Blue Cat Blues

Tom, who has fallen hopelessly in love with a lovely white female cat, seems to have the life of Riley until Butch, the black cat, sees her and wants to win her away from Tom. It all becomes a battle of what gifts the two male cats can give to her. Trouble is, Butch has more money to burn...

This has a very surprising and dark tone for a series that has been driven by humour (not that it has none), and so may not be a favourite for many fans. I have to admit it is not one of my favourites...

The purpose of a Tom and Jerry cartoon is to make the viewer laugh, albeit with a heavy dose of sadistic violence, but this one is downright depressing. Tom is sat on some railway tracks, waiting for an express train to come and end his life. As Jerry recounts, the cat has a broken heart, having lost the love of his life to rival Butch, who has outclassed Tom at every turn. After turning to drink, the cat has finally decided that suicide is his only salvation.

Jerry thinks how lucky he is to have his girlfriend Toots, when he spots her in a car with another mouse, the vehicle displaying a 'Just Married' sign. Emotionally distraught, the mouse climbs onto the tracks to join poor Tom as a train whistles in the distance. Not exactly a barrel of laughs and consequently not one of my favourites.

This is a darker story from Tom and Jerry that can really only appeal to a certain older demographic. The writing of Blue Cat Blues is amazingly crafted, with a poignant and emotional story that is wonderfully portrayed. The dialogue is limited but impactful, The episode is a testament to the power of storytelling, and a reminder that sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones that leave us feeling sad and reflective. While yes they went out of their range with the typically Tom and Jerry audience. I see this episode as a good warning to people as to what they spend their money and time on.

A VERY un-Tom and Jerry short. Jerry narrates this tale that revolves around Tom the cat falling in love and losing her to his rival, Butch. Tom is best friends with Jerry here which irked me a bit. The cartoon is also presented in Cinemascope. Overall I found this Tom and Jerry cartoon sad and depressing. The should have just put "Puss gets the boot" on the DVD instead and I would've been happy. This experimental animated short can be found on disc 2 of Warner Brother's 2-DVD Spotlight Collection set. It's the last one on the set and I'm hoping that Warner Brothers chooses to release a second Volume soon.

My Grade: C-

Not your everyday Tom and Jerry short for many reasons. One, there's a voiceover narration by Jerry, which is odd, because Tom and Jerry rarely speak. Two, the two are friends, which was also rare and seldom works as well as the more adversarial shorts do. Third, and most importantly, the cartoon is rarely humorous (by design) and the jokes here are dry chuckles with a little cough and a bubble of blood at the end. Think a Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Tim Burton. Not wholly successful, but it largely does work. The creepiest ending for an MGM short that I can recall. Not for everyone and proof that these shorts were never intended solely with children as the target audience. Well worth watching. Recommended with the caveats above.