Cupido Ataca

Puss n' Toots (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Tom turns into a wolf when a female cat shows up at his house so he puts on the act of a "cool" cat by showing the female the various tricks he can do at the expense of Jerry. PUSS N' TOOTS was the weakest in the series up to this point. It was less than a year old but after a couple great shorts this one here took a step back. That's not to say there wasn't anything fun here because that's certainly not the case but there's no question that this one doesn't feature as much action or laughs. The highlight of the film would be when Tom is getting ready to impress his woman by trying to fix his hair and make himself feel good. The tricks done with Jerry really aren't that funny and there's really a lack of action going on as well.

This cartoon was bland. It was not interesting. I think it is the first real Tom and Jerry dud. This short is not entertaining. Nothing about this short is memorable, except for Toots, but that's because she is far more memorable in later cartoons (The Mouse Comes to Dinner). The jokes aren't memorable, the backgrounds and animation aren't anything to write home about, and, quite frankly, it feels below average. Obviously, Bill and Joe were still seeing what would work and how they could structure a Tom and Jerry cartoon, but this is just not good, even as a little experiment. This short is not worth a watch, unless you absolutely love Tom and Jerry. Even then, I would rarely rewatch it.

When Mammy Two Shoes agrees to look after her neighbours female cat, libidinous Tom pushes Jerry into a filing cabinet (under M for mouse) and sets about trying to impress the 'lady'. After offering her a fish and a bird, but getting nowhere, Tom retrieves Jerry from the cabinet in a last ditch effort to get the gal. The cheeky mouse proceeds to cause trouble for the cat, and even ends up winning the 'woman' (which strikes me as rather strange!).

A so-so episode from T&J, Puss N' Toots's only genuine highlight is when Tom is trapped on the turntable of a record player (an interesting window on the past: did they really have sound systems like that?) whilst Jerry operates the controls, smashing various records onto the poor feline's head.

The year 1942, the first full year of these Tom and Jerry cartoons and, as many of them were this year, are nothing special. What makes these two guys click are their famous chases and inventive ways to getting at each other. Those were just starting to surface the first season or two. In this cartoon, that "chase" doesn't begin until less than three minutes remain.

Before that, we just get the normal Tom toying with Jerry and than acting goofy trying to impress a new female cat, which was let in the house by the maid, "Mammy Two Shoes." She, too, was a fixture in 1942 but didn't last too long. Meanwhile, Tom tries to impress the visiting feline with his looks and with presents but she's a hard sell. When he presents Jerry, the mouse has to put up with some humiliations. He finally figures a way to stopped being used, pokes Tom in the butt with a big needle...and the chase is on.

There was one funny bit, with Tom on top of a record player, spinning around to whatever tune Jerry would play. Overall, though, it was so-so material that was done much better in a few years to come.

I am a huge Tom and Jerry fan, and really like or love a vast majority of their cartoons(though I don't care for some of Chuck Jones' output and hate all-except Calypso Cat which was only average- of the Gene Deitch cartoons). Puss 'n' Toots is neither among the best or worst of Tom and Jerry. The story is very routine and there isn't really all that much to it, it doesn't really get going until Tom starts trying to impress the female kitten with Jerry's help and apart from one gag it is not very funny. However, the animation is really beautiful to look at, the colours are really luscious especially. The music has the catchy jazziness and the lush charm as you'd expect a Tom and Jerry music score to have. The funniest Puss 'n' Toots got was with Tom and the record player, that was hilarious. Jerry sticking a pin up Tom's bottom also wasn't so bad, but I've seen it before many times. I did like the cartoon's cute tone as well without being too overly-sweet, the ending was a lovely touch in particular. Tom is not as crafty as he was later but I did like how he was trying to impress the female kitten, who was adorable by the way. Jerry is a good contrast but he has done more and funnier things. In conclusion, a pleasant cartoon but not that exceptional to me. 7/10 Bethany Cox