift's Ahab in "Dickie Moe") is the script writers didn't get the same balance Hanna-Barbera got into their T&J cartoons.

Nine times out of 10 Tom would get it in the end, but Jerry would also come in for some damage during the course of the cartoon. In most of Deitch's efforts, it's seven minutes of constant pounding on Tom, without any balance. "Space" and "Carmen" avoid those mis-steps (and "The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit" is offbeat enough not to have to worry about them).

[Jack]

Originally posted by DarthGonzo
Fast forwarding through several H/B era Tom and Jerry cartoons the other day, my eyes wandered towards the color scheme of the houses in all these cartoons. The walls were usually pastel green, yellow, pink or blue. Interesting.
Yeah, sort of popular 40s and 50s colors. It's surprising how bright the backgrounds were in those cartoons, though you don't notice it very much. The stylings of the late 40s-early 50s MGM cartoons are some of my favorites.

Another thing that I thought was a bit unnusual was how the various houses never had much of a baseboard at the bottom of the walls. Just a little strip of curved woodwork. I don't think I've ever seen a house like that.

Nice kitchens, though.


Jack :D

[DarthGonzo]

Originally posted by Jack

Yeah, sort of popular 40s and 50s colors. It's surprising how bright the backgrounds were in those cartoons, though you don't notice it very much. The stylings of the late 40s-early 50s MGM cartoons are some of my favorites.

Another thing that I thought was a bit unnusual was how the various houses never had much of a baseboard at the bottom of the walls. Just a little strip of curved woodwork. I don't think I've ever seen a house like that.

Nice kitchens, though.


Jack :D

Well, as far as details go, you gotta draw the line somewhere.