Information
Sequence number: almost all sequences
Date of document: October 11, 1934
Date of Meeting: October 9, 1934
Topics covered: Snow White, soup, bed building, poisoned comb, Prince in dungeon, prayer, chase, Queen’s death, songs
Meeting participants: Walt Disney, Albert Hurter, Richard Creedon, Ted Sears, Pinto Colvig, Larry Morey (“In Walt’s office Tuesday afternoon”)
Minute writer: Harry Bailey
This meeting started with a brainstorm and the men pitched ideas for possible personnalities of the dwarfs. The names after each character’s name are not only potential voice actors, but also seems to be possible inspirations like Eddie Holden (Toby Tortoise), Cliff Arquette or Joe Twerp (whose names are all mispelt, so that “Wirtle” may be “Alyce Ardell”?). Among them are Sterling Holloway, the future Winnie the Pooh, Pinto Colvig, one of the meeting participants who will finally voice Grumpy and Sleepy, and Billy Bletcher, the voice of the Big Bad Wolf in Three Little Pigs. There is a reference to a character from a previous Silly Symphony: Santa’s secretary from Santa’s Workshop, but also to several famous characters at the time: the screen cowboy Tom Mix and his horse, Douglas Fairbanks and his famous duels, and Hipplewater, a character created by radio actor Eddie Holden.
Doc’s name suddenly makes more sense here when he is described as having a stethoscope.
The Seven Little Men
| Practical Dwarf | Watches over others |
| “Wheezy” | Stubby – Always behind or last in processions – fatter and shorter than the rest. |
| “Jumpy” (Joe Twirp) | Excitable – goosey type – talks fast – Mixes up his words: as “See’s aleep in my sled.” |
| “Baldy” (Sheriff or Pinto) | Stands back – deaf – sour-dough type – No teeth – glasses on – chews after speaking – lean and skinny – like Santa’s secretary. |
| “Grumpy” (Sheriff or Pinto) | Stands back – deaf – sour-dough type – No teeth – glasses on – chews after speaking – lean and skinny – like Santa’s secretary. |
| “Happy” (Wirtle or Pinto) | Bounces about – cut-up – Positive type – High voice – high giggle and jolly laugh – fat. |
| “Doc” (Ed Holden or Blecher) | Fat – pompous and inefficient – blustery. Nose glasses fall off at times – leader of gang – Hipplewater. |
| “Sleepy” (Sterling Holloway) | Falls asleep at wrong time – fly bothers him – Long, lanky type – untidy – one sock down. |
Other characters suggested
- “Hickey” – Always hiccoughing at moment.
- “Gabby”
- “Nifty”
- “Sniffy”
- “Lazy”
- “Puffy”
- “Stuffy”
- “Shorty”
- “Wheezy”
- “Burpy”
- “Dopey”
- “Dizzy” (Suggested for Jumpy)
- “Tubby”
(A) After entering dwarfs’ house SnowWhite talks to birds while fixing up soup on stove – they nod and sing approbation of all she does for the dwarfs.
(B) It is dusk when dwarfs return home – to lend spooky appearance inside of house– – Candles can be lit.
(C) Dwarfs are irritated when they find soup tastes better and floor clean- dishes all washed.
(D) As dwarfs discover cleanliness of their house, they tip-toe about – – One yells, “Whose here!” – Echo comes back “Whose here.” ……They duck and go into a scramble and hide, then cautiously emerge, wide-eyed – looking about.
(E) Jumpy discovers S.W. comes back all excited to tell others with his mixed up vocabulary – (get “Twerp” to write his own dialogue twisters) as “Bee’s aleep in my sled.”
(F) SnowWhite awakes with a little scream, when she sees dwarfs staring at her – – which they continue to do until she takes hold of the situation by going to the dining room and calling them to dinner….
Teaches dwarfs to properly eat soup – during dinner sequence, we can cut to Huntsman’s return to the Queen….then back to SnowWhite and the dwarfs in the midst of the entertainment.
(G) No song from SnowWhite after she awakes, but begins to talk; and dwarfs get idea who she is by ring on her finger…..that she is “Princess SnowWhite,” and they start talking themselves, knowing all about the “Queen” and her wickedness to SnowWhite.
(H) Dwarfs sing about each other – pointing one out and singing “How sleepy he is” or “How crabby Grumpy is,” to identify dwarfs to SnowWhite……..SnowWhite sings, “But how sweet you all are.”
(I) They all like the idea of SnowWhite being with them, but Grumpy, who pulls an old proverb about “Wimin are bad luck about a ship,” or something similar……He doesn’t like the idea of SnowWhite staying, at first, but succumbs, like all the rest, later on in the story.
Sleepy tries to give a speech (Long one), but falls asleep before finishing it – this to establish his character – – – After that he never gets a chance to give a long speech again.
Cut to Huntsman’s return to Queen – Queen threatens Huntsman, after the mirror discloses SnowWhite is safe with the dwarfs.
(A) When the Queen gets angry, her face grows menacing – eyes big – fearful, hideous, and distorted features.
Dwarfs entertain SnowWhite by singing couplets, and ending the song like eeny-meeny-miney-mo – – point out each other ’til last one pointed out sings next couplet…..
All dwarfs, during music, keep time in their own individual way – some sway – (forward and back) (some jiggle) (some side-away) and so forth during vamp.
(B) One dwarf dances with SnowWhite by standing on the shoulders of a second dwarf.
SnowWhite speaks first two lines of prayer — cut to dwarfs – Off-stage voice of SnowWhite continues with prayer – – – one looks up, about to be left out of prayer, and motions to himself, looking at SnowWhite–
Cut back to SnowWhite to finish the last two lines of the prayer – – Off-stage all say “Amen.”
Queen in her laboratory adjacent to the dungeon, busy preparing poison for comb – – – Cauldron bubbling, and change of color of the flames and so forth…….After she finishes, she steps through the secret panel in the wall to Prince’s dungeon cell or stairway opening.
Dungeon far down below – stairs leading down – go limit in building up creepy dark shadows – dank and dripping wet – cob-webby, musty effect – skeletons in chains – Prince gagged and heavily chained to the wall – – – – Queen taunts the Prince – points out to him the skeleton of “Prince Oswald” chained to the wall –
Might have skeletons dance at the Queen’s bidding – Queen exits with a dirty laugh – – Prince strains at bonds.
Queen gets into an old boat at tunnel opening (dressed as an old peddler woman) and pushes off with a long pole, into dim dawn.
Queen poles the boat into the bushes and goes up to roadway – limping along with pack like a fat bulging old woman peddler…..
SnowWhite, in the early morning light, is sending dwarfs off to work – kissing them – – One gets on the end of the line again for a second kiss – – Bashful
Baldy goes into an embarrassing fit when kissed – – almost stands on his head, and spins about….
Dwarfs leave SnowWhite, and when out of sight, they hold a meeting – – one gets up on a stump and conducts meeting like a lodge or convention gathering – Sleepy suggests making a bed for SnowWhite, and the motion is unanimously carried – one is delegated to make blanket – one to make mattress, and we leave them all busy carving, sawing, hammering, gathering stuffing for the mattress (such as milkweed, down, parts of whiskers, bunnie tails, eider down from duck, etc.)
SnowWhite is busy, cleaning up the house – birds assist by carrying out breakfast cloth, and dumping crumbs, etc……….Queen, as old peddler appears at window –
Poison comb sequence follows, and Queen gives maniacal laugh as SnowWhite falls in a swoon – Queen hurriedly exits.
Suggestion made that we cut to dwarfs with bed well under way –– – Between Queen’s attempt to sell SnowWhite the poison comb – –
Bed finished – the seven little men carry it proudly to the house – when they go to the front door, they all hide behind it and “Jumpy” goes to door, happily knocks – no answer – he pushes door open – goes in – immediately dashes out – all excited – words twisted up – – tells other dwarfs SnowWhite is laying on the floor (as “See’s flaying on the loor” etc.) They all dash in.
Wild excitement as they try to revive SnowWhite – – running for water – fanning – looking bewilderedly about – Doc’s stethoscope tangles up with beard – blusterly dialogue – finally he or one other points to the comb in hair – “She never had that before.” Pulls it out – SnowWhite immediately revives – They throw comb in fireplace – greenish yellow smoke shoots up – SnowWhite mentions old peddler woman – – they suspect the Queen, and warn her about letting anyone in during their absence……
Dwarfs lead SnowWhite outside, and present her with the bed – she is overjoyed, and we leave them all in a happy ending – – – Sleepy might be discovered fast asleep in SnowWhite’s bed…..
Mirror tells Queen about poison comb’s failure – Queen smashes mirror at this point – mocking laugh echoes and re-echoes, as Queen kicks pieces in her demoniacal fury – – – she goes to her skullduggery laboratory – runs finger down pages of big book “What Witches Should Know.” Comes to “Poison Apple.” She speaks to the raven sitting on a skull “This time I won’t fail.” Raven never speaks but gives an evil leer, as Queen starts preparations in a hollow skull……..
Queen’s change is now into a thin, hawk-faced, old witch type, in contrast to her previous change to the fat, bulgy, peddler type….. When Queen changes into a witch, warts pop out on her face – Ping! Ping! Ping!! Also, hairs out of warts……
Birds liberate Prince – one bird steals guards’ hat, and has him chase into Prince’s dungeon, where prince either socks him as he enters, or engages him in a Douglas Fairbanksian sword duel – leaping over table – chairs, and so forth – – finding his mark, and plunging his sword into the guard, while swinging on chandelier.
Prince calls for his horse, and talks to him like Tom Mix and Tony…..Horse interested in what Prince says……Seems to understand – paws with forefoot, and so on….. Prince takes wrong road in pursuit of the Queen…….
Birds try to warn SnowWhite about “Queen” as the apple peddler – – They annoy her so that she has to shoo them out of the window – They beat against the window panes, frantically, until they start off to get the dwarfs……
Dwarfs hop onto deers backs to go in rescue of SnowWhite, some hang onto tails and so forth in the excitement….. Short dwarf always on end of processions – has to be helped over rough places during chase after Queen – called Stubby or Tubby……..
Suggestion made that Queen not try to sell apple, but to give [it] to SnowWhite in reward for bringing her out of a faint – tells SnowWhite it’s a magic apple etc……..
After prayer of dwarfs over SnowWhite, use poetic animated art titles with Prince riding his horse – cross-dissolve from autumn, winter, spring backgrounds – – –
Fade in to vigil of dwarfs – putting flowers on glass coffin, and so forth –
When Prince finally appears in glade……..
Wedding bells CROSS DISSOLVE to closing of book to reveal “The End.”
Black bands on arms of dwarfs and quiver of lips at prayer sequence……..
Prince has a strong, robust personality – strains at chains – and looks as though he would almost burst the links holding him……
Suggestion made that an audience reaction of entire studio listen to voices chosen for characters, and to be voted for………
