Song:Whistle While You Work
Album:Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Adriana Caselotti was the voice of Snow White in Walt Disney's landmark 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She did other things but this is her claim to fame. She was born May 6, 1916 in Bridgeport, CT. Her father was a music teacher and her mother sang in The Royal Opera Theater of Rome and she continued to perform in operas in New York. Her older sister gave voice lessons to famed opera singer Maria Callas. Adriana moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1935. And after a brief stint as an MGM chorus girl, she was hired by Walt Disney to play Snow White. The story is Disney was searching for the right voice. A casting agent asked Adriana's dad if he could recommend one of his students. And of course he suggested his daughter. She beat out, among others, Deanna Durbin. So you might think Snow White made Adriana famous and she made a lot of money. But she was only paid $20 a day and at the time Adriana didn't know Disney was making a full length feature film. And she was under exclusive contract to Disney. When Jack Benny wanted to use Adriana on his radio show, Disney told him he didn't want the illusion of Snow White to be spoiled. Adriana's voice did appear in the 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz during If I Only Had A Heart and she had a small role as a singer in the 1946 film It's A Wonderful Life. She also performed in operas like her mom. But mostly Adriana made promotional appearances for Disney. In 1994, she was named a Disney Legend. Adriana died on Jan. 18, 1997 at age 80. Here's Adriana Caselotti performing Whistle While You Work from the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
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