The Bodyguard

Have always loved Tom and Jerry. Have vivid and fond memories of seeing all of their cartoons, with the classic ones (the Hanna Barbera years, the best of which among the best cartoons ever made, Chuck Jones' output was a mixed bag and most of Gene Deitch's were abominations and disgraces to cartoondom) being watched over and over, at my sister's late godfather's house at the age of six and have been a huge fan since.

'The Bodyguard' is up there as one my favourites, along with 'The Cat Concerto', 'The Little Orphan', 'Johann Mouse', 'The Two Mouseketeers', 'Tom and Jerry at the Hollywood Bowl', 'Down Beat Bear', 'Heavenly Puss', 'Solid Serenade', 'Mice Follies', 'The Invisible Mouse' and 'Quiet Please'. The premise may sound very familiar and formulaic but it has incredibly clever and imaginative execution and actually does do things differently, with less focus on the chases, Tom's plan for once not backfiring and a very atypical ending for a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

As ever with classic Tom and Jerry, the animation is beautiful to watch. Love the colours which are all smooth and vibrant, the gorgeously detailed backgrounds and all the characters are very well drawn (even early-design Tom). The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms, not only fitting perfectly but enhancing the action.

When it comes to the writing, 'The Bodyguard' may be one of the more violent classic Hanna/Barbera-era cartoons but it is also one of the funniest. The gags are never distastefully sadistic like the ones in the Gene Deitch cartoons and they are not only imaginatively timed they are never less than very funny. The story is set up beautifully and never loses the entertainment and intrigue value.

Spike steals the show of the three characters. Brilliantly voiced by Billy Bletcher, he has great comic timing, is very clever and it is hard not to like him. Jerry amuses too and is suitably anarchic, proving to be more than just a cute-looking mouse. The funnier and more interesting of the duo has always been Tom, he not only takes the butt of the laughs wonderfully to great comic effect one also feels sorry for him, the cartoon does a great job with his expressions as is often the case with Tom and Jerry.

Overall, up there with the Hanna/Barbera Tom and Jerry classics. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Bodyguard (1944) **** (out of 4) Without question one of the best films in the long-running series, this one has Jerry helping a bulldog out of a dogcatcher's van and the dog offers to help him whenever he needs it. All Jerry has to do is whistle and the dog will be there to protect him, which of course means Tom gets beat up countless ways. THE BODYGUARD was the first truly great film in the series and it really doesn't matter how many times I've seen it, I laugh as hard each and every time. What makes this one so much fun is just how brutal it is in regards to the cartoon violence. Tom is constantly getting punched and thrown around, which leads to fast action and a lot of fun. The animation, music score and sound effects are all wonderful as well. Certainly one of the best Tom and Jerry ever did.

After Jerry the mouse rescues Spike the dog from being caught by the dog pound, he offers to be a bodyguard for the mouse. All he has to do is whistle whenever he's getting attacked by Tom the cat, and spike will be right their to pummel Tom. At first it works superbly but after Tom gives Jerry a jawbreaker covered in glue Jerry finds that he can no longer whistle. This short has some great sight gags. And while Spike might seem a bit thick-headed and dense I enjoyed it immensely.This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: A

'The Bodyguard (1944)' keenly disrupts the classic cat-and-mouse formula by introducing a bulldog into the fray. This gives the short a sharp focus: Tom has to stop Jerry from calling his newfound friend, lest he incur a clobbering. This welcome change in pace is one of the earlier attempts at 'spicing things up' and it's highly successful, giving the picture a clear identity and, even, plot in the process. Of course, the narrative isn't exactly 'deep', per se; it just plays around with its core concept in some pleasing, and funny, ways. Obviously, a lot of the entertainment factor comes from the visuals. The animation is on-point for the era, with Tom's scraggly fur and (the then unnamed) Spike's crinkly skin being rendered incredibly pleasingly. Plus, the splendid sight-gags inventively play to the premise wherever possible. Overall, this is a very enjoyable experience. 8/10

The Bodyguard sees the return of Spike the bulldog, and a return to form for Tom and Jerry (after the disappointing episodes, The Zoot Cat and Baby Puss).

After rescuing Spike from the dogcatcher's van, Jerry is told by the grateful dog that if he ever needs help, all he has to do is whistle. Which spells trouble for Tom—until the wily cat tricks the mouse into chewing some specially prepared bubble gum, which makes him unable to call for his protective canine pal.

I liked Spike's first appearance in Dog Trouble, and even though he's less ferocious in this one, and even talks, The Bodyguard proves to be another very funny episode. Tom gets clobbered by Spike in a variety of amusing ways, and there are plenty of laughs to be had at the expense of the poor cat—at least until the very end, which sees Spike recaptured, and Jerry running for his life.