Customer Reviews

Tom and Jerry: Spotlight Collection, Vol. 3

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Here is the statement from Warner Bros as to why the two shorts are not being included on this release:

Two shorts, "Mouse Cleaning" and "Casanova Cat," will not be included in the third and final "Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection" of theatrical animated shorts from the Hanna-Barbera era at MGM. Although this collection is intended for mature audiences and collectors (not for children), Warner Home Video made the decision to omit these two shorts because, regardless of their historical context and artistic value, the offensiveness of certain scenes containing inappropriate racial stereotypes would diminish the enjoyment of the Collection's 35 other classic cartoons for a large segment of the audience.

How's that for corporate PC jibberish.

So, Warner Brothers Home Video has now decided to become BIG BROTHER!!!???? I know that the words I'm about to type are now considered passé by the new studio owners but here goes. ARTISTIC INTEGRITY. Leave these cartoons alone and allow us to judge them in their Historical Perspective. We are not idiots! We don't even need Leonard Maltin to tell us it's o.k. to view these cartoons un-cut. Was Leonard un-available to tell us it's o.k. to view these as we remember them!!?? How a studio that did so well answering the requests of the fans of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies to leave them as they originally were, could so insult those same fans now, is utterly beyond me! Send them a LOUD and CLEAR message. DO NOT BUY THIS VOLUME!

The first two Volumes of Tom and Jerry Spotlight were fantastic -- that is, AFTER Warner sent out the free replacement discs to correct the edited cartoons in the sets that initially hit the shelves.

However, a question looms over this third and final volume of the Hanna and Barbera Tom and Jerry cartoons: The cover art for the back of the box advertises 35 shorts in this collection -- but there are in fact 37 HB shorts that Warner still hasn't given us after the first two volumes.

Is this just a misprint on the box? Or are we really being shorted two cartoons?

If so, which two? Maybe the controversial "Mouse Cleaning" and "His Mouse Friday"?

It's all just speculation until Warner releases further details on the contents of Volume Three. And until these questions are answered, a provisional 3-star rating for this volume, for now.

It's hard to believe Warner could really allow another screw-up, after mistakes on the first two volumes forced them to give away replacement discs to make things right. But if they think that the outraged collectors who inundated them with complaints about edited 'toons in the first two volumes are now simply going to shrug at being left two cartoons short in the final volume and then quietly go about their way ... then I guess Warner deserves what they will undoubtedly get.

Let's hope it's just a misprint on the box -- or else, if they really did leave out two cartoons, that they'll think better of it and add them into the set before this volume hits the shelves.

Again, Tom and Jerry Spotlight Volumes One and Two are wonderful, once you've got the replacement discs. Just don't pooch us on the last volume, Warner.

8/10/07 EDIT: Specs have now leaked out (thanks to J. Hudak for the update on that!), and, sadly, the news is not good: Warner has indeed apparently omitted two cartoons, "Mouse Cleaning" and "Casanova Cat." So no more stars from me for this release, at least as long as these omissions stand. Honestly, I now don't know whether I'll purchase this volume or not.

WARNER: PLEASE RECONSIDER MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE FOR THE THIRD TIME.

Warner Brothers you do such a great job on the The Looney Tunes Collections (well save for Whoopi Goldberg) and you did a great job on Droopy;why do you continue to screw up the Tom & Jerry discs? The only thing that offends me about these cartoons is your continuous censorship.I want to see the original uncut,unrevoiced cartoons.I realize we live in different times than we did sixty years ago,but they're just cartoons.If certain PC activists,ethnic groups or hell..anybody is offended by these cartoons then they shouldn't buy or watch them.

It's funny how we,grown people cannot purchase sixty year old cartoons yet my 15 year old daughter and her friends can go to a theater and see any kind of violence they like with a PG13 rating.Go figure....

At first I gave this only a ** review, then I thought about it. We are all basing our review on the two cartoons not included in this final (?) set, but the set is not called "The Complete Collection" it is called "The Spotlight Collection".

We should really be reviewing what is included on this set! While the cartoons are not restored like the Looney Tunes & Popeye Cartoons Warner has put out, these still look good. And they are a joy to watch. But I have to take a star away for the one cartoon, HIS MOUSE FRIDAY, that has a shot re-framed to crop off a black faced character. After having to replace censored discs on the first two sets, Warner still goofs and includes a censored cartoon on this set.

But in all fairness, here is my original review of 9/12/07:

Note: I am not saying that black stereotypes are acceptable.

Here is the inside information as to why the censoring:
"The Tom & Jerry collections (and all other Warner cartoons - including the Hanna Barbera collections) are supervised by the "Family Department". The POPEYE and LOONEY TUNES dvds are supervised under another department - the classic films department - and they will be uncensored." So these are issued by the wrong division of Warner Home Video.

To see what all the censorship was about I pulled out my "Art Of Tom & Jerry" Laserdisc that Ted Turner released in the previous century . It has all of the classic Tom & Jerry Cartoons!

First let me say that both cartoons excluded from this set have Mammy Two Shoes, but then she is included in about half of the other 1940's T&J cartoons on these DVD sets. So she is not the issue.

The omitted cartoons:

"MOUSE CLEANING" - First let me say that I had to view the entire cartoon until the end to find any reason Warner could have. As Mammy-Two-Shoes arrived back home, Jerry turns a coal shoot towards the living room window. This results in Mammy & Tom being swept out of the house in a coal slide. A black faced Tom pops up & mammy asks if he had seen Thomas, tom realizes that he is not recognized so he shuffles off like 'Step-N-Fetch-it' declaring that he had not seen Thomas. Mammy realizes her mistake & the stereotype impression is gone as Tom runs off.

"CASANOVA CAT" - To impress a female cat, Tom grabs Jerry & blows cigar smoke in his face, giving Jerry a black face. Tom then puts Jerry on a metal plate and holds a flame under it to heat it up. Jerry then commences to tap dancing on the plate. No dialogue, just a dance. What is wrong with dancing? Dancing is a talent.

The edited Cartoon:

"HIS MOUSE FRIDAY" - This cartoon features Jerry the mouse in blackface for most of the cartoon, so any censoring seems ridiculous at this point. But at the 6:20 mark, the picture is zoomed in to crop off a large-lipped black native who aims a spear at Jerry, all you see is the spear. But you do hear him say "Mmmm, babbecued mouse!" Here is the real strange part: I checked my "Art Of Tom & Jerry" Laserdisc that Ted Turner released and while there is no zoom-in and you see the native, his dialog is missing on the Laserdisc! So in order to see this cartoon truly un-censored, you have to watch the picture of the Laserdisc and listen to the sound of the DVD! This just shows how screwed up these master elements are on the MGM cartoons. Either the alterations are not well marked on the master cans, or nobody is paying any attention.

So that is it. No dice throwing, no watermelon. Mostly just black faced animals (there are black cats) & some brief dialog. In the case of Casanova Cat I don't think any kids would even understand the stereotype of a black tap dancer. Other studios have done worse stereotypes that i can understand excluding. But these two cartoons seem mild, with the stereotypes just brief side-bars to the main story line. A disclaimer with separate menu access would have been sufficient.

Remember, the censorship of Tom & Jerry Cartoons did NOT start with Ted Turner! It started in the 1950's when MGM took out war related jokes for their theatrical re-issues, these were permanent cuts to the negatives. Then in 1966 MGM had Chuck Jones' Animation Studios remove the black characters from the cartoons so that they could air on the CBS television network. Fortunately these edits were done using duplicate negatives, some of which got mixed up in the previous DVD releases. Then Ted Turner's cable networks got involved & did some further trims, but he was the third censor. We will probably never see the true uncut versions as the wartime jokes were permanently censored from the master negatives in the 1950's. Some reference prints exist showing the original gags, maybe someday these will be restored and incorporated back into the existing negatives.

What sorry times we live in. The idea that anyone, especially a mature collector, will take offence at something that was made in a very different culture, 60 years ago, and which was never intended to be malicious in the first place, is offensive - but not as offensive as misrepresenting that culture. We have a lot to learn from the attitudes that were prevalent in those days, not least that we shouldn't be so damned sensitive-! If we have to walk on eggshells all the time, everyone's fun is spoilt. 'Mouse Cleaning' is one of the three or four best Tom and Jerry cartoons, and one of the dozen or so best cartoons ever. Leaving it out of an alleged "collector's edition" is farcical. I could be wrong, of course, but I suspect that Warners are perfectly aware of this and what they are really thinking is that opportunists will appear in their droves with lawsuits, claiming that they or their children have been offended or traumatised to the tune of, oh, half million dollars each, thank you very much. It's not just censorship that's the problem here, it's the litigation culture - or the fear of it.

I was so excited about buying this set until I heard they omitted two cartoons and censored another so...

I'm done with Warner and it's not even funny or comical. Guess I've just about had it with their insipid dvd decisions.

They made a horrible mistake in the way they released Knots Landing, which suffered low sales because of their idiocy and thus, no more Knots. Yes, Warner says 'SCREW YOU TO FANS!'

Now they're not going to put two cartoons on the Tom and Jerry dvd because it offends some people? Well you know what, if it offends those people, they don't have to buy it or watch it.

To tell other people they can't watch it because some hyper sensitive people don't like it is ridiculous. This is a FREE COUNTRY. So, yes, that means Warner is free to do what they want but really, does this mean Warner is saying people are free so long as we all live like and don't offend the super-sensitives? No more freedom of speech, no more artistical integrity.

It's getting to the point where everything offends someone and if you keep cowtowing to those people, everyone is going to have a problem with something and no one is going to get anything. Last night on the news, I saw one town that was so sick of dog barking, dogs are now banned in the ENTIRE TOWN! Well you know what, I don't like Intellectually Challenged people but if we banned them, Warner Brothers would have no one to employ in their Home Video Department.


There are many offensive things that have happened throughout the course of history. I wish we could erase slavery and war out of existence but I don't see that happening and many of the un-pretty parts of history we are able to see now not as a means of imitation but rather to see how our ever changing society has evolved and grown beyond the ignorance of a bygone era. Understand, not allowing people to view what's offensive does not change history or make it go away.

All it does is give other hyper sensitive people more of a reason to try and control what others should or should not be allowed to see and learn for themselves in a FREE COUNTRY.

So Warner, you can keep the cartoons in the vault all you want. Me? I'll keep my money in my wallet.

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

As it has been pointed out that the label on the box states for adults only. If we're truly adults...why do you think you need to shelter us from things we've already seen. Because we might be offended? If you're offended by this content...then DON'T BUY IT. C'mon MGM...Stop spoon feeding us...It is a very sad state of affairs when I have to rely on Lawyers to edit the content that I as an adult see.
By deleting content that was once deemed appropriate and is now deemed scandalous for the sake of political correctness is a complete and utter slap in the face of MGM's consumers.

These cartoons are a part a piece of art. And NOBODY has the right to censure art.

I am tired of incomplete and edited sets. Additionally, I am tired of non restored sets. The Tom and Jerry prints are the same old washed colored, scratchy, debris ridden, muffled sound transfers that appeared on VHS and laserdisc formats. Warner Home Video, please take note. I am tired of spending my hard earned money on inferior product and getting less for it each time. You lost a loyal customer with your poor handling of this franchise. If you can do it with class on the Looney Tunes and Popeye set, why not Tom and Jerry and Droopy?

Hey everyone, I just got home from buying this set, even though I knew about the 2 omitted cartoons beforehand. Disc one was pre-scratched for my enjoyment of course.
I was shocked to see that they STILL edited 'His Mouse Friday'. The frame has been chopped to omit the big-lipped native prodding Jerry at the end.
Also, wasn't it 'Royal Cat Nap' that had the scene at the end (admittedly disturbing) where Jerry and Nephew are walking and there is the silhouette of a guillotine in the distance cutting off Tom's head? That scene is not here. Excuse me if it is in another cartoon.
Whatever. I gave up on America years ago - so this doesn't surprise me.
Pathetic.