User reviews

A lot of this cartoon is standard material but the final scene is hilarious and original with excellent sight gags. That involves Jerry putting a screw into one of Spike's dog bones (to eat, not a part of him) and then putting a strong magnet in Tom's mouth. How Jerry can do all of this without being noticed can only happen in a cartoon!

Anyway, the sight gags that follow are really good with at least one or two guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.

Earlier, after Jerry gets framed, he seeks revenge and uses Spike, the bulldog, and the bone he is savoring, as his weapon against innocent and defenseless Tom. It's the magnet joke, however, that makes this cartoon a winner.

It's back to Mammy Two Shoes' house for The Framed Cat, which sees Tom blaming Jerry for the theft of a roast chicken leg, but the mouse getting revenge by making it look as though the cat has been stealing bulldog Spike's bone. Needless to say, the dog ain't amused!

Although The Framed Cat is fairly predictable knockabout cartoon nonsense, it is all so perfectly timed and wonderfully animated that it still proves a lot of fun, providing plenty of laughs with its simple but effective visual gags (I never get tired of watching a duped cartoon character realising that they're a jackass).

The cartoon gets even sillier (and even funnier) once Tom has swallowed the world's most powerful magnet, thus repeatedly attracting Spike's precious bone (in which Jerry has hidden a metal bolt).

While there is nothing particularly new in terms of plot, what really does compensate are the animation, music and jokes.

The animation as pretty much always with Tom and Jerry is lovely and colourful and holds up well on repeated viewings.

The music is excellent, beautiful, lyrical, playful and quite essentially very well composed.

Tom and Jerry are their usual likable selves. Tom is quite dastardly, and Jerry is still sweet and funny. While Spike is a welcome addition.

The jokes work really well and come by thick and fast. There are at least one or two that will make you laugh out loud, but the magnet joke is just priceless and possibly one of my favourite Tom and Jerry gags.

Overall, nothing new in terms of plot but it is very funny, likable and well animated. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Not a bad Tom and Jerry cartoon where Tom frames Jerry from stealing a drumstick, and as a result, Jerry takes revenge by making a dog think Tom got his bone. But, what results then are some unpredictable fun and turn-of-events that eventually backfires on everybody. Quite the slapstick comedic trio here.

Grade B

'The Framed Cat (1950)' is a 'Tom & Jerry' cartoon that features the never-disappointing Spike, who becomes a tool in Tom and Jerry's battles when the latter pins a series of bone thefts on the former. After a slow start, the piece picks up the pace and provides laugh after laugh as its sight gags come and go at a mile a minute. The overarching narrative is a little light - and, perhaps, repetitive - but it doesn't dampen the experience. The short is entertaining, funny and well-animated. 8/10