Lady and the Tramp (1955)

The romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown Mutt.

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson

Writers:

Ward Greene (from the story by), Erdman Penner (story)

Stars:

Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peggy Lee	...	Darling / Si / Am / Peg (voice)
Larry Roberts	...	Tramp (voice)
Bill Baucom	...	Trusty (voice)
Verna Felton	...	Aunt Sarah (voice)
George Givot	...	Tony (voice)
Stan Freberg	...	Beaver (voice) (as Stan Freeberg)
Lee Millar	...	Jim Dear / Dog Catcher (voice)
Barbara Luddy	...	Lady (voice)
Bill Thompson	...	Jock / Bull - the Bull Terrier / Policeman at Zoo / Dachsie / Joe (voice)
Dal McKennon	...	Toughy / Professor / Pedro / Hyena (voice) (as Dallas McKennon)
Alan Reed	...	Boris (voice)
The Mellomen	...	Dogs (singing voice) (as The Mello Men)

Storyline

Lady, a golden cocker spaniel, meets up with a mongrel dog who calls himself the Tramp. He is obviously from the wrong side of town, but happenings at Lady's home make her decide to travel with him for a while. This turns out to be a bad move, as no dog is above the law.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | title based on song | aunt | baby | cat | 

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Taglines:

One of the all-time great love stories.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lady and the Tramp

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,804,272, 19 December 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$93,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) DTS (re-release) (1997) Mono Dolby Digital (re-release) (1997) SDDS (re-release) (1997)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Beaver character was effectively recycled as the Gopher in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), right down to his whistling speech pattern. This voice was originally created by Stan Freberg who had a background in comedy voices. The demands of voicing the character proved too much, however, so Freberg eventually resorted to using a real whistle to capture the whistling effect.

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Goofs

Right before Tramp chases the rat into the house, he's out in the rain and is wet. In the next shot, he's dry.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jim Dear: [Giving Darling a hatbox] It's for you, Darling. Merry Christmas.
Darling: Oh, Jim, dear. It's the one I was admiring, isn't it? Trimmed with ribbons?
Jim Dear: Well, it *has* a ribbon.
[the box is opened; inside is a puppy wearing a ribbon]
Darling: Oh, how sweet.
Jim Dear: You like her, Darling?
Darling: [hugging the puppy] Oh, I love her. What a perfectly beautiful little Lady.

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Crazy Credits

"In the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money can not buy... to wit the wag of a dog's tail" - Josh Billings

so it is to all dogs- be they Ladies or Tramps that this picture is respectfully dedicated-

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Alternate Versions

There exist two versions of this film, the difference being the aspect ratio. In 1955 many cinemas didn't have the equipment to show CinemaScope films, so besides the original anamorphic version (aspect ratio 2,55:1) Disney filmed a spherical version (aspect ratio 1,37:1) where some of the animation was redone to fit the frame.

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Connections

Referenced in Doug: Doug and the Yard of Doom/Doug's Garage Band (1993)

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Soundtracks

What Is a Baby?
(uncredited)
Written by Sonny Burke and Peggy Lee
Performed by Barbara Luddy

User Reviews

Charm, humor, songs, great animation...what more do you need?

One of the few Disney cartoons at this period not based on a famous piece of literature--so at least no one can complain that it doesn't do justice to the original! It's an unpretentious little gem, told from the viewpoint of the animals and against interesting backgrounds with superb animation and vocal work. Cat lovers may find it painful to watch how sinister the two Siamese cats are depicted--but not if they have a sense of humor. Actually, the 'Siamese Cat Song' is one of the highlights of Peggy Lee's novelty numbers. 'Bella Notte' and other simple melodies are integrated nicely into the plot with satisfying results. This was the first Disney cartoon made in Cinemascope so the artists had to fill a broader landscape for the camera to photograph. And yet, the transfer to video on VHS format is extremely well handled--you don't feel you're missing anything. I believe the film is also available in letterbox but I find the VHS print I own to be more than satisfactory. Delightful Disney classic for young and old alike.