Gene Deitch in 2010 sitting for an interview that is now part of this new DVD collection.When the lights came up in the other-worldly MGM executive screening theater, Head-Hocho Joe Vogel took a deep drag on his stogie, and said, “You don’t need to build such expensive sets! ‘Right away, it was clear that these 6-figure honchos didn’t have the faintest ideas how cartoon films were made. Our career and personal lives were on the line so I put everything I had into it. In spite of my negative feelings about the T&J cartoons, as being senselessly violent, and downright racist, I knew this was a crossroad, and though I hadn’t asked for this assignment, I was under pressure to accept it, and I became determined to make a success of it.
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Our assignment was actually a test, to see if we would be awarded a contract for the full 13-film package.
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When I flew to Hollywood to present our first trial Tom & Jerry film, it was in fact a weird situation as if we were speaking different languages. Here in his own words, Gene Deitch recalls his feelings about Tom & Jerry and his many memories of that production year. For that alone, it is worth having in your collection. The restorations on this DVD are surprising, as it is the first time we see them crystal clear and bursting with color. The prints of these cartoons in circulation for decades always looked like dupes of dupes – and I’ve accepted that because, heck, they were made in Prague and I figured we were watching some second generation version. From the cock-eyed animation, to the voices of Allen Swift (“Dickie Moe” in particular). For me – I’ll just say that there is much to enjoy in Deitch’s Tom & Jerry films. Gene Deitch has been candid about his work on these cartoons, as you will see on the bonus doc – and in the exclusive piece he has written for Cartoon Reseach below. to feature restored cartoons and include a bonus documentary.
Considering the sorry state of the DVD business – at least among the major studios – this may be the last classic theatrical cartoon collection from Warner Bros. EDITOR’S NOTE: Tomorrow is the release date for TOM & JERRY: THE GENE DEITCH COLLECTION.