Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (William Hanna & Joseph Barbera, 1947)
Tom doesn't want to share his milk with Jerry, but Jerry is so sneaky that the only solution is to poison him. But Tom's concoction is actually mouse steroids, turning Jerry into a beefy cat-killer. Tom is at his most evil here, and the animation reflects that, at times giving him a very sinister, very devilish look. It sounds better on paper than it actually is. The best moments are all at the very end, when the potion backfires on Tom, setting up Jerry's best fourth wall break so far.
Grade: C
Old Rockin' Chair Tom (William Hanna & Joseph Barbera, 1948)
Mammy Two-Shoes is central to the story for the first time, which is great because it provides us with the most voice-work we've heard yet from Lillian Randolph (who was so delightful playing another maid, Annie, in
It's a Wonderful Life two years earlier) but not so great in that Mammy is an unfortunate racial stereotype. In the earliest of these cartoons,
Puss Gets the Boot, she somewhat famously tells Jasper, "Now, understand this, Jasper, if youse break one more thing, youse is going out - O-W-T, out!" That sort of dialogue and dialect has always defined her character, who is almost always seen from the waist down, at most.
Old Rockin' Chair Tom represents the second time we've seen Jerry gleefully interested in terrifying Mammy, which seems like an odd character choice for him, in some ways, but I have to remind myself that the terrified Negro was a comic staple for a time, one which these cartoons certainly aren't above. (It also makes sense to think that, since mice are always scaring humans, maybe they're doing it on purpose and enjoying it, but I'm not confident that that's the angle the writers had in mind.) Anyway, when Tom proves ill-equipped to get rid of Jerry, Mammy brings a second cat into the house (one looks oddly like Tom wearing a Lorax costume). Tom and Jerry conspire to get rid of this intruder, and there are no real surprises to be had (except maybe throwaway line where Mammy refers to Tom as Uncle Tom).
Grade: C
Professor Tom (William Hanna & Joseph Barbera, 1948)
Tom shows a younger cat the cat ropes. Whenever the young pupil's playful innocence is at the center of
Professor Tom, it's at its most enjoyable. It's maybe the first time that a guest character has arrived with a clearly defined and appealing comic persona. His lighthearted alliance with Jerry is particularly satisfying. Once again, though, Hanna-Barbera have trouble sustaining a story's charm, and even at seven-and-a-half minutes this short feels drawn out. I did like hearing the
The Wizard of Oz score quoted at the end (the second such reference).
Grade: C+
The Cat and the Mermouse (William Hanna & Joseph Barbera, 1949)
Even in an underwater setting, the series' standard rhythms remain in full effect. I laughed mockingly when an angry shark appeared on the screen because he seemed such a clear modulation of the angry bulldog from other films. The props are new but the gags remain the same. Tom's perfect emulation of a turtle's swimming is the definite highlight.
Grade: C
Polka-Dot Puss (William Hanna & Joseph Barbera, 1949)
Jerry convinces Tom that Tom has the measles and then tortures him with various treatments, including baking him in a hot over. Possibly the most mean-spirited of these shorts so far. If the gags were better, I'm sure I'd be more forgiving, but, as is,
Polka-Dot Puss is rather off-putting.
Grade: C-
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