The new Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, where "Carmen Get It!" takes place, was still under construction when this cartoon was produced (the venue did not open until 1966). Key backgrounds were based on the architect's renderings.
The conductor in this cartoon is an unacknowledged caricature of Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, who sometimes showed a violent & short temper, during rehearsals. He also bears a heavy resemblance to longtime and popular late Boston Pops' conductor, Arthur Fiedler.
Portable reel to reel tape recorders, the prop of many a secret agent film, were becoming available to the general public. But they came with a hefty price tag at the outset.
As mid century modernism influenced all aspects of global life, cartoon illustrations became more abstract and less conventional, as shown here. Even Tom looks like a caricature of his earlier self.