Make Mine Music
Encyclopedia
Make Mine Music is an animated feature
produced by Walt Disney
and released to theatres
by RKO Radio Pictures
on August 15, 1946. It is the eighth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.
During the Second World War
, much of Walt Disney
's staff was drafted into the army
, and those that remained were called upon by the U.S. government
to make training and propaganda film
s. As a result, the studio
was littered with unfinished story ideas. In order to keep the feature film
division alive during this difficult time, the studio released four package films including this one, made up of various unrelated segments set to music. This is the fourth package film, following Fantasia
, Saludos Amigos
and The Three Caballeros
.
The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival
.
vocal
group, King's Men singing the story of a Hatfields and McCoys-style feud
in the mountains broken up when two young people from each side fell in love. This segment was later cut from the film's video
release due to comic gunplay.
originally intended for Fantasia
using the Claude Debussy
musical composition Clair de Lune
. However, by the time Make Mine Music was released Clair de Lune was replaced by the new song Blue Bayou, performed by the Ken Darby
Singers. However, the original version of the segment still survives.
contributed: an innovative shot in which a pencil drew the action as it was happening, and in which 1940s teens were swept away by popular music
.
of lost love, sung by Andy Russell
.
the poem
also titled "Casey at the Bat
" by Ernest Thayer
, about the arrogant ballplayer whose cockiness was his undoing.
, David Lichine
and Tania Riabouchinskaya
, moving in silhouette
with animated backgrounds and characters. Dinah Shore
sang the title song.
Peter and the Wolf
This segment was an animated dramatization of the 1936 musical composition
by Sergei Prokofiev
, with narration by actor Sterling Holloway
. A Russian boy named Peter set off into the forest to hunt the wolf with his animal friends: a bird named Sasha, a duck named Sonia, and a cat named Ivan.
and his orchestra
as four anthropomorphized
instruments who paraded through a musical playground.
s who fell in love in a department store
window. When Alice was sold, Johnny devoted himself to finding her again. The Andrews Sisters
provided the vocals. Like the other segments, it was later released theatrically. It was released as such on May 21, 1954.
with incredible musical talent and his dreams of singing Grand Opera
. However, short-sighted impressario
Tetti-Tatti believed that the whale has simply swallowed an opera
singer, and chased him with a harpoon
. Nelson Eddy
narrated and performed all the voices in this segment. As Willie the Whale, Eddy sang all three male voices in the first part of the Sextet from Donizetti
's opera, Lucia di Lammermoor
. In the end Willie was harpooned and killed, but the narrator softened the blow by telling the viewers that he sang on in heaven.
title. Before, two of its segments (including Peter and the Wolf) were released on home video individually with additional cartoons added to them in the 1980s and 1990s. This release was edited to remove "The Martins and the Coys", because it had "graphic gunplay not suitable for children." The Japanese laserdisc includes all the cuts made to the VHS/DVD versions. No other release has been scheduled. It is the only film in the Disney Animated Classics canon never to see a release on Region 2 or Region 4 DVD.
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...
produced by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and released to theatres
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
by RKO Radio Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
on August 15, 1946. It is the eighth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.
During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, much of Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's staff was drafted into the army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, and those that remained were called upon by the U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
to make training and propaganda film
Propaganda film
The term propaganda can be defined as the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures.” However, in the 20th century, a “new” propaganda emerged, which revolved around political organizations and their need to communicate messages that...
s. As a result, the studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
was littered with unfinished story ideas. In order to keep the feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
division alive during this difficult time, the studio released four package films including this one, made up of various unrelated segments set to music. This is the fourth package film, following Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos is a 1942 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the 6th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It is the first of six package films made by the Disney studio in the 1940s...
and The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American animated feature film, produced by Walt Disney and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on February 3, 1945...
.
The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival
1946 Cannes Film Festival
The 1st Cannes Film Festival was held from September 20 to October 5, 1946.- Jury :*Georges Huisman *Iris Barry *Beaulieu *Antonin Brousil *J.H.J...
.
The Martins and the Coys
This segment featured popular radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
vocal
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
group, King's Men singing the story of a Hatfields and McCoys-style feud
Hatfield-McCoy feud
The Hatfield–McCoy feud involved two families of the West Virginia–Kentucky back country along the Tug Fork, off the Big Sandy River. The Hatfields of West Virginia were led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield while the McCoys of Kentucky under the leadership of Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy....
in the mountains broken up when two young people from each side fell in love. This segment was later cut from the film's video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
release due to comic gunplay.
Blue Bayou
This segment featured animationAnimation
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...
originally intended for Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
using the Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
musical composition Clair de Lune
Clair de Lune
"Clair de Lune" is French for "moonlight". It may refer to:Music:* Clair de lune ", third movement of Suite bergamasque by Claude Debussy, a piano depiction of a Paul Verlaine poem* Clair de lune , from Op...
. However, by the time Make Mine Music was released Clair de Lune was replaced by the new song Blue Bayou, performed by the Ken Darby
Ken Darby
Kenneth Lorin Darby was an American composer, vocal arranger, lyricist, and conductor. His film scores were recognized with three Academy Awards and one Grammy Award.- Personal life :...
Singers. However, the original version of the segment still survives.
All the Cats Join In
This segment was one of two segments to which Benny GoodmanBenny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
contributed: an innovative shot in which a pencil drew the action as it was happening, and in which 1940s teens were swept away by popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
.
Without You
This segment was a balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
of lost love, sung by Andy Russell
Andy Russell (singer)
Andy Russell was an American popular vocalist, specializing in traditional pop and Latin music.He was born Andrés Rabago Pérez in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles. He was one of ten children born to parents who were Mexican immigrants of Spanish descent...
.
Casey at the Bat
This segment featured Jerry Colonna, recitingRecital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
the poem
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
also titled "Casey at the Bat
Casey at the Bat
"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.The poem was originally published...
" by Ernest Thayer
Ernest Thayer
Ernest Lawrence Thayer was an American writer and poet who wrote "Casey at the Bat".-Biography:Thayer was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts and raised in Worcester. He graduated magna cum laude in philosophy from Harvard in 1885, where he was editor of the Harvard Lampoon...
, about the arrogant ballplayer whose cockiness was his undoing.
Two Silhouettes
This segment featured two live-action ballet dancersBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, David Lichine
David Lichine
David Lichine / Дэвид Лишин was a Russian/French/US ballet dancer and choreographer; he was born as Давид Лихтенштейн David Lichtenštejn / David Lichtenstein ....
and Tania Riabouchinskaya
Tatiana Riabouchinska
Tatiana Mikhaylovna Riabouchinska was a Russian-born prima ballerina.She was born in Moscow in 1917. She was trained by the great Mathilde Kschessinska, and was later a prima ballerina in France. Together with Irina Baronova and Tamara Toumanova she was the third of Colonel W. de Basil's "baby...
, moving in silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
with animated backgrounds and characters. Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
sang the title song.
Peter and the WolfPeter and the Wolf (1946 film)An animated dramatization of the 1936 musical composition by Sergei Prokofiev, produced by Walt Disney, with Sterling Holloway providing the voice of the narrator. It was originally released theatrically in 1946 as a segment in Make Mine Music...
This segment was an animated dramatization of the 1936 musical compositionPeter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, with narration by actor Sterling Holloway
Sterling Holloway
Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
. A Russian boy named Peter set off into the forest to hunt the wolf with his animal friends: a bird named Sasha, a duck named Sonia, and a cat named Ivan.
After You've Gone
This segment again featured Benny GoodmanBenny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
and his orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
as four anthropomorphized
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
instruments who paraded through a musical playground.
Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet
This segment told the romantic story of two hatHat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
s who fell in love in a department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
window. When Alice was sold, Johnny devoted himself to finding her again. The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
provided the vocals. Like the other segments, it was later released theatrically. It was released as such on May 21, 1954.
The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met
The bittersweet finale about a Sperm WhaleSperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
with incredible musical talent and his dreams of singing Grand Opera
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
. However, short-sighted impressario
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
Tetti-Tatti believed that the whale has simply swallowed an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer, and chased him with a harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
. Nelson Eddy
Nelson Eddy
Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred...
narrated and performed all the voices in this segment. As Willie the Whale, Eddy sang all three male voices in the first part of the Sextet from Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's opera, Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
. In the end Willie was harpooned and killed, but the narrator softened the blow by telling the viewers that he sang on in heaven.
Cast
| Actor | Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Nelson Eddy Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred... |
Narrator; characters (The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met) |
| Dinah Shore Dinah Shore Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality... |
Singer (Two Silhouettes) |
| Benny Goodman Benny Goodman Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America... |
Musician (All the Cats Join In/After You've Gone) |
| The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews... |
Singers (Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet) |
| Jerry Colonna | Narrator (Casey At the Bat) |
| Sterling Holloway Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company... |
Narrator (Peter and the Wolf) |
| Andy Russell Andy Russell (singer) Andy Russell was an American popular vocalist, specializing in traditional pop and Latin music.He was born Andrés Rabago Pérez in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles. He was one of ten children born to parents who were Mexican immigrants of Spanish descent... |
Singer (Without You) |
| David Lichine David Lichine David Lichine / Дэвид Лишин was a Russian/French/US ballet dancer and choreographer; he was born as Давид Лихтенштейн David Lichtenštejn / David Lichtenstein .... |
Dancer (Two Silhouettes) |
| Tania Riabouchinskaya Tatiana Riabouchinska Tatiana Mikhaylovna Riabouchinska was a Russian-born prima ballerina.She was born in Moscow in 1917. She was trained by the great Mathilde Kschessinska, and was later a prima ballerina in France. Together with Irina Baronova and Tamara Toumanova she was the third of Colonel W. de Basil's "baby... |
Dancer (Two Silhouettes) |
| The Pied Pipers The Pied Pipers The Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the late 1930s and 1940s. Originally they consisted of eight members who had belonged to three separate groups: Jo Stafford from The Stafford Sisters, and seven male singers: John Huddleston, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody... |
Singers |
| The King's Men | Singers (The Martins and the Coys) |
| The Ken Darby Chorus | Singers (Blue Bayou) |
Home video
Make Mine Music was originally released on laserdisc in Japan on October 21, 1985, and on VHS and DVD on June 6, 2000 under the Walt Disney Gold Classic CollectionWalt Disney Gold Classic Collection
The Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection was a line of videos and DVDs released by The Walt Disney Company which ran from 2000 to 2001. It was preceded by Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection, which ran from 1994 to 1999. All titles were released in VHS and DVD formats, except the DVD version of Toy...
title. Before, two of its segments (including Peter and the Wolf) were released on home video individually with additional cartoons added to them in the 1980s and 1990s. This release was edited to remove "The Martins and the Coys", because it had "graphic gunplay not suitable for children." The Japanese laserdisc includes all the cuts made to the VHS/DVD versions. No other release has been scheduled. It is the only film in the Disney Animated Classics canon never to see a release on Region 2 or Region 4 DVD.