By the mid-1930s animated film was a well-established feature of American popular culture, with several companies putting out wonderful comic and musical shorts in a variety of styles designed for general motion picture audiences to enjoy before the main feature. Max Fleischer Studios struck a decidedly adult tone with Koko the Clown, Bimbo, Betty Boop and their series of hip, jazzy, markedly sexy and often surreal cartoons: even retellings of children’s classics were pretty weird (Fleischer’s 1933 Snow-White is downright creepy!). Warner Brothers and their omnipresent Looney Tunes targeted just about everyone, as did Walt Disney’s own early ‘30s output, featuring the wildly popular Mickey Mouse and his gang. But when the film industry began cleaning itself up with the Hays Code of 1934 (the same year Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top” appeared on Broadway in Anything Goes...not for long it wouldn't!), everyone was obliged to reshape their cartoon series and other projects into more family-friendly fare.
Walt Disney was the most successful in making this transition, doing so by targeting young children quite specifically. In 1934 he announced a new project that would retell the classic children's tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a feature length animated film designed especially for kids, a daring proposition that turned its back on the winning formula of short cartoons for general motion picture audiences, and industry pundits dubbed it "Disney's Folly". Released in 1937, Snow White was a smash hit critically and financially and ushered in a veritable Golden Age of animation. Other studios attempted to emulate Snow White’s success (Fleischer’s 1939 Gulliver’s Travels and 1941 Raggedy Anne and Raggedy Andy, etc.), but Disney essentially owned the form for the next 20 years, resulting in such children's stories (some original, most adaptations of classics) as Pinocchio (1940), Cinderella (1950), Alice In Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), and The Jungle Book (1967) among many others.
Brilliantly conceived and executed Snow White and the entire Disney feature-length output also contained another innovation: full, original scores. Which meant great new melodies in the ears of America, and a great new source of material for performer and jazz musician alike. Many of these songs became outright jazz standards. For this evening’s concert, Ken has worked up a fine selection of the best of these songs, focusing (consistent with our festival theme!) on the shows that were based on classic children's fairy tales and literature.
| | Whistle While You Work (1937) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey (w) Frank Churchill (m) |
| | With A Smile And A Song (1937) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey (w) Frank Churchill (m) |
| | The Second Star To The Right (1953) Peter Pan Sammy Cahn (w) Sammy Fain (m) |
| | I'm Wishing (1937) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey (w) Frank Churchill (m) |
| | One Song (1937) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey (w) Frank Churchill (m) |
| | I'm Late (1951) Alice In Wonderland Bob Hilliard (w) Sammy Fain (m) |
| | Give A Little Whistle (1940) Pinocchio Ned Washington (w) Leigh Harline (m) |