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Tot Watchers is a 1958 American one-reel animated Tom and Jerry cartoon with backgrounds by Robert Gentle and layouts by Richard Bickenbach.

A sequel to Busy Buddies (1956) two years earlier, it was the 114th and final Tom and Jerry cartoon created at the MGM cartoon studio before its closure.

In 1960, Gene Deitch produced 13 cartoons for MGM at his studio, as most of his shorts were widely panned and considered to be the worst of Tom and Jerry for a number of reasons from fans, with the exceptions of The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, Buddies Thicker Than Water, and Carmen Get It!

When his unit ceased production on T&J shorts, Chuck Jones produced 34 more at his studio before being shut down in 1967, ending production of Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Characters[]

Main Characters[]

Minor Characters[]

Plot[]

Babysitter Jeannie (voiced by Julie Bennett) is instructed to look after the Baby while his mother (also voiced by Julie Bennett) goes out. However, Jeannie pays more attention to talking on the telephone apathetically than her actual babysitting. In the midst of Tom and Jerry's usual fighting, they see Baby crawling out of hits pram. Any attempt to return Baby to where he came from simply results in Baby escaping from the pram again. During one escape, Baby crawls into Spike's dog house. Tom accidentally grabs Spike instead of Baby, and is promptly attacked, scratched, and bit. This time, Tom angrily brings Baby back to Jeannie herself, who hits Tom over the head with a broom four times, thinking that Tom has taken Baby away from her.

Realising that Baby is no longer worth the trouble, Tom does nothing the next time that he crawls from his pram. However, he and Jerry are forced to react after Baby crawls down to the street and into a construction site. Baby crawls from one steel beam to another while the cat and mouse look on. Jerry manages to catch up, and saves Baby from crawling off a wooden plank by grabbing his diaper. The diaper comes loose, and as Baby falls, he is then caught by Tom. Tom attempts to put Bendiaper back on, but in the impending confusion, ends up putting the diaper on himself while Baby crawls off, nonchalantly.

Tom and Jerry catch up with Baby, only to lose him again, and fearing that he has crawled into a cement mixer, the cat and mouse dive straight in, only to find that Baby never did enter the mixer but instead playing with a hammer. Baby then playfully bonks Tom on the head.

Later on, Jeannie is in panic and crying, telling a police officer that she was babysitting, took her eye off Baby for "one teensy minute", and since she turned her back on when the girl answered the phone (stretching the truth as she actually called on it), Baby was gone. Tired, Tom and Jerry arrive with Baby. Jeannie grabs Baby while the two try to escape, but fail the police officer (voiced by Bill Thompson) arrests Tom and Jerry, assuming that they were the "baby nappers". In the police car, the police officer just can't believe Tom and Jerry's explanation. Just then, Baby (presumably neglected by Jeannie again) crawls past the police car and away into the distance, much to both Tom and Jerry's shock, even the shocked police officer finally realizes that Tom and Jerry were actually telling the truth all the time and they aren't really baby nappers and were only trying to protect the baby.

Quotes[]

  • Jeannie: ""Yes ma'am."

  • Jeannie: "Goodbye. Hi it's me, Jeannie. Oh no I'm babysitting for two hours oh hehehe he's silly oh oh I did yeah I have a date already oh no you kidding she wouldn't do that."

  • Jeannie: "Scat you bad cat!"

  • Jeannie: "Hi it's me again. Oh no the baby's all right. It's that cat after watch."

  • Jeannie: "Scat you bad cat!"

  • Jeannie: "That cat keeps bothering the baby. Oh no, he did, really?"

  • Jeannie: "Gasp oh that's right I saw him in a drive in swell show kid huh?"

  • Jeannie: "Yeah it's that darn cat again yeah if I could get a passing grade in Algebra oh? I hate Algebra gosh whoever thought that stuff up?"

  • Jeannie: "I just turn my back for one teensy minute answering the phone, and the baby was gone! Oh please officer you must get that baby back you-- There's the baby!"
  • (Tom and Jerry arrive tired holding the baby and Jeannie grabs the baby. Tom and Jerry try to escape, but the Police Officer grab them)
  • Police Officer: "Gotcha, ya babynappers." [Tom and Jerry are now arrested in the police car that the police officer is driving. The light changes from green to red as the sign changes from "GO" to "STOP" and the police car stops] "A baby crawlin' down the street?! Now who would be after believin' that?!" [Just then, to their surprise, the baby crawls past the police car and away into the distance, as the cartoon ends.]

Trivia[]

  • This features the final appearances of Joan and her baby. This also marks the final appearance of Jeannie, who was hated by fans due to her character often bordering on neglecting her job as a babysitter and unfairly getting Tom and Jerry arrested. Tom and Jerry did a much better job of watching over the baby and saving and protecting him from danger.
  • Joan's husband George is absent in this cartoon, with his final appearance being The Vanishing Duck which was also Quacker's final appearance.
  • This cartoon marks the last of a few things:
    • The final cartoon to have the 1956-1958 Tom and Jerry title card.
    • The final Tom and Jerry cartoon to be produced in Cinemascope, as the Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones eras returned to the 4:3 Academy format used from 1940-1955.
    • The final Tom and Jerry production to be produced in widescreen until Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars.
    • The last cartoon to use the classic MGM sound effects until the Chuck Jones cartoon, Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life.
    • This is also the final short to use the original Tom screams which debut in Fraidy Cat; however, the only Tom scream to survive is the scream from The Bodyguard.
    • The final appearance of Tanner The Lion until 1963, starting with Pent-House Mouse.
  • This cartoon marks the last of a few things:
    • The final Tom and Jerry reissue cartoon to use the 1954-1958 blue-background blue ribbon MGM Cartoons logo until it was modified for cartoons released in CinemaScope starting with the Tom and Jerry cartoon Pet Peeve.
    • The final Tom and Jerry reissue cartoon to be produced in the original Academy format as the Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones era returned to the said format.
    • The final reissue cartoon to use the ending quotes "An MGM Cartoon. Made in Hollywood, U.S.A."
    • Since the policeman saw the baby escape on his own at the end, he most likely would now have believed Tom and Jerry and so the two probably did not get arrested afterwards.
    • The final cartoon of the Hanna-Barbera era Tom and Jerry shorts.

Reception[]

Pan and Scan to 4:3 version's reception[]

The pan-and-scan version of this short was heavily panned by fans, as many important elements are cropped out, such as near the end, Jeannie takes the baby out of Tom's hand is not shown, but shows the baby being removed from Tom (looks as if the baby vanished out of nowhere). Was until in the 2010s when it was reformatted in 16:9. Unlike the 1990s butchered format, not much is lost as it is given more focus on the prominent details that were cropped out incorrectly.

Episode's reception[]

This short was critically panned by fans alike, and not only is it often considered to be a weak end to the 1940-1958 era of Tom and Jerry, but also as one of the worst episodes in the entire Tom and Jerry series. This is mainly due to the lack of slapstick in its plot, Jeannie's negligence of taking care of the baby (even further than in Busy Buddies), and the ending where Tom and Jerry get falsely arrested by a police officer (who accuses them of baby napping).

Censorships[]

  • This short was banned in Morocco because of the arrest of Tom and Jerry, the interrogation with the police, and the child's victory.

Copyright Gag[]

  • Despite this Tom and Jerry short being released in 1958, the roman numerals in the copyright credit reads 'MCMLVII' as it is dated in 1957.

Gallery[]

References[]

Tom and Jerry Cartoons
1940 Puss Gets the Boot
1941 The Midnight SnackThe Night Before Christmas
1942 Fraidy CatDog TroublePuss n' TootsThe Bowling Alley-CatFine Feathered Friend
1943 Sufferin' Cats!The Lonesome MouseThe Yankee Doodle MouseBaby Puss
1944 The Zoot CatThe Million Dollar CatThe BodyguardPuttin' on the DogMouse Trouble
1945 The Mouse Comes to DinnerMouse in ManhattanTee for TwoFlirty BirdyQuiet Please!
1946 Springtime for ThomasThe Milky WaifTrap HappySolid Serenade
1947 Cat Fishin'Part Time PalThe Cat ConcertoDr. Jekyll and Mr. MouseSalt Water TabbyA Mouse in the HouseThe Invisible Mouse
1948 Kitty FoiledThe Truce HurtsOld Rockin' Chair TomProfessor TomMouse Cleaning
1949 Polka-Dot PussThe Little OrphanHatch Up Your TroublesHeavenly PussThe Cat and the MermouseLove That PupJerry's DiaryTennis Chumps
1950 Little QuackerSaturday Evening Puss • Texas TomJerry and the LionSafety SecondThe Hollywood BowlThe Framed CatCue Ball Cat
1951 Casanova CatJerry and the GoldfishJerry's CousinSleepy-Time TomHis Mouse FridaySlicked-up PupNit-Witty KittyCat Napping
1952 The Flying CatThe Duck DoctorThe Two MouseketeersSmitten KittenTriplet TroubleLittle RunawayFit To Be TiedPush-Button KittyCruise CatThe Dog House
1953 The Missing Mouse • Jerry and JumboJohann MouseThat's My Pup!Just DuckyTwo Little IndiansLife with Tom
1954 Puppy TalePosse CatHic-cup PupLittle School MouseBaby ButchMice FolliesNeapolitan MouseDownhearted DucklingPet PeeveTouché, Pussy Cat!
1955 Southbound DucklingPup on a PicnicMouse for SaleDesigns on JerryTom and ChérieSmarty CatPecos PestThat's My Mommy
1956 The Flying SorceressThe Egg and JerryBusy BuddiesMuscle Beach TomDown Beat BearBlue Cat BluesBarbecue Brawl
1957 Tops with PopsTimid TabbyFeedin' the KiddieMucho MouseTom's Photo Finish
1958 Happy Go DuckyRoyal Cat NapThe Vanishing DuckRobin HoodwinkedTot Watchers
1961 Switchin' KittenDown and OutingIt's Greek to Me-ow!
1962 High SteaksMouse into SpaceLanding StriplingCalypso CatDicky MoeThe Tom and Jerry Cartoon KitTall in the TrapSorry SafariBuddies Thicker Than WaterCarmen Get It!
1963 Pent-House Mouse
1964 The Cat Above and The Mouse BelowIs There a Doctor in the Mouse?Much Ado About MousingSnowbody Loves MeThe Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse
1965 Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of LifeTom-ic EnergyBad Day at Cat RockThe Brothers Carry-Mouse-OffHaunted MouseI'm Just Wild About JerryOf Feline BondageThe Year of the MouseThe Cat's Me-Ouch
1966 Duel PersonalityJerry, Jerry, Quite ContraryJerry-Go-RoundLove Me, Love My MousePuss 'n' BoatsFilet MeowMatinee MouseThe A-Tom-Inable SnowmanCatty-Cornered
1967 Cat and Dupli-catO-Solar-MeowGuided Mouse-illeRock 'n' RodentCannery RodentThe Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R.Surf-Bored CatShutter Bugged CatAdvance and Be MechanizedPurr-Chance to Dream
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