“Pecos Pest”
This is one of my favorite Tom & Jerry cartoons, even though it has some elements I usually hate to see in Tom & Jerry cartoons.
Usually, I don’t like the guest star type shorts. You know what I mean? The ones where a small animal shows up, Tom starts fighting with them for one reason or another, and it’s up to Jerry to keep the new guy safe. It works really well in this short though. Maybe that’s because Uncle Pecos is such a tough guy character, and he’s the one going after Tom, and not the other way around?
Another thing that shows up in this short is the impossible gag. Yes, I know that anything is possible in a cartoon, but certain rules have been established, and they shouldn’t really be broken. I think it requires an extra stretch or suspension of disbelief to a point where the viewer laughs because it’s so ridiculous. Not the gag itself, but the fact that we are asked to believe it. I think it works here because it’s the last gag of the short. If this showed up sooner, the cartoon wouldn’t have worked as well.
The last thing that’s in this short that I usually don’t care for in a Tom & Jerry short is the song. Many times, they feel forced. In this short, it’s part of the plot. Uncle Pecos needs to practice his act. The singer who played Uncle Pecos, George Clinton “Shug” Fisher, did an incredible job on this short. I would argue that the short wouldn’t be half as good with anyone else doing this part.
So there you have it. A Tom & Jerry cartoon that goes against everything I like in a Tom & Jerry short, and is STILL a great cartoon. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera knew their stuff!
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