Solid Serenade

This short REALLY lets you absorb Tom's wily shenanigans as he pursues his love interest........if the mouse or the bulldog trip him up, he always gets back at them & continues his pursuits without missing a beat! One of those episodes that defines Tom for all time: a lovable scoundrel.

Many, many times...Too many to be counted...(with the TV on, obviously) I have ignored the opening MGM-Cartoon "hymn" (if I may be forgiven). Then, to my great delight, the plunking out-of-tune notes on the bass violin, thumping out a joyful, minor-key, questioning tune. "I got a gal who's always late..." the vocal begins, and I'm transported to Cartoon Heaven. The magic of this animation and the perfect melding of the jazz classic make this one of my two favorite cartoons. (The other is: "The Dot and the Line") I know that tastes differ, trends differ, and you may not agree. It is, still, well worth watching. It is an enjoyable entertainment in a world that is becoming devoid of such pleasures.

This is classic Tom and Jerry. One of the most memorable.

This is one of Tom's classic performances. In this cartoon, Tom plans on wooing Toodles, the femme cat next door, with a bass fiddle serenade. Before he can even set foot foot in her yard, Tom must deal with Killer (Spike), the huge guard dog of the premises. Tom effectively ties Spike up with some string and now, the serenade can begin. Toodles can be seen through her window shade, plucking her eyebrows, but she immediately 'freshes' herself up upon Tom's serenade. She's easily wooed by Tom's bass solo but Jerry is trying to get some sleep. The fiddle's vibrations wreck his little home and Jerry becomes aware that he's not going to get much sleep if this continues. After a couple pies to the face, Tom begins to chase Jerry, but Jerry has an ace up his sleeve. He unties Spike, who now chases Tom. Spike exchanges the teeth in his mouth for his larger longer fangs. Tom manages to outsmart Spike a couple times by hitting him the head with a brick and slamming his head into the ground. It was only be a matter of time before Jerry lured Tom into Spike's... where Spike waited. After giving Jerry a hearty handshake, Spike laughed wickedly as he went back into his house to destroy Tom. Needless to say, Tom takes a real beating. In fact the beating is so intense, Spike gives Tom a few moments to make out a will before he beats Tom up even more. In the end, everything has turned 180 degrees. Spike woos Toodles as he plucks Tom's tail on the fiddle, and Jerry finishes the song with a violin bow across Tom's whiskers. I like this cartoon; it's full of laughs and crazy gags. Tom's fiddle solo is the best part of the cartoon. Great effort!

Tom sings "Is You Is Or Is You Not My Baby!"