Where Have I Heard That Tune: Heigh Ho

Firstly, what does the expression even mean?  Heigh-Ho, according to the dictionary, is an exclamation used to express boredom, resignation, or jollity.  You've got to figure in a film like Snow White, it is going for the latter.
In the film, the dwarfs sing the song as they finish working in the mine for the day and begin the journey home (wouldn't it be lovely to have a theme song to end the day with? rather than the honking horns of traffic?).  The song was written by the team of Frank Churchill and Larry Morey.
As I found with Whistle While You Work, there are many references to this song in unexpected places:

1940: Donald Duck sings this song in "The Riveter".



1963: The song appears, with slightly different lyrics, at the finale of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.  I'm thinking that it hasn't always been the exit song.  If you know when Disney started using it, let me know!


1984: In the movie, Gremlins, the Gremlins are watching the "Heigh-Ho" scene in a theater in Kingston Falls, and singing along.

1988: In Oliver and Compay, Tito sings "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, it's off to work we go" when he is rescuing Jenny.


1990: In the book, "Fudge-a-Mania", the character Sheila was singing the song after getting a baby-sitting job.

2004: In World of Warcraft, when playing as a male Dwarf, characters can tell a joke in which the character will sing the song. "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho... ugh, second verse, same as the first."


2009: In a Simpsons episode, called Four Great Women and a Manicure, characters sing another parody of the Heigh-Ho song, "Ho-Hi, Ho-Hi".


2010: In the last scene of Scared Shrekless the song can be heard as the dwarves silhouettes are seen on a rock as the dwarves walk along shortly before they are egged by Shrek and the gang



2010: A version of the song recored by Bunny Berigan and his Orchestra were used in a Levi's commercial



2012: In the film Snow White and the Huntsman, a dwarf named Beith "Hi-ho lads, it's off to work!" and another dwarf threatens to "smash his face in" if he starts whistling.

2013: Saving Mr. Banks features the song as P.L. Travers arrives to the Disney Studio and is taken to Walt's Office.
2014: In ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, the song is sung by Leo while using the D.W.A.R.F. drones. 

Where Have I Heard That Tune: Whistle While You Work

I was recently taking a workout class and one of my instructors had "Shake Your Pom-Pom" by Missy Elliot on.  In the song, there is a quick line about whistle while you work.  That got me to thinking, where else have I heard this song out of the original film?

As most of you know, Whistle While You Work, appears in the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs while Snow White and her animal friends work to tidy up the cottage.  In her line of thinking, it's awfully untidy, and maybe they will let her stay if she cleans!  (any house guest who offers to clean, can stay in my book, we won't address the whole entering without permission issue).  Anyway, the song was written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey.

It is surprising all the different places you can hear the song, check them out:

1938: You can hear the song in the Oscar-winning film You Can't Take it With You

1940: In Billposters, Donald Duck and Goofy were heard whistling and humming the song 



1941: Warner-Brothers film noir Crime Drama Out of the Fog

1958: Looney Tunes cartoon "Weasel While You Work" 

1987: The first episode of DuckTales, Scrooge makes a reference by telling one of his employees, "There'll be no whistling while you work!"

1988: In Splash Too, during a scene when Allen and Madison fix up their new home and afterwards Madison whistles the song as well while making Breakfast.

1990: It is also the first song featured in the Disney Sing-Along Songs video Disneyland Fun.




1990: In Kidsongs, a day at Camp, the kids sing the song while working on projects.

 

 

2006: Family Guy episode called: Whistle While Your Wife Works

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Logo announced

Disney Parks Blog announced the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Logo yesterday!  I'm sure there will be a gold mine of merchandise to follow...check it out at Disney Parks Blog.

Walt Disney Imagineering Shares Onboard view of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: an AllEars look

Any else feel a little vacation planning necessary to get their Monday going?

The worst Oscar opening number...featuring: Snow White!

In honor of tonight's Oscar broadcast, let's look back at a less glamours Oscar moment.  One that involved our beloved Snow White, Merv Griffin, Rob Lowe, and a rendition of Proud Mary.
In Jim Korkis "The vault of Walt voume 2," (pick one up today!) he pays tribute to seven of the real life women who have been part of the elite group of women who have been Snow White.  But elite might be pushing it for poor Eileen Bowman.  In 1989 the Academy Awards opening number she was cast as Snow White.  Watch it below, if you dare:



Needless to say, it wasn't good.  It wasn't even bad.  It was just terrible.  And to make matters worse, the writers of the show did not obtain the permissions needed and were sued by Walt Disney Company.  The lawsuit was dropped after the Academy apologized publicly.  Billy Crystal couldn't resist another jab at the horrific number the following year:

To read more about this 'it's so bad, you can't look away, moment' see the Hollywood Reporter article, NY post article, or watch the OMG Yahoo video.