The Tom & Jerry Show was produced by Hanna-Barbera for ABC in 1975, as part of an omnibus series with The Great Grape Ape Show. The series revived the award-winning cat and mouse characters William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created for MGM.
Development
Having purchased rights from MGM to produce new Tom & Jerry cartoons for TV, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, T&J's creators, screened some of their best MGM theatrical Tom & Jerry shorts for ABC executives. The executives laughed heartily at the antics of the cat and mouse, then sighed because it was a shame that network Broadcast Standards and Practices ruled out such violence on Saturday mornings. Thus arose The New Tom & Jerry Show.
But, out of respect for the characters who helped them pave the way for their newfound careers, Hanna and Barbera refused to grant Tom and Jerry the ability to speak. Except for nonverbal sounds provided by veteran Hanna-Barbera voice actor John Stephenson, the cat and mouse were entitled to their right to remain silent. And Spike, the bulldog in the Tom & Jerry theatrical releases, was also brought back by Hanna-Barbera to be a recurring foe on New Tom & Jerry.
Differences from the theatrical shorts
- Unlike the theatrical Tom & Jerry shorts, the TV series casts the cat and mouse as friends.
- Jerry wears a red bow tie. Early production drawings show Tom wearing a collar, but this was not included in the series.
Episodes
- No Way Stowaways / The Ski Bunny / Stay Awake or Else
- No Bones About It / An Ill Wind / Beach Bully
- Mammoth Manhunt / The Wacky World of Sports / Robin Ho-Ho
- Safe but Not Sorry / Gopher Broke / The Super Bowler
- Tricky McTrout / The Tennis Menace / Cosmic Cat and Meteor Mouse
- Castle Wiz / Grim and Bear It / The Flying Sorceress
- The Kitten Sitters / Termites Plus Two / Planet Pest
- The Hypochondriac Lion / Give 'Em the Air / The Egg and Tom & Jerry
- Watch Out, Watch Dog / The Super Cyclists / The Police Kitten
- The Outfoxed Fox / Towering Fiasco / The Lost Duckling
- Beanstalk Buddies / Two Stars Are Born / Son of Gopher Broke
- The Sorcerer's Apprentices / Hold That Pose / The Supercape Caper
- Chickenrella / Double Trouble Crow / Jerry's Nephew (Thanksgiving broadcast)
- See Dr. Jackal and Hyde! / Planet of the Dogs / The Campout Cutup
- Triple Trouble / The Bull Fighters / Cruise Kitty
- It's No Picnic / Big Feet / The Great Motorboat Race
Voice cast
- Henry Corden
- Kathy Gori
- Don Messick
- Alan Oppenheimer
- Joe E. Ross
- Hal Smith
- John Stephenson
- Jean Vander Pyl
- Janet Waldo
- Lennie Weinrib
- Frank Welker