I have found a small slice of nostalgic heaven.

It’s during the hour of 11 a.m. weekdays on Cartoon Network. What’s so great about this hour of television programming? Only that it holds the most original and greatest cartoon that is still able to bring countless laughs, even after being out of production for decades.

This hour is packed with the never-ending literal cat and mouse struggle featuring two classic comedians: one annoyed and hungry cat and one clever and mischievous mouse.

I am of course talking about the hysterical duo known only as the lovable “Tom and Jerry.”

If you have never witnessed this explosive pair, you are missing out on quite possibly the most hilarious (and harmlessly violent) cartoon that only gets better with time.

I first witnessed the hard-hitting gags of “Tom and Jerry” when I was 12-years-old. Although I was out of the targeted audience, I still found its clever and cynical comedy to be highly entertaining.

Now in college, “Tom and Jerry” is still able to get me rolling.

“Tom and Jerry” was a childrens cartoon that was made and produced throughout 1940 and 1970.

The cartoon featured Tom (the cat) in his efforts to eat and rid the house of a persistent and clever mouse, Jerry. Every episode would put the two in situations where one was trying to accomplish a goal and the other found new and harsh ways to interfere and inflict pain onto each other.

Even though most of the gags featured axes, explosives, hammers and other household items as weapons, the two would never bleed or be damaged.

In these original years, neither character spoke with a human voice. Instead, instruments and other sounds replaced dialogue.

That’s what I find most interesting and revolutionary about “Tom and Jerry.”

Without speaking a word, the writers and musical directors were able to convey so much emotion and create a sensible storyline. In 1967, MGM ended the original production of “Tom and Jerry,” bringing an end to the fantastic tag-team.

However, the television series had a short resurgence in the early 1970s, and then again in the 1980s. Television’s censorship against the cartoon’s violence held back the ability to bring smiles to viewers.

Instead of the two fighting and interfering with each other, they became friends, helping each other achieve a common goal with slapstick comedy thrown in. It wasn’t as nearly as funny as the original, but probably better for the age groups targeted by the cartoon.

But you may wonder; why is it so funny to watch a cat and mouse find ways to inflict pain onto each other?

Well, because its harmless violence.

No one in the cartoon got hurt when a stick of dynamite dressed as a female cat blew up in Tom’s arms. Or when Tom’s tail is slammed in a waffle maker.

Nothing matters because after the gag all is returned to normal, the two are back chasing

each other through the house.

“Tom and Jerry” is in my opinion one of the greatest cartoons, and although it may seem silly and

pointless, I find it to be the best way to relive a simpler time, a time when one could laugh hysterically the meaningless quarrels of one cat and one mouse.

If you have some free time and need some senseless humor, then I highly suggest finding a few episodes of “Tom and Jerry,” from the original decades, of course.