"The House of Tomorrow" is a great Tex Avery short which focuses in on the wonderful inventions certain to be part of our lives in the near future. Many of the gags are very clever and original. The machine designed to answer all of your children's questions is my favorite. Though, I give this short high marks, it still gets into a major rut. That being, the overuse of the Mother-in-law jokes. Those segments can only be called predictable, a word you'd almost never use to describe the work of Mr. Avery.
11 Reviews
obviously a product of "back then", but still pretty neat
lee_eisenberg31 May 2006
I have to admit that I only loosely know Tex Avery's work (namely that it was the inspiration for "The Mask"), but "The House of Tomorrow" is still a treat. A look at how people in 1949 imagined that future dwellings would be - think "The Jetsons" - there are some things that might eat at us in the 21st century, namely the fact that the cartoon envisions housewives staying home cooking and cleaning while their husbands go to work.
But, as long as we understand that this cartoon was a product of its era, we can accept it for what it is. And I think that everyone can agree about the mother-in-law; it looks like they were talking about Endora on "Bewitched". In conclusion, this cartoon will always remain a classic! And about that woman on dad's TV: meow meow...
But, as long as we understand that this cartoon was a product of its era, we can accept it for what it is. And I think that everyone can agree about the mother-in-law; it looks like they were talking about Endora on "Bewitched". In conclusion, this cartoon will always remain a classic! And about that woman on dad's TV: meow meow...
Tex Avery MGM cartoon
SnoopyStyle18 February 2023
The narrator holds out a tiny box which opens up to be the house of tomorrow. It's a lot of wacky futuristic innovations as they walk through the house. Every scene holds some sight gags.
It's a Tex Avery MGM cartoon. It's a series of inventive sight gags. It's fun. The in-law joke does get repetitive. It's one gag after another. There isn't much to the flow or pacing. What it does need is a recognizable character as the lead. It needs a family of known characters. As it stands, it has a standard 50's non-descript nuclear family. It's perfectly fine, but it needs a better narrative. Maybe a thief can break into the House of Tomorrow.
It's a Tex Avery MGM cartoon. It's a series of inventive sight gags. It's fun. The in-law joke does get repetitive. It's one gag after another. There isn't much to the flow or pacing. What it does need is a recognizable character as the lead. It needs a family of known characters. As it stands, it has a standard 50's non-descript nuclear family. It's perfectly fine, but it needs a better narrative. Maybe a thief can break into the House of Tomorrow.
Once again IMDb is incorrect!
etoiwins25 April 2010
The model the female model in this cartoon is not Irene Dunn! Irene for one thing was a Burnette the girl in the cartoon is a blonde! Also the girl in the Bikini is very young. Irene was born in 1898 she would of been over 50 years old when this cartoon was made!IMDb is becoming more and more inaccurate. I don't know who the Bikini girl is yet.Its safe to say it is not Irene Dunn. The bikini girl does look like Virginia Mayo.It is possible that it could very well be her seeing she was working at MGM at the same time .It was either a very young stock footage of Virginia Mayo or it was stock footage of another girl during the same time era.
The Deliberate Pacing Makes It Seem Slower For An Avery Cartoon
boblipton18 February 2023
Here's one of Tex Avery's cartoons on a theme, to wit: the latest and proposed advanced in the details and technology for living at home.
The gags are as good as Avery's usual, and the pacing likewise. It is, however, the narration which sets the pace, and makes them seem more deliberate that slows it down. I am certain there are as many gags as usual, the artwork is up to standard -- it would shortly begin to go downhill under the pressure of shrinking budgets -- but the narration, while perhaps necessary, makes them seem less spontaneous than usual.
Which makes this merely a fine, funny cartoon.
The gags are as good as Avery's usual, and the pacing likewise. It is, however, the narration which sets the pace, and makes them seem more deliberate that slows it down. I am certain there are as many gags as usual, the artwork is up to standard -- it would shortly begin to go downhill under the pressure of shrinking budgets -- but the narration, while perhaps necessary, makes them seem less spontaneous than usual.
Which makes this merely a fine, funny cartoon.
Hilarious fun from a master of the animated short
llltdesq12 June 2001
This is a very good cartoon from Tex Avery, a master of the art form known as the animated short. Avery typically came up with a premise, often an innocuous one and then proceeded to do the most outlandish and ridiculous sight gags imaginable fired rapidly at the audience starting from the basic idea. Usually, there is a running gag threading its way throughout the short. This time, Avery is ostensibly giving his ausience a look at the house of tomorrow. Hilarious and glorious fun. Highly recommended.
STEM education takes a major hit . . .
pixrox18 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
. . . during this film with a scientific sounding title. THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW begins with the apparent narrator unleashing a fully-furnished mansion from a tiny box barely large enough to contain a pair of cuff links. This sequence breaks seven of Newton's Laws of Physics. Then, from 3:27 through 3:38 and again from 6:30 to 6:42 the screen is cluttered with salacious live-action sleaze of an actress best known for her role in A TOUCH OF EVIL. This picture certainly features a lot more than a touch of evil. Nearly every man with a happy wife has a mother-in-law. HOUSE suggests creation of sure marital discord, rifts and calamity by consigning the wives' closest relative to chains, poisons and the electric chair! Beware of any reviewer with a female-sounding moniker awarding this misfire a rating of Seven or higher. It is likely that such miscreants are men posing as the opposite gender, or daughters guilty of Matricide in Real Life!
Newer isn't always better
nickenchuggets4 November 2023
In postwar America, many cars and household items would have a futuristic appeal to them, and can still look cutting edge today. This short shows how, in humorous fashion, the homes americans will be living in soon are completely modern. The short begins by showing a small cube which miraculously unpacks into a full sized house, complete with two upper platforms on either side containing a swimming pool and a tennis court. Inside the house, things get even more bizarre. The narrator says if the house needs more moisture, all you have to do is push a button and a small cloud is dispatched from a door in the ceiling, which proceeds to rain all over the living room. The house also features a cutting edge chair that transforms into different forms to suit the different members of the family. For the mother-in-law, it turns into an electric chair. The bathroom contains a strange device that claims to be able to give anyone a perfect shave in seconds, but testing it on some guy just shears off every part of his face (except eyes). In the kitchen, a new appliance claims to make the arduous efforts of housewives manually cooking food obsolete. Pressure cookers of tomorrow boast the magical ability to make a complete meal just by putting the required ingredients in them. However, after doing so, it blows up and takes the kitchen with it. These are just a selection of the things shown in this cartoon, but all of them seem to have the same mocking tone; I feel like this was made to satirize people wanting everything to be futuristic, and how old, tried and true things work better. Because america had come out of World War 2 so much wealthier than going into it, it was easy for people in the late 40s and 50s to want to see the country do something with its new potential, namely futuristic cars and items that would wow any visitors or neighbors. While things like these would be nice to have, vanity and showing off won't get you far. When you look at this short from this angle, it would make sense why it has an element of comedy to it. It's still enjoyable enough regardless.
One amazing house of the future
TheLittleSongbird21 October 2017
Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'The House of Tomorrow' is another example of an animated masterpiece and one of his all time best. Like the best of Tex Avery, 'The House of Tomorrow' is a cartoon of amazing quality, is very creative and hilarious as one would expect from Avery on top form like he is here. Even when he wasn't at his best, he still delivered, have yet to see a "bad" effort from him.
Simply love the house of tomorrow/of the future, it is so cool and makes one wish that they had the appliances that are as innovative as the plot summary suggests. Particularly loved the automatic orange juicer, the radishes device and the guest chair. 'The House of Tomorrow' is somewhat of the time, but it also feels ahead of its time.
The characters are great fun. The mother-in-law is a riot and the jokes around her are deliciously witty and sly, personally didn't think they were that over-used. The voice work is terrific, which is not unexpected.
Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild, rapid-fire, razor-sharp and hilarious throughout from start to finish. The sight gags throughout are an absolute joy and are immaculate in timing.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
Summing up, another Avery masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'The House of Tomorrow' is another example of an animated masterpiece and one of his all time best. Like the best of Tex Avery, 'The House of Tomorrow' is a cartoon of amazing quality, is very creative and hilarious as one would expect from Avery on top form like he is here. Even when he wasn't at his best, he still delivered, have yet to see a "bad" effort from him.
Simply love the house of tomorrow/of the future, it is so cool and makes one wish that they had the appliances that are as innovative as the plot summary suggests. Particularly loved the automatic orange juicer, the radishes device and the guest chair. 'The House of Tomorrow' is somewhat of the time, but it also feels ahead of its time.
The characters are great fun. The mother-in-law is a riot and the jokes around her are deliciously witty and sly, personally didn't think they were that over-used. The voice work is terrific, which is not unexpected.
Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild, rapid-fire, razor-sharp and hilarious throughout from start to finish. The sight gags throughout are an absolute joy and are immaculate in timing.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
Summing up, another Avery masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Sexist. Ignorant.
gkeith_119 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Sexist. Ignorant. I thought that this would be an actual technical preview of future trends, but being a cartoon is disappointing.
The wife is only depicted as a homemaker. The mother-in-law gets at least three insults. We don't even meet her. The husband gets a sexy she-beast to look at, and the wife never even gets to see a handsome man in his bathing suit.
The husband is tired at the end of the day, but the wife is never depicted as tired after all of the housework and taking care of the child.
The wife is chained to the kitchen. She of the future is even shown after the 2050 appliance has blown up, as burned up herself and very disheveled.
This is not a clever prediction of the future. It never shows the woman having a career. She is just there to serve her husband. The mother-in-law should have hit the husband over his head with her umbrella or handbag.
4/10.
The wife is only depicted as a homemaker. The mother-in-law gets at least three insults. We don't even meet her. The husband gets a sexy she-beast to look at, and the wife never even gets to see a handsome man in his bathing suit.
The husband is tired at the end of the day, but the wife is never depicted as tired after all of the housework and taking care of the child.
The wife is chained to the kitchen. She of the future is even shown after the 2050 appliance has blown up, as burned up herself and very disheveled.
This is not a clever prediction of the future. It never shows the woman having a career. She is just there to serve her husband. The mother-in-law should have hit the husband over his head with her umbrella or handbag.
4/10.
All the comforts of home, and more!
slymusic13 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
From director Tex Avery, one of the most celebrated cartoon directors at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, we get a glimpse of "The House of Tomorrow"! This modernized house is extremely (un)comfortable and user-(un)friendly, and, as is always the case with Tex Avery, plenty of wonderful sight gags abound with all the various household electronic devices, buttons, and gadgets.
Here are a couple of my favorite jokes and sight gags within "The House of Tomorrow." The mother-in-law is clearly given her due respect with the house's various entrances, medicine cabinets, and the all-purpose guest chair. I also like the automatic orange juicer, which spits the seeds from the oranges, and the device that removes the burps from the radishes.
If you'd like to live in a domicile that is quite different from the norm, try "The House of Tomorrow." You'll never regret it.....or maybe you will.
Here are a couple of my favorite jokes and sight gags within "The House of Tomorrow." The mother-in-law is clearly given her due respect with the house's various entrances, medicine cabinets, and the all-purpose guest chair. I also like the automatic orange juicer, which spits the seeds from the oranges, and the device that removes the burps from the radishes.
If you'd like to live in a domicile that is quite different from the norm, try "The House of Tomorrow." You'll never regret it.....or maybe you will.
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