User Reviews

"Solid Serenade" was originally released back in 1946.

Anyway - As the story goes - Serenading a female kitten, Ton wakes a sleeping Jerry, who unleashes a killer bulldog to stop the music.

This short opens with Tom heading over to serenade Toodles. After hitting Spike over the head with a mallet and tying him up Tom sings 'Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby' while playing the double bass. She enjoys the music but Jerry doesn't; he is trying to sleep but the noise is bouncing him around his room. Eventually he can stand it no longer and ends Tom's performance with a pie (containing an iron) to the face! Not happy at the intrusion Tom chases after him only to see Jerry undoing the ropes that he'd used to tie up Spike... a quick about turn and Tom is fleeing for his life. We get the usual to and fro as Tom and Spike fight with the expected interference from Jerry. Even with all the fighting Tom doesn't forget he is there to woo Toodles... pity he accidentally kisses Spike!

This is a really good entry into the 'Tom and Jerry' series; I was expecting Jerry to disrupt Tom's performance but thankfully he waited till it was just about over as I was really enjoying it; using a well known song reminded me of some early 'Betty Boop' shorts. Once the action starts it is the sort of violence one expects; gratuitous and funny; the best joke isn't violent at all though; it is when Tom goes to kiss Toodles with his eyes closed but ends up kissing Spike and saying how much he loves her (him)... then realises his mistake! The animation is really good; typical of the period and much better than some of the later efforts; I loved the little details such as Jerry's sardine tin bed and table with matches for legs.

. . . you may be totally unaware of the fact that sardine can collecting is a serious pursuit among many if not most young people Today. That's why SOLID SERENADE ranks very high among the all-time favorite films of Generation Z, showing Jerry sprinting way ahead of his time by making a Rex tiny narrow fish tin his own personal sleeping quarters and the centerpiece of his bedroom. Rex Sardine Corporation is the eponymous creation of Rex Allen (1851-1916). The famed "Little Drummer Boy" of Pickett's Charge, the disillusioned Master Allen ran away from the family plantation during Reconstruction, riding the rails to the Pacific Coast. Following a series of jobs in the manual labor sector, the older Mr. Allen's fortunes turned when he won a struggling cannery in a poker game. Tempted to incorporate as "Four Flush Fish" after his winning hand, one of Allen's business associates persuaded him that "Rex Sardine" would go over better with the public. This brand consistently ranked in America's top seven best-loved crammed-together tinned fish category from 1887 through 1902, when Rex Allen sold out his interest to H-o-v-d-e-n Mackerel Packers and invested the sales proceeds into his subsequent namesake concern, R-e-x-a-l-l Drugs.

"Solid Serenade" is a little cartoon movie from 1946, so this one is already over 70 years old. It is by Hanna Barbera and as such of course another Tom & Jerry cartoon and it runs the usual slightly over 7 minutes for these. With the "unusual" in my title I mean that this one includes a bigger deal of music than they usually do as Tom is serenading his (potential girlfriend) for almost the entirety of the first half of the film. But afterward the usual chase scenes follow. Spike behind Tom. Tom behind Jerry. I think the music here is good and so are comedy as well as animation. You can see this is from the Golden Age of Animation. And even if this is one of the more known T&J films that did not manage to score an Oscar nomination, it is still a fairly good watch, almost a must see for cartoon lovers. Go check it out.