On this day in 1950, Walt Disney's very first television special aired. Sponsored by Coca-Cola, One Hour in Wonderland was viewed by approximately 20 million people - which was amazing considering TV was in its infancy and only 10.5 million TV sets existed in the U.S.!
Happy Holidays!
Click HERE for more December 25 Disney history.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
December 23: Sounds Like Mr. Toad
On this day in 1887, comic actor Eric Blore was born in London, England. Disney fans know him as the voice of Mr. Toad in the animated 1949 feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
First establishing himself in England before coming to America, Blore's long list of movie credits include Winter Wonderland, Easy to Look At, Road to Zanzibar, and The Great Gatsby.
Click HERE for more December 23 Disney history.
First establishing himself in England before coming to America, Blore's long list of movie credits include Winter Wonderland, Easy to Look At, Road to Zanzibar, and The Great Gatsby.
Click HERE for more December 23 Disney history.
Friday, December 5, 2008
December 05: Happy B-Day Mr Disney
On this day in 1901, Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois.Click HERE for more December 05 Disney history.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
December 02: Mills Last Disney Flick
On this day in 1965, That Darn Cat! - a Walt Disney feature film starring Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, Dorothy Provine, and Roddy McDowall - was released. Based on the book Undercover Cat (by Gordon and Mildred Gordon) it was the last of 6 films Hayley Mills made for Disney. She had appeared in Pollyana, The Parent Trap, In Search of the Castaways, Summer Magic, and The Moon-Spinners.
The plot of That Darn Cat! centers around two sisters Patti and Ingrid (Mills & Provine) and their mischievous Siamese cat who gets mixed up with bank robbers (played by Frank Gorshin & Neville Brand). Dean Jones plays FBI agent Zeke Kelso and Roddy McDowall plays Gregory - Ingrid's love interest.
The film's title song was written by the Sherman Brothers and sung by Bobby Darin. The film's writers were nominated by the Writers Guild of America for Best Written American Comedy.
Disney would later remake That Darn Cat! in 1997 - starring Christina Ricci.
Click HERE for more December 02 Disney history.
The plot of That Darn Cat! centers around two sisters Patti and Ingrid (Mills & Provine) and their mischievous Siamese cat who gets mixed up with bank robbers (played by Frank Gorshin & Neville Brand). Dean Jones plays FBI agent Zeke Kelso and Roddy McDowall plays Gregory - Ingrid's love interest.
The film's title song was written by the Sherman Brothers and sung by Bobby Darin. The film's writers were nominated by the Writers Guild of America for Best Written American Comedy.
Disney would later remake That Darn Cat! in 1997 - starring Christina Ricci.
Click HERE for more December 02 Disney history.
Monday, December 1, 2008
December 01: God and My Country
On this day in 1966, Disney's live-action feature Follow Me, Boys! was released. Based on the book God and My Country by MacKinlay Kantor, the movie starred Fred MacMurray as a road musician who settles down in a small Midwestern town.
MacMurray's character Lemuel "Lem" Siddons takes a job in a general store. Wanting to impress a pretty co-worker named Vida (played by Vera Miles) and instilling values in the local boys, he starts a Scout troop. (It is one of the few movies where Boy Scouts are key to the film.) Eventually the two marry and adopt a young boy named Whitey (played by Kurt Russell). The Scouts take Lem on a lifelong adventure filled with laughter, triumphs and sadness.
Follow Me, Boys! also starred veteran actress Lillian Gish (as Hetty Seibert) and comic actor Charlie Ruggles (as John Everet Hughes).
MacMurray, already a favorite with movie and televison audiences, had appeared in such Disney films as The Absent-Minded Professor, Bon Voyage, and Son of Flubber.
Vera Miles, best known for her performance in the classic films Psycho and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, had also appeared in Disney films prior to Follow Me, Boys!. Miles appeared in the 1964 A Tiger Walks and the 1965 Those Calloways. She would continue to play Disney roles well into the 1970s.
For actor Kurt Russell, Follow Me, Boys! was his Disney film debut and the beginning of a long career at the studio, as he went on to appear in such films as The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Barefoot Executive, and Now You See Him, Now You Don't.
Although a bit corny and sentimental, Follow Me, Boys! struck a responsive chord with moviegoers ... to the tune of a $5.5 million box-office take.
Click HERE for more December 01 Disney history.
MacMurray's character Lemuel "Lem" Siddons takes a job in a general store. Wanting to impress a pretty co-worker named Vida (played by Vera Miles) and instilling values in the local boys, he starts a Scout troop. (It is one of the few movies where Boy Scouts are key to the film.) Eventually the two marry and adopt a young boy named Whitey (played by Kurt Russell). The Scouts take Lem on a lifelong adventure filled with laughter, triumphs and sadness.
Follow Me, Boys! also starred veteran actress Lillian Gish (as Hetty Seibert) and comic actor Charlie Ruggles (as John Everet Hughes).
MacMurray, already a favorite with movie and televison audiences, had appeared in such Disney films as The Absent-Minded Professor, Bon Voyage, and Son of Flubber.
Vera Miles, best known for her performance in the classic films Psycho and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, had also appeared in Disney films prior to Follow Me, Boys!. Miles appeared in the 1964 A Tiger Walks and the 1965 Those Calloways. She would continue to play Disney roles well into the 1970s.
For actor Kurt Russell, Follow Me, Boys! was his Disney film debut and the beginning of a long career at the studio, as he went on to appear in such films as The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Barefoot Executive, and Now You See Him, Now You Don't.
Although a bit corny and sentimental, Follow Me, Boys! struck a responsive chord with moviegoers ... to the tune of a $5.5 million box-office take.
Click HERE for more December 01 Disney history.
Friday, November 28, 2008
November 28: The Father of the American Short Story
On this day in 1859, writer, essayist, poet & travel book writer Washington Irving passed away at his home Sunnyside in Tarrytown, New York. Best known for his stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, Irving developed a passion for books as a youngster growing up in New York City.His writing career started in journals and newspapers in the early 1800s. In 1809 his comic history of the Dutch regime in New York - titled A History of New York - was published. Written under the name Dietrich Knickerbocker, the story was an unusual and unique blend of fantasy and history. The satirical tale became part of New York folklore and the made-up name Knickerbocker went on to mean any New Yorker who could trace one's family to Dutch settlers. (Little did Irving know that a certain New York pro basketball team would go on to borrow its name from Knickerbocker.)
Recognizable to most Disney fans is Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (which was contained in a collection titled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent). First published in 1820 it is among the earliest examples of American fiction still read today and a popular Halloween-themed tale. Disney's 1949 animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad features an adaptation of Irving's headless horseman story. The story of Ichabod Crane is narrated by Bing Crosby and features the work of veteran animators Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, Milt Kahl, and Ward Kimball.
But Irving's impact on American culture stretches beyond Sleepy Hollow. He popularized the nickname "Gotham" for New York City (as all dedicated Batman fans know). Irving also popularized the phrase "the almighty dollar." But one of his most lasting contributions to our culture is the way we perceive and celebrate Christmas. In a revision to a History of New York, Irving wrote a dream sequence featuring St. Nicholas soaring over treetops in a flying wagon! In fact his good friend & writer Charles Dickens credited Iriving as a strong influence in his own holiday writing - A Christmas Carol.
On the evening of November 28, 1859 - Irving died of a heart attack in his bedroom at the age of 76. Legend has it that his final words were: "Well, I must arrange my pillows for another night. When will this end?"
Today Irving's home Sunnyside still stands (just south of the Tapanzee Bridge) in Tarrytown, New York. It is owned and operated as an historic site.
Click HERE for more November 28 Disney history.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
November 27: To Broadway and Beyond!
On this day in 2008, Buzz Lightyear traveled 2.5 miles down the streets of Manhattan in his inaugural Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Disney has taken part in the holiday parade ever since 1934 (with the first Mickey and Minnie balloons).
Also taking part in Macy's 82nd event, was Miley Cyrus (onboard a Bolt float) and the cast of Broadway's Little Mermaid.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Click HERE for more November 27 Disney history.
Also taking part in Macy's 82nd event, was Miley Cyrus (onboard a Bolt float) and the cast of Broadway's Little Mermaid.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Click HERE for more November 27 Disney history.
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