Sufferin' Cats!

Sufferin' Cats is a rather basic cartoon. A very basic rivalry between Tom and another cat (Meathead in this case) and Jerry playing both sides. The cartoon is very solid all around, with some funny jokes, some good animation, and fine backgrounds. The cartoon is just a little bland, mostly because of how it aged. This type of plot, Tom's rivalry, is better developed in later cartoons, with more success than this one. This makes this cartoon kind of worse, at it is now a subpar cartoon when compared to later tries. While done better, Sufferin' Cats is funny, and quite unique in the 1943 shorts.

MGM animation of the thirties and forties could often seriously rival the Disney studio for sheer lushness and elegance, and generaly had them beat for comedy. "Sufferin' Cats" is a charming and funny early Tom and Jerry romp in which Tom is allowed to display a resoucefulness almost on a par with his rodent rival.

As Tom and Jerry's creators get fully into their stride, so the duo become more and more like the cat and mouse we all know and love. Sufferin' Cats sees the cartoon's style developed even further, with the content becoming more 'violent' and the characters more defined—unfortunately, the story is the one weak element to this episode, with the whole thing being nothing more than a huge frantic chase scene (which is fun, for a while at least).

There are some quite funny visual gags, and a fine example of the old 'devil on the shoulder' routine, as Tom deliberates whether he should cut Jerry in two—in order to share the mouse with an alley cat with whom he has been competing—or plant the axe's blade in his rival's head (my 4 year old son actually found this bit disturbing). But on the whole, this short is a distinctly average offering.

Sufferin' Cats! (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Jerry is once again running away from Tom who wants to eat him but he makes the mistake of running into another cat. Af first Jerry thinks he's safe but it turns out this cat wants to eat him too so now the mouse finds himself running away from two cats. SUFFERIN' CATS! is another winner for the series and once again we're taken away from the house setting, which allows for some new and creative action. One of the highlights happen when the cats agree to cut Jerry in half and share him but of course something else happens. This short is fast, fun and contains enough action to keep it entertaining throughout.

I adore Tom and Jerry and always have done. Sufferin' Cats is not one of my favourites though, seeing as it is an early T&J I was expecting the sense that they were still finding their feet and that was the case here. The story here is very routine, I do agree with those who have said that Sufferin' Cats is little more than one big chase, while the first half is not as funny or as crisply paced as the second, which is where the fun begins. The gags in the second half are genuinely funny on the other point of view, the standout being Tom battling his devil conscience and it goes pear-shaped from there. The ending is amusing as well. The animation is clean and beautifully drawn, while the music adds so much to the effectiveness of the gags and is orchestrated in such a vibrant way. All three characters are great, two cats fighting over one mouse is not a new idea but done in a very entertaining way here, and have inspired interplay between them. Tom and Jerry themselves are true to personality, and the second cat is a good contrast to Tom. All in all, not a classic but fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox