Blue Cat Blues

Shortly after Hanna-Barbera had taken over as producers for Fred Quimpy, they were allowed to experiment more with Tom & Jerry. One of the results is "Blue Cat Blues." In this short Jerry narrates Tom's struggles to win over the love of the cat next door. Who also has a thing for Butch! Even though this is the darkest and less humorous of the Tom & Jerry cartoons, I praise it for it's lovely style of direction.

4(****)out of 4(****)stars

Tom, who has fallen hopelessly in love with a lovely white female cat, seems to have the life of Riley until Butch, the black cat, sees her and wants to win her away from Tom. It all becomes a battle of what gifts the two male cats can give to her. Trouble is, Butch has more money to burn...

This has a very surprising and dark tone for a series that has been driven by humour (not that it has none), and so may not be a favourite for many fans. I have to admit it is not one of my favourites...

'Blue Cat Blues (1956)' is a bit of an odd one. Its premise is so oddly, off-puttingly dark yet its execution is as charming as ever. It tells the tale of Tom's spiral into suicidal depression in a deceptively upbeat, generally jovial way. It's a bizarre choice, to say the least. Its overall effect is a strangely unsettling one. The actual short isn't entirely unpleasant, even providing a couple of laughs, but it culminates in a really dark overall experience. It's difficult to know how to feel about it, really. It's not bad but it's not great. 6/10

The purpose of a Tom and Jerry cartoon is to make the viewer laugh, albeit with a heavy dose of sadistic violence, but this one is downright depressing. Tom is sat on some railway tracks, waiting for an express train to come and end his life. As Jerry recounts, the cat has a broken heart, having lost the love of his life to rival Butch, who has outclassed Tom at every turn. After turning to drink, the cat has finally decided that suicide is his only salvation.

Jerry thinks how lucky he is to have his girlfriend Toots, when he spots her in a car with another mouse, the vehicle displaying a 'Just Married' sign. Emotionally distraught, the mouse climbs onto the tracks to join poor Tom as a train whistles in the distance. Not exactly a barrel of laughs and consequently not one of my favourites.

"Blue Cat Blues," released in November 1956, is one of the most surprising and emotionally heavy Tom and Jerry shorts. Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the episode stands out for completely breaking with the comedic and cheerful tone that made the duo famous, delivering a dark, melancholic, and even reflective narrative-something very rare at the time for an animation by the duo.

The short begins with a striking scene: Tom sitting on train tracks, dejected and without the will to live, while Jerry watches from afar, narrating the sad story that led his friend there. The flashback shows one of the most human storylines in the series-Tom falling in love with a beautiful white cat and being manipulated and manipulated. The sequence of humiliations he suffers while trying to please her is tragically ironic: each sincere attempt is overcome by Butch, who here appears as a rich and arrogant rival.

The editing is simple, yet extremely effective, driven by a masterful soundtrack with melancholic jazz tones that reinforce the atmosphere of loneliness and hopelessness. The music replaces much of the traditional physical humor and becomes the main emotional narrator of the story.

The contrast between Tom's naiveté and the cruelty of reality gives the short film an unusual weight. When the ruined and powerless character sees his beloved marry Butch, the disillusionment becomes complete. The ending is devastating: after the flashback, Jerry tries to console his friend, but discovers that his own girlfriend also left him for someone richer. The little mouse, emotionally broken, decides to sit next to Tom on the tracks. The sound of the approaching train, getting louder and louder, ends the short without showing the impact-a brilliant and symbolic choice, leaving the tragedy hanging in the air.

Although many fans think this was the last short of the classic era, this is a misconception. The true conclusion to the original Hanna-Barbera cycle came two years later, in August 1958, with Tot Watchers. Blue Cat Blues isn't the end of the series, but it is undoubtedly the most courageous and somber of them all.

The message that remains is clear: however much the short film touches on themes of despair and loss, suicide is not the answer to problems. Emotional pain is real, but temporary, and the short film symbolically reminds us that neither unrequited love nor defeats justify giving up on life.