Cinderella
Disney, 1950
Voices of Ilene Woods, Jimmy MacDonald, Eleanor Audley, and Verna Felton
Directed by Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson, and Clyde Geronimi
Music and Lyrics by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston
The Story: Cinderella (Woods) is the abused and put-upon servant in the house of her intimidating stepmother Lady Tremaine (Audley) and her spoiled and shrill daughters Anastasia (Lucile Bliss) and Drizella (Rhoda Williams). She's happiest when she's befriending the mice and other animals in the household, including plump Gus (MacDonald) and slender and clever Jaq (also MacDonald). Meanwhile, the King (Luis Van Rooten) holds a ball so his son the Prince (William Phipps) can find a bride. The mice try to help Cinderella get to the ball by fixing up an old dress for her, but the angry and jealous stepsisters destroy their work. Cindy thinks it's all over...until a kindly old woman who calls herself her fairy godmother (Fenton) uses magic to fix her outfit, create a coach, and make her wildest dreams come true.
She makes it to the ball and enchants the prince, but loses one of her glass slippers when she leaves. The cunning Lady Tremaine will do everything in her power to make sure that Cinderella can't get to try on that slipper...but her animal friends haven't forgotten her.
The Animation: Disney was under severe financial strain in the late 40's after a series of flops. They threw everything they had at the time into this one, and it shows. While not as ambitious as some of its movies of the 30's and early 40's, this is still some nice work, with soft pastel colors illuminating its romantic story. I love the characters' expressions, especially on Cinderella, Lady Tremaine, and Lucifer the cat.
The Song and Dance: Cinderella is one of my favorite Disney princesses. Though many wouldn't consider her to be as take-charge as later animated ladies like Belle and Tiana, she's not as accepting of her obnoxious family as either the narration or the story would have it. She can be quite sarcastic behind her stepfamily's back and with the mice. Lady Tremaine is one of Disney's best villains, cunning, domineering, and cold as ice. The King and the Grand Duke have a few amusing moments, especially when the Duke has to explain to the King that the girl at the ball ran off. The mice also have their moments, mainly in the first half of the film, where much of the emphasis is on them and their antics with Lucifer.
Favorite Number: "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo," the fairy godmother's song, was Oscar-nominated, and is one of my favorite comic Disney numbers. The effects animation as she transforms Cinderella, her animal friends, and the pumpkin for the ball is still fairly well-done. Probably the most famous number is Cindy's opening song, her wistful "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" with the animals, which gives us a perfect glimpse of her optimistic character. I also like Cinderella and the Prince's duet at the ball, "So This Is Love," and "Sing Sweet Nightingale," which Cindy performs while doing her chores as nicely animated bubbles cascade around her.
Trivia: Turns out Disney was right to throw their hopes into this movie. Cinderella was a massive hit at the box office, one of the blockbusters of 1950, and continues to be one of their most popular animated films to this day. It was also one of their biggest hits on VHS; the original home video release in 1988 would be the best-selling video of all time until ET: The Extra Terrestrial came out a year later.
It was such a huge hit that the money from the movie (including record and merchandising sales) would later go on to help fund not only their other animated and live-action films, but the creation of Disneyland and Walt Disney World as well.
What I Don't Like: Although cat-and-mouse chases in the beginning can be funny, they also go on for too long and really don't have much to do with the story. The Prince was to have had a larger role, but it was cut down over the years this was in production until he barely appears and has no personality whatsoever. And though Cindy is an improvement on the princesses who bookend her (Snow White and Aurora), she's still a bit on the passive side for many audiences today.
The Big Finale: Although the non-musical 2015 remake is good, this is the one you'll want to look for. It's one of my favorite Disney movies, featuring one of their most iconic princesses. If you have princess-lovers, Disney fans, or fairy tale nuts in your family, this is an absolute must-see.
Home Media: The DVD and Blu-Ray are out-of-print and expensive in the US at press time. Your best bet may be to check eBay or other used venues.
Sally
Warner Bros, 1929
Starring Marilyn Miller, Alexander Gray, Joe E. Brown, and T. Roy Barnes
Directed by John Francis Dillon
Music by Jerome Kern and others
The Story: Sally Green (Miller) has a few big dreams of her own. She may be a waitress at a Manhattan diner, but what she really wants to do is dance. She spends her time working on her routines and flirting with handsome and wealthy Blair Farrell (Gray) through windows when she should be paying attention to her job. After she accidentally drops food on theatrical agent Otis Hooper (Barnes), she's fired and gets another job at a nightclub as a bus girl. There, she reconnects with Blair and befriends Connie (Brown), a former duke who had to flee his country and is now a waiter.
Blair convinces the owner Pops (Ford Sterling) to let Sally dance. Otis and his girlfriend Rosie (Pert Kelton) catch her act and convince her to pass herself off as a famous Russian dancer at the party for Connie's society friend Mrs. Tenbrock. All goes well at the party...until Pops rushes in and reveals the deception, and Sally learns that Blair is already engaged to a debutante (Nora Lane). Sally's heartbroken, even after Otis gets her a star spot in the Ziegfeld Follies. It doesn't take a fairy godmother to make Sally's biggest wish come true, just the intervention of a few of her friends...
The Song and Dance: Miller was one of the biggest stars on Broadway in the 1920's, and here we see why. She's not really an actress and is only a so-so singer, but something special happens when she dances. While she's not technically perfect, she obviously loves what she's doing and is magnetic while doing it. You can understand why Warners apparently paid her at least $100,000 to star in this and another girl-makes-good tale from the stage, Sunny. Other stand-outs include deadpan Kelton and Gray as warm and likable Blair.
Favorite Number: Two dance routines seen here are the grandparents of many a number in subsequent films. Miller and Brown's comic duet to "Look for the Silver Lining" is energetic and hilarious, with the two of them jumping around and goofing off and obviously having a whale of a time.
Sally was originally filmed entirely in color. The color footage has since been lost...except for most the "Wild Rose" chorus song with Miller swirling around men in tuxedos. The number is already a delight, but the delicate peaches and soft greens add a note of almost Wizard-of-Oz-like fantasy to the sequence. (And for some reason, the sound improves during the color scenes, too.)
What I Don't Like: This is still very much an early talkie production. Most of the other songs besides a huge ballet in the finale are performed flat, and the color makeup seen in black and white makes everyone look like odd China dolls. The story is even more cliche than in the Disney Cinderella, and Miller is less fun and more stiff when she's not dancing. Brown keeps up with her well enough in "Look For the Silver Lining," but he's definitely out of place as a duke who has been run out of his country.
The Big Finale: I've fallen in love with this since I first saw it on TCM in the early 2000's, but it's not for everyone. If you can handle the archaic comedy and early-talkie stiffness, you may want to look for the silver lining with Sally, too.
Home Media: One of the earliest Warner Archives releases, easily found at Amazon.com, Warners' web site, and elsewhere.
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