Tom and Jerry Collection Vol. 3

Tom and Jerry can rightly be called one of the most popular and enduring teams in the world. Despite the formulaic nature of the plots (Tom fights with Jerry, Tom gets mangled in some way), and the many controversies (the extreme violence, use of cigarettes, the racist stereotypes), these shorts became some of the most beloved cartoons of the Twentieth Century. Tom and Jerry shorts won seven Oscars in the Best Short Subject: Cartoon category, and received 6 more nominations.

So far, the Spotlight Collection has focused on the cartoon’s glory years, when William Hanna and Joseph Barbera worked on the show. It’s not known if the less-revered Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones eras will be released on DVD.

TV Shows on DVD scored the list of shorts appearing on Volume 3, plus the special features on the box set. Here they are listed below:

Disc 1:

1. "A Mouse In the House" (1947)

2. "Hatch Up Your Troubles" (1949)

3. "Love That Pup" (1949) (Tyke the Pup's debut)

4. "Jerry's Diary" (1949)

5. "Tennis Chumps" (1949)

6. "The Framed Cat" (1950)

7. "His Mouse Friday" (1951)

8. "The Duck Doctor" (1952)

9. "Little Runaway" (1952)

10. "Fit to be Tied" (1952)

11. "The Dog House" (1952)

12. "That's My Pup!" (1953)

13. "Life with Tom" (1953)

14. "Puppy Tale" (1954)

15. "Posse Cat" (1954)

16. "Hic-cup Pup" (1954)

17. "Downhearted Duckling" (1954)

18. "Neapolitan Mouse" (1954)

19. "Mouse for Sale" (1955)

20. "Smarty Cat" (1955)

21. "Tops with Pops" (1957) (a remake of Love That Pup)

Disc 2: (Cinemascope versions)

1. "Pet Peeve" (1954)

2. "Southbound Duckling" (1955)

3. "Pup on a Picnic" (1955)

4. "That's My Mommy" (1955)

5. "The Egg and Jerry" (1956)

6. "Busy Buddies" (1956)

7. "Barbecue Brawl" (1956)

8. "Timid Tabby" (1957)

9. "Feedin' The Kiddie" (1957)

10. "Tom's Photo Finish" (1957)

11. "Happy Go Ducky" (1958)

12. "Royal Cat Nap" (1958)

13. "The Vanishing Duck" (1958)

14. "Robin Hoodwinked" (1958)

There are a few Special Features on the collection of note. One is a documentary, “Cat and Mouse: the Tale of Tom and Jerry.” It shows the history of one of cartoondom’s greatest teams. There’s also a featurette on Hanna-Barbera entitled “From Early Days to Censorship Controversies to Award-Winning Glory.”

Another featurette discusses “The Karate Guard,” the 2005 short that featured Joe Barbera as writer, director and storyboard artist. It would be the first short Barbera worked on since 1958 and the last Tom and Jerry short he would ever do.

There are two shorts that are missing from the collection: 1948’s “Mouse Cleaning” and 1951’s “Casanova Cat.”

Both of these shorts may have been excised for racist overtones: “Mouse Cleaning” prominently features black housekeeper Mamma Two Shoes (a stereotype that offended many African-Americans) and Tom ends up in blackface. “Casanova Cat” featured an extended sequence of Jerry in blackface, and Tom forces Jerry to dance on a hot plate so that Tom can woo the wealthy cat Toodles.

Since this is the last Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, it’s likely those two shorts will never come to DVD.

Fun Fact: In case you didn’t know already, the cartoon-within-a-cartoon Itchy and Scratchy Show from The Simpsons is an acknowledged parody of Tom and Jerry. The Simpsons even mocked the 1960 – 1962 Gene Deitch era (when Tom and Jerry were animated in Prague, Czechoslovakia) in an episode when Itchy and Scratchy were replaced with Worker and Parasite.

Tom and Jerry Vol. 3 DVD cover

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