There are some enjoyable cartoons on this DVD, but now we are reaching the period in time where cartoons were starting to skyrocket in costs, and it becomes noticeable once we reach cartoons like 'Neapolitan Mouse' (1954), where some of the characters become schematic in design and movement. After 'Pecos Pest' (1955), producer Fred Quimby also retired, and the general production values really started to slip for the remaining cartoons in the Hanna-Barbera era.

One thing that bothered me about this collection is that some of the later cartoons -- the ones from 'That's My Mommy' (1955) onwards, plus 'Touché, Pussycat!' (1954) and 'Tom & Chèrie' (1955) -- were originally in Cinemascope, as shown by the typical black borders at the top and bottom of the screen during the opening and closing credits, but, with the exception of 'The Egg And Jerry' (1956), which retains the Cinemascope aspect throughout, the cartoons themselves have been put into pan-and-scan -- and not all that well; sometimes important bits of a scene were out of shot, meaning that, unless you had seen the original, or at least a pan-and-scan version that had more carefully selected views in each part of the cartoon, it was not always that clear what was going on; 'Muscle Beach Tom' and 'Barbecue Brawl' are particularly affected in some places because of this, resulting in action that was happening off-screen with only sound effects being a rough clue as to what was happening (if that). Why didn't they keep the Cinemascope aspect of these ones and give us a real treat to see the full view, if they were prepared to do it for 'The Egg And Jerry'? The picture quality was becoming more schematic by this period so the closer inspection of the on-screen action was not really doing these cartoons any favours, and surely keeping the Cinemascope would have been a lot less hassle than going through all those cartoons deciding what bits would have to be sacrificed and put off-screen for pan-and-scan?

So, not a bad collection, but the cracks were starting to show here...

Into the decline
Review date: 2005-09-09 Rating: 6 out of 10

Whilst many of these cartoons are still good it is obvious that the series was in serious decline by this point. Backgrounds become cheaper and characters have their designs simplified. Some of the storylines are weird, in particular I don't think "Blue Cat Blues" was guaranteed to send the audience away happy. Good for kids but makes you wish for the glory days. If these cartoons distress you then don't touch volumes 5 and 6.

I want more!
Review date: 2004-11-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

Just received this DVD and now I have the complete collection till date. What can I say about T&J that hasnt been said already?! Just that it will be very hard to find anyone who can say that T&J arent a genius of epic proportions that will always transcend the boundaries of time and age. Its an absolute must for anyone's collection.

Another excellent T & J collection!
Review date: 2004-08-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

Another excellent collection of Tom & Jerry cartoons from the best era - i.e. those produced by Fred Quimby. After him came Hanna & Barbera, and then things really went downhill when Chuck Jones took over.

Any T&J fan will love this volume as it contains some real gems such as Pecos Pest, Posse Cat etc.. This volume isn't QUITE as good as volume 3, but still WELL worth getting - even if you're not already a T&J fan as it contains several of the best T&J cartoons.

Pecos Pest ("Froggy went a-courtin' he did ride.... c-c-c-c crambone!") was the last Fred Quimby produced cartoon as far as I can tell, but the other cartoons on here are still pretty good.

Definitely recommended!

The cartoons on this volume are:
Two Little Indians, Life With Tom, Puppy Tale, Posse Cat, Hic-Cup Pup, Little School Mouse, Baby Butch, Mice Follies, Neapolitan Mouse, Downhearted Duckling, Pup On A Picnic, Mouse For Sale, Designs On Jerry, Tom And Cherie, Smarty Cat, Pecos Pest, That's My Mommy, The Flying Sorceress, The Egg And Jerry, Muscle Beach Tom, Down Beat Bear, Blue Cat Blues and Barbecue Brawl.

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