| Tot Watchers | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | |
| Story by | Homer Brightman |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Scott Bradley |
| Animation by | |
| Layouts by | Richard Bickenbach |
| Backgrounds by | Robert Gentle |
| Color process | |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 6:39 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Tot Watchers is a 1958 American one-reelanimatedTom and Jerryaction comedyshort. It was produced and directed byWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera with music byScott Bradley. The short was released byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer as early as June 25, 1958.[1] It is the 114th and lastTom and Jerry theatrical cartoon produced or directed by both Hanna and Barbera, and the last cartoon short of the series untilGene Deitch'sSwitchin' Kitten in 1961. Barbera would return to direct one finalTom and Jerry theatrical short,The Karate Guard, in 2005.
In the film,Tom Cat andJerry Mouse initially attempt to return a wanderinginfant to its caretaker. When the baby resumes its wanderings and enters a construction site, they go out of their way to protect it. Afterwards, the duo are mistaken for kidnappers and arrested by the police for kidnapping the baby.
Tom andJerry, engaged in their typical conflict, notice the baby crawling out of its pram. Their attempts to return the infant are unsuccessful, as it repeatedly escapes. During one such incident, the baby entersSpike'sdoghouse. Tom mistakenly grabs Spike instead of the baby, resulting in a violent confrontation.
Frustrated, Tom brings the baby back to Jeannie, who misinterprets the situation and hits Tom with a broom. Subsequently, Tom disregards the baby's wanderings. However, when the infant crawls into a 100-storyconstruction site, Tom and Jerry are compelled to intervene.
The baby navigates precariously across steel beams while Tom and Jerry pursue. On the 50th floor, Jerry attempts to save the baby by grasping itsdiaper, but the garment detaches. Tom manages to catch the falling infant. In the ensuing confusion, Tom inadvertently dons the diaper himself while the baby crawls away.
Believing the baby has entered a cement mixer on the 30th floor, Tom and Jerry dive in, only to discover the infant playing with ahammer nearby. Later, a panicked Jeannie informs apolice officer about the missing baby. Tom and Jerry return with the infant, exhausted.
As Jeannie retrieves the baby, the police officer (voiced byBill Thompson) arrests Tom and Jerry under the presumption of kidnapping. In the police car, their explanations are initially dismissed until the baby is seen crawling past, having apparently been neglected by Jeannie once again. This revelation causes the officer to realize Tom and Jerry's innocence.
Tot Watchers was produced byMGM Cartoons. After the departure of producerFred Quimby from theTom and Jerry series in 1955, directorsWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera took the added responsibility of producing the series themselves.[3] According to animation historianMichael Barrier, it was during the post-Quimby period that the effects of the series' lower budget on its animation quality became more obvious, stating that "there was no hiding corner cutting behind a curtain of stylization".[3]Scott Bradley's score forTot Watchers was recorded on June 6, 1957 - almost 20 years - to the date - after the MGM cartoon department opened.[3]
Writer and historian Michael Samerdyke stated thatTot Watchers, though it will "never be considered one of the best of the series, ... is an entertaining cartoon and points the way to how the series would develop in the Sixties."[4]
