The Cat Concerto

Cartoon studios have been blending animation with music probably since the start of animation. Particularly classical and also jazz. Every major studio has done at least a few cartoons where the animation is done to the beat of the music. This is one of the best of the MGM efforts. One of the few times when my sympathies have been with Tom more than with Jerry. While Rhapsody With Rivets is the best short to blend classical with animation (Sliphorn King of Polaroo was tops for jazz!), this cartoon, with several other Tom and Jerry shorts, does very well indeed and won an Oscar. Highly recommended.

Tom flawlessly performs a Liszt piano concerto despite simultaneously engaging in the usual Tom and Jerry antics.

Lifted above the usual high standard of the Fred Quimby produced series by the flawless melding of action and music

Tom, complete with a tuxedo, is a pianist performing a concerto (Hungarian Rhapsody #2) for the audience. Things are going well until Jerry, peacefully asleep inside the piano, is rudely woken up.

The rest of the cartoon slows various ways these two guys torment each other. The amazing thing was that no matter what happened, the concerto kept on going and sounded great. In fact, you could probably turn your head away from the television and just enjoy the concert!

Unlike most of the stories, this one revolved just around one object (a piano) but the sight gags were all good and the more I think about it, extremely clever and I can see how it won an Oscar.

Tom is playing Hungarian Rhapsody #2 for an audience, but when he wakes up Jerry, he must maintain his perfect piano playing abilities while contending with the mouse. I know there was a controversy between this short and the WB's Looney Tune short "Rhapsody Rabbit" (which is a funny short as well and the similarities are a lot), but I feel that this Tom and Jerry short is the clear winner. It is damn near pitch perfect and one of the best Tom and jerry cartoon shorts of all time. And rightfully so. The classic tune meets classic animation. This award winning cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: A+

A dazzling film, mostly due to the significant talents of Scott Bradley, MGM's woefully under-appreciated musical director for their animation unit. He's the one playing the piano in this marvelous epic, which unifies music and animation flawlessly. The one example that may prove Bradley superior to Warner's musical genius, Carl Stalling.