DVD Corner

Tom And Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology 1940-1958 Blu-ray Review

The cream of the crop for “Tom And Jerry.”

This is the Blu-ray set “Tom And Jerry” fans have been waiting for. Warner Archive’s Tom And Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology 1940-1958 contains the 114 theatrical MGM cartoon shorts by Hanna-Barbera. Included in this mix are the 7 Oscar winning shorts and the 23 CinemaScope cartoons (which were previously released on Blu-ray this year). Sadly, there is no listing of the contents of each disc in this booklet (or anywhere else in this set) so I have written up the contents spread out over the 5 discs (with the bonus features listed in the extras section of this review). 

The shorts: 1. Puss Gets The Boot 2. The Midnight Snack 3. The Night Before Christmas 4. Fraidy Cat 5. Dog Trouble 6. Puss n’ Toots 7. The Bowling Alley-Cat 8. Fine Feathered Friend 9. Sufferin’ Cats! 10. The Lonesome Mouse 11. The Yankee Doodle Mouse 12. Baby Puss 13. The Zoot Cat 14. The Million Dollar Cat 15. The Bodyguard 16. Puttin’ On The Dog 17. Mouse Trouble 18. The Mouse Comes To Dinner 19. Mouse In Manhattan 20. Tee For Two 21. Flirty Birdy 22. Quiet Please! 23. Springtime For Thomas 24. The Milky Waif 25. Trap Happy 26. Solid Serenade 27. Cat Fishin’ 28. Part Time Pal 29. The Cat Concerto 30. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Mouse 31. Salt Water Tabby 32. A Mouse In The House 33. The Invisible Mouse 34. Kitty Foiled 35. The Truce Hurts 36. Old Rockin’ Chair Tom 37. Professor Tom 38. Mouse Cleaning 39. Polka-Dot Puss 40. The Little Orphan 41. Hatch Up Your Troubles 42. Heavenly Puss 43. The Cat And The Mermouse 44. Love That Pup 45. Jerry’s Diary 46. Tennis Chumps 47. Little Quacker 48. Saturday Evening Puss 49. Texas Tom 50. Jerry And The Lion 51. Safety Second 52. Tom And Jerry In The Hollywood Bowl 53. The Framed Cat 54. Cue Ball Cat 55. Casanova Cat 56. Jerry And The Goldfish 57. Jerry’s Cousin 58. Sleepy-Time Tom 59. His Mouse Friday 60. Slicked-Up Pup 61. Nit-Witty Kitty 62. Cat Napping 63. The Flying Cat 64. The Duck Doctor 65. The Two Mouseketeers 66. Smitten Kitten 67. Triplet Trouble 68. Little Runaway 69. Fit To Be Tied 70. Push-Button Kitty 71. Cruise Cat 72. The Dog House 73. The Missing Mouse 74. Jerry And Jumbo 75. Johann Mouse 76. That’s My Pup! 77. Just Ducky 78. Two Little Indians 79. Life With Tom 80. Puppy Tale 81. Posse Cat 82. Hic-cup Pup 83. Little School Mouse 84. Baby Butch 85. Mice Follies 86. Neapolitan Mouse 87. Downhearted Duck 88. Pet Peeve 89. Touche, Pussy Cat! 90. Southbound Duckling 91. Pup On A Picnic 92. Mouse For Sale 93. Designs On Jerry 94. Tom And Cherie 95. Smarty Cat 98. Pecos Pest 97. That’s My Mommy 98. The Flying Sorceress 99. The Egg And Jerry 100. Busy Buddies 101. Muscle Beach Tom 102. Down Beat Bear 103. Blue Cat Blues 104. Barbecue Brawl 105. Tops With Pops 106. Timid Tabby 107. Feedin’ The Kiddie 108. Mucho Mouse 109. Tom’s Photo Finish 110. Happy Go Ducky 111. Royal Cat Nap 112. The Vanishing Duck 113. Robin Hoodwinked 114. Tot Watchers.

Forget about the Chuck Jones and Gene Deitch eras, the Hanna-Barbera is indeed the golden era of “Tom And Jerry” cartoons. Everything people love about the iconic duo is present here. The cartoons are high energy with perfect comic timing, the gags are more creative, and the animation is artful and eye-popping. Yes, the shorts primarily involve Tom chasing Jerry and Jerry defending himself, but it’s always funny to see how the writers shake up the simple formula. In one short you will see Jerry heading away from Tom to check out Manhattan city life in “Mouse In Manhattan.” In another you will see Tom teaching a kitten how to catch mice in “Professor Tom.” There’s a whole variety of plots. 

One can expect a lot of gems to be found within this set, but my 6 personal favorites include: “Yankee Doodle Mouse” (which involves an explosive battle between Tom and Jerry complete with dynamite and fireworks), “The Night Before Christmas” (a sweet Chirtsmas short), “The Cat Concerto” (in which Tom plays a piano concert while Jerry is inside the piano), “Heavenly Puss” (the classic where Tom dies and goes to heaven), “The Flying Cat” (where Tom chases Jerry and a bird and concocts inventive ways to reach them in a bird house) and “Feedin’ The Kiddie” which features the scene stealing Tuffy. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.37:1 and 2.35:1 1080p. How do they look? The shorts are presented here restored and uncut. Given that many of the original negatives were destroyed in a fire, Warner Archive was only able to do so much. Thankfully, the results are mostly a plus. The first disc’s shorts are particularly noteworthy due to their crisp colors. Likewise goes with the vibrant CinemaScope toons. There are a few shorts that are far from flawless. “The Cat Concerto” has lines, grain and defects while the colors on “Heavenly Puss” resemble more of an upscaled DVD. It’s a situation where the quality definitely tends to vary from cartoon to cartoon, but overall the results should please “Tom And Jerry” enthusiasts who are looking for a respectable hi-def upgrade.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How do they sound? Aside from 3 of the CinemaScope shorts that are in Stereo, everything else is in Mono. For the most part, the sound effects and music really pop, but some audio sounds a bit muffled like in “Love That Pup.” It’s another situation where the sound quality can vary from short to short.

Extras:
* A booklet featuring original sketches, a Tom and Jerry timeline, and written pieces about character designs.
* 3 bonus toons titled “Good Will To Men,” “Give And Tyke,” and “Scat Cats.”
* Commentary on “Puss Gets The Boot,” “Quiet Please!,” “Push-Button Kitty,” and “Johann Mouse” by animator Mark Kausler, commentary on “Puss Gets The Boot,” “The Night Before Christmas,” “Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Mouse,” and “Saturday Evening Puss” by comedienne Nicole Parker and historian Earl Kress, commentary on “The Night Before Christmas,” “Yankee Doodle Mouse,” “Mouse Trouble,” “Dr. Jekyll And Mr Mouse,” “The Little Orphan,” and “Hatch Up Your Troubles” by author Michael Mallory, commentary on “The Zoot Cat,” “Kitty Foiled,” “Heavenly Puss,” “Jerry’s Cousin,” and “The Two Mouseketeers”  by animation historian Jerry Beck, and commentary on “The Cat Concerto” by director Eric Goldberg.
* 3 bonus toons “Good Will To Men,” “Give And Tyke,” and “Scat Cats.”
* “Lady Of The House: The Story Of Mammy Two Shoes”- A new featurette on the history of the character Mammy Two Shoes complete with interviews with historians and animators.
* “Animal Hijinks: The Friends And Foes Of Tom And Jerry”- A second new featurette about the side characters such as dogs Spike and Tyke.
* “The Midnight Snack Pencil Test- Side By Side”
* “Cat And Mouse: The Tale Of Tom And Jerry”- A documentary on MGM and “Tom And Jerry” history.
* The animated “The Worry Song” from the film “Anchors Aweigh.”
* A 1953 excerpt from “Dangerous When Wet”
* “Tom And Jerry: Behind The Tunes”- Archival extra about the music by the MGM Studio Orchestra.
* “Animators As Actors”- A vintage extra with animator and historian interviews.
* “How Bill And Joe Meet Tom And Jerry” is all about Hanna-Barbera.
* “Vaudeville, Slapstick And Tom And Jerry” featurette
* “The Comedy Stylings Of Tom And Jerry”- The title speaks for itself. 

December 10, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Tom and Jerry, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Archive, MGM, Cartoons, Tom And Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology 1940-1958 Blu-ray Review