Fit to be Tied (1952)

 

This film is in some ways is quite reminiscent of the earlier Tom and Jerry short, The Bodyguard (1944). However it doesn't borrow any gags from the previous cartoon and provides enough of a twist on its premise to still stand as its own thing. 

As this film starts Spike the bulldog steps on a tack. Jerry removes the tack and Spike gives Jerry a bell and tells him to ring it whenever he gets into trouble. Of course, for Jerry this means whenever Tom bugs him. So far, this short is extremely similar to The Bodyguard, only Jerry rings a bell instead of whistling. However then comes the twist that makes this a quite different cartoon. A leash law is passed, and Spike is now tied to his doghouse. This is a situation which Tom naturally takes advantage of. 

This is a wonderful film and one of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons of the 1950's. Everything about this cartoon is completely delightful. It is a fast-paced romp with one great gag after another. Not only is this film filled with a great comic energy but even with the sheer number of gags each of them works perfectly. Once again William Hanna's timing is not nearly perfect, it is perfect. This cartoon also benefits from truly wonderful character animation. The highlight of this is the scene where Tom is getting his revenge on Spike as Spike is tied to his doghouse. The sheer joy he feels while being free to attack his enemy makes this scene so much fun to watch. In great contrast is when he is forced to serve Jerry. The complete disgust that Tom conveys and the smugness on Jerry's face make this simple gag truly hilarious. Animators in these cartoons are really doing the same job that actors did in silent films. With this in mind this is not only a great bit of animation but a fine piece of acting by any standard. 

The credited animators on this film are Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence, Ray Patterson and Ed Barge. This marked the 69th Tom and Jerry cartoon in total. This cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1958. A clip from this short would later be used in the Tom and Jerry cartoon, Smarty Cat (1955).  A clip from this cartoon can be seen on the TV in the live action movie, Baby's Day Out (1994).

Below are some production drawings for this cartoon. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

Little Runaway (1952)

 

Thus is another Tom and Jerry film in which Jerry befriends another animal and has to protect his new friend from Tom. This friend is a little seal. Though this marks the only appearance of this seal in a theatrical cartoon short, the character would later appear in episodes of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (the 2014 version) and Tom and Jerry in New York. 

In this short film a seal escapes from the circus and hides in the pool in Tom and Jerry's yard. However, when Tom hears that there is a reward for returning the seal, he does what he can to capture the seal and Jerry must protect his new friend. 

This is a delightful cartoon. The story may be simply and familiar, but it is charming. The seal makes a wonderful sidekick for Jerry. He is a very cute character but never in a way that feels forced or cloying. The scene with him telling Jerry his story is simply adorable. Humor-wise, this film may not have the sheer number of gags that appear in the cat and mouse duo's cartoons of the 1940's but there are some wonderful comedic moments here. The gags involving the bicycle and glass of water always make me laugh out loud. The cartoon also benefits from some very strong character animation. The best example of this is the scene where Jerry is hiding behind the fish and makes the fish dance. What makes this scene so wonderful is that the fish has no emotion on his face and yet the dancing and movement is incredibly expressive. It doesn't hurt that the scene is also very funny. 

The credited animators on this film are Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. The cartoon is available on the DVD set, Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 3. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

 

Triplet Trouble (1952)

 

Though Tom and Jerry are best known for being enemies, there are times when they can team up against a greater evil. Though this formula had first been done in Dog Trouble (1942), it had been a while since this kind of team up was last done. This helps make Triplet Trouble a delightful change of pace. 

In this short film, Tom's owner adopts three little kittens. These kittens may look cute on the outside, but they do everything they can to make Tom and Jerry's lives miserable. The two foes team up to stop these kittens. 

After the cat and mouse duo's first misfire with Smitten Kitten (1952), they can back with a truly delightful short here. There is something always delightful about seeing these two enemies work together to fight a greater evil and this cartoon is one of the best examples. The kittens prove to be perfect foes for our heroes. The idea of these cute little kittens being complete monsters is a delightful one. It is also a very well executed one. Much of the reason it works so well is the character animation. The way they go from being cute to evil so effectively. Not only are their actions completely different but so is the way they move. They move much quicker and sneakier when their true selves come out and that makes it even funnier. Also, the evilness of these kittens makes us root for Tom and Jerry all the more and enjoy the very satisfying ending. This whole film is full of great slapstick that is truly laugh out loud funny. Once again William Hanna's comedic timing here isn't near perfect, it is perfect. 

The kittens look exactly like Fluff, Muff and Puff, the three kittens who appeared briefly in Heavenly Puss (1949). It can be debated whether or not they are the same characters (The Tom and Jerry Wiki argues that they are). If they are the same characters, this is their second and last appearance in a theatrical short. 

The credited animators on this short are Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Irven Spence. The name of the film would later be reused for a 1975 episode of The Tom and Jerry Show. However, that episode's plot was not even slightly similar to this short. This short film is available on the DVD sets Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Vol. 2 and Tom and Jerry: Classic Collection Volume 3. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

Smitten Kitten (1952)

 

This short film is a "cheater" cartoon meaning that it is a short that uses clips from previous Tom and Jerry films. This cartoon uses clips from The Mouse Comes to Dinner (1945), Solid Serenade (1946), Salt Water Tabby (1947) and Texas Tom (1950). 

In this short film, Tom falls in love with a female cat. Jerry's evil side (a green devil looking version of Jerry) tries to convince Jerry to break up the romance by reminding the mouse of how bad things go for him whenever Tom falls in love. 

This is one of the weaker cheater cartoons. The main problem with it is that most of the clips from previous shorts (with the exception of one), are not exactly the strongest moments from those cartoons. Those previous shorts are real classics, but you would never know from the brief clips used here. As for the wrap around segments they are mostly devoid of gags themselves with the end joke being the only new gag here. The new scenes don't even give Tom something new to do. The saving graces of this film are that the ending gag is quite funny and the clip from Solid Serenade is a great clip. 

The little girl devil version of Jerry had previously appeared in the short, Springtime for Thomas (1946).  This character would later appear in a 2014 episode of The Tom and Jerry Show called Pranks for Nothing. This character would even be a playable character in the 2019 mobile game, Tom and Jerry Chase. He also appears (though he isn't playable) in the 2000 Gameboy Color Game, Tom and Jerry in Mouse Attacks! Tom and Jerry fans will immediately notice that his Jimmy Durante inspired voice is the same as Spike the Bulldog. By this point that voice had been used by Spike only in a few cartoons and back when people saw these films only in theaters many audience members would not have seen those previous shorts. So, while this is obvious to us now, it was not to most anyone watching the short back then.

Perhaps because there is so little new footage, Kenneth Muse is the only credited animator. The short would be reissued to theaters in 1958 and again in 1966. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. What the heck even is Jerry here?

-Michael J. Ruhland 

The Two Mouseketeers (1952)

 

Note: Spoilers in this review.

This cartoon marked the 6th Tom and Jerry short to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Its competition only included two other films. These shorts were Lambert the Sheepish Lion (1952, Disney) and Rooty Toot Toot (1951, UPA). Both of these were strong films (Rooty Toot Toot is one of UPA's best). This Tom and Jerry film was the only one of these shorts to star reoccurring characters as the other two shorts were one-shots (though the stork from Dumbo (1941) has a supporting role in Lambert the Sheepish Lion). 

In this short film Tom is hired to guard the king's food from the two Mouseketeers (Jerry and Nibbles). Of course, Jerry and Nibbles make short work of Tom. 

This is a wonderful Tom and Jerry cartoon, though it does have a shockingly dark ending. For not being able to guard the king's food, Tom gets sent to the guillotine. This is a much darker joke than what ends most Tom and Jerry cartoons. This is especially true once you consider that Tom is really the good guy in this film. He is doing his job by guarding the food and the two mice are stealing food that doesn't belong to him. Yet I think this dark humor really works here. That is because as much as we sympathize with Tom, we also realize that he is a cartoon character. Because of this even if he dies at the end of a cartoon, we know he will be right back for the next one. Also helping this joke out is that Nibbles' last line is truly funny. 

Now on to the rest of this cartoon. There is a whole lot to love here. This is a visually gorgeous short. From the character animation to the beautiful background art, this is one of the best-looking Tom and Jerry films. The humor is also great here. Once again it is William Hanna's timing that truly makes it something special. The timing is once again not nearly perfect but absolutely perfect.  The music is great, and the opening song is a pure delight. This song is called Soldier of Fortune and comes from the MGM feature film, The Girl of the Golden West (1938). However, it fits perfectly with this cartoon.

This short would be followed by three more cartoons with Jerry and Nibbles as Mouseketeers and Tom as a guard. These shorts were Touché, Pussycat! (1954), Tom and Chérie (1955) and Royal Cat Nap (1958). The characters also appeared in these roles in various Dell comic books. Jerry and Nibbles outfits even appeared in video games including 2003's Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers.

The credited animators on this short are Irven Spence, Ed Barge and Kenneth Muse. This was the 65th Tom and Jerry short film. It can be found on various DVDs including Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Vol. 1, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection, Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Volume 3, Tom and Jerry: The Deluxe Anniversary Collection, Tom and Jerry: Around the World and Tom and Jerry: Once Upon a Tomcat. It can also be found as a bonus feature on DVDs and Blu-Rays of the feature length movies, Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse (2012) and Ivanhoe (1952).

Below is the movie poster for this film. Either Tom has shrunk, or Jerry and Nibbles have grown.