May 27, 2022 • 11 mins
On this day in 1933, the animated short “Three Little Pigs” premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that huffs and puffs about history every day
of the week. I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode,
(00:23):
we're talking about one of the earliest major successes of
Walt Disney Studios, in experimental animated short that left a
lasting impression on the public and helped pave the way
for everything from Bugs Bunny to snow White. The day
(00:43):
was May thirty three. The animated short Three Little Pigs,
premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Directed by Disney Studios regular Bert Gillette, this musical version
of the classic fable told the story of three little
pigs and the different lengths they went to avoid being
(01:06):
eaten by the Big Bad Wolf. The first two pigs
are depicted as care free and naive. They hastily assemble
their houses from straw and sticks, respectively, and then gloat
about how much time they have left over. The third pig, however,
has a much stricter work ethic. He uses bricks to
(01:27):
build his house, and while the effort leaves him with
much less free time, he's confident that the added security
will make it all worthwhile. He's eventually proven right, as
the Big Bad Wolf has no trouble blowing down the
first two flimsy houses, but no matter how hard he
huffs and puffs, the brick build house never gives way.
(01:49):
When the short was first released, it was a milestone
in more ways than one. Not only was it the
first cartoon to generate a hit song, the Depression era
anthem Who's a Aid of the Big Bad Wolf, it
also pushed the scope of animated characterization to a whole
new level. That evolution was largely by design. Three Little
(02:11):
Pigs was one of seventy five Silly Symphony cartoons produced
by Disney between nineteen twenty nine and nineteen thirty nine.
This series was produced alongside the studio's popular Mickey Mouse shorts,
but unlike those, Silly Symphonies were mainly standalone stories that
didn't feature recurring characters or themes. The only uniting feature
(02:34):
of the series was its focus on music, with each
short being set to a different piece. Over time, though,
Silly Symphonies became a testing ground for new animation styles
and techniques. For example, nineteen thirty seven's The Old Mill
made several technical and aesthetic strides, including the use of
(02:55):
special lighting effects to achieve a greater sense of realism
and multiplaye photography to add new levels of depth to
two D animation. The goal with Three Little Pigs, on
the other hand, was to push the envelope of character animation.
Because the film starred three almost identical pigs, the designers
(03:15):
and animators knew they would have to come up with
other ways to give each character a distinct personality. Part
of the solution to that challenge came from Walt Disney himself.
He insisted the pigs be portrayed as humanlike characters. Since
they lived in houses, he wanted them to wear clothes
as well. The pigs outfits were a chance to reflect
(03:38):
their different character traits. The first two pigs wore much
more youthful costumes, complete with decorative touches like bows and ribbons,
while the third pig dressed more sensibly in a pair
of overalls. To further these distinctions, character designer Albert Herder
assigned each pig a unique object and a name derived
(03:58):
from that object. Fiddler Pig got a fiddle and fifer
Pig got you guessed it a fife. Practical pigs tool
of choice was a trowel instead of a musical instrument,
though in the final sequence of the short he does
play a piano, which is also made out of bricks.
These expressive elements were brought to life by lead animator
(04:20):
Fred Moore and then combined with equally distinctive vocal performances
and music. The result was a breakthrough in character animation,
one that prompted Walt Disney to proudly proclaim, quote, at last,
we have achieved true personality in a whole picture. Before
we go any further, though, I want to mention an
(04:42):
ugly aspect of three Little Pigs that's often overlooked today.
In the shorts original release, the Big Bad Wolf briefly
disguises himself as a stereotypical Jewish peddler. He knocks at
the door of the third pigs house and tries to
trick them into coming out by pretending to be a
brush salesman. Wearing glasses and a long false nose and beard,
(05:06):
The wolf speaks with a Yiddish accent, an unfortunate example
of the casual stereotyping that was common in popular entertainment
at the time. The scene played without much controversy in
thirty three, but after World War Two it was viewed
much differently. Disney Studios elected to change the scene for
the shorts re release. The wolf was reanimated to remove
(05:30):
the offensive disguise, and his lines were re recorded without
the Yiddish accent. The original sequence remains a dark counterpoint
to the development of character animation seen elsewhere in the short.
It showed that expressive animation and sound could be effective
tools for creating not only joy, but pain as well.
(05:52):
More key to the film's success was its standout use
of music and sound. In the original outline for the short,
Walt Disney suggested making it an operetta, with all the
dialogue being rhymed and sung through. Composer and songwriter Frank
Churchill was entrusted with that task, and the score he
provided integrated perfectly with the on screen action. But the
(06:16):
real star of the soundtrack was Churchill's original song, Who's
Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. Let's take a listen.
You'll can play and fiddle. Don't think you can make
me sore. I'll be safe and you'll be sorry when
the wolf comes to your door. Dackle, who the Fate
(06:43):
and a Big Dack Wolf. The song is never played
straight through in the film, but is instead delivered in
fragments in between moments of action. Despite this stop and
start presentation, the theme song struck a chord with American
movie goers and became a popular tune in its own right.
Even apart from the short. Released in the middle of
(07:05):
the Great Depression, the song and the film it belonged
to came to symbolize the optimism and resilience of the
American public, even when the big bad Wolf of economic
scarcity was pounding at their door. The success of the
song caught Disney studios off guard. It's hard to imagine
now and the era of Let It Go and we
(07:26):
Don't talk about Bruno. But back then, Animation had yet
to produce an original hit song. That changed with Who's
Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? As customers began storming
their local music stores in hopes of buying the sheet
music to play at home. This was such an unexpected
development that Disney musicians had to copy the words and
(07:47):
music directly from the screen in order to meet the
public demand as fast as possible. In the meantime, audiences
got their fix of the song by going to see
the short again and again. Three Little Higgs proved so
popular that it was often given top billing on theater marquees,
above the feature film it accompanied, which was originally a
(08:08):
baseball comedy called Elmer the Great. The shorts theatrical run
was repeatedly extended due to popular demand, often outlasting the
features that played in front of At one New York theater,
the manager famously modified the film's poster by adding little
beards to the pigs faces, which he would then make
(08:29):
longer each week. The short continued to run even after
months in theaters. People still couldn't get enough of the
Three Little Pigs. The popularity spurred an unprecedented amount of merchandise,
including storybooks, figurines, clocks, soap, and just about anything else
you could think of. Achieving yet another notable first, Three
(08:51):
Little Pigs became the first film to make more money
from merchandizing royalties than it did from ticket sales. Prospect
that did, Knee and other studios noted with great interest.
Aside from raking in a ton of cash, the short
also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
in nineteen thirty four, Three Little Pigs was a money
(09:14):
maker for everyone involved, so much so that theater owners
were quick to ask Walt Disney to make more shorts
featuring the characters. Walt was initially hesitant to return to
the well, reportedly rebuffing the request by saying, quote, you
can't top pigs with pigs. He would ultimately go back
on that mantra by producing not one, but three sequel shorts,
(09:39):
The Big Bad Wolf in nineteen thirty four, Three Little
Wolves in nineteen thirty six, and The Practical Pig in
nineteen thirty nine. Though they were all modest successes in theaters,
none of those shorts matched the cultural relevance or staying
power of the original, proving that Walt was right to
begin with, you can't top pigs with pigs. I'm gay,
(10:03):
Bluesier and hopefully you now know a little more about
history today than you did yesterday. You can learn even
more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram at T D I HC Show, and if you
have any comments or suggestions, please send them my way
at this day at I heart Media dot com. I'd
(10:25):
love to know your favorite part of Three Little Pigs
mine are the framed pictures hanging inside the brick house.
One shows a salve feeding several piglets and his labeled mother.
Another shows a football labeled uncle Otto, and two more
show a chain of sausage links and a hamhock, both
of which are labeled father. It's a decidedly dark visual
(10:48):
gag and an otherwise lighthearted short, you know, apart from
the anti semitism. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show,
and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back
here again soon for another day in history class MHM
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that huffs and puffs about history every day
of the week. I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode,
(00:23):
we're talking about one of the earliest major successes of
Walt Disney Studios, in experimental animated short that left a
lasting impression on the public and helped pave the way
for everything from Bugs Bunny to snow White. The day
(00:43):
was May thirty three. The animated short Three Little Pigs,
premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Directed by Disney Studios regular Bert Gillette, this musical version
of the classic fable told the story of three little
pigs and the different lengths they went to avoid being
(01:06):
eaten by the Big Bad Wolf. The first two pigs
are depicted as care free and naive. They hastily assemble
their houses from straw and sticks, respectively, and then gloat
about how much time they have left over. The third pig, however,
has a much stricter work ethic. He uses bricks to
(01:27):
build his house, and while the effort leaves him with
much less free time, he's confident that the added security
will make it all worthwhile. He's eventually proven right, as
the Big Bad Wolf has no trouble blowing down the
first two flimsy houses, but no matter how hard he
huffs and puffs, the brick build house never gives way.
(01:49):
When the short was first released, it was a milestone
in more ways than one. Not only was it the
first cartoon to generate a hit song, the Depression era
anthem Who's a Aid of the Big Bad Wolf, it
also pushed the scope of animated characterization to a whole
new level. That evolution was largely by design. Three Little
(02:11):
Pigs was one of seventy five Silly Symphony cartoons produced
by Disney between nineteen twenty nine and nineteen thirty nine.
This series was produced alongside the studio's popular Mickey Mouse shorts,
but unlike those, Silly Symphonies were mainly standalone stories that
didn't feature recurring characters or themes. The only uniting feature
(02:34):
of the series was its focus on music, with each
short being set to a different piece. Over time, though,
Silly Symphonies became a testing ground for new animation styles
and techniques. For example, nineteen thirty seven's The Old Mill
made several technical and aesthetic strides, including the use of
(02:55):
special lighting effects to achieve a greater sense of realism
and multiplaye photography to add new levels of depth to
two D animation. The goal with Three Little Pigs, on
the other hand, was to push the envelope of character animation.
Because the film starred three almost identical pigs, the designers
(03:15):
and animators knew they would have to come up with
other ways to give each character a distinct personality. Part
of the solution to that challenge came from Walt Disney himself.
He insisted the pigs be portrayed as humanlike characters. Since
they lived in houses, he wanted them to wear clothes
as well. The pigs outfits were a chance to reflect
(03:38):
their different character traits. The first two pigs wore much
more youthful costumes, complete with decorative touches like bows and ribbons,
while the third pig dressed more sensibly in a pair
of overalls. To further these distinctions, character designer Albert Herder
assigned each pig a unique object and a name derived
(03:58):
from that object. Fiddler Pig got a fiddle and fifer
Pig got you guessed it a fife. Practical pigs tool
of choice was a trowel instead of a musical instrument,
though in the final sequence of the short he does
play a piano, which is also made out of bricks.
These expressive elements were brought to life by lead animator
(04:20):
Fred Moore and then combined with equally distinctive vocal performances
and music. The result was a breakthrough in character animation,
one that prompted Walt Disney to proudly proclaim, quote, at last,
we have achieved true personality in a whole picture. Before
we go any further, though, I want to mention an
(04:42):
ugly aspect of three Little Pigs that's often overlooked today.
In the shorts original release, the Big Bad Wolf briefly
disguises himself as a stereotypical Jewish peddler. He knocks at
the door of the third pigs house and tries to
trick them into coming out by pretending to be a
brush salesman. Wearing glasses and a long false nose and beard,
(05:06):
The wolf speaks with a Yiddish accent, an unfortunate example
of the casual stereotyping that was common in popular entertainment
at the time. The scene played without much controversy in
thirty three, but after World War Two it was viewed
much differently. Disney Studios elected to change the scene for
the shorts re release. The wolf was reanimated to remove
(05:30):
the offensive disguise, and his lines were re recorded without
the Yiddish accent. The original sequence remains a dark counterpoint
to the development of character animation seen elsewhere in the short.
It showed that expressive animation and sound could be effective
tools for creating not only joy, but pain as well.
(05:52):
More key to the film's success was its standout use
of music and sound. In the original outline for the short,
Walt Disney suggested making it an operetta, with all the
dialogue being rhymed and sung through. Composer and songwriter Frank
Churchill was entrusted with that task, and the score he
provided integrated perfectly with the on screen action. But the
(06:16):
real star of the soundtrack was Churchill's original song, Who's
Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. Let's take a listen.
You'll can play and fiddle. Don't think you can make
me sore. I'll be safe and you'll be sorry when
the wolf comes to your door. Dackle, who the Fate
(06:43):
and a Big Dack Wolf. The song is never played
straight through in the film, but is instead delivered in
fragments in between moments of action. Despite this stop and
start presentation, the theme song struck a chord with American
movie goers and became a popular tune in its own right.
Even apart from the short. Released in the middle of
(07:05):
the Great Depression, the song and the film it belonged
to came to symbolize the optimism and resilience of the
American public, even when the big bad Wolf of economic
scarcity was pounding at their door. The success of the
song caught Disney studios off guard. It's hard to imagine
now and the era of Let It Go and we
(07:26):
Don't talk about Bruno. But back then, Animation had yet
to produce an original hit song. That changed with Who's
Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? As customers began storming
their local music stores in hopes of buying the sheet
music to play at home. This was such an unexpected
development that Disney musicians had to copy the words and
(07:47):
music directly from the screen in order to meet the
public demand as fast as possible. In the meantime, audiences
got their fix of the song by going to see
the short again and again. Three Little Higgs proved so
popular that it was often given top billing on theater marquees,
above the feature film it accompanied, which was originally a
(08:08):
baseball comedy called Elmer the Great. The shorts theatrical run
was repeatedly extended due to popular demand, often outlasting the
features that played in front of At one New York theater,
the manager famously modified the film's poster by adding little
beards to the pigs faces, which he would then make
(08:29):
longer each week. The short continued to run even after
months in theaters. People still couldn't get enough of the
Three Little Pigs. The popularity spurred an unprecedented amount of merchandise,
including storybooks, figurines, clocks, soap, and just about anything else
you could think of. Achieving yet another notable first, Three
(08:51):
Little Pigs became the first film to make more money
from merchandizing royalties than it did from ticket sales. Prospect
that did, Knee and other studios noted with great interest.
Aside from raking in a ton of cash, the short
also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
in nineteen thirty four, Three Little Pigs was a money
(09:14):
maker for everyone involved, so much so that theater owners
were quick to ask Walt Disney to make more shorts
featuring the characters. Walt was initially hesitant to return to
the well, reportedly rebuffing the request by saying, quote, you
can't top pigs with pigs. He would ultimately go back
on that mantra by producing not one, but three sequel shorts,
(09:39):
The Big Bad Wolf in nineteen thirty four, Three Little
Wolves in nineteen thirty six, and The Practical Pig in
nineteen thirty nine. Though they were all modest successes in theaters,
none of those shorts matched the cultural relevance or staying
power of the original, proving that Walt was right to
begin with, you can't top pigs with pigs. I'm gay,
(10:03):
Bluesier and hopefully you now know a little more about
history today than you did yesterday. You can learn even
more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram at T D I HC Show, and if you
have any comments or suggestions, please send them my way
at this day at I heart Media dot com. I'd
(10:25):
love to know your favorite part of Three Little Pigs
mine are the framed pictures hanging inside the brick house.
One shows a salve feeding several piglets and his labeled mother.
Another shows a football labeled uncle Otto, and two more
show a chain of sausage links and a hamhock, both
of which are labeled father. It's a decidedly dark visual
(10:48):
gag and an otherwise lighthearted short, you know, apart from
the anti semitism. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show,
and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back
here again soon for another day in history class MHM
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