Voices of Paul Frees, Gloria Wood, Skip Farrell, and Billy Storm
Directed by Bill Justice
Music and Lyrics by the Sherman Brothers
This is in honor of Richard Sherman, who passed away on Wednesday. Symposium was one of their earlier projects at Disney, made just a year after Walt was impressed with their hits "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess" for Annette Funicello and hired them. They looked into their own past with this unique 20-minute featurette as they recalled the styles of music their own songwriter father Al Sherman created in the 30's and 40's.
This would also the be the first and only theatrical short for Professor Ludwig Von Drake, a talkative duck who was more commonly seen on The Wonderful World of Color TV show. Does Von Drake do as well with his hosting duties on the big screen as he did on NBC in the 1960's? Let's begin with Von Drake inviting us into the enormous mansion that houses the Symposium and find out...
The Story: Professor Von Drake explains the history of popular music and claims he more-or-less invented it, via 7 songs ranging from ragtime in the early 1910's to then-current rock.
Animation: While not the best they ever did, the Professor generally looks and moves a bit better here than he does on his episodes. The opening with the elegantly sketchy blue mansion is especially nice. The music segments are done as stop-motion and look unique for Disney, with their adorably cut-out-paper, hand-drawn look.
The Song and Dance: If you know anything about the history of popular music up to the early 60's or are familiar with Von Drake's other shorts, this is really cute. Von Drake has some genuinely funny moments, including his rollicking take on rock in the finale. All of the stop-motion is pretty nifty, but the opening "Rutabaga Rag" with the dancing vegetables are definitely the coolest.
Favorite Number: The Professor opens by claiming he created ragtime because he was broke and in rags when he did it. This takes us to our first number, "The Rutabaga Rag," with actual fruit and vegetables dancing to the ragtime beat. "Charleston Charlie" takes us into the Roaring 20's as the Professor recalls the days of raccoon coats and Betty-Booping flappers. He claims the name of the song was originally "Louisville Ludwig," but what we hear is a Dixieland satire performed by a cut-out booping cutie.
"Although I Dropped $1,000" spoofs the cheer-up ditties of the early 30's that the Shermans' father Al specialized in, and even mentions a few of them. "I'm Blue for You, Boo Boo Boo" jumps to later in the 30's as we're introduced to a line-drawing version of crooners like Bing Crosby. "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Man" has fun with the Andrews Sisters and the close-harmony numbers they performed during World War II. "Puppy Love Is Here to Stay" is a homage to the more innocent brand of pop music that was big with teenagers during the early-mid 50's, while the Professor's "Rock, Rumble, and Roar" finishes things off with the rock that was just coming back into fashion.
Trivia: Nominated for Best Short Subject in 1963.
Though this is the only theatrical short featuring Professor Ludwig Von Drake to date, he continues to be used on TV, usually as a brainy absent-minded professor type on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck-based shows.
What I Don't Like: Let's discuss "Boogie Woogie Bakery Man." The lyrics that reference Orientals and stereotypical treatment of the Chinese is in line with the time period being depicted and the early 60's, but song and artwork come off as dated and a bit offensive for many people nowadays. In fact, a lot of the references in the songs will likely fly over the head of younger kids who would enjoy watching Von Drake do his routines, and many adults who would be interested in the music and animation might get irritated by Von Drake's constant chatter.
The Big Finale: Truth be told, while the Shermans' songs are a lot of fun, I don't think the Professor was quite ready for his theatrical close-up. Recommended only for major fans of Disney, Von Drake, or the Shermans.
Home Media: To date, this has only been released on DVD as part of the limited edition Walt Disney Treasures set Disney Rarities, which is insanely expensive on Amazon. You're far better off looking for this used or on YouTube.
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