The Zoot Cat

The Zoot Cat is pretty funny. Tom's attitude once he gets the Zoot suit is incredibly entertaining. The impressive character animation gives him a certain swagger and confidence that makes me laugh every time. The cat he is perusing is one I don't remember from any other cartoons. The long lines Tom and Jerry get in this short is a change of pace that is very nice. I also love the jokes in this cartoon. The scene of Tom playing the piano, then realizing he is on fire is always entertaining, as well as the first dance Tom and the other cat do. The only detracting factor in this cartoon is Jerry getting the Zoot suit in the end, as I really wanted Tom to succeed in this one. He's a lot funnier than previous cartoons, and I really wanted him to win. This is overall a great cartoon, and definitely recommended.

The Zoot Cat might have seemed incredibly 'hip' at the time of its original release, with it's jazz slang and cutting-edge sub-culture fashion, but it now feels embarrassingly dated; yet this 'snapshot of a time gone by' also goes to make this a rather intriguing episode. It's hard for me, as an Englishman born in the late 60s, to imagine an era in the US in which such strange attire and language could have been seen as 'dangerously' cool, but here it is, perfectly captured in a Tom and Jerry cartoon— and seeing is believing, as they say!

Tom wishes to impress a young lady cat, but she perceives him to be 'square'. To remedy the situation, Tom cuts himself a sharp 'zoot suit' from a hammock, makes himself a wide brimmed hat, and dances swing-style to the latest beats. Of course, Jerry does his utmost to ruin Tom's chances of success.

Not only is this a historically interesting T&J caper, but it is also one in which the usually rather silent cat and mouse do a lot of talking—albeit in a manner that proves to be unintelligible a lot of the time, thanks to the often indecipherable 40s phrases spoken by the characters. Unfortunately, whilst this episode is noteworthy for it's peculiarities, it isn't that funny.

The Zoot Cat will be of most interest to those who have a passion for the music and style of the decade in which it was made; the rest of us will probably be rather unimpressed.

Tom the cat tries to impress a girl cat by giving her Jerry the mouse and singing her a song. But she rebukes him for being to square. So he makes a makeshift home-made zoot suit and continues to woo her. This is one of the few shorts where Tom and to a little extent Jerry both talk. Whereas most Tom and Jerry cartoons are timeless, this one is dated and not as funny as normally. One of my less favorite shorts, it's still watchable though. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: C

DVD Extras: Commentary by historian Jerry Beck where he talks about the animator, voice actress and the songs amongst other things.

The Zoot Cat (1944)

*** (out of 4)

It seems Tom and Jerry fans are really split on this short as some consider it one of their best while others find it to be near the bottom. I'm somewhere in the middle, although I will admit that it's not one of my favorites. The story is pretty simple as Tom gets rejected from a pretty cat so he learns a few moves, throws on an orange and green zoot suit and tries to impress her. THE ZOOT CAT doesn't really have much of a story but it's basically a showcase for the music and Tom's dancing. The music score itself is quite good and certainly manages to make you feel its beat. Tom's dancing will put a smile on your face but it really didn't make me laugh. With that said, there's still enough charm to be had here and it was at least something different for the series.

This was one of my favorites as a kid, liked it even more after I started listening to my dad's records in high school, and have come to appreciate it ever since.

Along with 'Little Red Hot Riding Hood' this is the coolest cartoon ever produced. Especially because it deals with an American subculture as opposed to 'popular culture'. For example Warner Bros often caricatured Bing Crosby or Sinatra whereas (at MGM) Louis Jordan would later be used a few years later in 'Solid Serenade'.

While most perceive jazz as their grandparents 'music', this was when your grandparents were young and jazz was associated with sex, reefer smoking, and degenerates. At the extreme Hitler was rounding up young Aryans, some meeting the same fate as the other 'undesireables' for listening to jazz.

While I won't get into specifics, it is vital to realize when this 'short' was released (Feb. 1944), that in June of '43 Los Angeles passed a resolution criminalizing the wearing (and 'wearer')of zoot suits in public. And the man who made the look popular Cab Calloway was banned from the airwaves (12/41) for improvising the national anthem.

While I think PC is out of control and an oxymoron (I am Japanese and liked Hashimotos and Fuji from Super Dave Osborne) it is one thing to be complacent and another to be promote racism.

So while some will defend other studios racist cartoons as 'the times' there are discernible differences between say 'Uncle Tom's Cabana' and 'All that and Rabbit Stew'. A better description would be the 'places', Warner Bros' theaters were located in the south and the Midwest in a segregated country, the latter would only reinforce long held 'truths'. Although these were intended for adults, cartoons are kid friendly.

However to judge history with modern 'values' is unfair and has to be put into context, makes this cartoon quite remarkable.

I urge everyone to read about what Elanore Roosevelt correctly termed race riots but what is known as the 'Zoot Suit Riots'