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

They Made the Magic: Paul J Smith

Paul J. Smith was born on October 30, 1906.  His father was a professor at a college in Idaho where he composed some songs for the school.  In 1934, he joined the Disney Studios.  He spent most of his life working for Disney as a composer, writing more than 70 scores.    He worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs where he got the first of 8 Oscar nods (he won an Oscar for the score of Pinocchio along with Leigh Harline and Ned Washington).  He retired from Disney in 1962 died at the age of 78 in California, and became a Disney Legend in 1994.

Destination D: 75 years of Animation: Snow White Still Fairest of them All

Okay, here we are, the panel you've been waiting for: Snow White Still the Fairest of them All!  Tim O'Day hosted this panel featuring musicologist and historian Alex Rannie, CEO of Walt Disney Family Museum Gabriella Calicchio, and 93 year old Marge Champion who was the live action model for Snow White.

The panel began with clarfiying that the word soundtrack didn't exist in 1937 so the music was refered to as "the exclusive recordings from the actual sound film." Alex Rannie brought a variety of images of sheet music that Churchill, Harline, Morey and Smith worked on for the film.

 The Silly Song was in fact the third song written for the scene where the dwarfs entertain Snow White.  One version of the song was Never Too Old to Be Young.  There was another song called Lady in the Moon that was written before 1935.  In this song, each dwarf would sing a verse as a different anmal who was in love with the lady in the moon.  The song ends with all the animals realizing the lady in the moon is, in fact, the man in the moon.  Sleepy would have sang as a fish and Dopey a frog. One idea stuck, Sleepy still plays a fish clarient in the final film.  So the song that made it into the film was the Silly Song.   In 1935 there was the first national Hillbilly Championships in LA that inspired the yodeling.  The sound effects team worked on the Grumpy's pipe organ.  In order to get the correct sound, the team used jugs and the largest jug required so muh air, the player would pass out - only Jimmy McDonald would play that one.  At one point the song had a verse sung by Snow White!  The D23 audience was lucky enough to hear the recording session of Snow White's verse.

The Yodel Song

Never to Old

Lady in the Moon

Final Song: The Dwarf's Yodel Song or The Silly Song
(Look at the words in the box: inspired the dance craze "Doin the Dopey")

The next guest introduced was Marge Champion.  This 93 years young woman was gracious enough to come and talk to the D23 audience about her memories of being part of the team that created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  She was hired as the live action reference model for Snow White.

Marge Champion

 Marge told the story of how she was hired to work for Disney.  Her father owned a dance studio and when Disney went looking for a girl to do live action shots for Snow White, Marge was in the right place at the right time.  She believes she wasn't the first to take on htis role because the bodice of the costume had two rows of hooks and eyes, suggesting that it was fitted for some one else.  (You can see the outfit she word at the Archives exhibit at the Reagan Library).  When asked if Walt was at the audition, she said she was sure he was there, but she didn't see him.

The process from live action, to sketch, to final product

Marge also told of her life growing up: her father would go to Shirley Temple's house to teach her ballet and Marge knew Shirley.  When wanting to be excused from the dinner table, Marge was taught to say: "I've had an elegant sufficency, May I be excused?"

Marge Champion in her costumes

During her time at the studio, Marge would act to Adriana Caselotti's voice recordings.  The animators referred to the girls as Margiana Belchalotti (a mash up of both of their names).  Marge also remembers how the studio needed her to run through the forest for Snow White's frightening escape.  They hung clotheslines and attached ropes that would hit her like branches.  Ham Luske attached some to her dress.  She said it didn't take much acting because she was  terrified!  She though the whole structure would fall down at any minute.

You'd be scared too if animators made you run through ropes hung from cloteslines!

The most interesting thing that Marge remembered was that at one point, animators thought that Snow White's head should be larger than her body as was a popular style of animation in those days (think Betty Boop).  In order to test this, Marge was given a football helmet that was painted with a wig and bow.  She remembered having to wear it and under the hot lights, she became dizzy and almost fainted!

The final panelist shared some of the artwork that will be featured at the Walt Disney Family Museum when the exhibit opens this fall.  They also announced D23 would hold an event in November.  I can't wait to see some of these in person:

They Made the Magic: Leigh Harline

Leigh Harline was born March 16, 1907.  In 1928 he came to California from Utah and started working in radio.  By 1932 he had joined Disney and wrote song for shorts.  He was responsible for writing the score for Snow White ad the Seven Dwarfs.  His most well known work was "When you Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio.  He left Disney in 1941 and worked for a variety of studios. Harline died December 10, 1969 and became a Disney legend in 2001.

They Made the Magic: Larry Morey

Larry Morey was born on March 26, 1905.  He worked at paramount and Warner Brothers before joining Disney in 1933.  While working for Disney, he joined forces with Frank Churchill to write over 25 songs for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Seven of those songs were used in the final film. He worked on a variety of film's songs including Ferdinand the Bull, Bambi, and So Dear to My Heart.  He died at age 66.

Disneyland Alumni Club Celebrates Disneyland 55

On July 17 Disneyland Alumni Club hosted 55 Years of Music Magic. I was able to join the alumni club after I left my college Disneyland job.  This event was held at Disneyland Hotel.  The event was a wonderful evening filled with memories and music to benefit Children's Hospital of Orange County.
The introduction and welcome was from Ron Stark and, of course, Mickey Mouse.  Disney Legend Ron Dominguez, Jim Walker president of Disneyland Alumni Club, and George Kalogridis all welcomed us to the event.

The Hosts for the evening were Mouseketeers Tommy Cole and Sherry Alderoni.

Shag created artwork for the cover of the program, seen below, that was aviable of a print.

Roy P. Disney took the stage and paid tribute to his father in a touching cermeony.  He brought with him a film that was shown at the tribute to his father held at El Capitatn eariler in the year. 

 

Then dinner was served and we were treated to sounds of Main Street, Frontierland, New Orleans, Disneyland Stages, Music of Richard Sherman, Entertainment, the Main Street Electrical Parade, Fantasmic!, and World of Color.

 Ron Miller from Coke Corner

 The Dapper Dans

Billy Hill and the Hillbillies

X Atencio joined on stage for a tribute to New Orleans Square.  Of course, a few other 'surprise guests' to celebrate X Atencio's work.  X Atencio was a Disney artist from 1938 - 1965.  He then became an Imagineer working on Adventure Thru Inner Space, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion.  (It is X Atencio's voice saying "Hey! Let me out of here!" in the coffin in the Haunted Mansion's conservatory)

The next act was the Nocturnes.  The Nocturnes was a popular band that performed throughout the park.  The band performed in different shows, parades, and background tracks for shows and attractions.

Richard Sherman was scheduled to be there but was unable to attend but sent a clip of him at his piano playing some of his most memorable tunes. 

The last few presentations featured Don Dorsey who played a key role in Fantasmic and is responsible for the synthesizer arrangements and performances of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade.  He discussed how the Electrical parade took shape and how he had to change to sound from the Main Street to Disney. 

 

Finally, Bruce Healey took the stage to discuss Fantasmic and World of Color.  Bruce began in 1973 with the company and was a big part of special projects like super bowl halftime shows, television specials, parades, and shows.  He composed, arranged, orchestrated, conducted, and produced shows including Lion King Celebration, Light Magic, Fantasmic, and World of Color.  The Grand Finale featured many alumni taking the stage for a jam.  It was a wonderful event and I can hardly wait for the 60th!

Some Day My Prince Will Come

Enjoy these celebrities versious of song number 19 on AFI's list of top 100 songs.

Los Lobos and the Dwarfs in Epcot

Read the full article on the Disney Blog.