I love this short.

Thanks for the plug Jerry.

I am currently transcribing what I think was the first story treatment for the film. That info will be included in post #2.

Post #1 will contain a montage of der Fuehrer’s Face art that appeared in various war-era magazines and newspapers, including a large sequence of storyboards that appeared in Fortune magazine in 1942.

Thanks again!

David

I was lucky enough to chat with Ollie Wallace on the park bench outside the Animation Building back in the fifties.

What stories that old guy had to tell. And, what an opportunity for this young kid just getting his start in the business.

I still find it incredible in how one of the first shot’s in the cartoon, being Donald’s house, looks like hitler’s face, simply because of the shadows cast by the window. Brilliant!

that’s funny! I just closed a 4-week musical, “And the Winner Is…”, with 100 (!!) Academy Award winning/nominated songs. This, of course, was one of ‘em! We raspberried the piss out of the audience!! Even gave out umbrellas to the front row!!

If only there was a blog like this when I tried to do my dissertation about 2nd world war animation, my life wold have been so much easier.

Craig and Gannaway should’ve revived those four fascists as villains in a “House of Mouse” episode. :-)

Another person you might like to check into regarding this short is Milt Neil. I had him as an animation teacher at the Kubert School from 1980-84. He had mentioned one of the projects he worked on was this cartoon. Unfortunately, he passed away years ago. I had seen the regular sheet music cover and always assumed it was his art. I don’t know for sure, tho. The way Milt drew hands, with the fingers all spread out, led me to think it was his.
The storyboard illo from above might even be his as well…

I was just looking over Mr. Lesjak’s blog, and the caricatures of the villains intrigued me, particularly the picture of M. Laval–the man with the “Vichy face”. Pierre Laval was the Prime Minister of France throughout most of WWII and was the leader of the Vichy government in Vichy, France. When the war ended, he was tried for high treason and executed by firing squad for collaborating with the enemy. I hadn’t known that Schnitzelbank was considered for inclusion in “Der Fuehrer’s face. This is a very interesting blog. Thanks for pointing it out, Jerry. Keep up the good work, Mr. Lesjak!