Tom and Jerry are the funniest duo in cartoon history. As they turn 70 this year, Sunday Mid Day finds how the cat and mouse have a bar named after them and inspired a Bollywood star's action chops
Tom and Jerry are the funniest duo in cartoon history. As they turn 70 this year, Sunday Mid Day finds how the cat and mouse have a bar named after them and inspired a Bollywood star's action chops
At first sound, the house cat and daredevil mouse are the obvious inspiration behind Christmas drink Tom and Jerry. Fact is, the sweet, eggy drink originated in the 1820s way before the characters came into being. It was developed by sports writer Pierce Egan who wrote the book Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom.
The book was also turned into stage play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London. To generate buzz about his book and play, Egan invented a new version of eggnog that added brandy in addition to rum, and named it Tom and Jerry. So popular was the drink that pubs were often called Tom and Jerry's during the mid 1800s. A classic case of who came firstu00a0 the chicken or the egg(nogg)? 
Inspired Akki's action sequences
Not martial art legend Jackie Chan, neither action heroes Sylvester Stallone and Arnie. Judo-karate-taekwondo expert and actor Akshay Kumar finds inspiration for his fast-paced action sequences from the infuriated Tom and elusive Jerry. "I think I have learnt a lot from Tom and Jerry.
I have grown up watching the show, and that is where I got a lot of ideas for doing action. In fact, some of my earlier action (scenes) was copied from the cartoon series," the actor said in an interview.
Snuffed out for smoking
Call it political correctness gone mad or patronising behaviour. It's all right for Tom and Jerry to hit each other and smash heads in with anvils and hammers, but it's not OK if they smoke, believe critics. A viewer of British digital children's channel Boomerang complained to media watchdog Ofcom about two episodes dating back more than 50 years, where the characters smoked.
Consequently, all the scenes in which the children's favourite cat and mouse are seen smoking were taken out. Oscar-winning episode Texas Tom and Tennis Chumps were the reasons for which one British viewer felt extremely offended about smoking. In 'Texas Tom', Tom is the one who lights up a cigarette to impress a young pussycat, while in 'Tennis Chumps' the villain does all the cigar smoking. Meanwhile on television, Tom continues dropping an anvil on Jerry's head or putting him in an egg slicer.
A Jewish conspiracy?
A Jewish conspiracy lurks behind the cat-and-mouse cartoon Tom and Jerry, according to Professor Hasan Bolkhari, adviser to Iran's culture minister. His claim: Tom and Jerry was made in order to change the Europeans' perception of mice. "You will see who was the main power to hoard money and wealth, in the 19th century. In most cases, it is the Jews. The Jews were degraded and termed 'dirty mice'.
The mouse is very clever and smart. Everything he does is so cute. He kicks the poor cat's ass. Yet this cruelty does not make you despise the mouse. The facts: 1. Disney did not make the Tom and Jerry cartoons.
The characters were created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for MGM. 2. Walt Disney was not Jewish. 3. Hanna-Barbera weren't Jewish either. 4. Bolkhari is barking mad. Tom and Jerry is many things but one thing it's not, is a conspiracy.
Original recipe of Tom and Jerry
Ingredients:
2 large eggs, separated
2u00a01/2 tbsp sugar
1 cup plus 1 tbsp Jamaican rum
1u00a01/2 tsp vanilla extract
Small pinch ground allspice
Small pinch ground cloves
Large pinch ground cinnamon
2u00a02/3 cups whole milk
1 tsp freshly grated whole nutmeg
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Preparation:
>u00a0In a small mixing bowl, whisk yolks briefly.u00a0
> Add sugar, 1 tbsp rum, vanilla extract, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon, and whisk again. Set aside. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff and glossy. Fold whites into yolk mixture, and set aside.
>u00a0In medium saucepan over low heat, bring milk to simmer and remove from heat. While milk is warming, briefly stir egg batter, then add 1u00a01/2 tbsp to mug. Slowly add 4 tbsp of remaining rum, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Fill mug with hot milk, stir, sprinkle with nutmeg, and serve.
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