Whistle While You Work
Encyclopedia
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
. It also is featured in the 1979 stage adaption
of the 1937 animated musical movie.
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"...
and lyrics written by Larry Morey
Larry Morey
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"...
for the 1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
animated Disney movie 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...
. It was performed in the movie, at least unofficially, by voice actress Adriana Caselotti
Adriana Caselotti
Adriana Mitchell Caselotti was an American actress and singer. She was the voice of the title character in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Caselotti was named as a Disney Legend in 1994.-Early life:...
. It also is featured in the 1979 stage adaption
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (musical)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a musical with music by Frank Churchill and Jay Blackton, lyrics by Larry Morey and Joe Cook, book by Joe Cook, based on the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs....
of the 1937 animated musical movie.
In popular culture
- The song is heard in the Oscar-winning 1938 Frank Capra film You Can't Take it With YouYou Can't Take It with YouYou Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
. - The song is heard in the 1941 Warner-Brothers film noir Crime Drama Out of the Fog (film)Out of the Fog (film)Out of the Fog is a 1941 film noir directed by Anatole Litvak, starring John Garfield, Ida Lupino and Thomas Mitchell. A gangster falls in love with the daughter of one of the fisherman from whom he extorts "protection" money...
- The song is also heard in the 1988 film Splash, TooSplash, TooSplash, Too is the 1988 Disney TV movie sequel to the 1984 movie Splash . Directed by Greg Antonacci and written by Bruce Franklin Singer...
, the sequel to the 1984 film SplashSplash (film)Splash is a 1984 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The original music score was composed by Lee Holdridge...
during a scene when Allen and Madison fix up their new home that Allen's brother Freddie got for them after he sold his apartment and afterwards Madison whistles the song as well while making Breakfast. - A reference to the song was made in the first episode of DuckTalesDuckTalesDuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
; at one point, Scrooge McDuckScrooge McDuckScrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
tells an employee "There'll be no whistling while you work!" - A children's parody version of the song often uses lyrics such as "HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
is a jerk, MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
is a weenie." (Or in a more vulgar vein, "...Mussolini bit his weenie, now it doesn't squirt!" or "...Mussolini chopped his weenie, now it doesn't work!" ) Several variants are cited in Iona and Peter Opie's survey, The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. - The song was also parodied in the British sitcom Dad's ArmyDad's ArmyDad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
where PikePrivate Frank PikePrivate Frank Pike is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and junior bank clerk portrayed by Ian Lavender in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. He is frequently referred to by Captain Mainwaring as "stupid boy".- Personality :...
remarks "Whistle while you work, Hitler is a twerp. He's half barmy, so's his army" to a captured German officer. - The Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "Whistle While Your Wife WorksWhistle While Your Wife Works"Whistle While Your Wife Works" is the fifth episode of season five of Family Guy. The show originally aired on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois...
" is a parody of the name of the song. - The song is paid tribute to in Disney's Enchanted with "Happy Working SongHappy Working Song"Happy Working Song" is a musical number from the 2007 Disney film Enchanted, with music composed by Alan Menken and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Performed by the film's lead actress, Amy Adams, the song pays an homage to such Disney songs as "Whistle While You Work" from Snow White and the Seven...
." - The melody of the song is whistled near the end of The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
1984 song, "How Soon Is Now?How Soon Is Now?"How Soon Is Now?" is a song by the British alternative rock band The Smiths. Written by Smiths singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, it was originally a B-side of the 1984 single "William, It Was Really Nothing"...
" - The ´´Looney TunesLooney TunesLooney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
´´ 1958 cartoon ´´Weasel While You Work´´ is a parody of the name of the song. - The Kidsongs Kids and the Camp Counselors sing this song while putting on a show on their "A Day at Camp" video and DVD.
- Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
cover this song in a rock and roll style on The Alvin ShowThe Alvin ShowThe Alvin Show is an American animated television series. It was the first to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks, although a series with a similar concept The Nutty Squirrels Present had aired a year earlier...
, when Dave tells the boys to clean the backyard. - A groundskeeper in an episode of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" claims he likes to "whistle while I work".
- Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
covered it in a medley on his album In the Key of Disney, which was released on October 25, 2011.
External links
- Covering the Mouse - Cover versions of "Whistle While You Work"