“FANTASIA” at the Radio City Music Hall…1941
My
oldest sister, Mary, gave me the gift of a lifetime in 1941. It was
my 8th birthday and her gift to me was an enchanted afternoon at the
world-famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City. We were there to
enjoy the live stage show and the ground-breaking Disney musical,
“Fantasia”.
The movie portrayed cartoon characters performing their skits to classical music. Leopold Stokowski conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra and I sat entranced as the music wrapped around me. It literally felt like I was being carried up and into the movie that was enfolding.
The movie portrayed cartoon characters performing their skits to classical music. Leopold Stokowski conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra and I sat entranced as the music wrapped around me. It literally felt like I was being carried up and into the movie that was enfolding.
I particularly remember “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” featuring Mickey Mouse as an aspiring magician who gets himself into and out of a bunch of predicaments. At one sequence he is practically over-run by a battery of brooms carrying buckets of water.
Then there was the “Dance of the Hours” with lumbering hippos, crocodiles, ostriches and elephants ... up on tip-toes, twirling their huge bodies in time to the music. The juxtaposition between the clumsy animals and the dainty dance that they were performing was charming. We clapped with delight.
“Fantasia” never became a box office success but it was an enormous treat for me and I loved it. However, the memory that burns the brightest happened at the finale of the live stage show. Two comedians were sparring with each other and playing to the audience. At the end of their performance they came close to the front of the stage and one man said, “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here”. His partner chimed in with, “and I thank you from my bottom, too” ... while proceeding to turn his back on the audience, dropping his pants and "mooning" the lot of us.
How shocking! How crude! How DELIGHTFUL!! My virgin 8-year-old ears were burning but I thrilled to the naughtiness of it all. I couldn’t wait to get home to share the experience (in great detail and with many embellishments) with all my young friends.
................ Apologies to my regular readers. This is a repeat but I ran out of ideas ! ..........................
posted by Ginnie at 4:00 PM
7 Comments:
I have never seen Fantasia, Ginnie, and now will be looking in our local library for a dvd to borrow. I had also heard that it was a box office success story, but it is considered a classic Disney film. And, what a funny ending.
oh my what a delightful memory! I do remember the movie version later though I wasn't born until 1941...:)
Lol. Delightful as always!
No apologies for repeating this fine story, which I can't remember having read.
Yes, I remember reading it before - and it made me smile then as much as it did this morning. I had forgotten the mooning part until I read it. The SHOCK of it all!!!! LOL!
A great story, Ginnie, and fun to see it again - and will enjoy it if you post it again next year!!!!!
Have a wonderful 2018. Stay warm!!!!!
The beauty of the audience you have is that if we did read it before, we don't remember it. I never saw Fantasia and now feel I missed something. You had a cool story to tell your friends then and now. Thanks. Happy New Year Ginnie.
I, recall taking my young niece and nephew to see Fantasia in our local movie theater in the mid fifties. I fell in love with it, especially mesmerized by the audio of Rite of Spring, my intro to Stravinsky, and the accompanying video. I’ve seen more recent productions, but still prefer the original. In fact, made a point of purchasing a DVD of it a few years ago. The final mooning you experienced at that stage production and showing would have been quite shocking for young children I imagine, but likely more so for their parents in those days.
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