I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly: Museum Object and Cultural History
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly: Date: 1964. Directed by: Derek Lamb, 1936 - 2005. Written by: Derek Lamb, 1936 - 2005.
The object in the museum catalogue
A short, animated children's film with the title I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.
A jingle plays in the background as the animation plays on screen. The song and story are about an old lady who swallows a fly and then swallows a spider to catch the fly. The songster then sings that the lady swallows a bird to catch the fly and then swallows a cat to catch the bird. The plot and song continue in this manner where the lady swallows bigger animals in succession to catch the smaller one she previously swallowed, eventually swallowing a dog, goat, pig and ultimately a horse, after which the singer says that "she's dead, of course."
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: 1964
- Directed by: Derek Lamb, 1936 - 2005
- Written by: Derek Lamb, 1936 - 2005
- Recorded by: Burl Ives, 1909 - 1995
- Owned by: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
- Type: children's films
- Type: sound films
- Type: color films (visual works)
- Type: short subjects
- Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
- Medium: polyester film
- Dimensions: Duration: 6 Minutes
- Dimensions: Length (Film): 200 Feet
- Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Animated films
- Topic: Film
- Object number: 2017.55.37.1a
- Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
- Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
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