Lady and the Tramp-Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske | 75 minutes | drama, animation, comedy, family, romance, musical | English voice cast: Peggy Lee, Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Bill Thompson, Bill Baucom, Stan Freberg, Verna Felton, Alan Reed, George Givot, Dal McKennon, Lee Millar, Bill Lee, Thurl Ravenscroft, Max Smith, Bob Stevens | Dutch voice cast: Johnny Kraaijkamp Jr., Angelique de Boer, Bram van der Vlugt, Anne Wil Blankers, Peter Aryans, Henk Elsink, Tom Meijer, Henni Orri, Nelleke Burg, Frits Lambrechts, Paul van Gorcum, Hero Muller, Arnold Gelderman

It is one of the most romantic scenes in film history: two dogs sharing a plate of spaghetti by candlelight and not realizing that they are nibbling on the same string. ‘Lady and the Tramp’ from 1955 was Disney’s first full-length classic based not on a classic fairy tale, but on a story by Ward Greene. However, Walt Disney also added some of his own memories of the film. For example, he once gave his wife a puppy after he forgot a dinner date. And the setting of the story is inspired by Disney’s own childhood in Marceline, Missouri. The story takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century. Lady (voiced by Barbara Luddy) is a spoiled Cocker Spaniel who lives in a big house with her owners whom she affectionately calls ‘Jim Dear’ and ‘Darling’ (the funny thing is that we viewers know them only by that name). She leads a lazy life, as do her friends, the terrier Jock (Bill Thompson) and the hunting dog Trusty (Bill Baucom).

However, that suddenly comes to an end when Darling becomes pregnant and Lady suddenly takes second place. At first she has no idea what’s going on, but once the baby is born, Darling and Jim Dear stop paying attention to her. Things get even worse when her owners take a few days off to recover from all the happenings and Aunt Sarah (Verna Felton) comes to babysit. She and her intolerable Siamese cats chase the poor Lady out of the house. On the street she comes into contact with Tramp (Larry Roberts), a street dog who adheres to the motto ‘long live fun’. He enjoys his freedom and knows places everywhere to get his daily meal. His favorite is Chef Tony (George Givot’s) Italian restaurant, where he takes Lady for a romantic dinner for two. However, Lady soon realizes that life on the street is not always a bed of roses when she is captured by the street dog hunters…

‘Lady and the Tramp’ has a simple but very romantic story that is told in its entirety from the perspective of the dogs. The film was shot in CinemaScope, which produces beautiful, wide shots that draw you even more into the world of animals. There are quite a few stereotypes passing by, but they can forgive Walt Disney. It may also be a bit of that time. Popular jazz singer Peggy Lee not only provided some voices, but also wrote the wonderful soundtrack together with Sonny Burke. The taunting ‘The Siamese Cat Song’ and the jazzy ‘He’s a Tramp’ are the undisputed musical highlights; both were sung by Lee. Those who take a critical look will notice that ‘Lady and the Tramp’ may lack depth, but that doesn’t really disturb here. Central to this are the beautiful animations, the mostly sympathetic characters and the great music and for the target group – and who doesn’t actually fall under this? – that’s more than enough.

With ‘Lady and the Tramp’, Walt Disney made his fifteenth full-length animated film and this one was also more than successful. Nostalgia reigns supreme in this classic romantic tale of an unlikely love. Not between two people, but between two dogs. As we can expect from Disney, we also see charming secondary characters here, who are somewhat clichéd and stereotypical, but also irresistible. As this whole movie is heartwarming and not to be sneezed at. Classic entertainment for the whole family!