Blue Cat Blues

Blue Cat Blues
The ending of the short featuring Tom and Jerry both depressed and heartbroken on a railroad track waiting for an oncoming train to come and run them over
Directed byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Story byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Produced byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
StarringWilliam Hanna
Paul Frees
Narrated byPaul Frees
Music byScott Bradley
Animation by
Layouts byRichard Bickenbach
Backgrounds byRobert Gentle
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • November 16, 1956 (1956-11-16)
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Blue Cat Blues is a 1956 one-reel animated Tom and Jerry cartoon and was written, directed and produced by co-creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The short was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 16, 1956 in CinemaScope. It is the series' 103rd entry.

Unusual for a Tom and Jerry cartoon, Jerry "speaks," through an inner monologue, voiced by Paul Frees.

Plot

Tom is seen sitting on train tracks, heavily depressed and waiting for an oncoming train to come and run him over, while Jerry laments at his friend's state and recalls how he ended up there. Jerry narrates that he and Tom were best friends before Tom falls for a beautiful white cat who, at first, seems to return his feelings (though she is actually manipulating him to her whims) before leaving him for Butch (who, unlike in other cartoons, is extremely rich), revealing she is a gold digger, confirming Jerry's earlier suspicions.

Despite Jerry's protests, Tom desperately tries to buy back her love but is continually outdone by Butch. When Tom tries to present her with a flower, he finds she has already received a beautiful horseshoe garland of roses from Butch. He then presents her with a small bottle of perfume, but then Butch arrives with a large tanker truck full of perfume. Tom squanders all of his life savings to buy a diamond ring for her (with a diamond so small she needs a magnifying glass to see it), only to learn that Butch has already gifted her a ring with a large diamond so shiny that she and Tom need welding helmets to see it. He even takes out a predatory 26-year, 112% APR loan from a used car lot to buy her an old, rickety automobile, only for Butch to arrive in his long and fancy convertible, crushing Tom and his car.

Tom starts drinking (milk) uncontrollably, ignoring Jerry's pleas, and eventually nearly goes down the literal gutter but is saved just in time by Jerry. Tom becomes even more depressed when Butch and the white cat drive by in Butch's car with a "JUST MARRIED" sign on the back. As the flashback ends, Jerry kisses a picture of his girlfriend before she drives past, having married a rich mouse. Heartbroken, Jerry joins Tom on the tracks. The whistle of an approaching train grows louder as the cartoon fades out.

Availability

Additionally, the soundtrack was officially released on the album Tom and Jerry & Tex Avery Too!.

Reception

Critical response

In Cartoon Carnival: A Critical Guide to Best Cartoons, writer Michael Samerdyke said "Blue Cat Blues is deeply indebted to Tex Avery for its gags."[9] Video Movie Guide: 1995 called the short (in a review for the aforementioned Festival of Fun VHS) said "among the worst Tom & Jerry outings".[10]

Legacy

The short is often considered the darkest Tom and Jerry cartoon due to its subject matter and unusually bleak ending.[11][12][13]

Additionally, it is often confused to be the final short of the series due to its ending implying the deaths of Tom and Jerry.[14][15] The final short produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was Tot Watchers in 1958, and the final short overall was Purr-Chance to Dream, produced by Chuck Jones at MGM Animation/Visual Arts in 1967.[16][17][18]

Notes

  1. ^ Also available on iTunes.

References

  1. ^ "Art of Tom & Jerry, The: Volume II [ML103913]". LaserDisc Database. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  2. ^ "Tom and Jerry Greatest Chases Volume 3 Clips". Kidzworld. October 1, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Paul, Mavis (October 13, 2009). "Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 3". DVD Talk. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Miller III, Randy (October 19, 2004). "Tom and Jerry: Spotlight Collection". DVD Talk. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Warner Archive Collection Press Release: Tom and Jerry (Complete CinemaScope Collection 1954-1958)". Home Theater Forum. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "Tom & Jerry and Friends, Vol. 1". iTunes. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. ^ "Tom and Jerry, Vol. 1". iTunes. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tom and Jerry: Wild Cats and Traps". iTunes. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  9. ^ Samerdyke, Michael (August 28, 2014). Cartoon Carnival: A Critical Guide to the Best Cartoons. ISBN 9781312470071.
  10. ^ Martin, Mick; Bang, Derrick; Porter, Marsha (December 1, 1994). Video Movie Guide: 1995. Random House Publishing. p. 212. ISBN 9780345390271.
  11. ^ Robberson, Joe. ""Blue Cat Blues" - The Most Violent TV Episodes of All Time". Zimbio. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  12. ^ "Tom y Jerry: el capítulo más trágico del clásico animado". La República. February 11, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  13. ^ "The Creepiest Moments In Kids' TV Show History". MTV UK. November 27, 2015. Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Gupta, Abir (July 2, 2016). "Do You Know What Happens To Your Favorite Tom and Jerry In The End?". Storypick. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  15. ^ Pall, Vincent; Koski, Dustin; Ciscell, Jim (August 16, 2012). "5 Old Children's Cartoons Way Darker Than Most Horror Movies". Cracked. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  16. ^ Boone, Brian (March 25, 2020). "The untold truth or Tom and Jerry". Looper. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  17. ^ Evon, Dan (December 2, 2016). "Did Tom and Jerry 'Commit Suicide'?". Snopes. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "False: Tom and Jerry did not commit suicide in the final episode of the cartoon series". Pesa Check. November 28, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2020.