Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Today we're going to wrap up looking at Silver Age films, beginning with Lady and the Tramp.

The Movie:

Lady and the Tramp is the 15th movie in the Disney Animated Canon and the 4th movie of Disney's Silver Age.    It also holds the distinction of being the first animated film to be done in CinemaScope widescreen.  Although a big box-office draw, it was panned by most critics upon its release.  However, modern audiences and critics tend to view it as a classic, both in the categories of animation and romance.

Lady and the Tramp is credited as being based on a short story called Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog by Ward Greene, but in reality that is only half the story.  While that story provided the basis for the romantic elements, the original idea for the character of Lady came from Disney writer Joe Grant, who had an English Springer Spaniel named Lady that was shoved aside by his new baby.

As told in the movie, one Christmas around the beginning of the 20th century, Lady is and American Cocker Spaniel puppy given as a gift from a husband to his wife.  Lady grows to live a happy life with her owners, who she dubs "Jim Dear" and "Darling," and her neighboring dogs, Jock the Scottish Terrier and Trusty the bloodhound.  One day, Lady meets a street mongrel named Tramp, who has been on the run from the dog catcher.  Tramp overhears Lady and her friends talking about her owners having a baby, and he warns her about the problems that may ensue.  Lady adapts to the new baby, but trouble begins when her owners leave on a trip, placing Aunt Sarah in charge of the house and baby.  Aunt Sarah's cats Si an Am are troublemakers who pester Lady, and a series of events leads Lady out into the streets, once again meeting Tramp.

As I mentioned a while back, my family was a dog family growing up, and this movie was a favorite in our house.  In fact, we even had a (black) Cocker Spaniel named Lady!  So for me this movie carries a bit of nostalgia to it.  That said, although it is an enjoyable film, I can understand why it wasn't as well received initially.  The story is fine and charming, and there are plenty of moments for dog lovers to enjoy.  But it doesn't always have the same magic as some of the other Golden and Silver Age films, and the animation, while good, doesn't stand out as much from the crowd.

If there is one moment the movie is known for, it's the spaghetti kiss scene.  It's not just a well known movie kiss, but it's one of the few iconic scenes from movies of any kind that happens to be a kiss, and along with the beach kiss from From Here to Eternity, one of the most referenced.

Oliver Wallace provides yet another fine score, and the songs were written by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke.  Lee also did the voices of Darling, Si, Am, and Peg the stray Pekingese, including their singing voices.  Thus she performed two of the film's most popular songs, "The Siamese Cat Song" (which always got stuck in my head as a kid) and the wonderfully jazzy "He's a Tramp."  However, the best song is "Bella Notte," sung chorally over the main titles and by George Givot as Tony during the spaghetti scene.

Presence in the Parks:

Lady and the Tramp is yet another movie represented by a restaurant in the parks.  This time it is Tony's Town Square Restaurant, which is located in the Magic Kingdom's Main Street USA.  It is of course an Italian restaurant, and there is a statue of the two dogs inside.  Their paw prints can also be seen in the concrete of the sidewalk out front.

Small references are also said to be found in Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano at Hollywood Studios and occasional floral displays at Epcot's Italy Pavilion.  At the resorts, there are Lady and Tramp statues at Pop Century.

The movie will also pop up in video tributes.  Notably the famous kissing scene was part of the final montage at the Great Movie Ride.  The movie is part of the Fantasmic! Bubble Sequence with a snip of "He's a Tramp."