The basic of comedy is tragedy. It is in suffering and it's aftermath that amuses the observers more than anything else. And when this suffering is never permanent but consistently recurring, the comic factor is multiplied many fold.
To be truly entertained, it is a must for the mind to relax. Take a break from functioning.
Tom And Jerry provide the perfect spectacle for such entertainment. 'Jasper' aka tom, is a house cat. Pampered and cared for. Jerry is a brown mouse. Witty and quick. And thus, the chase ensues. Tom isn't after Jerry due to his cat instinct, but because of Jerry's irritating, usually insulting mischief.
The result is a mayhem in the house!!! That's it. There is nothing more to it. A fight between a cat and mouse. They fight violently. With knives, hammers, saws, swords, axes, guns, bombs, furniture, and occasionally, fire and wild animals. They get injuries, medical treatment, a few times, death, but neither is ready to give up.
The story line is most often illogical. And the sequences are never deep. The action and circumstance are utterly ridiculous. The viewer Simply does not need to think to understand what is happening. The entire theme of the comedy is improbable tragedy. so that you can safely Turn off your mind. And enjoy!!!
There are rarely any dialogues, and minimal human intervention. The Background music is rich in variety and gives the emotion to the scene. Most sound effects are either tom or Jerry screaming , crying, laughing, gasping, or yelling before an attack! Though the story-line in each of the show is basically the same, the methods of tom to accomplish his goal and the ways of Jerry to foil tom keep on changing. The faces of the human characters are never shown. The cat and mouse are usually in a chase with each trying to inflict the maximum hurt and humiliation on the other. But every once in a while, they come together if the other requires help. Or if a circumstance requires them both.
The show has often been criticized for its extensive violence and racial and gender stereotyping, but though full of violence, the ere is almost no blood or gore in the entire tom and Jerry universe.
Beginning in September of 1940, Tom And Jerry was created by Hannah and Barbera for Merto Goldwyn-Mayer until it's cartoon studio shut down. But it continue on up to 2005 in various series, movies and short films.
The popularity of this cat and mouse duo exceeds that of most of the cartoons combined! With fans and audiences of all ages. The original 52 episodes continue, and hopefully will continue, to be re run on many different networks.