Blue Cat Blues

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.

Quiet a dark episode. The voice over also takes away some of the silent magic of Tom and Jerry. But still brilliant

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.

Shortly after Hanna-Barbera had taken over as producers for Fred Quimpy, they were allowed to experiment more with Tom & Jerry. One of the results is "Blue Cat Blues." In this short Jerry narrates Tom's struggles to win over the love of the cat next door. Who also has a thing for Butch! Even though this is the darkest and less humorous of the Tom & Jerry cartoons, I praise it for it's lovely style of direction.

4(****)out of 4(****)stars

'Blue Cat Blues (1956)' is a bit of an odd one. Its premise is so oddly, off-puttingly dark yet its execution is as charming as ever. It tells the tale of Tom's spiral into suicidal depression in a deceptively upbeat, generally jovial way. It's a bizarre choice, to say the least. Its overall effect is a strangely unsettling one. The actual short isn't entirely unpleasant, even providing a couple of laughs, but it culminates in a really dark overall experience. It's difficult to know how to feel about it, really. It's not bad but it's not great. 6/10