Q: I have a question about the Disney short How to Swim from 1942, starring Goofy. About a minute into the cartoon, the narrator states that “…with the aid of a piano stool, we learn the basic strokes of swimming.” Right after that, he goes on, “breathing is of first importance.” At that moment, there is an absolutely lovely melody in the background. Was it recorded from a known work, or was it a creation for the cartoon?
Stephane, Sterling, Virginia
A: The composer of the score for How to Swim is Disney staffer Paul Smith. Besides his own compositions, he also used three other pieces of music in the cartoon; while I am not sure where these appeared in the film, they were, in this order, “Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep” (by Joseph Knight), “Over the Waves” (by Juventino Rosas), and “Frankie and Johnnie” (traditional).
Dave Smith