"Fit to Be Tied" is an American cartoon starring Tom and Jerry and it runs for slightly under 7 minutes just like they always do. Looking at the film's rating and number of votes here on IMDb, it is without a doubt among the most famous films starring the duo, even if it did not manage to score with the Oscars like some other of these short films. Jerry helps out Spike (who is apparently quite a sissy) in a critical situation and as a consequence Spike keeps helping the little mouse against his arch nemesis Tom. But things change when a leash law is introduced. This film has a real plot with 2 major twists and this is something you can certainly not say about every T&J cartoon. Sure, there are moments too that don't make that much sense like Spike not grabbing Tom when he is within reach (despite the leash), but as a whole, it was an enjoyable watch and I can see why people like it. Thumbs up for this one.

In a story somewhat reminiscent of the classical folktale Androcles and the Lion, Jerry removes a thumb tack from Spike's paw, the grateful dog swearing never to forget this act of kindness. Spike gives the friendly mouse a bell that, when rung, will bring the bulldog to his aid. This comes in very handy with Tom the cat on the prowl, but Jerry experiences problems once a law is passed that all dogs must be put on a lead.Sixty nine cartoons in and the Hanna-Barbara play a blinder, delivering one of the funniest T&J capers so far. This one is seriously funny all the way through, with Jerry getting the best of Tom for a while before the tables are turned, the relieved cat making the absolute most of poor Spike being tied to his kennel.In one gut-bustingly hilarious scene, Tom stands just out of reach of the snarling bulldog and proceeds to hit him with a pie, smash him with cymbals, smack him with a boxing glove, and, in a wonderful coup de grâce, uses Spike's gnashing teeth to form a baseball bat from a log which he then uses to bash the dog on the head. If you don't find that funny, you might as well give up watching cartoons, period! Another splendid moment comes when Jerry rings his bell to find that Spike does not answer: Tom generously hands the perplexed and rather worried mouse a selection of bells, none of which have the desired result.This excellent cartoon comes to a satisfying end, with the leash law repealed and Spike once again coming to Jerry's rescue, much to Tom's chagrin.

This is a story I have seen elsewhere but I can't remember in which cartoon. The premise is the same: the little hero saves a dog from pain and the dog promises to be his guardian. In here, all Jerry has to do is ring a little bell and the dog will immediately come to his rescue and pulverize anything that's bothering him. You know who that will be - Tom! However, a new leash law on dogs may have given Tom a new leash on life (ouch.....sorry).A few memorable sights include: Tom's head turning into a gum-ball machine; Tom testing the length of the leash on "Butch," to see if he's safe a certain distance away. (After the dog is tormented - with great sight gags - the dog gets clever and erases the "boundary" line and makes it closer, unbeknown to the cat.)Very clever gags in here make this 1952 Tom and Jerry entry a real winner.

People who look at William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's body of work with a dispassionate eye will quickly notice that they had a penchant for recycling old story lines (they weren't the only ones - Friz Freling at Warner Brothers regularly reused gags, but seldom complete stories). With slight variations as to the devices, "Fit To Be Tied" is nearly identical to 1944's "The Bodyguard". The similarities are such that if another studio had produced "Fit" they could have been sued for plagiarism. I guess with hundreds of cartoons to their credit, originality can't be expected every time, but `Fit' appeared long before the general decline of the quality of cartoon storywriting in the ‘60's, so it could have been closer to the norm in 1952.