80-04"NO BONES ABOUT IT"
Tom and Jerry set out in search of a priceless toe bone missing from a
priceless dinosaur in a museum where they work. Then, they spot Spike the bulldog
carrying a bone in his jaws; figuring it's the missing dinosaur bone, they try
every method of retrieving the bone from him: coaxing him with a steak,
lifting him up with a jack, scaring the dog with a cardboard cutout of a lion,
and tunneling underground. They finally seize the bone and race back to the museum
with it, only to find out from their boss that he had the original bone
cleaned and forgot all about it! Feeling falsely accused, Tom has Jerry yank
out a bone from the dinosaur, causing the entire skeleton to come crumbling
down--and T&J to lose their jobs. Nonetheless, the cat and mouse leave
victoriously--and are set upon by the vengeful Spike!
TRIVIA & NOTES:
- This cartoon's plotline closely resembles that of the 1938 RKO Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn comedy
Bringing Up Baby.
- Don Messick assumes the reins as the voice of Spike for the first time. He will remain
Spike's voice for the better part of his appearances on New Tom & Jerry.
- Whereas in the debut telecast the first 3 New T&J cartoons were run in reverse production order,
these next three were presented in original production sequence for the second episode.
- In the scene where T&J use the cutout of the lion to frighten Spike, Jerry is seen to roar! This is reminiscent of a climax of
the 1946 MGM T&J short The Milky Waif, which marked the debut of Nibbles/Tuffy.
- Also, the cutout of the lion is an allusion to the beloved mascot of Tom and Jerry's
distributors, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
- Some scenes in this cartoon were animated by the late Kenneth Lee Muse, legendary animator who previously worked on the original MGM Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoons and was known throughout the business for
his drawing speed and prolific output. Other New Tom & Jerry cartoons whose scenes bear Ken Muse's stamp are "Beach Bully", "Mammoth Manhunt" (80-07), "Robin Ho Ho" (80-10), "The Super Bowler" (80-11), "Cosmic Cat And Meteor Mouse" (80-15),
"Grim And Bear It" (80-16), "The Hypochondriac Lion" (80-23), "See Dr. Jackal And Hide!" (80-35), "Hold That Pose" (80-38), "The Bull Fighters" (80-41), "The Campout Cutup" (80-45), and "The Great Motorboat Race" (80-48).
80-05"AN ILL WIND"
Tom & Jerry are relaxing at The Palm Desert Inn, when an old traveler
comes along begging for water. After a sip of Tom's refreshing Grape beverage
(which he chooses over Jerry's Cherry-Lime!), the traveler gives Tom & Jerry a
map to The Lucky Dutchman Gold Mine, but warns them to beware of Black Barney,
whom they inevitably run into. Black Barney, it seems, is only the least of Tom &
Jerry's foibles; aside of the cat and mouse pitting themselves against each other
for the map (cats and mice will be cats and mice!), various gusts of wind constantly
blow the map from their hands, bringing new meaning to Shakespeare's phrase, "the
ill wind which blows no man to good" (hence the title of this very cartoon!). A
final gust of wind blows the map onto the street, where it is immediately swept up by a
street cleaner, and dumped by truck onto a garbage dump, where T&J spend
the rest of the night sifting through it in search of the map.
TRIVIA & NOTES:
- Animation of Tom running as he and Jerry chase the map as it's blown away in the wind is based on that in Quiet Please! (1945). Similar animation can be seen in
the opening titles and in Episode #80-27, "The Kitten Sitters."
- We learn that Black Barney is a dropout (typical!).
- The late Hal Smith voices Black Barney. Among many screen roles, Smith is best remembered as town drunk Otis Campbell on
The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960-68).
- This is one of 3 New Tom & Jerry cartoons (aside from the
penultimate "sports" installments) to exhibit adversarial interaction
between Tom & Jerry and the thrill of the chase, 2 major functions embodied by Hanna-Barbera's classic MGM T&J shorts; others are #80-03, "No Way, Stowaways," and #80-02, "The Ski Bunny,"
both seen in the series debut. The age-old rivalry also surfaces (albeit briefly) in #80-26, "The Sorcerer's Apprentices."
- Jerry sure has shoe shining down to a science. He polishes off Black Barney's boots here, just like he
polished Weirdbeard The Pirate's in #80-03, "No Way, Stowaways."
80-06"BEACH BULLY"
Tom and Jerry are relaxing at the beach until a macho cat comes along
and, walking across Tom and Jerry's beach blanket, kicks sand on the duo.
This starts an ongoing rivalry between Tom and Jerry and the cat. They fight
over things like having a radio on or off, and whether or not their badminton
game is making too much noise. Spike gets involved in the rivalry twice,
and gets revenge in creative ways. First he uses the badminton net as a
slingshot and sends the cat flying across the beach. Later, he puts a key in the
cat's back and, winding him like a toy, sends him marching across the beach.
T&J try to go rafting, but the cat sends his fishing line out to
the raft, deliberately destroying it and causing the cat and mouse to sink.
As revenge, Jerry ties the fishing line around Spike's barbell, pulling
him away, once again framing the cat for the job. The cat throws Tom & Jerry in the trash.
Finally, Jerry ties the fishing line in the cat's bathing
suit, and attaches a magnet to the cat's tail. Tom ties the other end
of the line to a set of balloons. The balloons send the cat soaring away, and
the magnet attracts the barbells Spike is lifting. Both dog and cat soar
far away, leaving Tom and Jerry to finally relax.
TRIVIA & NOTES:
- This cartoon ties in with the original theatrical-era MGM Tom & Jerry shorts Salt Water Tabby (1947)
and Muscle
Beach Tom (1956), and the May 5, 1967 Chuck Jones vehicle Surf-Bored Cat, all of which dealt with fun at the beach.
- Here's the original concept of this cartoon: Tom is asleep
on the beach, Jerry arrives with a cute girl mouse and settles on a blanket
near him. Jerry turns his radio up loud, waking Tom, and the age-old feud
begins.
- Spike's cat girlfriend seen here is also in "The Ski Bunny" as well as
Muscle Beach Tom.
- Not a sound of dialogue is uttered throughout this entire cartoon. Other New Tom & Jerry cartoon to follow in this
pattern are #80-09, "Gopher Broke," and #80-45, "The Campout Cutup" (unless you wish to count the mosquito buzzing, "Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!
Mmmmmmmmm!" as dialogue).
- The gag of Jerry tying a fishing line to the cat's bathing suit and a set of baloons is a rehash of a similar trick he executed in the 1947 MGM T&J short Cat Fishin'.
- Numerous elelments of this particular episode would be recycled in "Beach Bully Bingo," which aired on The CW4Kids February 24, 2007 as part of the "Beach Ocean Settings" installment of
Tom & Jerry Tales.
<< Previous
Episode | NT&J Episode
Index | NT&J Info Site
| Next Episode
>>