Fraidy Cat (1942) User Reviews

A fairly average early Tom and Jerry short

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 24 August 2006]

Tom is listening to a spook story on the radio (a form of entertainment I wish was still around) and is so wound up by the possibility of ghosts, that he jumps in fright at every sound. Taking advantage of this for his own personal fun, Jerry tries to freak Tom out by playing pranks on him, the main one being sticking a white sheet on a vacuum cleaner and pretending it's a ghosts. Obviously Tom becomes aware of Jerry's cruel tricks in the end.

It's very mildly funny though nothing really spectacular happens. I can really only recommend this to very young children as there is no real intelligence or wit to entertain an adult. Tom still looks a little rough, as he did in the early stages of his characters animation. Mammy-two-shoes shows up, but on the version I saw she was dubbed to make her sound more PC, as was common with Tom and Jerry cartoon manipulation in the early 90s.

I had never saw Tom so coward before!

[m-86730 · 7/10 · 19 May 2017]

''Fraidy Cat'' is a Tom and Jerry short, I think it's very slow and a good cartoon for Halloween, Tom is listening to the radio, it's a horror story, Tom started look terrified, I guess Tom is very afraid and coward, I guess.

Jerry, of course, start to frightening him, That's much more funny, I guess, but Jerry is ended up scared by himself at the end. I wonder why.

Rather slow, but a decent Tom and Jerry cartoon

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 4 May 2010]

Now I liked Fraidy Cat in general, though it is quite slow even for a Tom and Jerry cartoon- usually Tom and Jerry goes at a breakneck pace- and there are times when the animation isn't always that great as Tom looks a little odd here. Plus Fraidy Cat could have done with being a minute shorter. Criticisms aside, what I do like about Fraidy Cat is that it is different. The story isn't humorous, but it is a macabre and effective one, and the music is really good. Even the sound effects are very effective, they added to the atmosphere almost flawlessly. Plus there are some good gags, despite the fact the cartoon isn't very funny. The nine lives gag was clever, and the ending with Mammy Two Shoes was a nice, fun surprise. Overall, decent but not great cartoon from our favourite cat and mouse. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Fraidy Cat

[Michael_Elliott · 27 December 2015]

Fraidy Cat (1942)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Highly entertaining short has Tom listening to a scary radio program so Jerry decides to have some fun with this by making it appear that the house is haunted. This is the fourth film in the series and certainly the best up to this point as there are a great number of laughs to be had. The highlight is certainly the look on Tom's face when he believes he's seeing a ghost for the first time. Another great moment happens when Tom's "nine lives" are scared out of him. This was a very creative sequence and one with plenty of great laughs. The animation was also extremely good throughout and there's never a down moment as the action and laughs keep coming one after another.

Yeah, nice cartoon, but Slow.

[Otavio-clubpenguin · 7/10 · 12 July 2014]

It's from this cartoon onwards that Tom and Jerry would start to get that crazy pace that we are used to. This one have some funny moments and some unnecessary.

The Story is that Tom is hearing some scary stories on the radio, and he gets really frightened of it, Jerry, takes this to his advantage, to get rid of Tom.

There are some funny moments, such as the 9 lives being sucked out of him, or Tom attacking Mammy.

But The unnecessary ones are REALLY unnecessary, take as a example a scene of Jerry messing on a vacuum cleaner, making Tom think that it's

a ghost, when Tom realizes the truth, Jerry is turning the switch on and off. Then he laughs. He Looks at Tom. He plays with the vacuum switch again. Then he points at somewhere. He start laughing again. Then he starts playing with the vacuum switch again. Then he start laughing one more time. Then he start switching on and off again. Then he start to slow down and realizes that he just saw Tom. Then he goes a little bit to the front to see if Tom was really there. Then he gulps. Then he looks at the Audience.

I Think you get where I am going.

Rather Slow, if you don't have nothing else to do, I recommend you to give it a try.

every cat has nine lives

[errtu-shard · 9/10 · 8 November 2005]

This film is NOT about a cat and mouse fight as stated in the other comment. Its about a cat that has used up 8 of its 9 lives and now lives in fear of loosing its last one. The cat is jumpy and scared to death all of the time, hence the name 'fraidy cat'. Fraidy Cat's previous lives haunt him as ghosts which are from different era's in time and are constantly trying to kill him off, but he is most fearful of the ninth life which is represented as a cloud in the shape of a number 9 and spits out lighting bolts. very old now but would still be fun for the kids if you got hold of a copy.

i watched this movie almost every day as a child :o)

Scary

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 19 June 2021]

"Fraidy Cat" was originally released back in 1942.

Anyway - As the story goes - Jerry takes advantage of Tom's fears by pretending to be a ghost.

A Tom & Jerry cartoon perfect for Halloween

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 7 October 2009]

Here is a Tom & Jerry cartoon that is perfect for Halloween. I know it's not very creepy, but it has the 'trick' as in "trick or treat," as Jerry did to Tom with the window blind and the vacuum cleaner with a collared shirt hanging on it to make it look like a ghost. But I still like to put it on my list of Halloween cartoons.

In this short, Tom is listening to the "Witching Hour," a ghost-story program on the radio, and is being frightened by the horror story being told. Tom begins to experience the dramatics about halfway through the story (hair standing on end, heart leaping into throat, icy chills on spine). And Jerry, having observed everything and laughing to himself, thought he had increased Tom's fears by scaring him.

I love the ending. It was a little funny. And you know, this short is the first of four cartoons in which Tom attacks Mammy Two Shoes; the others are A Mouse in the House, Part-Time Pal, and Nit-Witty Kitty. And also, this short is the first of twenty-five cartoons where Tom speaks too. So anyway, I love this short.

A Weak Tom and Jerry, But Still A Classic (SPOILERS)

[I_Am_The_Taylrus · 7/10 · 14 October 2007]

SPOILERS

Tom and Jerry is a classic cartoon, with a flawless idea, and almost every single short is a gem. While I must say that this is definitely an inferior short compared such other classic Tom and Jerry shorts, there is not way you can hate this cartoon. Sure, it is understandable to say that this is one of the worst of the first Tom and Jerry episodes, and I can say that I agree, but the fact of the matter is that all Tom and Jerry episodes are great, but some are just better than others. Well, this would fit into "others."

Here is the plot of Fraidy Cat. Tom is listening to an old scary radio broadcast, and becomes easily frightened. Jerry observes how scared he is, and tries to scare him even more than he already is. He creates scary dilemmas for Tom, and Tom becomes scared out of his wits, and his lives. Jerry then puts a sheet over a vacuum cleaner and controls it, thus making it look like the vacuum is a ghost. Tom finds out that Jerry did all of this, and chases him. Tom then accidentally bites the house maid. However, at the end Jerry ends up the one becoming scared after he sees his reflection in a flour cup.

Overall, this is far from the best Tom and Jerry short out there, but this is still a fun and entertaining piece of time. It makes me wish that there was more cartoons like this. The slapstick and gags in this that make Tom and Jerry famous are as good as ever in this short, but it felt like something was missing in this. It felt slower than most Tom and Jerry shorts. Anyway, this is a good short that does not quite live up to some other Tom and Jerry cartoons, but it is still nice.

7/10

A Great, Different Short

[maxschoby · 8/10 · 10 October 2023]

Fraidy Cat is definitely different compared to most other Tom and Jerry shorts. Being a little more spooky and horror oriented compared to other shorts. But that makes this one unique, a curiosity, and fun. This short is great. The spookier nature makes it very enjoyable, with the radio show and Tom's constant reactions being a highlight for me. The voice acting for the radio show was great, and it was an entertaining start. The rest of the short is great. Jerry's attempts to scare Tom with the vacuum ghost were great, and the scene of all of Tom's lives coming out and biting him was hilarious. Even the end, with Jerry losing along with Tom, was entertaining and different from other shorts. The only downside is how slow some of it can be, but the spooks and differences compared to most shorts make it an entertaining watch.

Like most parents, I wondered if this picture would be . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 11 September 2022]

. . . too scary to screen for little ones. F-R-A-I-D-Y CAT surely is likely to scare the pants off most young tykes. When a kid is growing up, his biggest fear usually involves being blamed for breaking stuff. As he's batting the ball on the local sandlot, he's torn between trying to slug it like the star players seen on TV, and the task of keeping at least one eye on the neighbors' windows, so he can get a running start should his long fly ball--or, more likely, his oddly angled foul--break one of them. Little dudes who live in homes pockmarked with knickknacks and antique china spend their indoors hours riddled with fright. Therefore, you can imagine the horror striking their hearts when the devious rodent booby traps several rooms with red yarn in order to get the yapping dog blamed for trashing Ms. Two Shoes' entire first floor!

Spooky and ghost like Halloween themed episode!

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 19 November 2020]

This "Tom and Jerry" short from 1942 "Fraidy Cat" is one that builds up to some suspense chase and cat and mouse drama slowly! Tom is listening to a radio broadcast of the "Witching Hour" and the story has scared him, never fear his little mouse rival Jerry takes advantage of this and start to play ghost and phantom thru out the house! As the curtains blowing put fear in Tom it's like he feels chills and thrills all thru the night air! This episode is different and a little slower and may not be one of the best still it's memorable for it's ghost like and scary theme.

An Unusually Slow-Paced Effort

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 4 August 2007]

Tom is listening to one of those old-time radio broadcasts, something kids from the 1950s to today would watch on TV. However, they didn't television when this cartoon was made so people got their entertainment - from comedies to music to scary stories - from the radio.

Tom is literally shaking in his boots listening to some story about the "phantom." He's actually literally doing everything the narrator is saying, such as "hair standing on end, icy chills race down her spine, her heart beats in her throat," etc. Jerry, meanwhile, is watching Tom and laughing his butt off at his scaredy- cat antics.

We then get a taste of what we will see for many years after this 194- cartoon in which Jerry tortures Tom for no reason other than sadistic pleasure. If the cat asks for trouble, that's one thing, but when he's minding own business and Jerry is physically (and in this case, mentally) abusing him, I have a hard time rooting for the "little guy."

These early T&M efforts also were a minute longer than all that followed. Sometimes that one minute makes a difference. It did here as this actually dragged for awhile. It could have been cut to five minutes without missing anything because the sketches went on too long. That's usual for Tom and Jerry's. Usually, they are much faster-paced.

average stuff

[ville-5 · 15 January 2006]

Sure, this short has its moments and the animation is OK. The score is also fine with music arranged on what happens on the screen. It's not the worst Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Because Tom and Jerry don't speak these cartoons have to rely on visual gags and there's the problem with this cartoon - the writing. The gags are mostly not very funny and they're stretched too long. For example the first two minutes are spent showing Tom listening to a ghost story and being spooked by it - sounds boring and that's what it is.

About the previous reviewers... What were they on - and where can I get it? The plot outline in the main page is correct. There's a short gag about Tom's nine lives being 'sucked out' of him; there's also a short chase after Tom has figured out that Jerry is just trying to scare him. The only thing I agree with them is that the cartoon is "good and fun for the kids"! :)

Who's afraid of the big bad... nightgown?

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 20 May 2024]

After a more pleasant last outing, 'Fraidy Cat (1942)' reestablishes the iconic duo's entirely antagonistic relationship by having Jerry fall directly into his role as initial aggressor (as he would so often be in later films). Here, he decides to terrify Tom when he sees the cat shaking in his fur while listening to a spooky radio broadcast. Using an old nightgown and a vacuum cleaner, the mischievous mouse sets about pranking his unsuspecting prey. Of course, Tom eventually gets wind of the wind-up and fixes to do more than just scare his opponent to death. The flick has some funny sight gags and its animation is as scrumptious as you'd hope from these earlier shorts in which Tom is more cat-like and raggedy. It's a well-animated outing that's lively and has a lot of spirit to it. However, it just feels fairly standard overall. The premise isn't particularly clever and the piece lacks a satisfying ending to tie things together. It also features some off-screen animal abuse (which sounds to be more than the typical feline-on-rodent slapstick we all know and love) which leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Having said all that, it's still an entertaining effort overall. It isn't one of the pair's best outings, but it's definitely not one of their worst.

Not one of my favorites

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 25 July 2016]

"Fraidy Cat" is a Tom & Jerry cartoon from 1942, so this one will have its 75th anniversary next year. It is one of the earlier works starring the world's most famous cat and mouse duo and you also see that from the way Tom looks for example. At 8 minutes, it is slightly longer than they usually are. One reason why I did not manage to appreciate this one that much is that the comedy was not really so funny this time. Another reason would be the entire plot. I think these are the best when Tom is the evil guy and Jerry tales revenge, but here all the evil comes from Jerry. Tom listens to a creepy horror story from the radio and Jerry keeps scaring him afterward. The best moments were probably when Jerry gets a fair share of his own like when he is scared in the very end or the scene when he realizes Tom found out about him was probably the best about this little film. Still poor Tom. Even when he is not scared in the end anymore, he gets beaten the crap out of him. I don't recommend this T&J film. thumbs down.

A weak episode for T&J.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 13 March 2008]

Jerry spies Tom listening to a creepy story on the radio and seizes the opportunity to scare his nemesis.

I didn't find this particular episode that funny: the humour seemed rather constrained and the whole set up was kinda lame (Jerry is essentially the 'bad guy' in this one, tormenting poor Tom for no particular reason).

There is the occasional flash of inspiration (such as Tom's literal 'heart in mouth' experience, and the moment when his nines lives are sucked out of his body), but, on the whole, this effort lacks the frenetic pacing, excellent animation and sheer wit of most of T&J's other cartoons.