Melody Time

MELODY TIME offers seven short, animated pieces accompanied by orchestration and vocals. One is the tale of John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, sung by Dennis Day, showing the selfless contribution of a man dedicated to planting apple trees across the American frontier, providing food for settlers. An irresponsible tugboat named Little Toot shows that even troublemaking little kids can grow up and do the right thing, especially when accompanied by a song sung by the Andrews Sisters. A bumblebee rumbles to a take on Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee." Movie cowboy Roy Rogers tells a campfire story of Pecos Bill, a tough "buckaroo" who "never had no fear for man nor beast." After being raised by coyotes, he can "out-lope an antelope" and "out-jump a jackrabbit," and goes on to heroically create the Rio Grande river, give Texas its Lone Star symbol, and rope California clouds to rain on drought-ridden Texas. He also shoots up "Indians" and "redskins" and loses his edge when he falls for an attractive woman. A lively woman is shown to be a great horsewoman, but the emphasis is on her powdering her face. She is desperate to wear a bustle designed solely to make her seem more attractive. The bustle bounces her all the way to the moon, where she is exiled forever.