The Hollywood Bowl

Tom is conducting an orchestra when Jerry, complete with tuxedo and baton, comes out and wants to do some conducting also. Typical Tom and Jerry chaos erupts periodically amidst the classical music wafting around them. The blend of music and mayhem is inspiring! An excellent cartoon, for the most part. Cartoon Network runs this one reasonably often. Most recommended.

I'm a BIG classical music buff, and "Hollywood Bowl" is one of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons that entice people like me. The music of it was wonderful! If you classical music-illiterate folks have no inkling of who wrote the glorious music, this is the overture to a little opera named "The Bat" (Ha, ha; funny name for an operetta, huh?) by Johann Strauss the Younger.

Tom and Jerry were conductors who conduct the orchestra of cats. Jerry wanted assistance to Tom, but he denies it. This is better than any other T & J cartoons! If you love classical music, watch this; it'll laugh your baton off!

In this one, Tom is conducting at the famous Hollywood Bowl. Jerry is nearby with his mouse-hole shaped just like the Bowl. He, too, comes out in tails and wants to conduct. Why doesn't this mouse ever mind his own business and leave Tom alone? He starts a lot of the trouble and yet he's supposed to be the "good guy?"

You could call this "Cat Concerto: Part Two" since it is the same theme as the 1946 T&J short in which the cat and the mouse both get highly involved in a symphony orchestra presentation.

Anyway, every move - deliberate or not - makes the orchestra continue to play the concert without skipping a beat. Much of it is very clever. There is much more to this than the Oscar-winning first film but it doesn't have the overall class and charm the first one had. However, strictly for gags, this one offers much more. Take your choice.

Tom the cat is conducting an orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl with some unwanted help from Jerry the mouse, which needless to say aggravates Tom. One of the few times that Tom gives as good as he gets, well almost. While this animated short isn't as good as the earlier "Cat Concerto", it's still fun and a joy to watch, in my humble opinion. And a million times better then the sugar coated homogenized crap that passes for kid's cartoons now a days. This hilarious classic cartoon can be found on disc two of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: A-

After seeing The Cat Concerto and loving it, I saw Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl. This time Tom conducts the Die Flerdermaus Overture by Johann Strauss II(who also wrote On the Beautiful Blue Danube and Tales from the Vienna Woods), and once again Jerry is attracted to the music. The concept is simple but very effective, and the animation is truly excellent. I don't really need to explain how good the music is here, other than to say it is outstanding, you should see the whole operetta, it is really something, really cheered me up after a hard day it did. The sight gags are really original and extremely funny, with the ending a definite standout. And Tom and Jerry are both stellar here, you feel sorry for Tom at the end though. Overall, hugely enjoyable, a must see, and I do think "The Waltz King" would be proud! 10/10 Bethany Cox