MGM Cartoons version differences discussion

[Charly9631]

As for the "the end" title cards, in Tom's Photo Finish (2 Turner Prints) they also have a slight difference :
1. The NTSC version (Tom and Jerry Classic Collection) edited the fade : fade in late and out early at the end title card faster than usual.
2. The rare PAL version (usually seen on Cartoon Network) : the fade doesn't seem to be edited, we can still see clearly the contrast while fading in and out. Here is the sample of the ending to this version.

As for Royal Cat Nap :
1. The NTSC version has a faster and later fade in and does not have the border to the left and right of the title card.

2. The PAL version is completely different, it slowly fade the border first, which also contains the left and right border, then the end title card fade in. Also, the end title card is much narrower and darker than the NTSC version.

 

[A-Cecil]

As for Royal Cat Nap :
1. The NTSC version has a faster and later fade in and does not have the border to the left and right of the title card.
View attachment 110721

2. The PAL version is completely different, it slowly fade the border first, which also contains the left and right border, then the end title card fade in. Also, the end title card is much narrower and darker than the NTSC version.
View attachment 110731

@Charly9631 for Royal Cat Nap I think you got it the other way round.

1. The Turner print of Royal Cat Nap which has no borders in the ending card is the PAL print, evidenced from a PAL Cartoon Network station (I guess Europe? Southeast Asia? Australia & New Zealand) TVrip and the Classic Collection DVD
CN (Non-US) TVrip (I guess Europe? Southeast Asia? Australia & New Zealand)

http://www.b99.tv/video/royal-cat-nap/
Tom & Jerry Classic Collection DVDrip

2. Meanwhile the Turner print of Royal Cat Nap which has blue borders in the ending card is the NTSC print, evidenced from Cartoon Network USA.
http://www.peteava.ro/id-80827-tom-and-jerry-royal-cat-nap

As for the "the end" title cards, in Tom's Photo Finish (2 Turner Prints) they also have a slight difference :
1. The NTSC version (Tom and Jerry Classic Collection) edited the fade : fade in late and out early at the end title card faster than usual.
2. The rare PAL version (usually seen on Cartoon Network) : the fade doesn't seem to be edited, we can still see clearly the contrast while fading in and out. Here is the sample of the ending to this version.

And Cat Fishin' also has 2 Turner Prints :
1. The PAL version has a thin blue-purple (just like the border color of @A-Cecil's recreation of The Frame Cat) that doesn't fade out after the MGM Logo.View attachment 110482 View attachment 110492 View attachment 110502

2. The NTSC version has a slightly thicker border than the PAL, and it has a dark blue color other than the blue-purple color. It fades out after the MGM logo, but it remains the same color in the title card.View attachment 110512 View attachment 110522View attachment 110542

And of course, the color also alternate between the NTSC version and the PAL version.

And again for Tom's Photo Finish and Cat Fishin' Turner prints differences, @Charly9631 you had it the other way round again. Pretty much you got the NTSC and PAL prints completely mixed up and swapped.

Here's one thing to point out so that you don't get confused between the NTSC and PAL versions:

1. The NTSC versions always play with normal-pitched audio and normal speed, and the CN/Boomerang bug is always at the bottom right of the screen. Note that the onscreen bug fades in and fades out for a few seconds before and after the cartoons ends.

2. The PAL versions always play with high-pitched audio and are sped-up slightly by 4-5%, and the CN/Boomerang bug is usually always at the top right of the screen. Some PAL region TV versions however have the CN/Boomerang bug at the bottom right of the screen, such as Cartoon Network Southeast Asia (before 1998) and Boomerang France (since 2015). Note that the onscreen bug stays permanent on the screen throughout the cartoon without any fading in or fading out, and in many PAL CN/Boomerang feeds (including Europe and Australia/New Zealand) since 1999 the onscreen bug even appears during commercial breaks.

 

[Charly9631]

Pretty much you got the NTSC and PAL prints completely mixed up and swapped.

Oh, yeah. I usually get confused about the NTSC and PAL because I usually thought PAL runs in 24.97fps or 49.94fps and NTSC runs in 29.97fps or 59.94fps.

 

[MTGM]

Does anyone have the laserdisc version of Muscle Beach Tom handy on them? I haven't seen it ever since Boomerang started airing the remastered version in its place.

 

[A-Cecil]

Does anyone have the laserdisc version of Muscle Beach Tom handy on them? I haven't seen it ever since Boomerang started airing the remastered version in its place.

The Laserdisc print of "Muscle Beach Tom" is available on Desenhos Raros website, albeit in pan-and-scan. The widescreen version (albeit in letterboxed format) is only available on The Art Of Tom & Jerry laserdisc release.
https://mega.nz/#!ZFgwlIxB!U2WA6qwyHfVvvPfD4SMjdOkQ-sYHgL-CGEEACNh-puQ

These pan-and-scan Laserdisc prints I believe they were made for TV broadcasts/VHS releases in 1988. Most of these prints tend to have either colored letterboxed title sequences or with the titles stretched to fit the 4:3 television screen. I have no idea what MGM cartoons' VHS releases by MGM/UA Home Video have these pan-and-scan prints.

Here are some screenshots of the pan-and-scan LaserDisc print of Muscle Beach Tom as seen on CN/Boomerang USA, recorded from Cartoon Network Latin America:

Note that the letterboxing borders in the televised LaserDisc print are blue.

Interestingly even though a pan-and-scan NTSC Turner print of Muscle Beach Tom does exists, for some reason Cartoon Network and Boomerang USA didn't even bother replacing that old transfer, instead opting to stick to the same unrestored transfer they used since the 1992 Cartoon Network launch. This exact same thing also happens to "Cat Napping" on both USA Turner networks.

Speaking about the restored version of Muscle Beach Tom replacing the pan-and-scan LaserDisc print they used to air, @MTGM did Boomerang USA (which is only available in standard definition unlike its parent channel Cartoon Network which is available in both standard definition and high definition) air the restored version of Muscle Beach Tom in its original widescreen format (albeit leterboxed) or in cropped 4:3 pan-and-scan format?

 

[Cool_Cat]

@A-Cecil Actually that Pan & Scan version was made for the "Bad Day at Cat Rock" VHS.

 

[MTGM]

The Laserdisc print of "Muscle Beach Tom" is available on Desenhos Raros website, albeit in pan-and-scan. The widescreen version (albeit in letterboxed format) is only available on The Art Of Tom & Jerry laserdisc release.
https://mega.nz/#!ZFgwlIxB!U2WA6qwyHfVvvPfD4SMjdOkQ-sYHgL-CGEEACNh-puQ

These pan-and-scan Laserdisc prints I believe they were made for TV broadcasts/VHS releases in 1988. Most of these prints tend to have either colored letterboxed title sequences or with the titles stretched to fit the 4:3 television screen. I have no idea what MGM cartoons' VHS releases by MGM/UA Home Video have these pan-and-scan prints.

Here are some screenshots of the pan-and-scan LaserDisc print of Muscle Beach Tom as seen on CN/Boomerang USA, recorded from Cartoon Network Latin America:
View attachment 110831
View attachment 110821
View attachment 110811
View attachment 110801
View attachment 110791
Note that the letterboxing borders in the televised LaserDisc print are blue.

Interestingly even though a pan-and-scan NTSC Turner print of Muscle Beach Tom does exists, for some reason Cartoon Network and Boomerang USA didn't even bother replacing that old transfer, instead opting to stick to the same unrestored transfer they used since the 1992 Cartoon Network launch. This exact same thing also happens to "Cat Napping" on both USA Turner networks.

Speaking about the restored version of Muscle Beach Tom replacing the pan-and-scan LaserDisc print they used to air, @MTGM did Boomerang USA (which is only available in standard definition unlike its parent channel Cartoon Network which is available in both standard definition and high definition) air the restored version of Muscle Beach Tom in its original widescreen format (albeit leterboxed) or in cropped 4:3 pan-and-scan format?

They show it in a 16:9 cropped format. They do the same for a few other remastered CinemaScope cartoons while others are cropped to 4:3 pan-and-scan.

 

[Charly9631]

And in Cartoon Network Asia they used the PAL version of the Turner print of Muscle Beach Tom.
And speaking of the laserdisc version, does anyone here remember the unrestored version of Happy Go Ducky (also pan-and-scan) with dark red letterboxing border and Royal Cat Nap with purple letterboxing border?

 

[A-Cecil]

And in Cartoon Network Asia they used the PAL version of the Turner print of Muscle Beach Tom.
And speaking of the laserdisc version, does anyone here remember the unrestored version of Happy Go Ducky (also pan-and-scan) with dark red letterboxing border and Royal Cat Nap with purple letterboxing border?

Yes, but they are in pan-and-scan. I could however only remember unrestored version of Happy Go Ducky (also pan-and-scan) with dark red letterboxing border.

These are some images from these two cartoons' LaserDisc prints (Happy Go Ducky is from Cartoon Network Southeast Asia);

Unfortunately I haven't got any videos for these.

 

[A-Cecil]

Here is a rare discovery: A clip from the first ever Tom & Jerry cartoon "Puss Gets The Boot" with June Foray's redub over the original Black Mammy footage (however, the footage appears to be really faded, with a reddish sort of tint, in comparison to the later transfers (e.g. Laserdisc, Turner and Restored)):
I have no idea which VHS release has this rare version of "Puss Gets The Boot"

This rare edited version is shown on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia, instead of using the 1995 Turner print with Thea Vidale's redub (Thea Vidale's redub has Mammy address Tom by "Jasper"" instead of his actual name "Thomas", has all of Tom's original meowing sounds Clarence Nash intact and undubbed and has the original, incorrect O-W-T out spelling spelled correctly as O-U-T.)

June Foray's re-dub has Mammy address Tom by his actual name "Thomas" instead of the original "Jasper", and retains the original, incorrect O-W-T out spelling. I also noticed that the old June Foray re-dub of Mammy Two-Shoes also re-dubs Tom's meowing at 0:12-0:14 (its unknown who re-dubs Tom's meowing in this sequence), replacing Tom's original meowing sounds by Clarence Nash in this sequence (though Tom's original meowing sounds in other scenes in this cartoon remain unaltered).

Other MGM cartoon goofs I noticed:

1. Puss Gets The Boot's restored version as seen on Tom & Jerry Spotlight Collection Volume 2 DVD, Academy Awards Animation Collection DVD and Tom & Jerry Golden Collection Volume 1 Blu-Ray/DVD has a rare remodified "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Presents An MGM Cartoon" title card credit with the "in TECHNICOLOR" line blanked out. Notice how different the 1940 MGM Cartoons logos look in these two different transfers.

(Left: Original 1940 MGM Cartoons title card/Right: Restored 1940 MGM Cartoons title card with the Technicolor credit removed)

2. The restored version of "Touche Pussy Cat!" has altered soundtrack, with some missing audio as well as Nibbles/Tuffy's lines singing Frère Jacques muted out.
Altered soundtrack

http://onlineplayer.eu/Tom-and-Jerry/touch-pussy-cat-89.html
Original soundtrack

3.
(a) The unrestored transfer of "Dr Jekyll and Mr Mouse" as seen on VHS and Laserdisc appears to be really very faded, with a horrible blue tint and messed-up color levels. This ugly print airs on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia instead of the more superior-looking Turner print, and every time I see this print it just seems to hurt my eyes because of the print's bluish tint.

(b) Even though no full video of this print is found, there also appears to be another alternate unrestored transfer of the very same cartoon which was also mastered before the cartoon's Turner print was created, found via a clip from the opening of "A Taste Of Cartoon Network" 1993 VHS tape.

The colors of this pre-1995 transfer appear to look MUCH BETTER than that ugly-looking transfer as mentioned above.

Can anyone here help to clarify these two different pre-1994 unrestored transfers of Dr Jekyll & Mr Mouse?

4. There appears to be two VHS/LaserDisc prints of "The Million Dollar Cat"; one has red curved blending borders and the other has no borders in the opening titles:

(Left: Version 1 with red borders, Right: Version 2 with no borders)
Cartoon Network Southeast Asia airs this second VHS/LD version of "The Million Dollar Cat" on the right instead of the Turner print.

5.
(a) The LaserDisc print of "Rock-A Bye Bear" has high-pitched audio at the opening credits, and then the pitch switches back to normal for the rest of the cartoon after the opening titles.
http://texaverytv.netingredients.com/ (Rock-A-Bye Bear)
The video link to Tex Avery TV has the full version of the LD print of "Rock-A-Bye Bear".

(b) The Turner print (both the NTSC and PAL versions) of the cartoon doesn't have this audio pitch inconsistency problem as described above, however the 1952-1954 Technicolor MGM Cartoons Lion Logo is replaced by the 1960s Metrocolor MGM Cartoons Lion Logo as seen on the Gene Deitch era Tom & Jerry shorts, hinting that the cartoon's Turner print is sourced from a Metrocolor print.
Very often, all Turner prints of pre-1960s MGM cartoons are sourced from 3-strip Technicolor prints, and they often omit all references to Metrocolor. However there was only ONE exception to this: Rock-A-Bye Bear (1952). It is the only Turner print of the pre-1960 MGM cartoons that is sourced from a Metrocolor print and had altered MGM Cartoons logo.

(c) Speaking about the faded Metrocolor look in pre-1960s MGM cartoons' Turner prints, even though the Turner print of "Fine Feathered Friend" (referring to both the NTSC and PAL prints) is sourced from a Technicolor print, however it looks like a Metrocolor print to me (because of the dark, washed-out colors, especially Tom having a very dark grey color).

 

[Cool_Cat]

@A-Cecil

-The print on the French VHS of Puss Gets the Boot is different than the other ones. When it aired on Boomerang FR it had June Foray's voice too. The other two older prints are the one from the Bad Day at Cat Rock VHS and the one in the US LD set (which the audio was used as a source for the Turner print)

-The old Italian print of The Night Before Christmas aired on Rai 2 had the exact fake title card spliced into the film. On many non Technicolor prints they use the lion sequence taken from another cartoon with the Technicolor line blanked out instead of Leo the Lion.

-All the shorts on the first Cartoon Festival tape on the PAL version were shot directly at 576i but have 24fps pitch audio, while on the NTSC version (which I still have to order in Laserdisc format) it looks like they have frame blending and they were re shot from the same source. Once I'll get my hands on it I'll post more info.

-The transfer on the right of the Million Dollar Cat comes from the VHS of the same name (also known as Cartoon Festival Volume 3). The one on the left apparently belongs to a set of late 80s/early 90s prints. A few of these ended up on the LD set while two of them were on the 1995 VHS series. The Turner prints have the exact same audio as these, except they filtered it sometimes. The print of The Invisible Mouse with the 60s lion on the LD set also belongs to this series.

 

[Daffyrocks]

The print of "Half-Pint Palomino" (1953) aired by Boomerang Germany is also sourced from a Metrocolor print, and also has the 60s MGM logo:

 

[Charly9631]

This ugly print airs on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia instead of the more superior-looking Turner print, and every time I see this print it just seems to hurt my eyes because of the print's bluish tint.

Speaking of the unrestored print, I remember also from CN Asia, I watched the unrestored print of Mouse in Manhattan, which looks kinda like the Eastman print to me. Not to mention, at the end of that episode, the screen just move left and right even worse than in Hic-cup Pup, whose print that CN Asia also broadcast on television.
And as for The Cat Concerto, I remember seeing a similar print to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (broadcast right after it) but I didn't have images to show unfortunately...

 

[Cool_Cat]

@Charly9631 Those prints which shake left and right come from Cartoon Festival Volume 2. The Cat Concerto was released on the first volume instead. I'll post the full list:


The Flying Cat
The Bodyguard
The Little Orphan
Jerry's Cousin
Dr Jekyll and Mr Mouse
Mice Follies
The Cat and the Mermouse
The Cat Concerto

Mouse Trouble
Jerry and the Lion
Mouse in Manhattan
The Milky Waif
Cat Napping
Saturday Evening Puss
Hic Cup Pup
The Invisible Mouse

The Million Dollar Cat
The Night Before Christmas
Polka Dot Puss
Two Little Indians
The Hollywood Bowl
Trap Happy
Cue Ball Cat
Little Runaway

Fraidy Cat
Baby Butch
Johann Mouse
Pet Peeve
The Mouse From Hunger
The Dog House
Baby Puss
The Zoot Cat

The Bowling Alley Cat
Pecos Pest
The Duck Doctor
Robin Hoodwinked
Hatch Up Your Troubles
Heavenly Puss
Yankee Doodle Mouse
Tee For Two

Ah Sweet Mouse Story of Life
Barbecue Brawl
Blue Cat Blues
Atominable Snowman
The Brothers Carry Mouse Off
Buddies Thicker Than Water
Calypso Cat
Cannery Rodent

Bad Day at Cat Rock
Muscle Beach Tom
Nit Witty Kitty
Puttin on the Dog
Springtime for Thomas
The Two Mouseketeers
Puppy Tale
Puss Gets the Boot

The Missing Mouse
Is There a Doctor in the Mouse
It's Greek to Meow
Jerry Jerry Quite Contrary
Southbound Duckling
Rock N Rodent
Jerry and the Goldfish
The Vanishing Duck

Professor Tom
Sleepy Time Tom
Tom's Photo Finish
Tomic Energy
The Framed Cat
Smarty Cat
Royal Cat Nap
Timid Tabby

Quiet Please
Old Rockin Chair Tom
Salt Water Tabby
Jerry and Jumbo
The Midnight Snack
The Mouse Comes to Dinner
Mouse Cleaning
Solid Serenade

Cat and Dupli Cat
Life with Tom
The Lonesome Mouse
Feedin the Kiddie
Catty Cornered
Little Quacker
The Egg and Jerry
Of Feline Bondage

Little School Mouse
Cruise Cat
Down and Outing
Filet Meow
Posse Cat
Safety Second
O Solar Meow
Purr Chance to Dream

Puss N Toots
The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit
Tot Watchers
Touchè Pussy Cat
Year of the Mouse
Two Little Indians
The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse

Tom and Cherie
Smitten Kitten
Snowbody Loves Me
Love That Pup
Love Me Love My Mouse
I'm Just Wild about Jerry
Part Time Pal
Pup on a Picnic

I'll write the rest of the MGM tapes later because I can't find my copy of the Rookie Bear VHS and I lost the episode list.

 

[Charly9631]

There also appears to be a laserdisc/VHS version of Sleepy-Time Tom, which looks really dark and uncomfortable for me to watch.
Compare to the unrestored version of this episode (SBT). SBT used a different VHS tape of this episode, which looks way brighter and pretty much better for me. This print, if I'm not mistaken, CN Asia also broadcast it on television instead of using the Turner Print.
https://mega.nz/#!DFhnwTRA!5enWgcc4Xfg4bfrCcqReLbAfF9HkEQSZ8ai89VU0NkM

 

[Charly9631]

@Cool_Cat I'm kinda curious about the VHS tape you're talking, especially the Blue Cat Blue episode. Was it the print which looks like this? Or was it another print?

 

[Cool_Cat]

@Charly9631 Yes that one.

That's the LD capture looking bad on Sleepy Time Tom. It should look good.

 

[A-Cecil]

Speaking of the unrestored print, I remember also from CN Asia, I watched the unrestored print of Mouse in Manhattan, which looks kinda like the Eastman print to me. Not to mention, at the end of that episode, the screen just move left and right even worse than in Hic-cup Pup, whose print that CN Asia also broadcast on television.
And as for The Cat Concerto, I remember seeing a similar print to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (broadcast right after it) but I didn't have images to show unfortunately...

Here are some screenshots of the unrestored inferior print of "The Cat Concerto" as seen on CN Southeast Asia you're talking about @Charly9631;

Looks like a pretty bad print to me, especially the opening titles looking so dull and faded with a blue-tinted MGM Cartoons Lion logo, but at least doesn't look as bad as the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse print on the same Cartoon Festivals VHS tape.

 

[Cool_Cat]

@A-Cecil Wait until you see The Bodyguard

 

[Daffyrocks]

Here are some screenshots of the unrestored inferior print of "The Cat Concerto" as seen on CN Southeast Asia you're talking about @Charly9631;
View attachment 112202
View attachment 112192
Looks like a pretty bad print to me, especially the opening titles looking so dull and faded with a blue-tinted MGM Cartoons Lion logo, but at least doesn't look as bad as the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse print on the same Cartoon Festivals VHS tape.

Lol, it looks like a Public Domain print

And that's ironic, considering this particular short isn't PD at all.