Comedy Classics

Director Tim Story and his animation team pay homage to some of the cartoon duo’s greatest hits in the new movie: Among them: Mouse Trouble. Tom tries to follow a book’s advice on how to get rid of mice in this 1944 Oscar winner for Best Short Subject, Cartoons. Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, it was produced by Fred Quimby and featured animation by Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Ken Muse and Pete Burness, with music direction by Scott Bradley.

Cat Concerto. This 29th Tom and Jerry short was released in theaters in April 1947. Produced by Quimby and directed by Hanna and Barbera with music supervision by Bradley, the short featured animation by Ed Barge, Muse and Spence. The short finds concert pianist Tom in a formal tuxedo playing “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2”, which wakes Jerry who is sleeping inside the piano. Mayhem ensues! The short won the Oscar for Best Short Subject, Cartoons, giving Tom and Jerry their fourth consecutive win at the Academy Awards.

Mouse in Manhattan. This 1945 one-reeler finds Jerry leaving his small country home and heading for the lights of the big city. Famous for a sequence with Jerry dancing. Directed by Hanna and Barbera, it was produced by Quimby and featured animation by Spence, Barge, Muse and Roy Patterson. It is one of the few cartoons in which Tom is only featured in a cameo. ◆