Question about Lantz's MUSICAL MINATURES

[Thad Komorowski]

Were these cartoons ever released with this title on the opening credits? The only one I've seen recently, "The Poet and the Peasant", doesn't list MUSICAL MINATURES anywhere. Was this one reissued? I heard these were the most expensive pictures Lantz ever produced, since he used a VERY famous orchestra, and the music in "Peasant" was probably the best I've ever heard in a classic cartoon.

-Thad:D

[BobChief]

Well, both Poet and Musical Moments from Chopin are considered MM's, according to Maltin in OM&M*, but his filmography for Walter only lists Chopin with the Musical Miniatures series title.

*Of Mice and Magic IS available from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0452259932) and at Barnes and Noble, (http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0452259932) jest in case you were wondering...

[Larry T]

From all the Musical Miniatures I've seen, I'm pretty sure most of them have that on-screen designation as an actual title card. There's also a specific title card for whichever cartoons are designated as "Swing Symphonies" too.

"Poet and the Peasant" must have been re-issued, because on the Woody Woodpecker tape it has different titles than the one I recorded off TV some years ago. I can't remember which one, but one of them starts off with the Universal logo from the late 50s (which obviously doesn't belong on a cartoon originally released in the late 40s). Also, I've seen two different openings to the cartoon "Pixie Picnic". One has a static brownish title card with the actual title on it, and the other one has a panning image of the dwarves with the title superimposed over it. It makes sense that the animated one is the original one, because most of the time effects were dropped on re-release title cards (the Blue Ribbons are good examples).

[Thad Komorowski]

"The Poet and the Peasant" version I have has the 1940s Universal logo, and then it cuts to the usual Andy Panda logo at the time, with him whistling, showing his big buck teeth.

-Thad:D

[Bobby B]

Originally posted by Larry T
"Poet and the Peasant" must have been re-issued, because on the Woody Woodpecker tape it has different titles than the one I recorded off TV some years ago. I can't remember which one, but one of them starts off with the Universal logo from the late 50s (which obviously doesn't belong on a cartoon originally released in the late 40s).

It must be from the period in the late 1940's when Lantz cartoons were released by United Artists. Universal eventually acquired the rights to them and must've refilmed the opening titles. I think the Woodys from this era originally had animated opening titles because you can hear "Guess Who?" and Woody's laugh even though the title card doesn't change.