Remember the turkey pictured in our last post, from the
cover of WALTER LANTZ NEW FUNNIES # 178?
Well, he’s still around (thanks to the kindness of Andy and
Woody) – and so is Thanksgiving 2017, since Thanksgiving is a four-day-holiday,
after all! And, that’s not including
Cyber Monday!
So, to keep being thankful (if only for the next few days) for all the persons, places, and
things that you would normally just “kick out of the way” throughout the rest
of the year, we offer this Fluffy and Mervin Thanksgiving
gag created by our good friend Debbie Anne Perry!
Let’s be thankful that persons like Debbie are out there to
drop unexpected smiles on us – sometimes when we need them most!
Seeing this brought to mind a Tom and Jerry Thanksgiving
tale, from Dell Comics’ TOM AND JERRY # 184 (Cover Date: November, 1959) that
will be forever seared into my brain.
Why, you are undoubtedly asking your collective selves, is
this particular Tom and Jerry story forever seared into my brain?
Good question, considering there were SO MANY great Tom and
Jerry stories created over the 1940s thru ‘60s.
Indeed, I daresay that the “ten-pagers” that led off each issue of the TOM
AND JERRY title may very well be second only to the Carl Barks Donald Duck “ten-pagers”
that led off each issue of WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES during that same
period, in terms of reliably delivering great art and humor!
But, this one (and certain others like it) remains forever
special because, back in those very early days of my existence, my grandmother
bought and read these comics to me… long before I could read them myself! In fact, it was from comics like these that I
learned to read, well before entering elementary school! They also created the life-long love of
comics that lives within me to this day!
Talk about having something to be thankful for!
But, to our story… “The Turkey” 10 pages. Writer: Unknown. Artist: Phil De Lara.
Tom has just prepared a Thanksgiving meal for his GrandmaTabby, to which Jerry and Tuffy have invited themselves. Tom tells the story of his ancestor at the
first Thanksgiving , and why mice are never invited to a Thanksgiving
meal.
Aw, this story was never reprinted – and due to the images
of pesky Native American mice, probably never will be even if there WERE any
Tom and Jerry comics – so here it is for your Thanksgiving enjoyment. Click to enlarge, for greater ease of
reading.
Hopefully, Tom gets his fill of Thanksgiving turkey before
Cyber Monday!
Happy
Thanksgiving to all of you!
7 comments:
Coming from someone who has very little experience with Tom & Jerry comics… don't you find the thick eyebrows Tom and Grandma Tabby sport in this comic a bit odd-looking?… The only thing that looks like it is Tom in those very late Chuck Jones cartoons that most people seem to have forgotten about, as you can see in this PERFECTLY SOUND-FREE link to a screenshot…
http://secretvortex.com/cartoons/jonestj.jpg
…but those came after the (otherwise quite entertaining!) story you have quoted here for our reading pleasure.
In the hope that this eyebrow-raising matter can be swiftly resolved, assorted season-appropriate thanks from this Frenchman to you!
OK, now I see how a Tom and Jerry story can be Thanksgiving-themed and still in character!
Great stuff! (and stuffing, too!)
Thanks for posting!
Achille:
It’s only Thanksgiving – maybe Tom will get an eyebrow trimmer for Christmas!
HERE is Achille’s considerately-soundless link to a nice image of the (not forgotten by me) Chuck Jones version of Tom and Jerry!
Scarecrow:
If Tom and Jerry can do a Christmas story, why not a Thanksgiving one?
Just like WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES, Dell’s TOM AND JERRY was a monthly title, meaning that every occasion of the year would be addressed in its pages!
BTW, got an extra eyebrow trimmer lying around? Tom could use one for Christmas!
Dang, looks like I'm late to the party! And missed dinner!
But, thanks to the wonders of the blogosphere, at least I'm still in time to enjoy this great story!
Thanks for sharing. I like it so much I'm going to link to it on my blog.
It reminds me of a Tom and Jerry cartoon by Hanna and Barbera, 1949's "The Little Orphan." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Orphan
Of course, there are a lot of differences between the two stories, but the most salient difference, it seems to me, is that in "The Little Orphan" Tom was an American Indian and Jerry and Nibbles (AKA Tuffy) were Pilgrims. But the idea is still the same: Jerry and Nibbles torment Tom, Thanksgiving style!
Yes, something tells me this story is not going to be reprinted any time soon. Frankly, as much as I enjoyed the story, a lot of the stereotypes made me uncomfortable -- and I'm quite conservative, as you know. I think what bothered me is that early in Tom's story, it seems to be stereotype after stereotype after stereotype. From the way the ancestors of Jerry and Nibbles/Tuffy talk to their use of cranberry jelly for war paint, to Tom's ancestor saying he must be patient with their strange customs. Thankfully (get it?), the story then eases up on the stereotypes a bit, making it much more enjoyable. It also helped that after the initial shock I got used to the stereotyping and how the story worked, so I wasn't as bothered by it as the story continued.
And for all the stereotypes, at least this is a story where the Indians win out in the end, unlike "The Little Orphan" where the Indian Tom waves a white flag of surrender.
In closing, I love how Jerry and Tuffy are drawn when they are inside the pitcher of water. It kind of reminds me of how so many classic cartoon characters how been drawn in recent years (e.g. "Be Cool, Scooby-Doo.")
Since it's too late for me to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, I wish you a happy Cyber Monday!
Pelayo Flecha writes: “Dang, looks like I'm late to the party! And missed dinner!”
Well, as I post this, there are still about five minutes left to “Cyber Monday” (…at least in MY time zone) so, if you can catch up to Tom, you may still end up with some last-minute turkey!
I certainly understand your concerns, and – from a 21st Century perspective – agree with them. That’s why I say the story would not be reprinted… even if there WERE Tom and Jerry comics published in the USA today. BTW, I think IDW would do a fantastic job with them! DC *should* be the one to do so but, since they’re clearly not interested, license it out to IDW, whydon’tcha! There are lots of good T&J stories published in other countries… and I’d like to dialogue some of them – to go along with a mix of Dell/Gold Key reprints.
But, to the story at hand, I’m also a firm believer in “judge everything by its time”! No, don’t do that today – because we know better, but also don’t pretend that it didn’t exist – even if you must attach a disclaimer for modern-day consumption.
And, while there are still a precious few minutes left to Cyber Monday, please consider getting Tom that eyebrow trimmer!
HERE is the link, for greater ease of reading!
Thanksgiving 2017 Continues with Fluffy and Mervin and Tom and Jerry. watching this episode first time in life but its not bad very funny for more you can visit ( THE CAT CONCERTO TOM AND JERRY )
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