By the time 1929 elided into 1930, Walt Disney Walt Disney’s little studio was humming along quite nicely, thank you!
Walt and his people must have realized that they had a certifiable hit on their hands with Mickey Mouse.
The first four cartoons in this series had been released on a ‘state’s rights’ basis, and had done so well in that sphere that they managed to get an offer from one of the smaller “major” studios: Columbia Pictures. One can but wonder if Disney appreciated the irony that the same studio that was handling his productions was also handling those of Charles Mintz–whose wife, Margartet J. Winkler, had so unceremoniously pulled the rug out from under Disney just two short years previously.
By this time, the “Mickey Mouse” shorts had a theme song–a deliberately corny, purposefully rustic opus called “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo”. The composers were Walt Disney and Carl Stalling and the song was introduced in Mickey’s Follies (1929).
The name of “Leo Zollo” is just as much a mystery to die-hard record collectors as it is to everybody else. Most heavyweight collectors saw the listing in Brian Rust’s “American Dance Band Discography” and wondered what kind of recording it was.
In this embed below you’ll hear “Minnie’s Yoo Hoo” (1930) by Leo Zollo & his Orchestra, plus “What! No Mickey Mouse?” (1932) by Ben Bernie & his Orchestra and “Mickey’s Son and Daughter” (1935) by Henry Hall & The BBC Dance Orchestra – the latter two I’ll be discussing in due course.
The Zollo Yoo-Hoo recording was made in June, 1930. But, instead of releasing it on their expensive Brunswick or Vocalion marques, priced at seventy-five cents), the firm–which had just been bought by Warner Bros.–held the recording back, and issued it in the second batch of releases on the new Melotone label in January, 1931.
Despite its thirty-five cent price tag, the record was not an especially good seller. It is seldom seen on the collectors’ markets today.
The orchestra was what was known, in the parlance of the day, as a “whispering orchestra”. Neither trumpets nor trombones were used. Just three saxophones, a violin, piano, guitar, string bass and xylophone–the latter included for novelty effects. There is what the label describes as a “vocal chorus” (without identifying the singer)–actually averse and a chorus, sung in a formal, starched-collar style.
Considering the limited instrumentation, the arrangement tries to get as much color as is possible. Xylophone is often played in unison with pizzicato (plucked) violin, providing a pleasant novelty effect.
It’s possible that even at this early date, Disney knew there was money to be made in having a hit song associated with one’s product. There exists a short (three-minute) film which was produced for “Mickey Mouse Club” presentations at local and neighborhood theaters. It’s a sing-along version of “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo”, with the lyrics o screen so that each boy and girl in the audience could sing along–each in his or her own chosen key!
In later years, “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo” would be used–in a corny, wack-a-doo version–as a theme for the syndicated series “The Mouse Factory”.
A few years later, it would come home to Disney just how much money could come with having a hit song associated with one of his cartoon shorts.
Boy, how it would come home to him!
Next Week: Even More Mickey Mouse.
James Parten has overcome a congenital visual disability to be acknowledged as an expert on the early history of recorded sound. He has a Broadcasting Certificate (Radio Option) from Los Angeles Valley College, class of 1999. He has also been a fan of animated cartoons since childhood.
There’s also a version of Minnie’s Yoo Hoo preformed by a saxophone quartet with Bulb Horns (the types found on the first generation of automobiles and bicycles) that was the background music for “Los Chaquitos” segment from Televisa’s Chesprito tv series.
Leo Zollo is listed in the 1940 census for Philadelphia as “leader, orchestra.” At the time, he lived with his widowed mother.
His father had been a worker for a drug wholesaler and emigrated from Italy in 1889.
Billboard reported on July 13, 1929 that he and his orchestra had landed a job playing at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlantic City. He followed that up with a gig at the El Patio Grill of the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia, according to the Pha. Inquirer of Oct. 6, 1929.
His orchestra also played on WIP in Philadelphia. The show was later picked up by WEAF for the Red network.
Presumably he was the same Leo Zollo who was born June 11, 1904 in Pennsylvania and died in Virginia in August 1974.
Really like that Zollo guy’s version of “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo”.
A little late, but here’s an extended version of the Mouse Factory version of “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo”. Anyone here know who’s singing here?
It’s only a guess, but if you slow it down to about 3/4 speed, it sounds a lot like the Templeton Twins (actually record producer Ted Templeman who around 1970 did an album of current hits done in 1920s style). Here the Twins do Light My Fire:
http://tinyurl.com/ydxmoq9y
Whoops! Forgot the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daGccYxSCG8
As far as Minnie’s Yoo Hoo – it was recorded in May 29, 1930 and issued shortly after. One correction the Melotone label had it’s first issues around February 1930 not in 1931 as you show in your text.