Difference between revisions of "Tom Cat"
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* During the Weekend Update sketch in the ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' episode "Miranda Richardson/Soul Asylum," Rob Schneider defends that cartoons are educational after the FCC ruled against it, saying that Schlomo's parents wouldn't let him watch cartoons therefore didn't know what to do when he saw a cat chasing a mouse which involved a falling avil and safe, leading to a dangerous accident for Schlomo. | * During the Weekend Update sketch in the ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' episode "Miranda Richardson/Soul Asylum," Rob Schneider defends that cartoons are educational after the FCC ruled against it, saying that Schlomo's parents wouldn't let him watch cartoons therefore didn't know what to do when he saw a cat chasing a mouse which involved a falling avil and safe, leading to a dangerous accident for Schlomo. | ||
* In the ''Cowboy Bebop'' episode "Waltz for Venus," while Spike and Maya board a shuttle flight to Venus to catch a trio of hijackers, a ''Tom and Jerry''-esque cartoon plays as an in-flight movie. | * In the ''Cowboy Bebop'' episode "Waltz for Venus," while Spike and Maya board a shuttle flight to Venus to catch a trio of hijackers, a ''Tom and Jerry''-esque cartoon plays as an in-flight movie. | ||
* In "Episode Three" (series 5) of the BBC Radio 4 comedy sketch show ''Dead Ringers'', there is a sketch involving Phil Collins singing a non-Disney song like Elton John. Collins refers to several cartoon characters set to the tune of "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)," including briefly about how Tom becomes the shape of a table after accidentally swallowing it while chasing Jerry, before going into a bigger song about [[Dick Dastardly]]'s misery in the [[Wacky Races (event)|Wacky Races]]. | |||
* Tom and Jerry are a question in The Yes! No! Game by Paul Lamond Games. | * Tom and Jerry are a question in The Yes! No! Game by Paul Lamond Games. | ||
* In "The Long Night," an episode of the British sitcom ''Outnumbered'', a police officer told the Brockmans that their neighbor had hit her husband over the head with a frying pan which he knows "sounds a bit Tom and Jerry." | * In "The Long Night," an episode of the British sitcom ''Outnumbered'', a police officer told the Brockmans that their neighbor had hit her husband over the head with a frying pan which he knows "sounds a bit Tom and Jerry." |
Revision as of 09:31, 16 July 2024
Tom Cat | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Species | Cat |
Gender | Male |
Affiliation | Jerry Mouse Mammy Two Shoes Butch George Joan Robyn Starling |
Occupation | Inventor[1] |
Goals | To catch Jerry |
Other relative(s) | Cousin, George |
Marital status | Single |
First appearance | T&J: Puss Gets the Boot (1940) |
Played by | William Hanna Clarence Nash (1940-43) Mel Blanc (1963-67) Frank Welker (1990-93, 2002) Richard Kind (1992) Bill Kopp (2005) Don Brown (2006-08) Eric Bauza (2022) |
![]() Gene Deitch's Tom. | |
![]() Chuck Jones's Tom. | |
![]() The Tom & Jerry Show | |
![]() Tom & Jerry Kids | |
![]() The Mansion Cat | |
![]() Tom and Jerry Tales | |
![]() The Tom and Jerry Show | |
File:2021 Movie Tom.png Tom & Jerry | |
![]() Tomut Jelly | |
![]() Tom and Jerry |
Thomas "Tom" Cat is the main character of the Tom and Jerry animated franchise, playing both the antagonist and protagonist, depending on the plot. Tom was introduced as a character in a theatrical short series, with his first appearance in Puss Gets the Boot, and subsequently appeared in other media, such as TV series and direct-to-video films. Tom is a mostly silent character, who was originally performed by William Hanna and Clarence Nash, before only Hanna's was used, which is still in use today long after his passing. His most notable speaking role occurred in Tom and Jerry: The Movie, in which his voice came out from Richard Kind's.
Tom's goal in life is to catch Jerry, usually for the sake of using his cruel acts to tormenting, getting rid of him, or wanting to eat him. On other occasions, they are bosom buddies who are willing to work together on any issue.
Character description
Tom is a sly and cunning cat that constantly chases after Jerry; which he sees as a threat, and is sometimes a task given by his human masters. He is usually, but not always, potrayed as having a comfortable and pampered life, and generally acts as an aggresive bully to Jerry. Sometimes, Tom's obsession with chasing him gets to the point where he enjoys it. Although he has his own brutish qualities, he is also a klutz with a lack of commonsense and is usually the one defeated (or rarely, killed) most of Jerry's victories. The two usually go by a set of tricks in their chases, but the chances of them winning vary depending on the situation. His tactics of catching Jerry involve him setting up a trap and his own stealth, although these prove to be inefficient due either to Jerry getting the upper hand of the situation or Tom's ineptitude.
Despite his determination with chasing the mouse, both Tom and Jerry have a close friendship that rivals their violent tendencies, and would even have their own sympathy towards one another on occasion. In some cases, Tom does not start the conflict, only trying to protect his home, doing his job, or other things. In other times, he also joins sides with Jerry to resolve a problem.
Tom's personality has also changed over the years. In his debut, he was a normal cat who stood on four legs. He slowly became completely bipedal over the course of his next few appearances, however, and has shown to have human-like intelligence. Tom rarely speaks, relying on a range of vocal effects to express his emotions; many of which are made up of painful yells and screams.
Tom is a bluish-grey cat with white fur covering his belly, mouth, hands, feet and tail. He has yellow and green eyes and has a patch of white fur found in between them. He also has thick, black eyebrows.
Appearances
TV series
- The Tom & Jerry Show (1975)
- The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show
- Tom & Jerry Kids
- The Powerpuff Girls
- 1.8B "Ice Sore" (mentioned)
- Tom and Jerry Tales
- The Tom and Jerry Show (2014)
- Tom and Jerry in New York
- Tomut Jelly
- 1.1 "Party Time"
- 1.2 "Rainbow Candy Shop"
- Tom and Jerry (2023)
- Teen Titans Go!
- 8.24 "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary" (no lines)
Movies
- Anchors Aweigh
- Dangerous When Wet
- Tom and Jerry: The Movie
- Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring
- Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars
- Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry
- Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers
- Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
- Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes
- Tom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz
- Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse
- Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure
- Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon
- Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest
- Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz
- Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
- Tom & Jerry
- Tom and Jerry: Cowboy Up
- Tom and Jerry: Snowman's Land
Specials
- Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration (no lines)
- Tom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers
Shorts
- Tom and Jerry
- Cheerios commercial
Comics
- The Flash/Speed Buggy Special (alternate cover)
Video games
Stage performances
History
In The Beginning
Czechmate
Catius Stupidous
You Can't Do That on Television!
The Tom and Jerry "Comedy" Show
Celebrating another 50 years! 50 years of fun!
Childhood Misadventures
Saving a Young Girl in Need
Tall Tales
Back to Basics
Disrupting a Hotel's Wedding
New York Bustle
Kawaii Tom
Chaos in Signapore
Tom Sells Out
Development
The concept of Tom and Jerry spurred from William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at MGM, when discussing on the topic of how a conflict between two characters would work in provoking comedy, while retaining a basic situation to build a foundation on. Hanna recalled that they originally considered using a dog and a fox for these kinds of cartoons, but landed on the idea of using a cat and mouse for the leads instead.[2]
In 1938, when the two presented their idea to producer Fred Quimby, the latter showed no interest in the project, believing that there was nothing original they could do with a cat and mouse. However, Quimby decided to let the two go ahead and complete their short, which would later become Puss Gets the Boot in 1940.[3] In Puss, a cat was named "Jasper" and an unnamed mouse (named "Jinx" in the animation model sheets)[4] was established, in addition to slapstick rivalry that pursued. It set the foundation for the soon-to-be-named Tom and Jerry formula, with animation historian Jerry Beck describing it as "very new and special [...] that was to change the course of MGM cartoon production".[5]
Gallery
- Main article: Tom Cat/Gallery
Toys and merchandise
- Main article: Tom Cat/Toys
Behind the scenes
- "Tom Cat" is likely a play on "tomcat", a term referring to male cats.
- Tom is known to have at least two full names:
- In the 2021 live-action Tom & Jerry film, it was revealed to be Thomas D. Cat.
- In the fighting game Multiversus, his full name listed as Thomas Jasper Cat Sr.
In popular culture
- In "Many Happy Returns," an episode of the British sitcom Mind Your Language, Ali says that TV shows a lot of violence, as he sees someone drowned, shot, and having their head chopped off, which all came out of watching Tom and Jerry.
- In the Married... with Children episode "Requiem for a Dead Barber," Al complained about the current state of cartoons indirectly referring to Tom and Jerry, by telling Peg how a cat will now go to a therapist after a mouse knocks flattens its head with a frying pan.
- In The Simpsons, Bart and Lisa regularly watch The Itchy & Scratchy Show.
- In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "Rondo in New York," Bebop and Rocksteady watch a cartoon similar to Tom and Jerry named "Cheezy and Sleazy," to which the latter says that it's his favorite cartoon.
- In the Full House episode, Danny tries to impress Lisa by making her guess who he is doing an impression, which is supposed to be Jerry saying, "Stop chasing me, ya mean cat!" But not only does Jerry not talk (usually), but Danny also mistakingly calls him Tom, which he is corrected on both accounts by Joey.
- During the Weekend Update sketch in the Saturday Night Live episode "Miranda Richardson/Soul Asylum," Rob Schneider defends that cartoons are educational after the FCC ruled against it, saying that Schlomo's parents wouldn't let him watch cartoons therefore didn't know what to do when he saw a cat chasing a mouse which involved a falling avil and safe, leading to a dangerous accident for Schlomo.
- In the Cowboy Bebop episode "Waltz for Venus," while Spike and Maya board a shuttle flight to Venus to catch a trio of hijackers, a Tom and Jerry-esque cartoon plays as an in-flight movie.
- In "Episode Three" (series 5) of the BBC Radio 4 comedy sketch show Dead Ringers, there is a sketch involving Phil Collins singing a non-Disney song like Elton John. Collins refers to several cartoon characters set to the tune of "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)," including briefly about how Tom becomes the shape of a table after accidentally swallowing it while chasing Jerry, before going into a bigger song about Dick Dastardly's misery in the Wacky Races.
- Tom and Jerry are a question in The Yes! No! Game by Paul Lamond Games.
- In "The Long Night," an episode of the British sitcom Outnumbered, a police officer told the Brockmans that their neighbor had hit her husband over the head with a frying pan which he knows "sounds a bit Tom and Jerry."
- In the American Dad! episode "Merlot Down Dirty Shame," Roger mentions "Tom and Jerry" as a spa package.
- In the Family Guy episode "Valentine's Day in Quahog," Peter and Lois spend the day in bed during Valentine's Day, which includes watching the final episode of Tom and Jerry, in which Tom hires an exterminator to get rid of Jerry. The exterminator asks Tom what he wants to be done with the body of Jerry, but Tom doesn't care about that part, Jerry can be thrown in the garbage for all he cares, but Tom does show some interest in keeping one of Jerry's oversized mallets.
- In the CGI cartoon Grizzy & the Lemmings episode "Wild Zapping," the Lemmings watch a 2-D cartoon with a cat chasing a mouse.
- In the Sugar and Toys episode "Rebooty Call," Tom is in a therapy group for reforming villains, but Tom disagrees with being categorized as a villain as it is just nature for him to want to eat Jerry.
- In series 21, episode 12 of Antiques Road Trip, Phil asks Tim what famous double act they would be together, with Tim answering Tom and Jerry.
The Fairly OddParents
- Main article: The Fairly OddParents
- Channel Chasers (part 2): Timmy, Cosmo, Wanda, and Future Timmy travel into a parody of Tom and Jerry called Ted & Jimmy, with Timmy and the fairies in the role of Jerry and Vicky in the role of Tom.
- "Mice Capades:" Timmy, Cosmo, and Poof tuned in to see Sleazy and Cheezy!, When it's over, the impressionable baby Poof sees the animosity between Vicky and Timmy as a means of continuing watching Sleazy and Cheezy!, so he transforms them into his very own Sleazy and Cheezy/Tom and Jerry.
References
- ^ Designs on Jerry (1955).
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1991). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (1991 edition), page 131. Facts on File, Inc., New York NY. ISBN 0-8160-2252-6.
- ^ "The Magic Behind The Cartoon". www.lafn.org. Archived from original on Febuary 12, 2005.
- ^ Hanna, William; Ito, Tom (1996). A Cast of Friends. Taylor Publishing Company. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ Beck, Jerry; Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Revised and Updated Edition, p. 287. Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-25993-5.