Wallace was born on August 6, 1887 in London. After completing his musical training, he went to the United States, where he initially worked primarily on the West Coast as a conductor of theater orchestras and as an organist accompanying silent films. At the same time, he also made a name as a songwriter, writing tunes such as the popular "Hindustan". With the advent of the talking film era, he worked increasingly for Hollywood film studios in the 1930s.
In 1936 he joined Disney Studios, and quickly became one of the most important composers in the studio for short animated films. Wallace provided the music for more than 100 of these shorts. One of his best known pieces is the song Der Fuehrer's Face from the 1942 Donald Duck propaganda cartoon. This parody of a Horst Wessel song was, mainly through the version by Spike Jones & His City Slickers, one of the biggest hits during the Second World War. Other shorts Wallace scored include Ben and Me (1953), about Benjamin Franklin, and the Oscar-winning Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953), the first cartoon to use the new Cinemascope process. In 1949 Wallace composed the music and voiced Winkie in the Disney film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
Walt Disney also had Wallace score full-length films for the studios. His first big success was Dumbo (1941), for which he, together with Frank Churchill, won his first and only Oscar in 1942. He went on to score Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp. Characteristic of all these productions was the cooperation of several composers in the creation of the music. Wallace understood this and integrated leitmotiv-like elements from the individual songs into the film scores.
When the Disney studios began increasingly producing full-length films, Wallace also wrote scores for these. In Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), Wallace wrote not only the score but also set the Lawrence Edward Watkin-penned popular songs, "Pretty Irish Girl" and "The Wishing Song". In Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with the Circus (1959), he appeared as an actor, playing the conductor of the circus band.
Starting with Seal Island (1948) Wallace also specialized in musical accompaniments for Disney documentaries, including nearly all the films for the "People and Places" series and some of the "True Life Adventures". The music of White Wilderness (1958) was even nominated for an Oscar in 1959, a rare event for a documentary film.
Overall, Wallace contributed music to nearly 150 Walt Disney productions. He remained active in the studio in Los Angeles until shortly before his death at the age of 76.
Awards:
* 1942 - Oscar for Dumbo - together with Frank Churchill
Wallace also received four other Oscar nominations for the music to the film Victory Through Air Power (1943), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and White Wilderness (1957).
Filmography (selection):
Most of the films were scored in collaboration with other composers.
* 1941 – Dumbo – Score
* 1942 – Der Fuehrer's Face – Score and title song
* 1943 – Victory Through Air Power – Score (participation)
* 1947 – Fun and Fancy Free – Score (participation)
* 1948 – Seal Island – Score
* 1949 – The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad – Score
* 1950 – Cinderella – Score (participation)
* 1951 – Alice in Wonderland – Score
* 1953 – Peter Pan – Score and some songs
* 1953 – Ben and Me – Score
* 1953 – Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom – Score
* 1954 – Siam – Score
* 1955 – Men Against the Arctic – Score
* 1955 – Lady and the Tramp – Score (participation)
* 1957 – Old Yeller – Score and song
* 1958 – White Wilderness – Score
* 1958 – Tonka – Score
* 1959 – Darby O’Gill and the Little People – Score and song
* 1960 – Jungle Cats – Score
* 1960 – Ten Who Dared – Score
* 1961 – Nikki, Wild Dog of the North – Score
* 1962 – Big Red – Score
* 1962 – The Legend of Lobo – Score
* 1963 – Savage Sam – Score
* 1963 – The Incredible Journey – Score
Siamese Cat Song The / What's Going on Down There
Oliver Wallace Lyrics
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We are Siamese if you don't please (meow)
Now we lookin over our new domicile
If we like we stay for maybe quite a while
Do you see that thing swimming round and round?
Yes maybe we could reaching in and make it drown
If we sneak in not to fool it carefully
There will be a head for you a tail for me
A baby cry
Where we finding baby there are milk nearby
If we look in baby buggy there could be
Plenty milk for you and also some for me
The lyrics of The Siamese Cat Song by Oliver Wallace and Peggy Lee encapsulate the mischievous and cunning nature of Siamese cats. The song starts with the cats introducing themselves, emphasizing their breed and character. They then proceed to explore their new environment with a sharp eye, hinting at their intent to stay for a while. As they survey the place, they notice a fish swimming in a bowl and contemplate catching it.
The lyrics take a dark turn as they discuss the possibility of drowning the fish together. They then hear a baby crying nearby and quickly make their way towards it, knowing that where there is a baby, there is milk in a nearby buggy. The cats' hunger and natural instincts to hunt and feed are evident in the lyrics, highlighting their predatory nature.
The second part of the song, What's Going On Down There, continues with the cats exploring their surroundings, taking on a more mischievous tone. They suggest that something interesting is happening downstairs in the house and they are intrigued. They also discuss the possibility of knocking things over and make a reference to catnip.
Overall, The Siamese Cat Song captures the curious, cunning, and playful nature of Siamese cats, showcasing their instincts to hunt, feed and explore.
Line by Line Meaning
We are Siamese if you please (meow)
We are Siamese cats and we want to gain your approval, meow
We are Siamese if you don't please (meow)
We are Siamese cats and we don't care if you don't approve of us, meow
Now we lookin over our new domicile
We're checking out our new home
If we like we stay for maybe quite a while
If we like it here, we'll be staying for a while
Do you see that thing swimming round and round?
Do you notice that thing swimming in circles?
Yes maybe we could reaching in and make it drown
Maybe we could reach in and drown it
If we sneak in not to fool it carefully
If we sneak in carefully without alerting it
There will be a head for you a tail for me
We will share the catch, you take the head and I'll take the tail
Do you hear what I hear? (grr)
Do you hear that noise? (growling)
A baby cry
A baby is crying
Where we finding baby there are milk nearby
Where there's a baby, there's milk nearby
If we look in baby buggy there could be
If we check the baby buggy
Plenty milk for you and also some for me
There's enough milk for both of us
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company
Written by: OLIVER WALLACE, PEGGY LEE, SONNY BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind