The Cat Above and the Mouse Below

In full disclosure, I was never a big Tom and Jerry kid since I found I got the same or better gags from Sylester and Tweety - and by this time we had Itchy and Scratchy and those bits and episodes took the general concept into the satirical stratosphere - but even when Chuck Jones and Maltese are recycling gags from the Rabbit of Seville and the other Ooera short where Bugs conducted that bastard Leopold to his demise it's a lot if sharply timed comic hijinks and loaded with personality. Maybe that last part is a thing for me, that Jones understood how to get more impact-filled performances from his performers while Hannah/Barbera at least some of the time were less exacting. The attitude also counts and Jones understood how to implement it by this point. Or I have my preferences and that's enough. But I like the above and below idea and it's played through with style and a quickness and it doesn't overstay its welcome.

As is clear to those who follow the exploits of Tom and Jerry, they are both quite artistically gifted. Tom himself has played piano and bass and here sings opera. While I personally prefer his rendition of "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't, My Baby?" (in Solid Serenade whilst playing the afore-mentioned bass), I freely admit that Tom is in fine voice here (that of Terrance Monck, to be precise) but Jerry still steals the cartoon. There is a sequence featuring a lemon in two sight gags that is absolutely priceless! Even those who aren't especially fond of opera will enjoy this take on the artform. Not "What's Opera, Doc?", but good enough in its own right. Well worth watching. Recommended.

This 1964 short "The Cat Above and the Mouse Below" is one of the better and more memorable fun "Tom and Jerry" cartoons. Tom is on stage famous as an opera singer who lives it up performing "Figaro", however the little mouse Jerry lives underneath the floor stage and this performance disturbs his sleep, so all is fair in love and war, just as it is stage and dance! The drama and gags begin between the two, as the two will not stop till the crowd is cheering one on in victory over the other! Classic and highly memorable one between the cat and mouse one of the better cartoon shorts ever.

I love Tom and Jerry, and while The Cat Above and the Mouse Below is not one of their best, it is one of the better Chuck Jones-directed Tom and Jerry cartoons and much better than any of Gene Dietch's efforts, most of which in my opinion were abominations.

While too short and rushed in places, The Cat Above and the Mouse Below I feel has a quite neat set-up. I loved the cartoon's idea and I thought it was executed more than satisfactorily. Granted, it is not the most original concept in the world for a cartoon, but that didn't stop from being entertained. The animation is not bad either, it is not the best looking of the Tom and Jerry cartoons and lacks the "classical" feel of the T&J cartoons of the 50s and 60s but the backgrounds are much less static, the characters are better drawn and the colours are more vibrant.

The music is a complete delight. I am a big classical music/opera enthusiast, so hearing Tom singing Figaro was refreshing and very fun to watch. The cartoon is also very funny, to be honest I find the Chuck Jones T&J cartoons rather hit and miss, some are funny, some are borderline, some are lacklustre. When it comes to the humour, some of it is actually hilarious. Especially the gag(s) with the lemon, that is priceless and one of the funnier sight gags in any of the 60s Tom and Jerry cartoons.

All in all, not the best, but very entertaining and one of Chuck Jones' better T&J efforts. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I'm twenty years old ,and I'm still crazy about cartoons,and the"Tom And Jerry" cartoons are the best ever made.But if I had to decide what is the best cartoon ever made,I would be in deep trouble,because like "The Cat Concerto",this "The Cat Above And The Mouse Below",is a unique Masterpiece.It all start with Tom,in a very fancy suit(Looking just like Fred Astaire)trying to do his job and sing the barber song from "The Barber Of Sevilha". Guess who decided to take a nap,under the theater floor.The whole film is a delicious sucession of jokes and like always there is Tom.I've said once,and I would say again:Tom is the greatest cartoon character,and "The Cat Above And The Mouse Below" is the second greatest cartoon masterpiece,losing only for "The Cat Concerto" of,course