Production information

Album produced by Henkel
Record production number: WDHF
Release date: 1973
Composed by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, Larry Morey, and Paul J. Smith
French lyrics by Marcel Ventura and Alfred A. Fatio
Salabert editions

Cast
Narrator: Micheline Presle
Snow White (singing voice): Christiane Legrand

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A promotional giveaway

As the 1973 French rerelease of the film approached, numerous partnerships were forged across all branches of commerce and industry to promote the film’s characters. One such partnership was struck with the company Henkel, which offered, in addition to barrels of Super Croix laundry detergent featuring the film’s characters, a deal tied to its Dato products, a disc of the film’s story.

While Super Croix still exists today, Dato detergent no longer seems to be marketed in France. However, given that it was recommended for white laundry, Henkel’s interest in associating it with Snow White is easily understood. The Dato 60° packages proclaimed on the packaging: “with a real 45rpm record of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The campaign was relayed on December 5, 1973, in the corporate journal Le Film Français, aimed at exhibitors to ensure the film’s proper promotion.

Micheline Presle

This 45 rpm record, bearing the references WDHF 001 and WDHF 002, contains on both sides “the story of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs told by Micheline Presle,” and on the second side, 3 excerpts of songs from the film re-recorded 10 years earlier by Christiane Legrand and Jean Cussac. The disc cover clearly states that it cannot be sold and specifies that it was printed by C.I.D.I.S. in Louviers.

On the disc are printed the Walt Disney productions copyright, and the name of the French publisher of the songs, Salabert and the composers Frank Churchill and Larry Morey.

It seems that a significant part of the budget for this recording went either to Disney or to the salary of the star Micheline Presle, who serves as the narrator here. At that time, she was particularly popular because, after having had a successful film career since the late 1930s, she had just finished the great television success Les Saintes Chéries, which had dominated the small screen in France for years.

Nevertheless, besides her prestigious participation, this record has few arguments to put forward because the only other actor (who does the slave in the magic mirror and a grunt from Grumpy) is not mentioned and has a microscopic role, the background music is rather scarce and has nothing to do with that of the film, the included songs are reused from the previous decade, and the pressing quality is not impeccable.

It is considered here that the dwarfs are brothers, which is never mentioned in the film. Micheline Presle speaks of their “well-known song” without giving its title. Snow White only cleans the cottage the day after meeting the dwarfs, and it is during breakfast that she asks the dwarfs to wash up, after which they go to work, so the scene depicted on the cover has no place in the story.

This same recording will be used for another promotional record in 1979 by Andros jams.

Track listing

Side 1

  • The story of Snow White (6:11)
The story of Snow White (in French)

Side 2

  • The story of Snow White – continuation (3:42)
  • With a Smile and a Song (1:09)
  • Whistle While You Work (0:45)
  • Heigh-Ho (0:38)
The story of Snow White – continuation (In French)
With a Smile and a Song (In French)
Whistle While You Work (In French)
Heigh Ho (In French)