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Chapter 20: Tom & Jerry: The First Reincarnation
OK, OK. I know what you think of our Tom & Jerries. But do you know the whole story? Let me tell you about it.
Joe Vogel was the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1961, when our Prague-produced "Munro." won us the Oscar. MGM had belatedly realized that they had made a big booboo when they fired Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, and closed down their animation unit. Vogel began casting about to find a possible way to continue their prime cartoon property, Tom & Jerry. Snyder stepped quickly into the breach, brandishing our Oscar statuette, and assured Vogel that we were the very ones to do it - not having the faintest idea whether or not we could. Willy-nilly, we became the very first to attempt continuing these characters!
Personally, as a UPA man, I had always cited Tom & Jerry cartoons as the primary bad example of senseless violence - humor based on pain - attack and revenge - to say nothing of the tasteless use of a headless black woman stereotype house servant. Then there was the Prague animation studio itself, with its diametrically opposed school of storybook animation, always tastefully designed and restrained.
Even if the spirit was willing to give it an honest try, the fact remained that these communist-era, isolated animators had never in their lives seen even one Tom & Jerry cartoon! I had seen more than a few, and in spite of my ideological distance, I did appreciate the perfect craftsmanship, the expressive animation, with its exquisite timing, the endless gag inventiveness, and the characters' incredible damage survival.
I felt that I understood the idiom enough to adapt to its basics, but how in the world was I going to get it across to the capable but totally T&J-innocent group of Prague animators?
Adding to these obvious hurdles was the time and budget restrictions we were presented with. Whereas Bill & Joe and mostly the same four or five animators, had been doing T&J for about twenty years at that time - surely knowing the characters better than their own children - and whereas they had been producing the cartoons for over $40,000 each, (I think making about six of them per year), we were contracted to produce 12 in a year, from a standing start, with a peanuts studio budget of only $10,000 a piece!
It was clear to me that the undertaking was basically impossible, and I knew that my colleagues in the animation industry would be unforgiving in their appraisal of our results. Yet there were overriding personal and financial considerations that made it imperative that I take on this guillotine project. Readers of my book, "For The Love Of Prague," will know that in 1961, receiving an Oscar, and having production offers such as this as a result, was the key to my being able to stay in Prague long enough to sort out my personal life, and be able to marry Zdenka. So Tom & Jerry were actually battling each other to save me! So I had to suppress my preconceptions, rise to the challenge, and do my very best to adapt to the idea that mayhem can be fun.
The first step was for my new colleagues to see some examples. MGM sent me exactly four 35mm Tom & Jerry prints, plus the most recent model sheets, and a few stacks of actual pencil animation, the original drawings on paper. We all studied the material over and over, running the films in projection and on the studio's editing tables. We watched for the little timing tricks, the "takes," the basic attitudes and facial expressions. We practiced drawing the characters in their typical poses.
Hi, Mr. Deitch, Mr. Sarto and everyone! Have you seen the new Carl's Jr. commercials with Wimpy? I was pleased to see that they put some of your clips into the commercial. I recently visited the Cartoon Network website. When I clicked on the video clip, I was thrilled to see the beginning of the "Cartoon Kit," with Tom and Jerry. I'm glad to see that some of Mr. Deitch's work is being used in TV as well as the Internet.
Sincerely,
Ms. Kris Martin
Mr Deitch,
I think your cartoons aren't as bad as they are made out to be (and as I thought they were) after reading your detailed explanation of how the cartoons were made and in what conditions. I agree that your films don't match up to the HB originals: the animation isn't at all smooth or fluent, but with a quartered budget, you did an excellent job with such modest finances. What I can't understand is your saying that your own cartoons were better than Chuck Jones and his proteges' (Abe Levitow and Ben Washam) later films.
I think Jones worked with more money than you did, because Tom Ray's two films were flashback films that used old footage. The new footage to intercut the old was clearly low-budget, and reminiscent of your earlier work. The rest, by Levitow, Washam and especially Jones himself, are kinda weird. But a weird cartoon isn't a bad cartoon. It's just DIFFERENT. Whilst your characters in the 13 films say true to the HB model sheets, Jones redesigned the character models to fit his style. The films weren't of the quality of his Looney Tunes, but they were more subtle and just as funny -- but not as fast-paced or energetic -- as the HB films.
Yours, on the other hand, suffered from terrible music worse than Bill Lava's. Reading a script or viewing a storyboard for these films, they look great on paper. The gags and the energy that the script outlines in your films is just as funny as the HB or Jones films. But HB's wild energy or Jones' subtle emotional shadings and expressions would make Jerry pinned down by a fork much funnier than your gag in "High Steaks," which is unfunny. In your films, you see a mouse trapped by a fork. In a HB or Jones production, you see a mouse trapped by a fork and LAUGH. That's the difference. The feel of it isn't right.
I think the T&J cartoons would have been blessed with uninterrupted excellence if you, Mr Deitch, had written more scripts for other directors. Either that, or your Czekoslovakian animators have trouble with funny violence and timing of comical physical gags. The latter may play a great role in the lower quality of your MGM films.
Akbar Shahzad Shaikh
I'm a fan of your work. May I make a little suggestion? How about putting video clips on your website. I think people would like that and find it more interesting; don't you agree? Good luck and God Bless.
Hey! :D
How about including some video clips and stills to this website? I am a fan of your work.
You have a wonderful book, thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and expertise! I am getting a lot out of it.
I would be interested to read more about the sound recording techniques and equipment used at the Prague studio during the time the Tom and Jerry pictures were made. There is a contrasting "presence" between those tracks and tracks made in Hollywood at the time; a hard reverberation that gives the films a unique "feel". What are some of the specific differences?
Incidentally, I would love to see this work in print. Thank you for the enjoyment you have provided countless millions over the years.
Sincerely,
Tim Reed
The idea that Mr. Deitch's T&Js are even close to as good as, let alone better than, Chuck Jones' is laughable!
classic 40-58 shorts ("Down and Outing", "Buddies Thicker Than Water"), while others do not, but they are still very enjoyable ("Switchin' Kitten", "The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit").
However:
Do not try to defend the cartoons so much. There are many, myself included, who like your cartoons. It is good to know the conditions you worked with, which gives me a better understanding of your T&J cartoons, but to say that they are better than the Jones-era cartoons is absurd. I find the Jones cartoons to be just as funny and watchable as yours.
I loved the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Yours were sort of weird -- but hey -- weird cartoons are cool. Chuck's were even weirder, but they were FUNNY.
Go ahead and diss the 1975 Hanna-Barbera remake where they were friends. The television attempts were horrible. But to say that yours are better than Jones is not right. I thought they were equally as good. Opinions differ from person to person.
Anyway, I am glad that Cartoon Network mixes in all the classic theatrical's into one show, with lots of variety for me to watch. I am even more glad that they do not show the TV attempts.
Your 13 cartoons are funny, somewhat weird, and they make me wish that you had been able to make more than 13 cartoons.
Of your 13 cartoons, "Mouse Into Space" is my favorite.
After reading your chapter about the Tom and Jerry's that you directed I have a better understanding of the whole situation. Thank you for sharing your side of the story. I have a greater appreciation, now, for the cartoons you were involved with. I also run a Tom and Jerry fan site and I would have to agree with Randy Simcox about the emails, I too receive many questions about your cartoons. "Dicky Moe" is, by far, the most oft' asked about 'toon.
Thank you for your site and for introducting us to an animation style that was not too familar to us, here in America.
Rome
- www.tomandjerryonline.com
This section of the book has been really helpful in understanding the T&J cartoons of the Deitch period. Frankly, in the seventies, I was thrilled and scared by them at the same time; the sparse backgrounds and jerky movements and clangy sounds were such a contrast to the fluid style of movement and 'tight' sound of the earlier shorts. Now that I have kids that are the same age I was, I can appreciate the Deitch T&J's alot more. They are spontaneous and quirky and silly. My kids love them. I now understand why the production quality seems so inferior---the budget the studio had to work with says it all. There is no way they could have put out a product with as $40,000 worth of finesse with a fourth of that amount.
Gene Deitch, I appreciate you and your work.
Marcy and the kids.
Mr Gene Deitch,
A very informative site indeed! I am a long-time fan of Tom and Jerry and while I never enjoyed your Tom and Jerry's as much as the earlier renditions when I was a kid growing up in the 60's, I nevertheless can really appreciate what you accomplished with such limited resources. They are by far better than the later Chuck Jones attempts and we won't even talk about the later two series. I have the oldest Tom and Jerry website on the net and you can't believe how many people still ask about your 13 versions...especially "Dicky Moe."
The questions I have are:
Where did that music come from? Many fans say it reminds them of a psychedelic drug trip!
Why are your versions not on dvd, vhs, etc...here in the USA?
I assume you made an error on the 12 cartoons... weren't there 13?
Thanks for creating a very unique set of cartoons in the Tom and Jerry history.
Randy Simcox
tomandjerrycartoons.com
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