8mm Forum: Cat Napping FOUND!!

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 14, 2016, 12:03 PM:

I was looking for a great print of this title, and i found a great print ... on Barry's Independent 8 film list!

(many thanks Barry, you're one of a few in a million!!).

It is an AGFA print of this title and the color and sharpness are just GLORIOUS!!

But now, it begs another question, that I think that only Tom and Jerry Lovers can answer ...

I'm going to hazzard a guess that this is a Derann print of a Walton title ...

Why?

The cartoon is shaved of approximately 20 seconds of footage. Now, i know that Walton films, while they released absolutely great prints of the Tom and Jerry Films ... also released slightly edited versions of the cartoons.

Was this because MGM, while giving them permission to release the Tom and Jerry films, also demanded that the films must be slightly edited, thereby leaving MGM in the favorable position of later releasing the full, unedited films?

Note that Disney, in large part, also releassed they're own films in slightly edited versions at times.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 14, 2016, 02:14 PM:

I have Walton TJ.19 "Cat Napping" and it's on Agfa stock.
I have always understood that the first ten T&J releases were cut, but the remaining issues were not. It appears that M.G.M. insisted on the cuts so that any showings were not the full length versions.

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on October 14, 2016, 02:47 PM:

It was also released by Derann, but I suspect they bought the Walton negs when Walton closed and used them. Their catalogue number was C1199.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 15, 2016, 11:57 AM:

It certainly looks incredibly good. It's sharper than the official MGM release, and the grain is better as well. Very rich colors. I'm willing to bet that it's the Derann print.

The person who originally owned this took two VERY good screenshots of the MGM Tom and Jerry logo (the two of them together) and tyhen for the back picture, a screenshot of the "Cat Napping" title card for the back of the box. Now, THAT'S dedication, (was this someones print that is on this forum? I'd love to know, so i can thank them for thier dedication and love for Tom and Jerry).

By the way, the two slightly shortened scenes are ...

1. after the scene where the ants cause the ropes to snap and break, we iris in on the now tied together hammock ropes, Tom looks around on and then, (this part is cut) tom takes a drink of his "milk" (?) and flops down in the hammock, and we then have the shot of an upset Jerry checking out the reclining tom. Cut footage comes to, perhaps 10 or so seconds.

2. As Tom is flying through the air, (asleep, with baseball bat), when he realizes that he's in the air, it cuts only a few frames after he falls to the sea, and leaves out his crashing to the sea, and breaking up in a bunch of pieces and sinks. cartoon resumes with Jerry tempting the bulldog with a bone. Footage missing ... approximately 10 or so seconds.

The second cut is not as good, as the editors should have left at least a few more seconds of the plummet. the first cut doesn't leave the viewer like he's missing something, the second cut, does.

However, all in all, I would much rather have this lovely color print, than a faded official MGM print. It's such a shame that they used such poor film stock for the original full length prints of these titles, but great praise to Derann and Walton films for they're use of low fade!

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