The Cat Concerto

Overview

Transcript

The Cat Concerto is a 1947 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 29th Tom and Jerry short.

Plot[]

The Cat Concerto 2 — Jerry attempts to play a solo of his own in this scene from *The Cat Concerto*.

A concert is about to be displayed on a stage set in an auditorium. Just then, Tom, a pianist, comes out from one side of the curtains and the audience applauds. He bows, sits down, adjusts his seat, wipes his hands on a cloth and starts playing a piece by Liszt (Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2). Part way into the song, he wipes his hands again, adjusts his tie and puts his clothing back up, then starts playing again. While he plays, Jerry is sleeping on the piano, but is moved while Tom plays. Jerry wakes up when Tom repeats a key. Jerry jumps and falls on a string. Tom continues to play. Jerry notices Tom and takes interest, waving the key patterns. Tom flicks him back into the piano. Jerry then appears under a key, but Tom plays it. When he stops, Jerry runs under the keys. Tom plays the keys he was under and moves on. Tom proceeds to play 2 keys. It should have stopped, but Jerry repeats them from the inside of the piano. Tom bonks Jerry with a tuning tool and moves on, but Jerry forces the key door to force shut, flattening Tom's hands. Jerry then tries to cut his fingers off, but Tom is too quick. Jerry then replaces 2 keys with a mousetrap. Tom falls for it and his fingers blown up. Jerry then plays, but Tom continues playing to get him off. After making sure Jerry would not strike back he started playing again, Jerry starts playing his own tune. Tom shoves some keys and puts him under his seat, then he started playing yet again. Jerry peeps out and raises the chair, then lowers it, causing him to fall. Furious, Tom grabs Jerry and sticks him between the keys inside the piano, as if to say, "You are going to get it, mister!" then proceeds playing the piece to beat Jerry up. Jerry gets angry, snaps 2 piano hammers and plays the ending of the piece. Tom had to complete the song but Jerry picks back up with his tune. Tom tries to finish again, but Jerry starts playing the ending yet again. Tom finally ends the tune and gets dog-tired collapsing near the piano, while the audience applauds for Jerry who has just dressed himself in a dinner jacket.

Notes[]

By this cartoon, both of Tom and Jerry's character designs have been finalized. Tom in particular is now drawn with slightly furrier cheeks, as opposed to completely rounded like in earlier cartoons, although they appear rounded in several shots. These designs would later be used as the "default" character designs for the cat-and-mouse duo in the merchandise as well as more recent Tom and Jerry revivals since Tom & Jerry Kids.
This is the fourth Tom and Jerry short to win an Academy Award. The 1947 public release print featured a title card with an acknowledgement of the award and the Oscar statuette itself.
The same year that MGM produced The Cat Concerto, Warner Bros. released a very similar Bugs Bunny cartoon called Rhapsody Rabbit, directed by Friz Freleng, with Bugs up against an unnamed mouse. Both shorts used near-identical gags, and they even used the same piece by Franz Liszt. Even the ending is similar. Bugs is also upstaged by a mouse. Both MGM and Warner Bros. accused each other of plagiarism, after both films were shown during the 1946 Academy Awards ceremony. Technicolor was accused of sending a print of either cartoon to the competing studio, who then allegedly plagiarized their rival's work. It was often suggested by animation historians that this cartoon was rushed to its release - meaning it was released before the shorts produced during the same time to qualify for the Academy Award. Its production number is #165, while the other shorts released during the same year have production numbers around #155. The subject would be covered in an episode of Cartoon Network's ToonHeads. Serendipitously, Warner Bros. would ultimately own The Cat Concerto themselves after decades of ownership shuffling affecting both cartoons.
The footage of Tom playing the piano was also used as a Cartoon Network ID, but with the 1992-2004 Cartoon Network logo on the side of the piano.
The short was shown in theaters with The Sea of Grass in its original release.
Music from this short is reused as one of the background music in Tom and Jerry Mouse Maze
When Tom is fixing his shirt, his chest doesn't have chest fur another short where this happens is The Hollywood Bowl

Goofs/Errors[]

When Jerry appears under a piano key, there are only two keys to his left. In the next shot, there are several more.

Availability[]

Gallery[]

Tom and Jerry Cartoons
1940	Puss Gets the Boot
1941	The Midnight Snack • The Night Before Christmas
1942	Fraidy Cat • Dog Trouble • Puss n' Toots • The Bowling Alley-Cat • Fine Feathered Friend
1943	Sufferin' Cats! • The Lonesome Mouse • The Yankee Doodle Mouse • Baby Puss
1944	The Zoot Cat • The Million Dollar Cat • The Bodyguard • Puttin' on the Dog • Mouse Trouble
1945	The Mouse Comes to Dinner • Mouse in Manhattan • Tee for Two • Flirty Birdy • Quiet Please!
1946	Springtime for Thomas • The Milky Waif • Trap Happy • Solid Serenade
1947	Cat Fishin' • Part Time Pal • The Cat Concerto • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse • Salt Water Tabby • A Mouse in the House • The Invisible Mouse
1948	Kitty Foiled • The Truce Hurts • Old Rockin' Chair Tom • Professor Tom • Mouse Cleaning
1949	Polka-Dot Puss • The Little Orphan • Hatch Up Your Troubles • Heavenly Puss • The Cat and the Mermouse • Love That Pup • Jerry's Diary • Tennis Chumps
1950	Little Quacker • Saturday Evening Puss • Texas Tom • Jerry and the Lion • Safety Second • The Hollywood Bowl • The Framed Cat • Cue Ball Cat
1951	Casanova Cat • Jerry and the Goldfish • Jerry's Cousin • Sleepy-Time Tom • His Mouse Friday • Slicked-up Pup • Nit-Witty Kitty • Cat Napping
1952	The Flying Cat • The Duck Doctor • The Two Mouseketeers • Smitten Kitten • Triplet Trouble • Little Runaway • Fit To Be Tied • Push-Button Kitty • Cruise Cat • The Dog House
1953	The Missing Mouse • Jerry and Jumbo • Johann Mouse • That's My Pup! • Just Ducky • Two Little Indians • Life with Tom
1954	Puppy Tale • Posse Cat • Hic-cup Pup • Little School Mouse • Baby Butch • Mice Follies • Neapolitan Mouse • Downhearted Duckling • Pet Peeve • Touché, Pussy Cat!
1955	Southbound Duckling • Pup on a Picnic • Mouse for Sale • Designs on Jerry • Tom and Chérie • Smarty Cat • Pecos Pest • That's My Mommy
1956	The Flying Sorceress • The Egg and Jerry • Busy Buddies • Muscle Beach Tom • Down Beat Bear • Blue Cat Blues • Barbecue Brawl
1957	Tops with Pops • Timid Tabby • Feedin' the Kiddie • Mucho Mouse • Tom's Photo Finish
1958	Happy Go Ducky • Royal Cat Nap • The Vanishing Duck • Robin Hoodwinked • Tot Watchers
1961	Switchin' Kitten • Down and Outing • It's Greek to Me-ow!
1962	High Steaks • Mouse into Space • Landing Stripling • Calypso Cat • Dicky Moe • The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit • Tall in the Trap • Sorry Safari • Buddies Thicker Than Water • Carmen Get It!
1963	Pent-House Mouse
1964	The Cat Above and The Mouse Below • Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? • Much Ado About Mousing • Snowbody Loves Me • The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse
1965	Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life • Tom-ic Energy • Bad Day at Cat Rock • The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off • Haunted Mouse • I'm Just Wild About Jerry • Of Feline Bondage • The Year of the Mouse • The Cat's Me-Ouch
1966	Duel Personality • Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary • Jerry-Go-Round • Love Me, Love My Mouse • Puss 'n' Boats • Filet Meow • Matinee Mouse • The A-Tom-Inable Snowman • Catty-Cornered
1967	Cat and Dupli-cat • O-Solar-Meow • Guided Mouse-ille • Rock 'n' Rodent • Cannery Rodent • The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. • Surf-Bored Cat • Shutter Bugged Cat • Advance and Be Mechanized • Purr-Chance to Dream