The Fella with the Fiddle
1937 film by Friz Freleng
The Fella with the Fiddle is a 1937 American animated comedy short film directed by Isadore Freleng. The short was released on March 27, 1937. It is the 71st film in the Merrie Melodies series. It was re-released as a "Blue Ribbon" reissue in 1945 as The Fella with a Fiddle, rendering the original film and credits lost. It is the first film in the series to credit Ken Harris, who would become one of the most prominent animators for the series under Chuck Jones.
Plot
At J. Field Mouse's house, his grandchildren fight over a coin to get an ice cream. He then tells them a story to teach them the dangers of greed.
In the story, a seemingly blind mouse plays the fiddle for a living. He hits an individual who attempts to steal his earnings. Once he returns home, it is revealed that his blindness is a ruse that he exploits to collect money to live an opulent lifestyle.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “The Fella with the Fiddle” is 1937 film by Friz Freleng. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Fella, Fiddle and film, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1937 film by Friz Freleng” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7733641. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1937 and 1945.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The Fella with the Fiddle”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The Fella with the Fiddle primary sources, The Fella with the Fiddle archive and Fella research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Fella with the Fiddle”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “The Fella with the Fiddle” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.