It's a Greek Life

Plot

In this animated short set in ancient Greece, Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, visits a centaur's shop to have his magical winged sandals repaired. The centaur, who has long coveted the ability to fly and has been experimenting with makeshift wings using ducks, becomes tempted by Mercury's divine sandals. When Mercury leaves, the centaur tries on the sandals and takes them for an unauthorized flight around Mount Olympus, losing track of time and failing to complete the repair job. As Mercury returns to collect his sandals, the panicked centaur hastily strips wings from nearby birds and crudely attaches them to plain sandals in a desperate attempt to deceive the god. Mercury immediately sees through the ruse and, as punishment for the centaur's deception and theft, magically transforms him into a twisted pretzel shape, leaving him as a warning against dishonesty.

Historical Background

Produced during the golden age of American animation, 'It's a Greek Life' emerged during a period of rapid technical and artistic innovation in Hollywood cartoons. 1936 was a pivotal year for animation, with Disney's 'Snow White' in production and other studios like Warner Bros. and MGM expanding their cartoon divisions. The film reflects the growing sophistication of animated storytelling, moving beyond simple gag reels to incorporate classical mythology and character-driven narratives. During this era, the Hays Code was increasingly influencing Hollywood content, though animated shorts often pushed boundaries with their exaggerated violence and surreal humor. The Great Depression was still affecting American audiences, making the escapist fantasy of cartoon shorts particularly popular entertainment.

Making Of

Dan Gordon, a relatively new director at Leon Schlesinger Productions, was given this project as part of Warner Bros.' expansion of their Merrie Melodies lineup. The animation team worked under tight deadlines typical of theatrical short production, completing the cartoon in just six weeks. The centaur character proved challenging to animate due to the combination of human and horse anatomy, requiring specialized animators. The wing sequences involved extensive rotoscoping of bird flight patterns to achieve realistic movement. The film's score was composed by Bernard Brown, who incorporated Greek-inspired musical themes while maintaining the jazz influences popular in Merrie Melodies of the era. The pretzel transformation scene was considered technically innovative for its time, using multiple exposure techniques to create the morphing effect.

Visual Style

The animation employs the vibrant two-strip Technicolor process typical of mid-1930s Merrie Melodies, featuring rich reds and greens with more limited blue tones. The visual style incorporates the rounded, rubbery character designs popular during this period, with exaggerated expressions and fluid movement. The flying sequences showcase innovative perspective work, using multi-plane camera effects to create depth. The transformation scene utilizes dissolve techniques and multiple exposure to create the magical morphing effect. Background art reflects Art Deco influences with stylized Greek architecture rendered in bold geometric shapes.

Innovations

The film demonstrated advances in character animation, particularly in the complex movement of the centaur character combining human and horse anatomy. The flying sequences utilized innovative animation techniques including rotoscoping and multi-layered cels to create realistic wing movement. The transformation scene employed early special effects techniques using multiple exposure and careful cel layering to achieve the morphing effect. The color work, while limited by two-strip Technicolor, showed sophisticated use of the available color palette to create atmospheric effects and highlight magical elements.

Music

The musical score was composed by Bernard Brown and performed by the Warner Bros. orchestra, blending classical Greek-inspired themes with the jazz-influenced arrangements characteristic of Merrie Melodies. The soundtrack includes original compositions alongside adaptations of classical pieces, all synchronized to the on-screen action. Sound effects were created using early audio recording techniques, with particular attention to the wing-flapping sounds and magical transformation effects. The music follows the cartoon's narrative structure, with different leitmotifs for Mercury's divine presence and the centaur's mischievous schemes.

Memorable Scenes

• The centaur's disastrous first flight with Mercury's sandals, careening through clouds and barely avoiding mountains
• The frantic sequence where the centaur desperately tries to create fake wings by plucking feathers from terrified birds
• The magical transformation scene where Mercury turns the centaur into a pretzel with dramatic lighting and swirling effects

What Critics Said

Contemporary reviews in trade publications like Variety and The Film Daily noted the cartoon's colorful animation and clever gags, though it was not considered among the year's standout animated shorts. Modern animation historians recognize it as a solid example of mid-1930s Warner Bros. output, showing the studio's developing house style before the arrival of their most famous characters. Critics have noted the film's inventive visual gags and smooth animation, though some point out the relatively simple character development compared to more sophisticated contemporary cartoons.

What Audiences Thought

The cartoon performed adequately as part of theater double bills during its original release, receiving polite audience response without generating exceptional enthusiasm. Like most theatrical shorts of the era, it served primarily as entertainment filler between feature presentations. Modern audiences encountering the film through animation retrospectives and classic cartoon compilations generally appreciate it as a charming example of 1930s animation style, though it lacks the lasting appeal of Warner's more famous characters and stories.

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