The Van Beuren Tom and Jerry (as said already not the famous cat and mouse, this is a human duo that lasted for just under 30 cartoons, 29 if memory serves correct, between 1931 and 1933) series was interesting but uneven and not easy to rate as an overall whole. At the series' best, the cartoons were good, very good in a few cases. At its worst, they were really bad.
Luckily, 'The Tuba Tooter' is among the better Tom and Jerry cartoons and is pretty decent. It is certainly not an animated masterpiece, but there is nothing that will offend and it does have energy and fun. That is more than can be said for a lot of the worst Tom and Jerry cartoons, which on top of being visually unappealing are low on timing and laughs, some of them even managing to leave a bad taste in the mouth offence-wise.
It as a cartoon could have been better. As always with Tom and Jerry, the story is very flimsy. Tom and Jerry are rather bland lead characters and a good deal of the animation is primitive (especially in the character designs of Tom and Jerry), being generally too static and simple.
As to be expected however, the music is outstanding. Even in the worst Tom and Jerry cartoons it was the best asset. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of energy, doing so well with enhancing the action.
When it comes to the humour, there is never anything hilarious in 'The Tuba Tooter' but it is at least well timed and amusing. There are signs of the expected absurdity but the bizarre factor has been brought out stronger in other cartoons of theirs. Seeing two young women dancing in their underwear was pretty racy for the time.
Tom and Jerry may be on the bland side but the supporting characters make a big impression. Schultz and his tuba playing steal the cartoon without any effort needed. There is a joyous energy throughout, that and that there are amusing and well-timed moments almost compensating for the thinness of the story.
Overall, nice cartoon. 7/10 Bethany Cox