Fraidy Cat

Here is a Tom & Jerry cartoon that is perfect for Halloween. I know it's not very creepy, but it has the 'trick' as in "trick or treat," as Jerry did to Tom with the window blind and the vacuum cleaner with a collared shirt hanging on it to make it look like a ghost. But I still like to put it on my list of Halloween cartoons.

In this short, Tom is listening to the "Witching Hour," a ghost-story program on the radio, and is being frightened by the horror story being told. Tom begins to experience the dramatics about halfway through the story (hair standing on end, heart leaping into throat, icy chills on spine). And Jerry, having observed everything and laughing to himself, thought he had increased Tom's fears by scaring him.

I love the ending. It was a little funny. And you know, this short is the first of four cartoons in which Tom attacks Mammy Two Shoes; the others are A Mouse in the House, Part-Time Pal, and Nit-Witty Kitty. And also, this short is the first of twenty-five cartoons where Tom speaks too. So anyway, I love this short.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the Tom & Jerry episodes I specifically talk about in this review aren't listed under one single title here, so the best I can do is just leave it under one of my favorite episodes of the era I had in mind typing out this rambling.

I will always have a soft spot for the Tom & Jerry circa 1967. I know that technically it includes three different eras: 1) The Classic MGM Theatrical Era (also known as The Golden Era) (1940-1958) created by the legendary William Hanna & Joseph Barbera. These two names will forever be imprinted in my brain. If I could, I would personally thank them for enriching my childhood with the most genuine laugh I've ever had. Every time I saw their names in the opening titles I knew the next 10 minutes will be GOLDEN.

2) The experimental period of the Gene Deitch Era (1961-1962). Thankfully, it only lasted for 13 episodes, but it wasn't as bad as some might percieve it to be. That being said, even as a kid I could see that something was off about these episodes and I wasn't a big fan of them - the animation was too jarring and dark for my taste, but I never skipped them on my bootleg DVD either - I was patiently watching them in eager anticipation of what I knew was coming next on this Tom & Jerry anthology disc of mine. No hard feelings towards Gene Deitch, though. This man had to produce all these episodes on his own from his little studio in Czechoslovakia.

3) And what was coming next was the Chuck Jones "Bronze" Era. It was almost as good as the episodes produced by William Hanna & Joseph Barbera.

Only when I revisited some of the episodes in my adulthood I realized what made Tom & Jerry so captivating - the music and sound effects. I can't think of any other piece of visual media that so heavily relied on the auditory aspect in its creation process - every frame is accompanied by the perfect selection of notes and sounds. I could argue that Tom & Jerry is actually more about what you hear than what you see, which is a crazy thing to say about a cartoon with barely any lines in it.

P. S. The reason I picked this episode is because out of over one hundred episodes of Tom & Jerry I've seen, this one stuck in my memory the most, especially the gag where a vacuum cleaner sucks all nine lives in the form of souls out of Tom. For some reason, this moment engraved in my memory like no other in the franchise - probably it's just that it perfectly encapsulates the very essence and absurdity of Tom & Jerry's humor.

P. P. S. Of course it's a shame what the franchise has turned into over the years, but that's beyond the scope of this little review and isn't reflected in the rating.

Sure, this short has its moments and the animation is OK. The score is also fine with music arranged on what happens on the screen. It's not the worst Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Because Tom and Jerry don't speak these cartoons have to rely on visual gags and there's the problem with this cartoon - the writing. The gags are mostly not very funny and they're stretched too long. For example the first two minutes are spent showing Tom listening to a ghost story and being spooked by it - sounds boring and that's what it is.

About the previous reviewers... What were they on - and where can I get it? The plot outline in the main page is correct. There's a short gag about Tom's nine lives being 'sucked out' of him; there's also a short chase after Tom has figured out that Jerry is just trying to scare him. The only thing I agree with them is that the cartoon is "good and fun for the kids"! :)

Fraidy Cat is definitely different compared to most other Tom and Jerry shorts. Being a little more spooky and horror oriented compared to other shorts. But that makes this one unique, a curiosity, and fun. This short is great. The spookier nature makes it very enjoyable, with the radio show and Tom's constant reactions being a highlight for me. The voice acting for the radio show was great, and it was an entertaining start. The rest of the short is great. Jerry's attempts to scare Tom with the vacuum ghost were great, and the scene of all of Tom's lives coming out and biting him was hilarious. Even the end, with Jerry losing along with Tom, was entertaining and different from other shorts. The only downside is how slow some of it can be, but the spooks and differences compared to most shorts make it an entertaining watch.

Now I liked Fraidy Cat in general, though it is quite slow even for a Tom and Jerry cartoon- usually Tom and Jerry goes at a breakneck pace- and there are times when the animation isn't always that great as Tom looks a little odd here. Plus Fraidy Cat could have done with being a minute shorter. Criticisms aside, what I do like about Fraidy Cat is that it is different. The story isn't humorous, but it is a macabre and effective one, and the music is really good. Even the sound effects are very effective, they added to the atmosphere almost flawlessly. Plus there are some good gags, despite the fact the cartoon isn't very funny. The nine lives gag was clever, and the ending with Mammy Two Shoes was a nice, fun surprise. Overall, decent but not great cartoon from our favourite cat and mouse. 7/10 Bethany Cox