Tom and Jerry – Piano Tooners (1932) Director: John Foster, George Stallings Studio: Van Beuren Studios Starring: Unknown voice cast (uncredited) Release Date: January 23, 1932 Runtime: 7 minutes Format: Black & White | Mono | Sound | Animated Country: United States Language: English Genres: Animation | Comedy | Musical | Short | Slapstick --- Summary: Tom and Jerry (the human duo from Van Beuren Studios, not the later MGM cat-and-mouse pair) work as piano tuners, but their job quickly devolves into slapstick chaos. Between malfunctioning instruments, zany gags, and a mix of music and mayhem, the short delivers fast-paced comedy that defined early 1930s cartoons. --- Background: Produced by Van Beuren Studios, Piano Tooners is part of the lesser-known Tom and Jerry series that predates the famous MGM cat-and-mouse by nearly a decade. These two human characters starred in a variety of comedic shorts, often centered on everyday jobs that spiral into absurd adventures. With rubber hose animation and synchronized sound, the series reflected the era’s fascination with vaudeville-inspired slapstick humor. --- Trivia: The Van Beuren Tom and Jerry have no connection to MGM’s more famous cat-and-mouse duo introduced in 1940. The short exemplifies the studio’s style—fast-paced, gag-driven humor with limited but expressive animation. Often confused with the better-known Hanna-Barbera characters, leading to the pair being renamed Dick and Larry in later TV syndication. Public domain status has led to frequent circulation in classic cartoon compilations. --- Hashtags: #TomAndJerry #PianoTooners #1932Cartoon #VanBeurenStudios #ClassicCartoons #PublicDomainCartoon #EarlySoundAnimation #RubberHoseAnimation #SlapstickComedy #VintageAnimation #MusicalCartoon