The Zoot Cat (1944) User Reviews

Tom goes wooing

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 4 August 2012]

As this short opens Jerry is tied up with a ribbon; we quickly learn why when Tom presents him to a lady cat.... she is unimpressed though and rejects his advances. Tom then hears a radio advert for Zoot suits and decides to make his own. The lady cat clearly thinks it is pretty sharp as this time he gets invited in. Tom starts dancing with her but Jerry is determined to spoil it for him; he throws a banana skin and Tom goes flying lands on the piano. This doesn't spoil his date though; he just recovers and starts playing it. Jerry continues his efforts though and eventually Tom loses his cool and ultimately his suit.

This is a rather unusual Tom and Jerry short as the two usually silent characters talk and to be honest the voices didn't really fit the characters for me even though the somewhat dated jive talk was pretty funny. As always there is a fair amount of violence; some of it inventive some of it just cruel. While this isn't one of my favourite Tom and Jerry shorts it is still well worth watching; mostly for the jive talk; particularly the lady cat's rejection speech delivered to Tom at the start.

Tom Seeks Love as a 1944 Hipster.

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 10 February 2007]

The "zoot - suit" era lasted roughly from 1939 to about 1946. It's most permanent affect was to help spread "cool" lingo from extreme jazz lovers into the mainstream of the U.S. culture. But this probably would have happened anyway: the average person would have liked the music and picked up the various slang terms. Instead the zoot suit was to become an object of suspicion for ultra-conservative types (who hated jazz anyway) as being anti-social. And after awhile, it seemed just like a fad that had played out. With it's over-padded shoulders, attempts at streamlined and tight midriff section, and wild patterns (frequently with crazy stripes), covered with a wide brimmed - low crowned hat, the "zoot suit" just struck an unnerving note with conservatives, and a reaffirmation of independence with jazz fans.

Here Tom Cat is shown going to the home of a pretty female cat, with a present (a disgusted Jerry Mouse in a blue box with a ribbon on it). Tom tries to make himself presentable, pomading his hair (with lard, symbolically enough), and curlicuing his whiskers. When he gives her the gift, Tom also serenades the cat on his ukulele, and sounds so annoying that when he is accidentally hit in the face with a board from her veranda the audience feels cheered.

The female cat tells Tom how square he seems, and shuts the door, after returning his gift (Jerry thinks him square too, and shows it before he runs off). Tom decides to show he can be real cool - he constructs a costume of a zoot suit and hat from a hammock and a lamp shade. Then he returns and briefly captures the girl's affections. But I said briefly: Jerry sees to that.

As pointed out this was one of the few Tom and Jerry cartoons that gave the two characters voices (Jerry has the same voice used in ANCHORS AWEIGH). Oddly enough, at one point, when Tom seems about to consummate the relations with the female cat, he stops talking jive, and starts an imitation based on his idea of Charles Boyer (hardly a zoot suit type).

It is not a bad little cartoon. I am not usually a fan of Tom and Jerry or of Hanna-Barbera's work, but for it's capturing a moment of 20th Century American culture I think this was a pretty good cartoon.

Look who's talking

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 22 September 2006]

Tom is trying to impress a female cat by grooming his whiskers, offering Jerry as a gift and trying his damnedest to be smooth. But it doesn't work and the girl tells him to take a hike.

Not discouraged, Tom fabricates a sophisticated-looking suit out of an old hammock and tries once more. This time she falls for him and they start to play around. Obviously Jerry is going to ruin it for him and end up with the gal himself.

What's weird about this cartoon is that Tom and Jerry actually talk, which is not something I thought they ever did until that awful movie in 1992. Either way, it's still a rather funny short.

Tom in a hip suit.

[cmyklefty · 2 January 2002]

Tom uses material from hammock to made his zoot suit. He tries to be the hippest cat around with the suit, and try to attract a certain feline. Jerry the mouse always get in Tom's way of romancing a female. The Zoot Cat is one of the funniest in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.

"You act like a square at the fair . . . "

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 28 August 2022]

. . . Tom's acid-tongued crush disparages her smitten suitor upon his initial approach during THE ZOO TEE CAT. Which raises a question for Today's viewers of this our Modern 21st Century: What, exactly, is a "Zoo Tee"? In general, this term refers to the sort of T-shirts favored by giraffes on exhibition. Said animal is notoriously self-conscious about their genetic tendency toward "weak shoulders," so they dress to impress by donning custom-fitted tops with elaborate shoulder pads. Due to their lengthy physiques, giraffes also sport the longest trousers in the animal kingdom, gradually tapering to minuscule "victory cuffs." When one giraffe encounters another of its kind so attired, they often remark "You're a real hep cat"--loosely translated from giraffe.

Hilarious Dialog Makes This A Big Winner

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 19 December 2006]

Tom has his whiskers permed, and he's strutting his stuff going to impress his sweetie. He's got Jerry all packaged up as a special gift. At the door, he presents the gift, dances, sings, doing whatever he can to impress her. She isn't impressed (women are so moody). She tells him, using a half dozen expressions of the day, that "You don't send me." She throws Jerry in his face, saying, "Here's your rat, cat!"

Tom overhears a radio commercial urging guys to get a zoot suit to impress the gals. He makes one, goes back to see the girl and - wham! - she's impressed now.

The dialog in this short is fantastic. I wish they had English subtitles so I could catch all the hip phrases. The rest of the cartoon has Tom interrupted in his quest for admiration by Jerry, of course, and the two chase each other in the final few minutes.

Zoot Suit

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 27 June 2021]

"The Zoot Cat" was originally released back in 1944.

Anyway - As the story goes - Tom becomes a hipster to attract a new girlfriend, serenading her and offering Jerry up as a gift.

They did talk

[TEXICAN-2 · 10/10 · 27 July 2002]

Here's one fact that I had forgotten. The much lauded "talking" between Tom and Jerry in the feature film a few years back WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THEY TALKED! They didn't say more than a couple of lines, but, BOTH Tom and Jerry spoke actual words in this cartoon! So much for Hollywood "Myths". I guess the screenwriters overlooked this episode.

It's a fun outing, like most of Tom and Jerry's adventures. Tom's trying to be hep to impress a local female cat, and Jerry's only making things harder on Tom than normal. Good fun, and wild to hear them speak.

Hilarious farce, sends up "coolness", brilliant music, one of the very best. SPOILER!

[porker_mcsquawker · 9/10 · 21 September 2004]

They say "clothes makes the man". Most of us confess to adopting an assumed bravado and swagger when adorned in our smartest and best. As usual, Tom has it in spades. His matchless ability to move from gauche artless country hick to high fashion sophisticate, thanks to his new attire, is hilarious to witness.

The piano scene is truly wonderful. Tom's new found suave Gallic charm projects with such supreme confidence, his forehead and bottom lip have never looked nobler, his female love interest is swooning with desire, resistance is useless. This huge emotionally charged growing tension is really fuelled by Tom's speaking. Whereas most of the classic Tom & Jerry films work so well without the clutter of speech, in this instance Tom's vocalisation adds so much to the development of his novel smooth and charmingly predatory character. Alas, for Tom, and thankfully for us, Jerry is at hand to return Tom back to the "real" world. Again, Tom's use of speech really works with his "Bob Hope like" one liner. As usual, the female interest is a bit one dimensional but this prevents any upstaging of the leads, Tom & Jerry.

What does it for me is the wonderful artwork, excellently matched music, well crafted plot, cleverly developed characterisation, superb use of speech (not overdone), and all wrapped up in the unique Tom & Jerry magic.

And, as you all know, even though you may be romantically dressed to kill, there is always a Jerry around to cramp your style!

Well I enjoyed it

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 13 May 2010]

This is not the best of the Tom and Jerry cartoons, but it is very funny. I thought the animation was very nice for its time, it is one of the better-looking early Tom and Jerry cartoons. I thought the music was outstanding, I know I keep mentioning the music in everything I review but the music is always something I like to talk about. Here it was fun and rousing. I thought the dialogue was hilarious, maybe some of the cool hip language used here is a tad dated but it was funny and worked reasonably well. The female cat's dialogue was enough to have me on the floor doubled up from laughing, it was just so witty and fresh. I thought the story was effective, simple yet effective. I thought the visual gags were a delight, there were enough to delight any Tom and Jerry fan. I thought the characters were well done, Tom sometimes talks a little too much, but he is fine, and Jerry is still his sweet and rascally self. Plus the female cat was a welcome addition. Overall, enjoyable. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Tom talks too much

[movieman_kev · 5/10 · 30 May 2005]

Tom the cat tries to impress a girl cat by giving her Jerry the mouse and singing her a song. But she rebukes him for being to square. So he makes a makeshift home-made zoot suit and continues to woo her. This is one of the few shorts where Tom and to a little extent Jerry both talk. Whereas most Tom and Jerry cartoons are timeless, this one is dated and not as funny as normally. One of my less favorite shorts, it's still watchable though. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: C

DVD Extras: Commentary by historian Jerry Beck where he talks about the animator, voice actress and the songs amongst other things.

going against the status quo

[GGpunk · 10/10 · 16 August 2007]

This was one of my favorites as a kid, liked it even more after I started listening to my dad's records in high school, and have come to appreciate it ever since.

Along with 'Little Red Hot Riding Hood' this is the coolest cartoon ever produced. Especially because it deals with an American subculture as opposed to 'popular culture'. For example Warner Bros often caricatured Bing Crosby or Sinatra whereas (at MGM) Louis Jordan would later be used a few years later in 'Solid Serenade'.

While most perceive jazz as their grandparents 'music', this was when your grandparents were young and jazz was associated with sex, reefer smoking, and degenerates. At the extreme Hitler was rounding up young Aryans, some meeting the same fate as the other 'undesireables' for listening to jazz.

While I won't get into specifics, it is vital to realize when this 'short' was released (Feb. 1944), that in June of '43 Los Angeles passed a resolution criminalizing the wearing (and 'wearer')of zoot suits in public. And the man who made the look popular Cab Calloway was banned from the airwaves (12/41) for improvising the national anthem.

While I think PC is out of control and an oxymoron (I am Japanese and liked Hashimotos and Fuji from Super Dave Osborne) it is one thing to be complacent and another to be promote racism.

So while some will defend other studios racist cartoons as 'the times' there are discernible differences between say 'Uncle Tom's Cabana' and 'All that and Rabbit Stew'. A better description would be the 'places', Warner Bros' theaters were located in the south and the Midwest in a segregated country, the latter would only reinforce long held 'truths'. Although these were intended for adults, cartoons are kid friendly.

However to judge history with modern 'values' is unfair and has to be put into context, makes this cartoon quite remarkable.

I urge everyone to read about what Elanore Roosevelt correctly termed race riots but what is known as the 'Zoot Suit Riots'

The Zoot Cat

[Michael_Elliott · 29 December 2015]

The Zoot Cat (1944)

*** (out of 4)

It seems Tom and Jerry fans are really split on this short as some consider it one of their best while others find it to be near the bottom. I'm somewhere in the middle, although I will admit that it's not one of my favorites. The story is pretty simple as Tom gets rejected from a pretty cat so he learns a few moves, throws on an orange and green zoot suit and tries to impress her. THE ZOOT CAT doesn't really have much of a story but it's basically a showcase for the music and Tom's dancing. The music score itself is quite good and certainly manages to make you feel its beat. Tom's dancing will put a smile on your face but it really didn't make me laugh. With that said, there's still enough charm to be had here and it was at least something different for the series.

One of the best

[RockyAndYipper · 9/10 · 22 November 2018]

I love the animation, and the comedy, I love the everything.

It's time to Modernize Thomas!

[Kalashnikovin · 10/10 · 14 September 2022]

Reasons to Call this Cartoon "Infernally Funny despite its Problems" are many, The Zoot Cat premiered at the height of the Zoot Suit, a baggy suit which became popular in the mid-30s in the Mexican, Filipino, African, Japanese and Italian Population in the United States, of course, Tom and Jerry taking advantage of a bit of the Pop Culture of the Late 30s decided to mix all that with a bit of good comedy!

Something that I always loved about this series was when Tom played the Hunk trying to conquer the Girls! It always seemed like a good way to do comedy and, at the same time, take advantage of Tom's Nobility by giving Jerry a bad time.

As is not to be expected from an Early 40s Cartoon, the Characters Smoke and beat each other in brutal ways, there are many customs and they mix 30s pop culture in an interesting way, Thw Brown kitten is a Typical Teenager from the Late 40s. The 30s who always pays attention to fashion while poor Tom, an adult Cat with the Personality of someone in his twenties, decides to win her over by cutting down the Hammock outside the house to turn it into a Zoot Suit.

The Animation is Luxurious and lushly detailed, of course, there is quite a bit of detail both inside and out, the backgrounds are too well drawn, even rivaling Disney in Quality, the Character Designs are clearly impressive and the Movements are incredibly fluid.

Scott Bradley offers an Excellent and a little Stereotyped Music that fits in the Frantic-Romantic atmosphere of the cartoon, a couple of dances and action must be accompanied by good music clearly!.

Mixing the Pop Culture of the Time with Tom and Jerry was something strange, but you know how crazy Bill and Joe were, they always put everyone in their cartoons!.

In itself, Zoot Cat is a complete Tom and Jerry Classic and shows the Magic of MGM in its Maximum splendor, the Animation is brilliant as well as the music, there are several references to the pop culture of the time and it is interesting if you see it in another way, but it is still a complete classic that should be respected and valued for what it is!.

In itself, Zoot Cat gets a Deserved 10.

Tom's Zoot Suit

[maxschoby · 8/10 · 13 October 2023]

The Zoot Cat is pretty funny. Tom's attitude once he gets the Zoot suit is incredibly entertaining. The impressive character animation gives him a certain swagger and confidence that makes me laugh every time. The cat he is perusing is one I don't remember from any other cartoons. The long lines Tom and Jerry get in this short is a change of pace that is very nice. I also love the jokes in this cartoon. The scene of Tom playing the piano, then realizing he is on fire is always entertaining, as well as the first dance Tom and the other cat do. The only detracting factor in this cartoon is Jerry getting the Zoot suit in the end, as I really wanted Tom to succeed in this one. He's a lot funnier than previous cartoons, and I really wanted him to win. This is overall a great cartoon, and definitely recommended.

I guess I'm too 'square' to find this one particularly funny

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 21 March 2008]

The Zoot Cat might have seemed incredibly 'hip' at the time of its original release, with it's jazz slang and cutting-edge sub-culture fashion, but it now feels embarrassingly dated; yet this 'snapshot of a time gone by' also goes to make this a rather intriguing episode. It's hard for me, as an Englishman born in the late 60s, to imagine an era in the US in which such strange attire and language could have been seen as 'dangerously' cool, but here it is, perfectly captured in a Tom and Jerry cartoon— and seeing is believing, as they say!

Tom wishes to impress a young lady cat, but she perceives him to be 'square'. To remedy the situation, Tom cuts himself a sharp 'zoot suit' from a hammock, makes himself a wide brimmed hat, and dances swing-style to the latest beats. Of course, Jerry does his utmost to ruin Tom's chances of success.

Not only is this a historically interesting T&J caper, but it is also one in which the usually rather silent cat and mouse do a lot of talking—albeit in a manner that proves to be unintelligible a lot of the time, thanks to the often indecipherable 40s phrases spoken by the characters. Unfortunately, whilst this episode is noteworthy for it's peculiarities, it isn't that funny.

The Zoot Cat will be of most interest to those who have a passion for the music and style of the decade in which it was made; the rest of us will probably be rather unimpressed.

This charming cat

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 18 November 2017]

"The Zoot Cat" is another American Tom and Jerry cartoon and this one here is from 1944, later years of WWII, so it will have its 75th anniversary soon. These 7 minutes are probably neither among the most known these these two have to offer nor among the least known, somewhere in-between. It is perhaps their most fashion focused work as the title already gives away and it is not just Tom who is in a zoot here, but Jerry too as we find out at the very end. This ending was certainly among the better moments (next to the burning-paw scene) of an otherwise really forgettable cartoon that suffered from an unlikable female cat taking away too much screen time from Jerry especially. It was not bad or anything, but not very funny either. Plus I don't like these a lot where Tom is talking and he is talking a lot here. Overall, I give this one a thumbs-down and it's really only worth seeing for T&J completionists. Everybody else can skip it.