Regardless of how many negative posts, criticisms, rants and insults of it that come out of the woodwork, Hanna-Barbera's 1975 version of Tom & Jerry shall always hold dear to me! To each his own... I've been a fan of it ever since 1979, when they first aired locally in my hometown, N'Awlins, every Monday-Friday afternoon @ 3:30 on ABC (now Fox) affiliate WVUE-TV Channel 8, on The Tom & Jerry Hour. It was a mixed bag of T&J cartoons, theatrical (1940 to 1967) and TV (1975 to 1977). This was how I first learned of these made-for-TV T&Js from H-B. The theatricals were great, but I (being a child of the 1970s and a connoisseur of Hanna-Barbera's mid-to-late 1970s work) somehow grew more attached to the 1970s version. Sometimes WVUE aired the main title sequence from The Tom & Jerry Show separately from the 48 7-minute T&J stories, sometimes they aired the end credits.I later read in Stuart Fischer's book Kids' TV: The First 25 Years that they originally aired in 1975 on The (New) Tom & Jerry/Grape Ape Show. I remember thinking, "Ah! So that's where they came from!" This is also how I learned of The New T&J's originally pairing with The Great Grape Ape, which I only discovered via repeats on ABC Sunday Mornings! (Yep, I missed out on the original run on ABC, and I had just come into it.)I decided that the 1970s T&J was my sole favorite, and faithfully followed its exploits from its first local airing on WVUE to its re-airing in the 1980s on WNOL-TV Channel 38 (now a WB affiliate) and Superstation WTBS, which, on Tom & Jerry And Friends, showed 7-minute 1975 T&J cartoons framed in-between main and end title sequences! I also realize that a huge number of serious animation fans have and continue to liken New Tom & Jerry to New Coke, calling it a cheap imitation of the originals, and thus giving them a bad rep over the years. I don't think it's all the 1975 version of T&J so much; I think a great many 'toon fans have prided themselves on being hooked on the originals and declaring any version out of that scope as inferior.Hence my web presence, The New Tom & Jerry Info Site @ http://www.1975tomjerry.50megs.com/ , which I launched in March 1997, to show all and sundry that there was someone out there who took interest in them and, to a degree at least, put an end to all the bad press they've been getting. Until January 2004 (so far), Boomerang from Catoon Network has done the 1975 T&J's justice by showing them periodically on Boomerang Saturdays (1976, 1977 and 1978). They neglected to show them in April 2004 during the weekly Friday T&J marathons; they seem to be limited to the 1940-67 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatricals, Filmation's 1980-82 version (The Tom & Jerry Comedy Show) and that 1990-93 Fox revival Tom & Jerry Kids (that gray stripe between Tom's eyes was not his best feature, IMHO!). But CN more than made up for this with the addition of the 1975 T&Js to their rotation in May 2005.Like I said, to each his own. Everyone here has his/her favorite version of Tom & Jerry; mine is and shall forever remain H-B's "black sheep" 1975 made-for-TV version. Just because a Tom & Jerry cartoon, be it old or new, is nonviolent does not mean it cannot be watched and enjoyed. (I mean, check out the sports-themed New T&Js! And Spike! And Hoyt Curtin's jazzy underscore!) So, if you will, sing along!!!Set your dial for a while! Have a laugh, wear a smile! It's The Tom & Jerry Show! You'll begin with a grin When you first tune us in On The Tom & Jerry Show! Introducing that world-famous cat...Tom! And that magnificent mouse...Jerry! (instrumental solo) Lots of zing, lots to sing! Everything's gonna swing! So, get ready - here we go! Big or small, short or tall, You will all have a ball On The Tom & Jerry Show!

(SPOILER!) I was just remembering a Tom and Jerry episode where the duo are engaged in an airplane race. The episode is very like an old TOM SLICK episode and like Tom, the duo are racing up against an evil Austrian baron with a devious plan to win the race by cheating. One of my favorite scenes from this episode is where the Baron climbs up on their tail only to be greeted by an annoyed Tom. I was just wondering, could this story be based on an unused TOM SLICK script or been written by the same writers? Even the ending is similar - where Tom and Jerry cross the finish line first and are declared the winners - and so are the Baron's antics, including using dynamite and other means to knock the other contestants out of the race.

While Scooby-Doo is still the crown jewel of the properties of Hanna-Barbera, the one creation that they're probably most proud of is Tom & Jerry. This influential and revolutionary cartoon about the classic "cat chasing the mouse" won several Oscars for Hanna-Barbera and MGM. Without them, there might not be a "Sylvester vs. Tweety", "Wile E. Coyote vs. The Road Runner or Bugs Bunny" and yes, no "Itchy And Scratchy". Yes, all these cartoons are pretty violent, with the use of anvils, rocks, TNT, guns, and even Iron Maidens, but they weren't overblown gory like Matt Groening's twisted parody of Tom And Jerry. When Teletoon in Canada started showing Tom & Jerry, I thought we'd see the theatrical cartoons, but instead we got this made-for-T.V. series. This time, Tom & Jerry are friends, and they are the ones who have to face a common enemy or do a chore for someone. If they have to go head-to-head, it's in sports competitions. Most of the "slapstick violence" is gone, leaving a sterile version of the duo.Still, it's not bad, and I watch it on occasion, but I'd rather see the theatrical versions of this cartoon first. It's better than Tiny Toons at least.

Okay, so some of the edge of Tom & Jerry playing literal Cat and Mouse games has been lost, but that's not altogether that bad a thing! Most of the old Tom and Jerry cartoons were hilarious, but let's not forget the instances when Tom was blown up or beaten with mallets by white mice or even other cats!As a child I loved both incarnations of the duo, but somehow this later version was more likeable with Tom and Jerry as best friends. This was handled in such a way that the characters' mannerisms were still intact and recognisable, but the one-gag stories of "I'm gonna get you because you're a mouse and I'm a cat, and that's the way it is!" were eliminated, along with much of the violence! Luckily it was handled so well, that this series opened the door to some really funny adventures with wacky sports episodes ("What a disastah!"), and the rescue of dying, but still witty desert drifters ("Please give me a drink! Anything! Oh, Cherry Lime? I'm not so crazy about Cherry Lime! You got Grape?")All in all this is a better series and definitely not a kinder-gentler sellout! Spike's still there! The action's still there, but you can let your kids watch without worrying about them spanking your cat with a hammer when you're not looking! In short, a Tom & Jerry without the Itchy and Scratchy in them!