Larry Morey
Encyclopedia
Larry Morey was an American
lyricist, who was responsible for co-writing some of the most successful songs in Disney movies of the 1930s and 1940s, including "Heigh-Ho
", "Some Day My Prince Will Come
", and "Whistle While You Work
". As a screenwriter
, he was also responsible for adapting Felix Salten
's book Bambi, A Life in the Woods
into the 1942 Disney film, Bambi
.
. After studying at university, he worked for Warner Brothers and Paramount
, for whom he wrote the lyrics to "The World Owes Me a Living
", composed by Leigh Harline
and sung by Shirley Temple
in the film Now and Forever
. He joined Disney in 1933, and wrote songs for several animated
shorts, including The Wise Little Hen
and The Grasshopper and the Ants
. Working with composer Frank Churchill
, he then wrote some 25 songs for Disney's first full-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
, in 1937. Eight of their songs were used in the film, including "Heigh-Ho", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", "Whistle While You Work", and "I'm Wishing", and the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score
.
In 1938 Morey collaborated with composer Albert Hay Malotte
on the title song for Ferdinand the Bull
, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and he worked with Frank Churchill on the score for The Reluctant Dragon
in 1941. The following year he and Perce Pearce
were responsible for adapting the book Bambi into the animated film of the same name. With Churchill, Morey was responsible for the film score, and both it and the song "Love Is a Song" were nominated for Oscars. In 1949, he received another Academy Award nomination, with composer Eliot Daniel, for the song "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)
", sung by Burl Ives
in the film So Dear to My Heart
.
Morey died at the age of 66 in Santa Barbara, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyricist, who was responsible for co-writing some of the most successful songs in Disney movies of the 1930s and 1940s, including "Heigh-Ho
Heigh-Ho
"Heigh-Ho" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey...
", "Some Day My Prince Will Come
Some Day My Prince Will Come
"Some Day My Prince Will Come" is a popular song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was written by Larry Morey & Frank Churchill , and performed by Adriana Caselotti...
", and "Whistle While You Work
Whistle While You Work
Whistle While You Work is a song with music written by Frank Churchill and lyrics written by Larry Morey for the 1937 animated Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was performed in the movie, at least unofficially, by voice actress Adriana Caselotti...
". As a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, he was also responsible for adapting Felix Salten
Felix Salten
Felix Salten was an Austrian author and critic in Vienna. His most famous work is Bambi .-Life:...
's book Bambi, A Life in the Woods
Bambi, A Life in the Woods
Bambi, a Life in the Woods, originally published in Austria as Bambi. Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde, is a 1923 Austrian novel written by Felix Salten and published by Paul Zsolnay Verlag...
into the 1942 Disney film, Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
.
Career
He was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. After studying at university, he worked for Warner Brothers and Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, for whom he wrote the lyrics to "The World Owes Me a Living
The World Owes Me a Living
The World Owes Me a Living is a 1945 British World War II film drama, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring David Farrar and Judy Campbell. The film is based on a novel by John Llewellyn Rhys, a young author who was killed in action in 1940 while serving in the Royal Air Force...
", composed by Leigh Harline
Leigh Harline
Leigh Adrian Harline was a film composer.-Career:Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he worked for various radio stations before joining the Walt Disney studios in 1932 as arranger and scorer...
and sung by Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
in the film Now and Forever
Now and Forever (1934 film)
Now and Forever is a 1934 American drama film directed by Henry Hathaway. The screenplay by Vincent Lawrence and Sylvia Thalberg was based on a story by Jack Kirkland and Melville Baker. The film stars Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, and Shirley Temple in a story about a criminal going straight for...
. He joined Disney in 1933, and wrote songs for several animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
shorts, including The Wise Little Hen
The Wise Little Hen
The Wise Little Hen is a Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoon, based on the fairy tale The Little Red Hen. This cartoon marked the debut of Donald Duck. Donald and his friend Peter Pig try to avoid work by faking stomach aches until Mrs. Hen teaches them the value of labor. This cartoon was...
and The Grasshopper and the Ants
The Grasshopper and the Ants (film)
The Grasshopper and the Ants is a 1934 American animated short film directed by Wilfred Jackson. Part of the Silly Symphonies series, the cartoon was produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on February 10, 1934 by United Artists.The story is a retelling of The...
. Working with composer Frank Churchill
Frank Churchill
Frank Churchill was an American composer of popular music for films. He wrote most of the music for Disney's 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, including "Whistle While You Work" and "Some Day My Prince Will Come"...
, he then wrote some 25 songs for Disney's first full-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
, in 1937. Eight of their songs were used in the film, including "Heigh-Ho", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", "Whistle While You Work", and "I'm Wishing", and the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score
Academy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
.
In 1938 Morey collaborated with composer Albert Hay Malotte
Albert Hay Malotte
Albert Hay Malotte was an American pianist, organist, composer and educator.-Biography and career:...
on the title song for Ferdinand the Bull
Ferdinand the Bull (film)
Ferdinand the Bull is a Walt Disney cartoon released on November 25, 1938 by R.K.O. Radio Pictures, directed by Dick Rickard. Based on the book, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and illustrations by Robert Lawson...
, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and he worked with Frank Churchill on the score for The Reluctant Dragon
The Reluctant Dragon (film)
The Reluctant Dragon is a 1941 American combined live action and animated film produced by Walt Disney, directed by Alfred Werker, and released by RKO Radio Pictures on June 20, 1941...
in 1941. The following year he and Perce Pearce
Perce Pearce
Perce Pearce was a producer, director, and writer born 1900 and died 4 July 1955.- As producer :* 1946 : Song of the South* 1948 : So Dear to My Heart* 1950 : Treasure Island* 1952 : The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men...
were responsible for adapting the book Bambi into the animated film of the same name. With Churchill, Morey was responsible for the film score, and both it and the song "Love Is a Song" were nominated for Oscars. In 1949, he received another Academy Award nomination, with composer Eliot Daniel, for the song "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)
Lavender Blue
"Lavender Blue," also called "Lavender's Blue," is an English folk song and nursery rhyme dating to the seventeenth century, which has been recorded in various forms since the twentieth century. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3483...
", sung by Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
in the film So Dear to My Heart
So Dear to My Heart
So Dear to My Heart is a 1948 feature film produced by Walt Disney, released in Chicago on November 29, 1948 and nationwide on January 19, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. Like 1946's Song of the South, the film combines animation and live action...
.
Morey died at the age of 66 in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.