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Saturday 24 February 2018

Snow White

The German fairy tale Snow White was first printed in Giambattista Basile's 1634 Pentamerone. It was later included in J. K. Musäus's German Folktales (1782).

The Brothers Grimm recorded a version called Little Snow White (German: Schneewittchen) in 1812 in the first edition of their Children's and Household Tales.

Schneewittchen; Darstellung von Alexander Zick (1845 - 1907)

Story No 53 in the Grimms' collection, Schneewitchen, is no fairy tale. In it the wicked stepmother, having failed to murder the enviable beauty Snow White is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she drops dead.

Walt Disney's 1937 animated film of the story won an Oscar. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs was a big favorite of Adolf Hitler, who loved the movie so much that he kept a copy at his home theater.

Walt Disney took out multiple loans to finance Snow White, even mortgaging his own home to pay for it. At the time, insiders in the film industry thought the film would bomb and called it “Disney’s Folly”. Even Walt’s wife, Lillian, thought it would bomb.

19-year-old Adriana Caselotti, was only paid $970 ($16,000 today) to voice Snow White in the 1937 film.

Walt Disney was so keen on maintaining his brand that Adriana Caselotti received no credit. She was also contractually prevented from appearing in anything else, including radio shows, virtually ending her career. Caselotti died in 1978 still trying to cash in on her moment of glory.

Snow White in the trailer of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 

While making Snow White, Walt Disney paid his employees five dollars for every successful sight gag that could be used in the film.

Snow White's dwarfs had no names until Disney came along. Among the over 50 names he rejected were Awful, Baldy, Biggo-Ego, Dirty, Dumpy, Flabby, Gloomy, Hickey, Nifty, Shifty and Scruffy.

Six of the dwarfs have eyebrows based on Disney’s. Only Happy has white bushy eyebrows.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs was the first American movie to have a soundtrack album released with the feature film.

The score was composed by Frank Churchill (1901-42) with lyrics by Larry Morey (1905-71). The most famous song "Heigh-Ho" is sung by all seven dwarfs on their way to work.

The British Board of Film Censors thought Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs scary enough to allow under-16s only accompanied by an adult.

Walt Disney was presented with one normal sized honorary Oscar and seven little Oscars for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938.

Source Daily Express

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