Lady and the Tramp (1955)

An interesting look at 50’s ideals and family mores. Were rats going after babies in affluent neighborhoods really a problem?

Even the voices mark the time. Tramp speaks with a cool, warbly, Dean Martin-like voice. Why did he start calling lady Pidge? Was that a common nickname back then? Some weird dialogue and a few awkward pauses, and I can’t help but that that some of these scenes would have been tightened up a bit today.

But the most surprising thing to me were the really depressing and scary scenes with animal death, or implied animal death. Young viewers back in the day were subjected to a lot more of that stuff then we are now. Could you imagine if Mufasa was ripped apart by hyenas? If Puss In Boots got euthanized? If Buzz Lightyear jumped off a table and turned himself into a vegetable?

And what about those Asian cats or Mexican dog? No way we see them today. Animated movies can feature ethnic characters, but only those from cultures which have not yet been subject to racism. No more stereotypical Asian, Mexican, black, or Native American characters, but French and Italian ones are OK.

Loved the iconic spaghetti scene.