Cat Fishin'

Spike the dog is guarding a watering hole, but he appears to be sleeping on the job. So Tom the cat uses the chance to sneak in hoping to get a little fishing in, using Jerry the mouse as bait of course. But thanks to an over eager fish who wants the mouse badly things don't go as planned. As the fish inadvertently wakes Butch up to get the drop on Tom. I mentioned in an earlier review how I didn't really like the Buzzard/Vulture in Flirty Birdy, well the same can be said about the fish in this one. It's an OK short, but not one of the better ones. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: B-

After a long slow pan across a beautifully rendered wire fence on which several warning signs are nailed ('Keep Out', 'No Fishing', 'Beware of the Dog' etc.), we see Tom, armed with rod and tackle box, blatantly ignoring any warnings and entering the prohibited area to indulge in a spot of angling. After a short altercation with guard-dog Spike, the mischievous cat sets about trying to land a fish—using Jerry as live bait!

With excellent animation, loads of funny gags, and an additional character in the form of a very toothy fish, Cat Fishin' is another top-quality adventure, and is highly recommended to fans of the cartoon cat and mouse. Standout moments include Tom hiding from Spike at the top of his fishing rod (what a dumb dog!), Jerry being dressed up as a worm and cast into the lake for the waiting fish (wearing a napkin), and the painful looking bit where Spike's fat head is forced through a narrow gap between two rocks (his eyes bulging out on the way!).

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Tom sneaks into a secluded area for some fish poaching. The lake is guarded by Spike, but Tom has his same old tricks for taking care of him. In his bait box he has a captured Jerry, who he promptly disguises as a worm and casts into the lake.

Some horrible sort of Gator/Fish creature pops up and decides he'd really like to get a bite of Jerry, but he'll be damned if he's gonna let Tom catch him.

There are a couple of funny moments in this cartoon but it's mostly just generic stuff and recycled gags. The ending isn't really up to much either, it's all just plain uninspired.

We see signs on a fence that say, "Keep Out," "No Tresspassing," "No Fishing," and "Beware Of The Dog." The latter is the familiar "Spike," the big bulldog who sometimes gets into it with Tom.

Anyway, forget the dog and the signs: Tom wants to go fishing. He gets by the big dog - but not without some tense and funny moments - and sits on the dock and opens his tackle box. Under the heading of "live bait," is Jerry, asleep under his blanket. Tom picks him, of course, and Jerry - dresses as bait with a feathered skirt - is dangled in the water. However, that water is too cold for our "bait," so Jerry scampers back up the pole and back into bed.

Pictured after that are Tom's fishing exploits and his battles not only with Jerry but with a huge barracuda-like fish and, back again with Spike. The most vicious of the three is the fish. Overall, this is very entertaining from the get-go and it has an appropriate ending.

To me, the absolute best Tom and Jerry cartoons were made in the 1940s. Those in the early 50s were also excellent, but starting about 1955 or so, the quality steadily went downhill. That is until the began making excremental cartoons in Czechoslovakia called Tom and Jerry but where made by people who'd never seen the originals and who also could not draw--with these, the decline was HUGE.

Okay, enough of my rant,...on to this review. Of the 1940s Tom and Jerry cartoons, this is one of the best because it has spectacularly wonderful animation (in particular the backgrounds and high quality animations of the characters)--better than Warner Brothers and Disney shorts from the same period. Plus, like most of the best of their cartoons, Spike the dog is present to provide an additional foil. Plus, I love the horrible way that Tom treats Jerry when he tries to use him for bait. It made me laugh quite a few times and never degenerated to schmaltz--it was just violent, funny and excellent throughout--just what you expect from the series.

A wonderful cartoon of exceptional quality and charm.