Melody Time

Melody Time
Walt Disney / RKO, 1948, Color, 75 minutes, ***
Released May, 1948

Animation set to contemporary music. Somewhat of a sequel to "Make Mine Music." Segments include: "Once Upon a Wintertime," two lovers rescued from an icy river by friendly animals; "Bumble Boogie," bee beset by musical instruments and symbols come to life; "Johnny Appleseed," story of the legendary pioneer tree-planter; "Trees," mood piece set to musical treatment of Joyce Kilmer's poem; "Little Toot," story of a heroic little tugboat who saves an ocean liner; "Blame it on the Samba," Donald Duck and Jose Carioca have the blues blown away at a Latin cafe; "Pecos Bill," story of the legendary cowpoke, his trusty mount Widowmaker and his sweetheart Slue Foot Sue.


Producer: Walt Disney
Production Supervisor: Ben Sharpsteen
Directed By: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney, Wilfred Jackson
Cartoon Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney
Story: Winston Hibler, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Homer Brightman, Ken Anderson, Ted Sears, Joe Rinaldi, Bill Cottrell, Art Scott, Jesse Marsh, Bob Moore, John Walbridge
"Little Toot" by Hardie Gramatky
Folklore Consultant: Carl Carmer
Musical Direction: Eliot Daniel, Ken Darby
Associate: Paul Smith
Special Arrangements by: Vic Schoen and Al Slack
Songs by: Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Ray Gilbert, Johnny Lange, Allie Wrubel, Bobby Worth, Benny Benjamin, George Weiss
Directing Animators: Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery, Les Clark, John Sibley, Hal King, Hal Ambro, Bob Cannon, Don Lusk, Ken O'Brien, Judge Whitaker, Edwin Aardal, Cliff Nordberg, Marvin Woodward, Harvey Toombs, Rudy Larriva
Sound Director: C. O. Slyfield
Sound Recording: Robert O. Cook, Harold J. Steck
Live Action Photography: Winton C. Hoch
Special Processes: Ub Iwerks
Color by Technicolor
Technicolor Color Director: Natalie Kalmus
Associates: Morgan Padelford, Robert Brower
Film Editors: Donald Halliday, Thomas Scott

Cast: Roy Rogers and Trigger with The Sons of the Pioneers, Luana Patten, Bobby Driscoll, Ethel Smith, Bob Nolan, Buddy Clark, The Andrews Sisters, Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians, Frances Langford, Dennis Day, Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, Jack Fina, The Dinning Sisters

Musical Program: [0:00] Melody Time (sung by Buddy Clark with The Dinning Sisters); [0:03] Once Upon a Wintertime (sung by Frances Langford and Chorus, visuals are cartoon couples and animals ice skating); [0:11] Bumble Boogie {special arrangement of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" by Rimsky-Korsakov} (played by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, featuring Jack Fina at the Piano; visuals consist of a cartoon bumble bee flying around being chased by musical instruments); [0:14] Johnny Appleseed (featuring Dennis Day portraying the characters of The Old Settler, Johnny Apleseed and Johnny's Angel; partly spoken, partly sung by Dennis Day and Chorus; visuals are cartoon rendition of the Johnny Appleseed story); [0:33] Little Toot (sung by The Andrews Sisters; visuals are a cartoon story about a little tug boat); [0:41] Trees (Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians present their arrangement of "Trees," poem by Joyce Kilmer, music by Oscar Rasbach; visuals are trees, animals and weather); [0:46] Blame it on the Samba (Ethel Smith and The Dinning Sisters; visual of Ethel Smith at the organ underwater with cartoon characters); [0:52] Pecos Bill (spoken and sung by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers; visuals are cartoon rendering of desert scenery introducing the story of Pecos Bill; short segment of Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers with Luana Patten and Bobby Driscoll)