It's Greek to Me-ow! is a 1961 Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Gene Deitch.
Plot[]
This cartoon opens with a narrator introducing the ancient Greek Acropolis from Ancient Greece, describing its wealth and beautiful architecture ("All the world has seen the beautiful Greek Acropolis from the front"). The narrator reveals that on the other end of the Acropolis, people were far lower-class and lived in poor conditions and housing ("But the world never knew what went on behind its back"). Tom is depicted as one of these inhabitants, an alley cat who lives in the shadows of Athens searching for food. He looks into a trash can and sees a reflection of himself yet no food, then spots Jerry coming out from his hole to throw trash into his own, mouse-sized can.
Tom charges towards Jerry, but his head gets stuck in the mouse hole Athen house and his head is the same shape as the hole. Peeking inside, Tom 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 leaving a red handprint on his face. Next, Tom tries to enter the Acropolis and chase Jerry, only to be thrown out due to a "No Cats Allowed" rule. Tom falls down the stairs and flies into a fountain, where his leaves grow on him. After Jerry laughs, Tom chases Jerry, but he bangs into the mouse hole; it comes on his head as Jerry climbs down.
Tom tries to use a catapult, but the rock floats in the air lands on Tom's foot. He yells in pain and crashes into a statue, its head landing on him with a loud "HONK". After failing to hit Jerry with a catapult, he successfully sneaks in, 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). Tom then backs away from a knight, but Jerry gets the head off. Tom then pretends to be a belly dancer, puts the helmet over the knight's face, and runs off. Tom sees the knight coming, but he does not watch where he is going, bumping into a statue, accidentally knocking the arms off the Venus de Milo sculpture in the process (thus giving it its current appearance) and the arms fall off. Tom hides behind the statue and pose for it. The knight leaves.
Tom sees Jerry going into his hole. Tom catches Jerry with a vase. Tom tried to get Jerry out but Jerry was holding onto the inside of the vase. Tom peered inside but didn’t see Jerry hiding between Tom’s eyes. Tom thought Jerry was still inside but he got his hand stuck. Then Jerry got another vase stuck on Tom’s other hand. Tom then hit a vase like a wrestling ball. Tom saw Jerry, who smashed the vase onto Tom’s head. Tom then tried to pound Jerry but he pounded the Greek pole, which fell on Tom. He tried to break free but Tom got shot out and landed into a trash can and his head got stuck in the ground. But Jerry runs off and Tom, who was still in the trash can and holding a bone and lid, runs after him.
Jerry runs into his hole and wears a small suit of armor. Tom laughs himself silly at the fact that Jerry is small, but Jerry has a catapult with a rock, which flies in the air and lands on Tom’s tail. Tom screams in pain and breaks free, but lands onto a pole and carves it; he falls as his mouth is opened stake-shaped. Jerry runs into another pole into an elevator and pokes a spiked ball into Tom's head and makes a hole. Tom manages to plug it up with a cork. Jerry gets the better of him several more times, tricks him into jumping on a chariot, and unhooks the horses. Jerry returns to his home, runs to the trash can and takes out the trash again, and the conclusion features Tom careening down the front steps while running and screaming from the Acropolis with the narrator saying that the Greeks had a word for it, "HELP! (ΒΟΗΘΕΙΑ!)".
Availability[]
- DVD - Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection (remastered; Warner Bros.)
Gallery[]
