No. 188 - Tom and Jerry

I came across something today that said that Tom and Jerry, the cat and mouse cartoon, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. I didn't think that could possibly be right since I'd thought that the cartoon was from the early 70s, perhaps even the late 60s, which was what my wife also guessed when I quizzed her.

We were off by about two or three decades.

I learned that the first episode, Puss Gets The Boot, was released to theaters on February 10, 1940. In this episode, Tom is told by his mistress that if he breaks anything in the house, he is out the door. This became a repetitive story, and was used several times during the series. Jerry always made Tom make loud noises or break valuable objects. In the episode Tom is referred to as Jasper.

The original Hanna and Barbera cartoon series - totaling 114 episodes - ran from 1940 to 1958.