After Paul Terry left the van Beuren organization to produce his own cartoons for Fox, the best series produced by van Beuren was the Tom and Jerry series. Not to be confused with MGM's better-known cat-and-mouse team a decade later, this was a series of black and white cartoons, usually, as with this one, with a song or two to guide the action. Although the series suffered from the usual obvious cheapness of most of van Beuren's cartoons -- simple line drawings, unimaginative backgrounds and much simple repetitive motion -- the individual episodes ranged from good to excellent, due to the often imaginative themes and superior gags.
THE PHANTOM ROCKET is not a particularly noteworthy entry in the series, but it is very watchable. Tom and Jerry are aviators at a state fair, but instead of a balloon or airplane, they pilot a rocket ship. Before they take off, an escaped convict sneaks onto the ship and some large, destructive events ensue. The gag construction is excellent as is usual for the series and if you are fond of the series, this is a worthwhile addition to your watch list.