Blue Cat Blues

***Blue Cat Blues*** is a 1956 *Tom and Jerry* short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and it is known to be the darkest Tom and Jerry episode.

## Plot

Tom is seen sitting on train tracks, heavily depressed and waiting for an oncoming train to come and run him over, while Jerry laments at his friend's state and recalls how he ended up there. Jerry narrates that he and Tom were best friends before Tom falls for a beautiful white cat who, at first, seems to return his feelings (though she is actually manipulating him to her whims) before leaving him for Butch (who, unlike in other cartoons, is extremely rich), revealing she is actually a gold digger, confirming Jerry's earlier suspicions. Despite Jerry's protests, Tom desperately tries to buy back her love, but is continually outdone by Butch. When Tom tries to present her with a flower, he finds she has had already received a beautiful horseshoe garland of roses from Butch. He then presents her with a small bottle of perfume, but then Butch arrives with a large tanker truck full of perfume. Tom squanders all of his life savings to buy a diamond ring for her (with a diamond so small she needs a magnifying glass to see it) only to learn that Butch has had already gifted her a ring with a large diamond so shiny that she and Tom need welding helmets just to see it. He even takes out a predatory 26-year, 112% APR loan from a used car lot to buy her an old, rickety automobile, only for Butch to arrive in his long and fancy convertible, crushing Tom and his car. Tom starts drinking (milk) uncontrollably, ignoring Jerry's pleas, and eventually nearly goes down the literal gutter, but is saved just in time by Jerry. Tom becomes even more depressed when Butch and the white cat drive by in the limousine with a "JUST MARRIED" sign on the back. As the flashback ends, Jerry kisses a picture of his girlfriend before she drives past, having married to a rich mouse. Heartbroken, Jerry meets Tom and joins him on the tracks. The whistle of an approaching train grows louder as the cartoon fades out.

## Notes

* Unusually for a *Tom and Jerry* short, Jerry speaks, narrating the story in voice-over via Paul Frees. Since Jerry narrates through inner monologue, the short does not break the cardinal rule of not having Tom and Jerry physically speaking on screen. Also, unusual for a Tom and Jerry cartoon, while all the others have a comical storyline, this one has an infamously tragic one. Because of this - and Tom and Jerry's implied suicide at the end - this cartoon has rarely been seen on American television, although it has aired once on TNT in the early 1990s and made its rounds on local affiliate channels. However, the short aired for only once on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia in November 2010. As of March 2014, very few airings are known, but it has been shown briefly on Cartoon Network in the USA. This cartoon marks the final appearance of Butch in the Tom and Jerry cartoon produced before the MGM cartoon studio shuts down in 1957. Although, Butch would make another appearance (along with his other alley cat pals Meathead, Topsy, and Lightning) in the *Spike and Tyke* cartoon *Scat Cats* before the studio's closure. This cartoon was released on November 16, 1956 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
* The white female cat in this episode looks identical to Tom's girlfriend in *Muscle Beach Tom*, albeit all-white with blue eyes and red lipstick instead of all-brown with green eyes and no lipstick.
* This is one of the fifteen cartoons in which Tom and Jerry both lose in the end. The other cartoons are *Fraidy Cat*, *Dog Trouble* (after profit from Spike's disposal), *The Truce Hurts*, *Saturday Evening Puss*, *A Mouse in the House*, *Advance and Be Mechanized*, *Baby Puss*, *Muscle Beach Tom*, *Filet Meow*, *Polka-Dot Puss*, *Baby Butch*, *Safety Second*, *Tot Watchers*, *Down Beat Bear* and *The Framed Cat*.
* This is one of the cartoons where Jerry rescues Tom. He also saves the cat in *Cannery Rodent*, *I'm Just Wild About Jerry*, *Buddies Thicker Than Water*, *Puppy Tale* and *The Cat and the Mermouse*.
* This short stands out from others in that rather than having a comedic storyline with even a remotely happy ending, *Blue Cat Blues* has no intentionally funny moments, instead having a genuinely dark storyline with a tragic ending. This has led some to consider it a particularly dark moment in cartoon history and one of the most infamous cartoons ever made.
	+ Although it is treated darkly, *Downhearted Duckling* has more scenes involving suicide attempts than this cartoon.
* This was the last cartoon to use the ending quotes "An MGM Tom and Jerry Cartoon. Made in Hollywood, U.S.A.". It would not be used again in the Chuck Jones era title cards, starting in the 1963 short, *Pent-House Mouse*. However, reissues from this point onward would continue to use the "An MGM Tom and Jerry Cartoon. Made in Hollywood, U.S.A." ending quotes.
* Due to the dark nature of the ending, many fans mistook this as the final cartoon of the original series.
* Butch is unusually shown as rich in this storyline, in contrast to his frequently portrayal as a stray or alley cat living outdoors, while Tom is able to live in a house with his owners.
* On the pan-and-scan version (as both versions no longer being televised on many channels), there is a suggestive reference in one scene where Butch looks at the female cat swinging (a couple of seconds before he reached to her) looked like he was staring at her legs (as from her waist up is cropped out).
* The reasons for why this cartoon was made is uncertain. There are those who say that it would be William Hanna and Joseph Barbera who lost the production of the series in 1956, but who managed to recover with the success of the short at the box office. Others claim that the episode was produced, but that the duo thought that the public would believe that only the characters would hurt themselves (as in all episodes), but that they would not die.
* This was the last MGM cartoon to have its recording credited to Western Electric Sound System prior to its rebranding as Westrex Recording System.
* This was the last cartoon to have the *Tom and Jerry* title card in the tradition with Tom not shown with his full body.
* This cartoon uses the song *I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'* from the movie *The Broadway Melody of 1936* as one of the background melodies.

## Controversy and banning

To avoid controversy, Turner Entertainment's channels Cartoon Network and Boomerang rarely air this cartoon due to references to alcoholism and suicide. This cartoon has rarely been seen on American television, although it has aired once on TNT in the early 1990s and made its rounds on local affiliate channels. However, the short aired for only once on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia in November 2010. As of March 2014, very few airings are known, but it has been shown briefly on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the USA. Despite all this controversy along with the short’s dark/depressing story, this short is actually available to watch on the Boomerang app and has been for a long time.

## Availability

* Super 8
* (1993) LaserDisc: *The Art of Tom & Jerry* Vol. 2, Disc Four
* (2000) VHS: *Tom and Jerry: Festival of Fun*
* (2004) DVD - *Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 1* (original CinemaScope format; Warner Bros.)
* (2004) DVD - *Tom and Jerry: The Classic Collection* Vol. 4, Disc Two (Region 2 only) (Europe 1995 Turner dubbed version and pan-and-scan edition)
* (2009) DVD - *Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Vol. 3* (original CinemaScope format; Warner Bros.)
* (2013) DVD - *Tom and Jerry: No Mice Allowed!* (original CinemaScope format; Warner Bros.)
* (2023) Blu-ray - *The Fastest Gun Alive* (original CinemaScope format; Warner Bros.)