The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show |
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| Genre | |
| Based on |
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| Creative director(s) | Don Christensen |
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| Theme music composer | Ray Ellis |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 (45 segments) (list of episodes) |
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| Distributor | MGM Television Distribution Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
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| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 6 – December 13, 1980 |
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| Preceded by | The Tom & Jerry Show |
| Followed by | Tom & Jerry Kids |
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show (also known as The New Adventures of Tom and Jerry) is an American animated TV show. It features the famous cartoon duo Tom and Jerry. The show was made by Filmation for MGM Television. It first aired on September 6, 1980, on CBS. Reruns continued until December 13, 1980. Later, its episodes were added to other Tom and Jerry collections. You might have also seen it on Cartoon Network and Boomerang.
Contents
What is The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show?
This show is the fifth version of the popular Tom and Jerry cartoons. It was the second TV show made just for them. What made this series special? It was the first time since the 1950s that the original cat-and-mouse chase style was brought back!
After the first 114 short films by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, other animation studios took over. They changed how the characters looked. They also removed many of the other characters.
The previous TV show, The Tom & Jerry Show (from 1975), made Tom and Jerry friends in most episodes. This was because people were worried about cartoon violence. But Filmation, a big competitor to Hanna-Barbera, brought back the classic slapstick chases. This means lots of silly, exaggerated physical comedy!
Returning Characters
This show also brought back many other favorite characters from the old MGM cartoons. You could see Tyke and Nibbles (who was called "Tuffy" in this show). Other MGM stars like Droopy and Barney Bear also appeared.
Spike, the bulldog from Tom and Jerry, was often in the Droopy episodes. He filled in for the other bulldog named Spike, created by Tex Avery for the original Droopy cartoons. The sneaky wolf from the classic series was also included. He was called "Slick Wolf."
Some characters you won't see in this series are Butch, Quacker, Topsy, Lightning, and Toodles Galore.
How the Show Starts
The show's opening scene is fun! Tom chases Jerry across a plain yellow screen. As they run, other characters build a giant "Tom & Jerry" sign. It's similar to the opening of Tom & Jerry Kids. Then, Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott's names quickly appear as Tom and Jerry zoom past. They knock things over as they go!
After the opening, Droopy hosts short segments. He starts by painting the background with a huge brush stroke. This shows off Filmation's "limited animation" style. Droopy and other talking characters do funny little skits. For example, Droopy might say a silly poem like, "Roses are red, violets are blue, painting's my job, that's what I do; cute and somewhat wet."
Music and Style
The show had a very simple music style. All the episodes, both Tom & Jerry and Droopy, used the same background music. Most of it was new for the series. It was made with synthesizers. There were only a few tunes, played with small changes or at different speeds. While it fit the chase scenes, some viewers found the music a bit boring.
In the original cartoons and the ones by Chuck Jones, Tom sometimes won. But in this series, like the ones by Gene Deitch, Tom never really had a clear "win." The characters were drawn to look like the originals, but with small differences. In the Droopy episodes, Slick Wolf and sometimes Spike were usually the bad guys. Barney Bear played different roles, like being Droopy's boss or a scared friend in a haunted house.
Who Voiced the Characters?
Frank Welker and Filmation boss Lou Scheimer did many of the voices. Frank Welker voiced Spike, Tyke, Droopy, Slick, Barney, and Tom's owner. Lou Scheimer voiced Tom, Jerry, and Tuffy. He also voiced Slick, Barney, and Spike in some parts. Other voice actors included Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, and Lennie Weinrib. They helped bring all the characters to life!
Episodes
The show had 15 episodes in total. Each episode was about 21 minutes long. It was split into three shorter parts, called segments, each about 6 minutes long. Usually, there were two Tom and Jerry segments and one Droopy cartoon in the middle.
The stories often involved Tom trying to catch Jerry, with lots of funny mishaps. Droopy's segments usually showed him outsmarting Slick Wolf or Spike in different situations. For example, Tom might chase Jerry in a library, or Droopy might be a rescue dog. There were also episodes where Tom went to a "school for cats" or Jerry used a robot dog. The show ended with Tom and Jerry performing in a circus and Droopy solving a mystery on a train.
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