The director here is Abe Levitow, not Chuck Jones. Jones is the producer only, as he apparently is for most of this era of Tom and Jerry cartoons. I've started streaming these and I must have gotten lucky that the first few I've seen Jones was the sole director. Those couple were pretty good! This one, and the several others so far not by Jones alone are decidedly mediocre.
Everything is just off. Timing, which makes or breaks comedy, is off. Character's faces at times don't accurately convey their mental state, so you're left to wonder what they're thinking. Sure there's chasing and hijinks, but it's not all that funny. It's just ... there. The characters look good (though the animation can be pretty limited) and this cartoon in particular has a nice jazzy soundtrack. So not everything is terrible. It's just quite bland.
Jones imbued both Tom and Jerry with personality in his couple shorts. The others, including this one, Filet Meow, they're just going through the motions. Maybe that's what people like about Tom and Jerry, endless chases and recycled sight gags? For me, there's no comparison. Give me a genuine Chuck Jones effort. The earlier Hanna Barbera Tom and Jerry's beat these easily.
