Pots and Pans is another Van Beuren cartoon that stars a couple of humans named Tom and Jerry, years before a certain cat-and-mouse team from MGM inherited those titles after the human ones disappeared. They run a train diner with their name on it. Many of the food have faces and move. They also sing with various customers along with the leading duo. Typical '30s-style animation meant to mainly fill time before the big feature is at least a little more entertaining than any Saturday morning cartoon that has limited movement because of low budgets. Anyone interested in all eras of animation or at least all things Van Beuren should definitely check out Pots and Pans. I saw this on YouTube.
4 Reviews
"Oh, for Heaven's sake, why so rough?"
The_Movie_Cat27 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The tenth film in the Tom and Jerry series, this one was launched on the 14th of May from that year. Possibly it's the archive nature of the short, but the animation is agonisingly primitive when contrasted with the surrounding cartoons from the duo.
In a review of Rocketeers I half-seriously suggested that there was a homo-erotic subtext. It was just a silly joke, but here a stereotyped dandy, not looking unlike Boy George, gruffly orders a tough guy to "Throw me the salt, bozo!" Said "tough" answers back with the title quote in an effeminate tone of voice, while lightly touching the man.
As expected if you've seen more than a few Tom and Jerry cartoons there's the usual mix of half-hearted musical numbers, including the titular twosome standing all over the food to get tunes out of it. Personally I think a health inspector should have closed them down, but somehow they remain open.
This is one of the few times that the words "Tom and Jerry" are actually seen in the short outside of the titles. (It's on their indestructible food van). Back in the '50s they were renamed Dick and Larry to avoid confusion with their later namesakes, but here changing their identity would rely on more than a new title card...
In a review of Rocketeers I half-seriously suggested that there was a homo-erotic subtext. It was just a silly joke, but here a stereotyped dandy, not looking unlike Boy George, gruffly orders a tough guy to "Throw me the salt, bozo!" Said "tough" answers back with the title quote in an effeminate tone of voice, while lightly touching the man.
As expected if you've seen more than a few Tom and Jerry cartoons there's the usual mix of half-hearted musical numbers, including the titular twosome standing all over the food to get tunes out of it. Personally I think a health inspector should have closed them down, but somehow they remain open.
This is one of the few times that the words "Tom and Jerry" are actually seen in the short outside of the titles. (It's on their indestructible food van). Back in the '50s they were renamed Dick and Larry to avoid confusion with their later namesakes, but here changing their identity would rely on more than a new title card...
Simply awful!
planktonrules29 October 2018
Most film buffs don't realize it, but there were two completely DIFFERENT Tom & Jerry series of cartoons. The first was by Van Beuren Studios and Tom & Jerry were humans (of sorts) and the later was the familiar teaming of cat and mouse by MGM. The MGM version is nearly infinitely better...at least the classic cartoons from the 40s and 50s. However, a few of the old Tom & Jerry cartoons are good...but they were few and far between.
When I began watching "Pots and Pans" I immediately noticed that the quality of this one was significantly poorer than most of the Tom & Jerry cartoons from Van Beuren. The animation quality was very poor and there was a lot of singing and dancing...things I hate in a cartoon. Unfortunately, aside from a couple gags, the entire film was nothing but singing! As a result, I felt annoyed...and wondered if audiences of the day felt the same about this one. All I know is that I honestly can't think of any reason for you to see this one.
When I began watching "Pots and Pans" I immediately noticed that the quality of this one was significantly poorer than most of the Tom & Jerry cartoons from Van Beuren. The animation quality was very poor and there was a lot of singing and dancing...things I hate in a cartoon. Unfortunately, aside from a couple gags, the entire film was nothing but singing! As a result, I felt annoyed...and wondered if audiences of the day felt the same about this one. All I know is that I honestly can't think of any reason for you to see this one.
Tom and Jerry and the mobile canteen
TheLittleSongbird15 November 2017
The Van Beuren Tom and Jerry (as said already not the famous cat and mouse, this is a human duo that lasted for just under 30 cartoons, 29 if memory serves correct, between 1931 and 1933) series was interesting but uneven and not easy to rate as an overall whole. At the series' best, the cartoons were good, very good in a few cases. At its worst, they were really bad.
'Pots and Pans' from personal opinion is one of the very good Tom and Jerry cartoons and one of the series' best. Its weakest assets are the practically plot-less story, which is best described as a stringing along of gags and musical interludes, and the primitive animation (especially the character designs of Tom and Jerry), which is as ever far too static and simple.
However, there are many things that 'Pots and Pans' does really well, brilliantly even. The best thing about it is the music score which is the high point of even the worst cartoons and is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. There is a nicely done setting, some decent attention to detail in a few of the backgrounds and good movement synchronisation with the music.
As far as Tom and Jerry cartoons go, 'Pots and Pans' is one of the most spirited and energetic ones, not a dull moment here. It's also one of the most inventive and this is a cartoon that is full of gags that are actually funny and as close to the deliciously bizarre absurdity that is the series' primary style of humour as one can get. Tom and Jerry themselves are likable enough, if still not among the most interesting lead characters. Support is fun.
Overall, very well made and entertaining, one of the series' best and replaces 'Rocketeers' as the best since the duo's debut 'Wot a Night'. 8/10 Bethany Cox
'Pots and Pans' from personal opinion is one of the very good Tom and Jerry cartoons and one of the series' best. Its weakest assets are the practically plot-less story, which is best described as a stringing along of gags and musical interludes, and the primitive animation (especially the character designs of Tom and Jerry), which is as ever far too static and simple.
However, there are many things that 'Pots and Pans' does really well, brilliantly even. The best thing about it is the music score which is the high point of even the worst cartoons and is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. There is a nicely done setting, some decent attention to detail in a few of the backgrounds and good movement synchronisation with the music.
As far as Tom and Jerry cartoons go, 'Pots and Pans' is one of the most spirited and energetic ones, not a dull moment here. It's also one of the most inventive and this is a cartoon that is full of gags that are actually funny and as close to the deliciously bizarre absurdity that is the series' primary style of humour as one can get. Tom and Jerry themselves are likable enough, if still not among the most interesting lead characters. Support is fun.
Overall, very well made and entertaining, one of the series' best and replaces 'Rocketeers' as the best since the duo's debut 'Wot a Night'. 8/10 Bethany Cox
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
