It's Greek to Me-ow!
It's Greek to Me-ow! (stylized as IT'S GRΣΣK TΦ MΣ-OW!) is a Tom and Jerry animated short film, released on December 7, 1961. It was the third of the thirteen cartoons in the series to be directed by Gene Deitch and produced by William L. Snyder in Czechoslovakia.[1]
| It's Greek to Me-ow! | |
|---|---|
 The title card for It's Greek to Me-ow!. | |
| Directed by | Gene Deitch Animation supervisor: Václav Bedřich (uncredited) |
| Produced by | William L. Snyder |
| Story by | Eli Bauer |
| Starring | Allen Swift |
| Music by | Steven Konichek |
| Animation by | Jindra Barta Antonín Bures Mirek Kacena Milan Klikar Vera Kudrnová Vera Maresová Olga Sisková Zdenka Skrípková Zdenek Smetana (all uncredited) Checking: Ludmila Kopecná (uncredited) |
| Backgrounds by | Background paint: Bohumil Siska (uncredited) Assistant: Miluse Hluchanicová (uncredited) |
| Color process | Metrocolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date | December 7, 1961 |
Running time | 7:00 |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Language | English |
This is one of the few Tom and Jerry shorts to credit the sound effects producer, in this case being Tod Dockstader. The short's name is a pun on the phrase "It's Greek to me"
December 1961 was the year before Walt Disney released the Technicolor Christmas musical film, Babes in Toyland.
Plot
This cartoon opens with a narrator (Allen Swift) introducing the Ancient Greek Acropolis, describing its wealth and beautiful architecture. However, the narrator reveals that on the other end of the Acropolis, people lived in poor conditions and housing. Tom is depicted as one of these inhabitants, an alley cat and a beggar, while Jerry is a rich mouse living in a luxurious hole. While scavenging for food, Tom sees Jerry coming out from his hole to take out the trash. Peeking inside, he sees Jerry's well-furnished home and reaches in to grab him; when he over-stretches his arm around the marble pillars, it snaps back and smacks him in the face.
Next, Tom tries to enter the Acropolis and chase Jerry, only to be thrown out because there is a sign that says "No Cats Allowed." After failing to hit Jerry with a catapult, he successfully sneaks in when a statue's head falls onto his own, but has to keep hiding from the guards, accidentally knocking the arms off the Venus de Milo sculpture in the process (thus giving it its current appearance). Jerry gets the better of him several more times, tricks him into jumping on a chariot, and unhooks the horses, leaving Tom to careen down the front steps. Jerry returns to his home and takes out the trash again, and the funny ending features Tom running out of the Acropolis screaming as the narrator explains that the Greeks had a word for it: "HELP!"
References
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 150–151. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.