THE CAT AND MOUSE GAME

In praise of a rib-tickling cartoon series Joseph Barbera, one of the two creators of the cartoon series, Tom & Jerry, passed away last month at the age of 95. The other member of the duo, William Hanna, died in 2001 aged 90. One is likely to feel perhaps that these two lived to a very ripe old age because of their actively imaginative minds or perhaps their wild and wacky sense of humour. Whatever the reason, these two did make several generations of viewers laugh and guffaw helplessly as the cat and the mouse tickled their ribs repeatedly. Hanna and Barbera also created The Flintstones and Scooby Doo. These are funny too, but the Tom & Jerry fans place the cat and mouse well above the dog or the Stone Age man. Masterly inventiveness I first saw a Tom and Jerry cartoon in the early 50's. And since then I have been an avid fan. Even today I prefer watching a Tom & Jerry caper to the melodramatic TV serials or the fast-motion gyrations of the film hero and heroine, not to mention the thirty or forty "dancers" accompanying them in wild abandon. They are also funny in a way, but for all the wrong reasons. Tom & Jerry cartoons are not only hilariously funny, but also demonstrate a highly skilled approach to the medium. All these cartoons are not of uniform merit. The earlier cartoons produced by Fred Quimby and directed by Hanna and Barbera seem to be the best. An outstanding feature in these cartoons was the bouncy music of Scott Bradley. Later Chuck Jones started directing these shorts with music by Eugene Poddany. These were not as good as the older ones. After this came a series directed by Gene Deitch, where laughter was almost non-existent. I have a good collection of the Fred Quimby films in CDs and cassettes. Watching them frequently makes one see certain factors in the cartoons that attract one to them. The main theme in all these films is the underdog getting the better of a more powerful adversary. Since the audience sympathy is with the weaker of the two, we enjoy seeing Jerry the mouse overcoming Tom the cat. Jerry manages this with ingenious tricks and a brash cheekiness. The warmth of friendship Sometimes Jerry is helped by some friends whom he helps in return. In `The Flying Cat' a little bird helps Jerry. In `The Bodyguard' it is a bulldog called Butch. "If you need me, just whistle" says the dog, and Jerry spends most of his time whistling and getting Tom into trouble. Jerry's cousin who is a tough character comes to his rescue in `Jerry's Cousin'. A baby elephant helps too. Sometimes Tom and Jerry help each other against a common adversary. All this mutual help evokes a warm feeling in the audience. The ending of the film is like a wish fulfilment for the viewer. The Fred Quimby productions were very high in technical values. The drawing, the animation, the sound effects and the music - all blended beautifully to create masterpieces. They won seven Oscars. Perhaps the greatest of these films is `Cat Concerto'. It is a work of genius that won an Oscar. Tom is a pianist giving a solo recital. The way he bows to the audience, his eyebrows going up and eyelids drooping superciliously prefaces the fun to come. He starts playing a classical piece, Hungarian Rhapsody. Jerry having a nap inside the piano is disturbed, and decides to wreck the performance. What follows is a hilarious alternation of classical and pop music. In the end, an exhausted Tom collapses on the keyboard, while Jerry quickly dons a dark coat and takes a bow. The great inventiveness of this film lies in the way in which a well known piece of classical music is given a twist to suit Jerry's mischief. My wife and I sit and watch Tom & Jerry as often as we can. Sometimes visitors observing our pastime wear a quizzical look as if wondering what two senior citizens are up to watching kid stuff. But we go on as usual even at the risk of being dubbed juvenile. J.VASANTHAN (e-mail: jvasanthan@sancharnet.in) Date:13/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2007/01/13/stories/2007011300380400.htm