The Zoot Cat

1944
7.4| 0h7m| en
Details

Tom's advances on a young jive-talking girl cat get nowhere; nowhere, that is, until Tom gets a zoot suit. Armed with his miles of fabric and a new cool lingo, Tom still has to deal with the tricks of his nemesis, Jerry.

Director

Producted By

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Reviews

SunnyHello Nice effects though.
Executscan Expected more
SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
TheLittleSongbird This is not the best of the Tom and Jerry cartoons, but it is very funny. I thought the animation was very nice for its time, it is one of the better-looking early Tom and Jerry cartoons. I thought the music was outstanding, I know I keep mentioning the music in everything I review but the music is always something I like to talk about. Here it was fun and rousing. I thought the dialogue was hilarious, maybe some of the cool hip language used here is a tad dated but it was funny and worked reasonably well. The female cat's dialogue was enough to have me on the floor doubled up from laughing, it was just so witty and fresh. I thought the story was effective, simple yet effective. I thought the visual gags were a delight, there were enough to delight any Tom and Jerry fan. I thought the characters were well done, Tom sometimes talks a little too much, but he is fine, and Jerry is still his sweet and rascally self. Plus the female cat was a welcome addition. Overall, enjoyable. 9/10 Bethany Cox
theowinthrop The "zoot - suit" era lasted roughly from 1939 to about 1946. It's most permanent affect was to help spread "cool" lingo from extreme jazz lovers into the mainstream of the U.S. culture. But this probably would have happened anyway: the average person would have liked the music and picked up the various slang terms. Instead the zoot suit was to become an object of suspicion for ultra-conservative types (who hated jazz anyway) as being anti-social. And after awhile, it seemed just like a fad that had played out. With it's over-padded shoulders, attempts at streamlined and tight midriff section, and wild patterns (frequently with crazy stripes), covered with a wide brimmed - low crowned hat, the "zoot suit" just struck an unnerving note with conservatives, and a reaffirmation of independence with jazz fans.Here Tom Cat is shown going to the home of a pretty female cat, with a present (a disgusted Jerry Mouse in a blue box with a ribbon on it). Tom tries to make himself presentable, pomading his hair (with lard, symbolically enough), and curlicuing his whiskers. When he gives her the gift, Tom also serenades the cat on his ukulele, and sounds so annoying that when he is accidentally hit in the face with a board from her veranda the audience feels cheered.The female cat tells Tom how square he seems, and shuts the door, after returning his gift (Jerry thinks him square too, and shows it before he runs off). Tom decides to show he can be real cool - he constructs a costume of a zoot suit and hat from a hammock and a lamp shade. Then he returns and briefly captures the girl's affections. But I said briefly: Jerry sees to that.As pointed out this was one of the few Tom and Jerry cartoons that gave the two characters voices (Jerry has the same voice used in ANCHORS AWEIGH). Oddly enough, at one point, when Tom seems about to consummate the relations with the female cat, he stops talking jive, and starts an imitation based on his idea of Charles Boyer (hardly a zoot suit type).It is not a bad little cartoon. I am not usually a fan of Tom and Jerry or of Hanna-Barbera's work, but for it's capturing a moment of 20th Century American culture I think this was a pretty good cartoon.
ccthemovieman-1 Tom has his whiskers permed, and he's strutting his stuff going to impress his sweetie. He's got Jerry all packaged up as a special gift. At the door, he presents the gift, dances, sings, doing whatever he can to impress her. She isn't impressed (women are so moody). She tells him, using a half dozen expressions of the day, that "You don't send me." She throws Jerry in his face, saying, "Here's your rat, cat!"Tom overhears a radio commercial urging guys to get a zoot suit to impress the gals. He makes one, goes back to see the girl and - wham! - she's impressed now. The dialog in this short is fantastic. I wish they had English subtitles so I could catch all the hip phrases. The rest of the cartoon has Tom interrupted in his quest for admiration by Jerry, of course, and the two chase each other in the final few minutes.
porker_mcsquawker They say "clothes makes the man". Most of us confess to adopting an assumed bravado and swagger when adorned in our smartest and best. As usual, Tom has it in spades. His matchless ability to move from gauche artless country hick to high fashion sophisticate, thanks to his new attire, is hilarious to witness. The piano scene is truly wonderful. Tom's new found suave Gallic charm projects with such supreme confidence, his forehead and bottom lip have never looked nobler, his female love interest is swooning with desire, resistance is useless. This huge emotionally charged growing tension is really fuelled by Tom's speaking. Whereas most of the classic Tom & Jerry films work so well without the clutter of speech, in this instance Tom's vocalisation adds so much to the development of his novel smooth and charmingly predatory character. Alas, for Tom, and thankfully for us, Jerry is at hand to return Tom back to the "real" world. Again, Tom's use of speech really works with his "Bob Hope like" one liner. As usual, the female interest is a bit one dimensional but this prevents any upstaging of the leads, Tom & Jerry.What does it for me is the wonderful artwork, excellently matched music, well crafted plot, cleverly developed characterisation, superb use of speech (not overdone), and all wrapped up in the unique Tom & Jerry magic.And, as you all know, even though you may be romantically dressed to kill, there is always a Jerry around to cramp your style!