Tee for Two

Tom is playing a not-very-relaxing round of golf (he's hacking up the fairway with his less than perfect swing) when Jerry decides to ruin the game even further—by pushing the ball back out of the hole when Tom finally manages to sink it. Tom gets his own back by using the mischievous mouse as his tee and mayhem ensues.

This cartoon contains the usual plethora of violent visual gags, with both cat and mouse receiving their fair share of pain. The majority of the jokes are pretty run-of-the-mill for a T&J caper, although the animators do attempt a couple of more surreal moments (such as the fruit machine tree), and throw in one wonderful moment where Tom gets a mouthful of bees!

I agree it is very simple and has a somewhat predictable story, but Tee for Two is still a very entertaining Tom and Jerry cartoon. I wouldn't dare call this the best Tom and Jerry cartoon, but I enjoyed it very much for what it was. I am not the world's biggest golf fan, but the cartoon made it seem so entertaining and fun.

Why? Well the animation is lovely, especially in the backgrounds and colours. The music is nice and energetic. And the sight gags are clever and funny, it is not everyday where you see Tom physically abused by a woodpecker and bees. The cartoon also moves quickly, and both Tom and Jerry are a delight to watch.

Overall, a delightful Tom and Jerry cartoon, without it being either the best or worst. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Tee for Two (1945)

**** (out of 4)

One of the very best in the series has Tom on the golf course when he notices Jerry causing him some trouble. Soon the two are getting into all sorts of trouble as Tom tries to golf the perfect game but Jerry just won't let that happen. TEE FOR TWO is one of the funniest films in the series because there's just so much wacky violence that you can't help but laugh throughout. There are so many highlights here but one has to be the scenes where Tom upsets a large group of bees. Another terrific sequence deals with Tom getting his teeth knocked out. The animation is great as you'd expect but the golf course just gives the writers so much material and it's very creative.

The cartoon begins with Tom in the middle of a VERY bad game of golf. Already about 86 over par he, for some reason, uses Jerry as a Tee. Not taking kindly to this Jerry turns the table and plays tricks on Tom. And that's pretty much it for the rest of the cartoon. This one has quite a thin premise but gets enough mileage out of it I guess. The visual jokes are all rather amusing but I do feel sorry for Tom when he's victimized in such a way. Whether it's being stung by a hoard of bees or having his teeth smashed out by a rogue ball, Tom seems to get more than his usual share of pain in Tee for Two. Does that make me a bad person for thinking that it's funny?

This is a golf story that begins show a golf course being ruined with divots the size of craters. Of course Tom is the guilty party, hacking away - literally. When he finally sinks a putt, the ball pops back up out of the hole! That signals of arrival of Jerry who is underneath in the hole shoving the ball back out.

Once out, Tom captures and for awhile the reverse that usually happens occurs: Jerry takes a beating. He gets roughed up in the ball washer, gets used as a tee and as a ball.

Finally Tom is the one that gets physically abuse on the course through various means, including bees and a woodpecker!

It's typical Tom-and-Jerry trying to kill each other, usually in clever and humorous ways. Golfers will get a bigger kick out of this than others, but everyone should get a fair share of laughs out of it.