Cast:
Edgar Bergen...Himself
Jiminy Cricket...Cliff Edwards
Giant...Billy Gilbert
Singing Harp...Anita Gordon
Mickey Mouse...Jim Macdonald
Donald Duck...Clarence Nash
Luana Patten...Herself
Unknown...Dinah Shore
Jiminy Cricket...Cliff Edwards
Giant...Billy Gilbert
Singing Harp...Anita Gordon
Mickey Mouse...Jim Macdonald
Donald Duck...Clarence Nash
Luana Patten...Herself
Unknown...Dinah Shore
Studio:
Disney
Release History:
1947 - Fun and Fancy Free
After World War II, economic restrictions made it impossible for Disney to product a full length animated feature. Fun and Fancy Free was a series of animated shorts tied together into a feature-length compilation – a Disney improvisation to get a full-length movie into theaters.
The host of the film was Jiminy Cricket, who starts the movie with a record of the first story, “Bongo.” Dinah Shore sings the narration of the life of Bongo, a talented circus bear. But Bongo is badly mistreated by his cruel circus masters, and escapes into the forest. Unfortunately, he finds life in the woods isn’t mush easier.
After dealing with frightening thunderstorms and wild animals, Bongo meets a pretty girl bear, but his affections are rebuffed by a series of slaps. Bongo goes on to learn how bears express affection, and he goes back to claim his love from a jealous rival.
Jiminy introduces the next story with an invitation to the birthday party of child star Luana Patten (who played Ginny in Song of the South). Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen entertains at the party with his puppets Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Bergen tells Luana and the party guests the story of Mickey and the Beanstalk, a version of the classic tale staring Mickey, Donald and Goofy.
In that story, the three farmer friends are so poor, they’re forced to share a slice of bread and a single bean for supper. Mickey decides to trade their cow for a handful of magic beans, which infuriates Donald. But the beans spout during the night into a giant beanstalk, and the farmer friends climb up to the castle of Willie the Giant, who gets really angry at the intrusion. The storytelling is occasionally interrupted by Bergen, McCarthy and Snerd making wisecracks about the action.
The overall film was out of circulation for many years, while "Bongo" and "Mickey and the Beanstalk" appeared occasionally as shorts on Disney television programs. In 1997, the entire film was restored and re-released on video for it’s fiftieth anniversary.
