Warner Brothers of the past didn’t see the potential in a cartoon about a silent cat and mouse and now the Warner Brothers of today is too gun shy to release them without being afraid of political correctness.
That original decision was about stupid executives, but the second one is about fear of offending. I’m fixin’ to get on my soapbox.
In the 40s, MGM decided that it wanted to compete with the juggernaut that was Disney’s animation wing. To that end they formed their own animation studio in a cramped building (according to the animators) that was run by an executive and not anyone familiar with animation.
Two guys named William Hanna and Joseph Barbera came up with an idea for a cartoon about a cat and a mouse and made “Puss Gets the Boot” in 1940. The execs let that one go through but decreed that they should do no more cartoons about cats and mice since there were already too many of those. However, a letter from a theater owner asking when more of the hilarious cat and mouse cartoons were coming got the execs’ pocketbooks itching (no doubt) and a whole series was commissioned - so Tom and Jerry were born.
The series ran under Hanna and Barbera from 1941 till 1957. Not to mention that “Puss Gets the Boot” got nominated for an Academy Award. In fact, the Tom and Jerry series would get seven of the golden statues and tied with Uncle Walt for that honor. It’s interesting to see that times haven’t changed all that much since the boneheaded execs of today have edited or omitted several Tom and Jerry shorts since they deemed them “offensive” and politically incorrect.
Even though they plaster that this set is “intended for collectors and not children” everywhere they still omitted “Mouse Cleaning” and “Casanova Cat” since they deemed them to have inappropriate racial stereotyping. WTF? I thought that you said this set was intended for adult collectors who would have the intelligence to realize that these toons come from a time when such stereotypes were considered the norm (not that WB hasn’t plastered warnings about that all over the place on the discs). Was it right that they were the norm? Nope. But you could still include them and let the “collectors” decide. Since this is the final collection in the Spotlight Collection, those toons are effectively locked in the vault until less fearful minds prevail.
This sort of attitude keeps Disney’s Song of the South locked in that same vault, no matter that James Baskett was the first African American to win the Academy Award. His accomplishment for the races is overshadowed and potentially forgotten since the film he won the award for hasn’t been seen since it ran through theaters in the 40s. Some people probably think Halle Berry was the first.
Although Warner sure doesn’t seem to take the same stance with Gone with the Wind and Disney sure likes to make profits off the animated characters from Song of the South. Some of the toons on the set still feature “Mammy Two Shoes” so why weren’t those left off the set? Has Warner Brothers become the thought police? Maybe, but I think that it’s the fear of offending (which can be just about anybody these days – everyone’s offending at SOMETHING so it’s a cottage industry these days) and fears of legal reprisals (since WB has some deep pockets and those offendees might want a dime or two from them to “ease their pain.”
I think Shakespeare said something about lawyers….). Wow, somebody must’ve urinated in my breakfast cereal to offend me so. I must have to now sue that Leprechaun and his damn lucky charms! Unless you consider that anti-Irish… I’ve probably offended somebody now.
I guess I should talk about the collection now. I suppose your average citizen will not know about such controversies, but guess what the set if for “Collectors!” So if you try and buy it for your kids a member of the WB thought police will be standing at the checkout to drop a piano on you if you dare try.
I’m being offensive again. Sigh. What offends me most is that set is supposedly geared towards “collectors” who have pretty much said that they want the toons released uncut and uncensored, yet WB continues to do so.
The set collects 35 Tom and Jerry shorts with “Hatch Up Your Troubles” having been nominated for an Academy Award. The toons on disc one are presented in fullscreen. All of the toons on disc two are presented in their original Cinemascope aspect ratio (2.35:1) and are enhanced for 16x9 televisions. What they have included, politically incorrect as it may be, is actually pretty hilarious and for “collectors” of all ages. Disc two also contains the special features.
The 31 minute “Cat and Mouse: The Tale of Tom and Jerry” interviews William Hanna, camera room assistant Martha Sigall (of the MGM animation unit), Joseph Barbera, animation historians Michael Mallory and Charles Solomon, animator/animation historian Tom Sito, animator Eric Goldberg, film critic/animation historian Leonard Maltin, animation historian Jerry Beck, animator/animation historian Mark Kausler, and cartoonist Scott Shaw.
There’s also the 7-minute “The Karate Guard” which is a Tom and Jerry from 2005 with Barbera as writer/director/storyboard artist and would sadly be his last Tom and Jerry short. Finally there are trailers for other WB animated DVDs.
I suppose the peeved collector in me was pretty blinded by the exclusion of two of the shorts, but others might not be as bothered by it. The shorts are funny and if you support censorship you can buy this set. Other collector’s might want to reconsider their purchase.
My collector’s side said give it zero stars, but I’m going to compromise with it and just go down the middle. What annoys me the most is even with all their “warnings” they still censor the set.
Tom and Jerry: Spotlight Collection, Vol. 3 is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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