Not your everyday Tom and Jerry short for many reasons. One, there's a voiceover narration by Jerry, which is odd, because Tom and Jerry rarely speak. Two, the two are friends, which was also rare and seldom works as well as the more adversarial shorts do. Third, and most importantly, the cartoon is rarely humorous (by design) and the jokes here are dry chuckles with a little cough and a bubble of blood at the end. Think a Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Tim Burton. Not wholly successful, but it largely does work. The creepiest ending for an MGM short that I can recall. Not for everyone and proof that these shorts were never intended solely with children as the target audience. Well worth watching. Recommended with the caveats above.
17 Reviews
As A Soap Opera Parody, It Was Very Good; Overall - A Bomb With Audiences
ccthemovieman-120 July 2007
This is very different from the normal Tom and Jerry cartoon and, for most people, a flop. I see that's the consensus here, and I understand it. This effort at humor just didn't cut it for most people including me BUT it got better and better as it went on and I'm not so sure it was a failure in what it tried to say. Where it failed was the fact that the public didn't like it. Not being liked by the audience is the worst sin possible in the entertainment business.
Early on, there were a few gags that made me laugh, such as Tom (literally) "flipping his lid" and the excesses his rival, "Mr. Butch" went to, to impress the hot feline both he and Tom were after.
The narration tells us the sad tale of how Tom ruined himself over this woman. It's told through Jerry's voice which sounds more like a soft Keifer Sutherland than some little mouse that we'd expect. At first, it was annoying but then I got used to it, and almost laughed at the obvious attempt of the writers to make this overly melodramatic with lines like, "He willingly sold himself into slavery....for love." If you know a lot of 1950s movies, this sort of soapy story fits fit in. In fact, the more I watched this, the better it got as I laughed over this soap opera parody.
Early on, there were a few gags that made me laugh, such as Tom (literally) "flipping his lid" and the excesses his rival, "Mr. Butch" went to, to impress the hot feline both he and Tom were after.
The narration tells us the sad tale of how Tom ruined himself over this woman. It's told through Jerry's voice which sounds more like a soft Keifer Sutherland than some little mouse that we'd expect. At first, it was annoying but then I got used to it, and almost laughed at the obvious attempt of the writers to make this overly melodramatic with lines like, "He willingly sold himself into slavery....for love." If you know a lot of 1950s movies, this sort of soapy story fits fit in. In fact, the more I watched this, the better it got as I laughed over this soap opera parody.
"That's the Story of a Cat with a Broken Heart"
Kalashnikovin16 July 2022
I love Tom and Jerry and everything that has to do with it, Blue Cat Blues is no exception, but the short is too different from the others...
The beginning is Horrible, Tom on the train tracks waiting to be run over by it while Jerry tells us an incredibly well done but sad story.
The Short is Infamous for the Scene where both Tom and Jerry sit on the Train Tracks to be Crushed by the Same just because "Their wives found someone richer" and I don't think that's the World's Friendliest Moral.
The Animation is Pretty Cheap and Simple at this point, the Title Card is Simple with a Lamppost and the title of the short, but the simplicity sometimes helps as the card with that blue background looks very unsettling due to how empty it is, Both Tom and Jerry look pretty as always, their Cinemascope design is possibly one of the most memorable of the entire franchise, Butch looks Great as Always and is one of his Few Appearances at this time, the cat's design in my opinion is unattractive and a little ugly and straight up looks like a shoddy copy of Toddles Galore, the movements are decent but not too fluid, the backgrounds are empty like a desert but what little there is is nice and very well colored.
The Music in this Short is Far Superior to Most Tom and Jerry Shorts, I like how well done it is, The Sad Scenes have music too good and it's possibly one of the best Tom and Jerry shorts in terms of the Music we're talking about and that's all thanks to Scott Bradley!.
You must know by now that I always give short and boring messages about Sound Effects and Voice Acting so I'll sum it up in 1 word "Great".
Something that should be clarified is why Butch is Rich overnight?, but I think that is not important if not how unpleasant the Characters in the Short are, the cat, Butch and even Tom himself for having Ignored Jerry but he is forgiven because he is still a great character here.
As such, Blue Cat Blues is by far the creepiest Tom and Jerry short film (beating Down and Outing, High Steaks and Sorry Safari), its infamous scene where both leads commit suicide is Disgusting and too Sad for a Cartoon but it's a good short, It has Phenomenal Music and great Voice acting and makes us see a more serious version of the Characters and we get to see in depth the friendship of both, for everything I said earlier this short takes an 8!.
The beginning is Horrible, Tom on the train tracks waiting to be run over by it while Jerry tells us an incredibly well done but sad story.
The Short is Infamous for the Scene where both Tom and Jerry sit on the Train Tracks to be Crushed by the Same just because "Their wives found someone richer" and I don't think that's the World's Friendliest Moral.
The Animation is Pretty Cheap and Simple at this point, the Title Card is Simple with a Lamppost and the title of the short, but the simplicity sometimes helps as the card with that blue background looks very unsettling due to how empty it is, Both Tom and Jerry look pretty as always, their Cinemascope design is possibly one of the most memorable of the entire franchise, Butch looks Great as Always and is one of his Few Appearances at this time, the cat's design in my opinion is unattractive and a little ugly and straight up looks like a shoddy copy of Toddles Galore, the movements are decent but not too fluid, the backgrounds are empty like a desert but what little there is is nice and very well colored.
The Music in this Short is Far Superior to Most Tom and Jerry Shorts, I like how well done it is, The Sad Scenes have music too good and it's possibly one of the best Tom and Jerry shorts in terms of the Music we're talking about and that's all thanks to Scott Bradley!.
You must know by now that I always give short and boring messages about Sound Effects and Voice Acting so I'll sum it up in 1 word "Great".
Something that should be clarified is why Butch is Rich overnight?, but I think that is not important if not how unpleasant the Characters in the Short are, the cat, Butch and even Tom himself for having Ignored Jerry but he is forgiven because he is still a great character here.
As such, Blue Cat Blues is by far the creepiest Tom and Jerry short film (beating Down and Outing, High Steaks and Sorry Safari), its infamous scene where both leads commit suicide is Disgusting and too Sad for a Cartoon but it's a good short, It has Phenomenal Music and great Voice acting and makes us see a more serious version of the Characters and we get to see in depth the friendship of both, for everything I said earlier this short takes an 8!.
The Experimental Tom & Jerry Cartoon
TheMan30519 January 2003
Shortly after Hanna-Barbera had taken over as producers for Fred Quimpy, they were allowed to experiment more with Tom & Jerry. One of the results is "Blue Cat Blues." In this short Jerry narrates Tom's struggles to win over the love of the cat next door. Who also has a thing for Butch! Even though this is the darkest and less humorous of the Tom & Jerry cartoons, I praise it for it's lovely style of direction.
4(****)out of 4(****)stars
4(****)out of 4(****)stars
Tom and Jerry, albeit a very different Tom and Jerry
TheLittleSongbird7 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I did mention in my review of Down Beat Bear that I remembered loving this cartoon as a child, so I decided to revisit Blue Cat Blues to see whether it held up. It is good, but not as good as I remembered, so when one reviewer for Down Beat Bear said that particular Tom and Jerry cartoon was the last great Tom and Jerry I have to say after re-watching Blue Cat Blues that I agree. There are good things definitely about the cartoon. I did like how beautiful how some of the animation colours looked, and in regard to the animation I'd say the jewel was the sexy character design of the female cat. The music was understated and sensitively orchestrated. There are a few funny moments, like a couple of little words and phrases in Jerry's narration, and I was always fascinated by the lengths Tom and Butch went through to win the female cat's heart, which was what drove me to re-watching Blue Cat Blues in the first place. I felt myself really feeling for Tom here especially for how literally broken he looked, I did in the Gene Deitch cartoons too but that was for a different reason entirely. With Jerry, I did get the vibe that he really cared for Tom and wasn't gloating or saying I told you so over his loss. Paul Frees also does an outstanding job as Jerry's voice. That said, I can definitely see why people mayn't like Blue Cat Blues very much. When people say it is an atypical Tom and Jerry cartoon, they are right, it is very. This one is slower in pace and only has a few funny moments, and they are mild I think, in alternative to the laugh-a-minute usual standard. While I liked the colours, I thought the backgrounds and characters lacked finesse. I'm sure there's a scene that's lifted out of Springtime for Thomas, which ties in with how Tom and the female cat(Toots or something or other) first met, but that beautiful scene does jar with the scenes before and after that are not so much. I was mixed on the narration, there were some poignant and some funny phrases to not make it so morbid, but there are one too many parts where it is very melodramatic. I loved the sexy design for the female cat, but if only her looks matched her personality. She comes across as very shallow, which actually changed my initial view of her. All in all, not a bad cartoon but it is a long way from Tom and Jerry's best. 7/10 Bethany Cox
My Ode to "Blue Cat's Blues"...
ElMaruecan8225 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Sitting alone on the railroad tracks -
Devils of misery devouring his eyes -
A train is coming for a deadly climax...
Of a lesson to all of us smitten guys!
This is Tom's story called the Blue Cat's Blues - When you throw your heart, you're bound to lose - The game is rigged and someone loaded the dice! You should always listen to your friends' advice!
Jerry the mouse tried to warn his buddy - He saw the poor Tom losing his head - He felt his ground of love turning all muddy - When she loved another one instead.
His name was Butch and he was stinking rich - He was Tom's rival and she was clearly his -itch! For every gift Tom would give - Butch would prove to be far more combative!
Tom gave a flower, Butch a wreath as big as her - Tom gave a sample, Butch a truck of perfume - Tom brought a diamond the size of a booger - While Butch's one was shining all over the room!
The car was the last attempt to win her affection - 112% of annual interest rate! Butch's endless coupe drove all over Tom's ambition - You got to wonder what he tried to compensate!
This is Tom's story called the Blue Cat's Blues - When you throw your heart, you're bound to lose! Cause love is sure no heart matter - When you deal with a damn gold-digger!
Tom understood that he could never get her - In alcohol, his dreams he all buried - Jerry could save him from the plunge into the gutter - But then a car drove by, a sign saying "Just married"!
A dynamite stick could turn him black - A rollercoaster did all the flattening - He could go to Heaven but he was always back - Each episode was like a new beginning.
This time Tom got the roughest deal! Something for a cartoon that felt so real - He loved a girl that didn't love him back - And this time maybe Tom too... might not even come back!
This is Tom's story called the Blue Cat's Blues - When you throw your heart, you're bound to lose - And Jerry threw his heart to his own girlfriend - But it was the same story in the end!
This is Tom's story but Jerry's as well - Lovesick schmucks in a nutshell - Sitting the two of them on the railroad tracks - Until the train comes with the deadly climax!
And as the whistle get louder and louder - We know the story won't get any better - The iris-out delivers us from the pain - And who knows? We might see our friends again!!!
This is Tom's story called the Blue Cat's Blues - When you throw your heart, you're bound to lose - The game is rigged and someone loaded the dice! You should always listen to your friends' advice!
Jerry the mouse tried to warn his buddy - He saw the poor Tom losing his head - He felt his ground of love turning all muddy - When she loved another one instead.
His name was Butch and he was stinking rich - He was Tom's rival and she was clearly his -itch! For every gift Tom would give - Butch would prove to be far more combative!
Tom gave a flower, Butch a wreath as big as her - Tom gave a sample, Butch a truck of perfume - Tom brought a diamond the size of a booger - While Butch's one was shining all over the room!
The car was the last attempt to win her affection - 112% of annual interest rate! Butch's endless coupe drove all over Tom's ambition - You got to wonder what he tried to compensate!
This is Tom's story called the Blue Cat's Blues - When you throw your heart, you're bound to lose! Cause love is sure no heart matter - When you deal with a damn gold-digger!
Tom understood that he could never get her - In alcohol, his dreams he all buried - Jerry could save him from the plunge into the gutter - But then a car drove by, a sign saying "Just married"!
A dynamite stick could turn him black - A rollercoaster did all the flattening - He could go to Heaven but he was always back - Each episode was like a new beginning.
This time Tom got the roughest deal! Something for a cartoon that felt so real - He loved a girl that didn't love him back - And this time maybe Tom too... might not even come back!
This is Tom's story called the Blue Cat's Blues - When you throw your heart, you're bound to lose - And Jerry threw his heart to his own girlfriend - But it was the same story in the end!
This is Tom's story but Jerry's as well - Lovesick schmucks in a nutshell - Sitting the two of them on the railroad tracks - Until the train comes with the deadly climax!
And as the whistle get louder and louder - We know the story won't get any better - The iris-out delivers us from the pain - And who knows? We might see our friends again!!!
How did they get away with making this one?!
planktonrules16 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Were the cartoonists at MGM doing drugs when they made this one?! After all, it violates so much that we'd expect from a Tom & Jerry cartoon--so much so that you wonder how they got away with it.
The film begins with Tom sitting on the railroad tracks--waiting for a train to kill him! Then something weird happens--you HEAR Jerry's voice narrating--explaining how Tom came to this point in life. It seems he was in love but lost the sexy cat(!!) to Butch--and now he wants to die!! Then, Jerry learns that his girl has now taken up with another mouse and he decides to join Tom--and the cartoon ends!! So, the film includes Tom & Jerry being friends, a very sexily drawn female cat, suicide and heavy drinking! Why not show the cat doing a line of coke or committing some atrocities while they're at it?! This one is so inappropriate I wouldn't show it to kids, but I would show it to your adult friends, as it's hard to believe AND entertaining. So, for entertainment value alone (despite having mediocre animation), I'd give this one a 7.
The film begins with Tom sitting on the railroad tracks--waiting for a train to kill him! Then something weird happens--you HEAR Jerry's voice narrating--explaining how Tom came to this point in life. It seems he was in love but lost the sexy cat(!!) to Butch--and now he wants to die!! Then, Jerry learns that his girl has now taken up with another mouse and he decides to join Tom--and the cartoon ends!! So, the film includes Tom & Jerry being friends, a very sexily drawn female cat, suicide and heavy drinking! Why not show the cat doing a line of coke or committing some atrocities while they're at it?! This one is so inappropriate I wouldn't show it to kids, but I would show it to your adult friends, as it's hard to believe AND entertaining. So, for entertainment value alone (despite having mediocre animation), I'd give this one a 7.
Not really for kids but a good story
thesellerday7 June 2023
This is a darker story from Tom and Jerry that can really only appeal to a certain older demographic. The writing of Blue Cat Blues is amazingly crafted, with a poignant and emotional story that is wonderfully portrayed. The dialogue is limited but impactful, The episode is a testament to the power of storytelling, and a reminder that sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones that leave us feeling sad and reflective. While yes they went out of their range with the typically Tom and Jerry audience. I see this episode as a good warning to people as to what they spend their money and time on.
Oddly dark.
Pjtaylor-96-1380447 August 2019
'Blue Cat Blues (1956)' is a bit of an odd one. Its premise is so oddly, off-puttingly dark yet its execution is as charming as ever. It tells the tale of Tom's spiral into suicidal depression in a deceptively upbeat, generally jovial way. It's a bizarre choice, to say the least. Its overall effect is a strangely unsettling one. The actual short isn't entirely unpleasant, even providing a couple of laughs, but it culminates in a really dark overall experience. It's difficult to know how to feel about it, really. It's not bad but it's not great. 6/10
This is the Tom & Jerry episode for which everyone's been waiting . . .
pixrox117 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
. . . at the end of which the sad sack cat and rapacious rodent finally buy the farm as they let a train eviscerate them while moping on a railroad track. Though the camera has drawn away by the time the oncoming Death Train's whistle signals curtains for these malingering miscreants, it's clear that they're being forced to walk the plank--er, railroad ties--for failing to meet their Groaning Fat Cat film studio's ultimatum to go out and win more gelded statuettes. After garnering a baker's half dozen of these through a series of rigged elections in the 1940's, by the time that they kicked the bucket in BLUE CAT BLUES their Oscar dry spell had lasted a decade. Since Time waits for no man, it certainly can't waste a moment dilly dallying over a flat-broke feline and a rabid rodent.
Silence is Golden
paudieconnolly24 October 2020
awwwwww.. poor Tom (and Jerry)
Horst_In_Translation25 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Blue Cat Blues" is a 7-minute cartoon from 1956, so this one has its 60th anniversary this year. The fa ct that Barbera and Hanna made this tells you that it is another Tom & Jerry cartoon. But it is fairly different compared to most of the others. First of all, we have a narrator here who tells us during the entire thing why Tom is so depressed and the narrator is actually Jerry. We find out Tom was in love, but his girl went for a richer guy instead and married that one. Tom sits at a bridge considering suicide I guess. But at least Jrry is happy with his girl, or is he really? I must say I enjoyed the watch here. Yes it is different and I often hear people say that the great days of T&J had been over by the mid-1950s, but this one here is certainly worth watching. It's pretty unusual for the world's most famous cat and mouse duo and maybe that's the reason why. And luckily, nobody jumped or got rolled over as many other cartoons with the two should follow. Thumbs up, I recommend checking it out.
A real downer of a cartoon. What were they thinking?
BA_Harrison3 May 2017
The purpose of a Tom and Jerry cartoon is to make the viewer laugh, albeit with a heavy dose of sadistic violence, but this one is downright depressing. Tom is sat on some railway tracks, waiting for an express train to come and end his life. As Jerry recounts, the cat has a broken heart, having lost the love of his life to rival Butch, who has outclassed Tom at every turn. After turning to drink, the cat has finally decided that suicide is his only salvation.
Jerry thinks how lucky he is to have his girlfriend Toots, when he spots her in a car with another mouse, the vehicle displaying a 'Just Married' sign. Emotionally distraught, the mouse climbs onto the tracks to join poor Tom as a train whistles in the distance. Not exactly a barrel of laughs and consequently not one of my favourites.
Jerry thinks how lucky he is to have his girlfriend Toots, when he spots her in a car with another mouse, the vehicle displaying a 'Just Married' sign. Emotionally distraught, the mouse climbs onto the tracks to join poor Tom as a train whistles in the distance. Not exactly a barrel of laughs and consequently not one of my favourites.
You may feel a little blue after seeing this one...
Antzy8814 August 2001
Tom, who has fallen hopelessly in love with a lovely white female cat, seems to have the life of Riley until Butch, the black cat, sees her and wants to win her away from Tom. It all becomes a battle of what gifts the two male cats can give to her. Trouble is, Butch has more money to burn...
This has a very surprising and dark tone for a series that has been driven by humour (not that it has none), and so may not be a favourite for many fans. I have to admit it is not one of my favourites...
This has a very surprising and dark tone for a series that has been driven by humour (not that it has none), and so may not be a favourite for many fans. I have to admit it is not one of my favourites...
the un-Tom and Jerry oddity
movieman_kev4 June 2005
A VERY un-Tom and Jerry short. Jerry narrates this tale that revolves around Tom the cat falling in love and losing her to his rival, Butch. Tom is best friends with Jerry here which irked me a bit. The cartoon is also presented in Cinemascope. Overall I found this Tom and Jerry cartoon sad and depressing. The should have just put "Puss gets the boot" on the DVD instead and I would've been happy. This experimental animated short can be found on disc 2 of Warner Brother's 2-DVD Spotlight Collection set. It's the last one on the set and I'm hoping that Warner Brothers chooses to release a second Volume soon.
My Grade: C-
My Grade: C-
WHAT THE HELL AM I WATCHING?!
keithphillips-4281714 September 2021
Unlike the Typical Cat and Mouse Chase, Dark and Deep, Sad!
ShelbyTMItchell8 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Jerry narrates this as first Tom and Jerry rarely speak due to wanting slapstick as the audience loves them letting the actions speak louder than words, And second they are having a love-hate relationship with each other but here they are best friends
Well Tom ended it despite Jerry going out of his way to not to let Tom really lose his heart to a female cat. As Tom loved this white cat and little did he knew she was a gold digger making Tom miserable. As he went out of his way to impress her.
Only to go for Butch the black cat and Tom's off and on again buddy. As Butch would outgive over Tom every single time. Even going so far as to spend his own life savings hint "arm and a leg" phrase Jerry used for Tom. But the gold digger runs off with Butch in marriage
In the end, Jerry would have his own girlfriend do that. As really she may had been using him too.
Sadly both Tom and Jerry impending "deaths" would not be the need as the train whistle implores of them committing suicide. Really what were they thinking.
Was Hanna Barbara thinking of it being dark humor over this attempt? This finale as it would not turn out to be the so called T&J finale very thankfully, but the last over in MGM there in 1956.
It has rarely been seen due to drinking and suicide issues and in the saying it was depressed and really could not blame other outlets for not showing this
If you have a dark sense of humor, you would have to get this cartoon.But really skip it IMHO!
Well Tom ended it despite Jerry going out of his way to not to let Tom really lose his heart to a female cat. As Tom loved this white cat and little did he knew she was a gold digger making Tom miserable. As he went out of his way to impress her.
Only to go for Butch the black cat and Tom's off and on again buddy. As Butch would outgive over Tom every single time. Even going so far as to spend his own life savings hint "arm and a leg" phrase Jerry used for Tom. But the gold digger runs off with Butch in marriage
In the end, Jerry would have his own girlfriend do that. As really she may had been using him too.
Sadly both Tom and Jerry impending "deaths" would not be the need as the train whistle implores of them committing suicide. Really what were they thinking.
Was Hanna Barbara thinking of it being dark humor over this attempt? This finale as it would not turn out to be the so called T&J finale very thankfully, but the last over in MGM there in 1956.
It has rarely been seen due to drinking and suicide issues and in the saying it was depressed and really could not blame other outlets for not showing this
If you have a dark sense of humor, you would have to get this cartoon.But really skip it IMHO!
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