Tulgey Wood

Sons (And Daughters) Of Liberty

2008-07-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

In honor of Independence Day, here's the cover of the June 1957 issue of Walt Disney's Magazine spotlighting Walt's Revolutionary War-themed live-action feature, Johnny Tremain. The beautiful photograph by Roger Davidson spotlights the two leads, Hal Stalmaster (who starred as young Mr. Tremain) and Luana Patten. Luana was of course the very talented and appealing Disney child star of the 1940s, starring opposite Bobby Driscoll in such classics as Song of the South (1946). In the mid-1950s Luana made something of a comeback in such films as Rock, Pretty Baby (1956), starring Sal Mineo, and of course Johnny Tremain, which marked Miss Patten's return to the Disney fold. "During my first few days on Johnny Tremain," said Luana in an interview in which she described the warm welcome she received upon her return to the Disney Studio, "people kept coming up to me, shaking my hand and telling me about incidents that happened to me as a youngster. It really gave me a warm feeling to know that so many remembered me." As an extra element of this story of the close-knit Disney "family," Johnny Tremain also features Walt Disney's daughter, Sharon, in a small role—and who according to Luana, was a friends with Miss Patten when both girls were young children who found occasion to be at the Disney Studios.

America On Parade

2008-07-03T23:45:00.001-07:00

Among other things, Independence Day is about history, so let's look at a historical celebration of America, freedom, innovation, music and all things July Fourth-ish, Disney style. As part of the US Bicentennial celebration, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World presented America on Parade, a stylish and spectacular musical pageant that was one of the biggest and most unique parades ever presented at the Disney Theme Parks. "Biggest" is an apt term for at the heart of this patriotic parade are the "People of America"—oversized, eight-foot-high doll-like costumed characters representing both historical personages such as Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross as well as common folk through 200 years of Americana. These whimsical players danced, marched and cavorted along with 50 giant-sized parade units. The only "real" people in the parade were the members of the specially-invited high school or college band which played in the parade's grand finale.

This colorful extravaganza was presented from June 14, 1975, through September 6, 1976, and was enjoyed by an estimated 25 million guests. Led by Mickey, Goofy and Donald in appropriate Spirit of '76 garb, and promoted with a fair amount of delightfully-designed merchandise, the pageant was covered with not one but two cover stories in Disney News magazine, one of which, from the Fall 1975 issue, is pictured her, along withe some wonderful photography that accompanied the article inside the magazine itself. Stylized, fanciful and truly memorable in its distinctively different Disney style, America on Parade is now part of both Disney and American history as a red, white and true-blue celebration of our national heritage.

The Lord Is Good To Me

2008-06-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

With the Fourth of July fast approaching it seemed like a good time to turn our attention to an all-American subject—and what's more as-American-as-apple-pie than Johnny Appleseed, as brought to animated life in Walt Disney's animated anthology Melody Time (1948)? Little Johnny has always been one of my favorites, his animated legend told in delightful song (vocalized by the versatile Dennis Day, who provides all the short's voices, including Johnny Appleseed himself) and Mary Blair-style, with animation by greats such as Ollie Johnston and Milt Kahl. Now the Walt Disney Classics Collection has brought this memorable-but-still-somewhat-obscure Disney animated character to the forefront of our flag-waving consciousness with a superbly crafted sculpture, marking a return of the Walt Disney Collectors Society's star-spangled American Folk Heroes series. To celebrate both July and Johnny, I'll be posting about the sculpture and the character throughout the days ahead. In the meantime, if you want to get this great Johnny Appleseed for yourself, it's available only through March 31, 2009, and is available only to Members of the Walt Disney Collectors Society. See here for more information about becoming a Society Member.

Put On Your Sunday Clothes And See Wall•E

2008-06-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

What on earth or in the universe does Hello, Dolly! (1969) have to do with the new Disney•Pixar computer animated film, Wall•E? You’ll just have to wait until you see the out-of-this-world movie to find out, and I strongly recommend you catch this comical, compelling film as soon as possible. With the film opening tomorrow (Friday, June 27) there are plenty of reviews and reports around to clue you into Wall•E details major and minor, but the best way to see this unpredictable film is to know as little as possible about it. Thanks to the good graces of sterling Disney exec, brilliant writer/historian and all-around good guy Howard Green, I attended a pre-release screening of the new Pixar triumph Tuesday night at the historic El Captain in Hollywood with good friends Ed Squair (the Disney Photo Library master who invited me to the screening in the first place) and Debbie Garcia. It would be inaccurate, however, to describe this funny, touching and fascinating film as a “typical” Pixar production, or as a “typical” anything. From its unusual characters (starting with the endearingly Chaplinesque title robot) to its extraordinary and utterly engaging plotting, pacing and storytelling, Wall•E is a completely unique film. For me, one of the movie’s best aspects is the absence of huge “star” voices. Indeed, as has been reported elsewhere, about the first half of the film basically has no dialogue. Ironically after the screening we ran into a true vocal star: Disney Legend—make that Disney royalty—Kathryn Beaumont, who you know and love as the voice of the title character in Alice in Wonderland and the voice of Wendy in Peter Pan. It was truly Kathy in Wonderland (or is that Wall•E-land?) all over again, for the ever-gracious Ms. Beaumont shared with me she found the film engrossing and thought-provoking, commenting not just on the expert animation but on the brilliant storytelling. Kathy specifically noted that the movie not only held one in rapt attention throughout but also lingered in the mind and imagination. What better recommendation could there be than Kathy Beaumont—the voice artist at the heart of two of Walt Disney’s most outrageously imaginative animated lands— saying that this new animated film takes viewers on an unparalleled journey of creativity, emotion and, yes, intelligence. So zoom over to your local movie house to catch this unique film—it only takes a moment to see Wall•E. Well, actually it takes 97 minutes, but every last one of them is (dare I say it?) magical.

Gawrsh! More Goofy

2008-06-21T01:58:00.000-07:00

Things have gotten pretty goofy around here lately so the best cure is... more Goofy! Here he is on the cover of his very own comic book from November 1956 (four Color 747), drawn by the great Paul Murry. Paul drew gobs of Goofy over the years as the good-natured "dawg" was a frequent co-star of the many Mickey Mouse stories graphically essayed by the artist. Paul had his own delightful take on Goofy, for one thing making the silly cartoon star more bottom-heavy than the skinny model we are used to. Enjoy this prime example of Paul Murry's great version of Goofy.

Let The Goofy Games Begin (Actually, They Have)

2008-06-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

Right now, the Walt Disney Classics Collection is having a special event centered around the new and hilariously crafted Goofy sculpture, shown here and on the cover of the new issue of Sketches, seen here. The Goofy Games event is happening this weekend (right now, in other words), June 20-22, 2008 at participating dealers. For a list of Walt Disney Classics Collection dealers visit here.

Hot Off The Presses: A New Issue Of Sketches Magazine

2008-06-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

Here for all to enjoy (well, for Members of the Walt Disney Collectors Society, anyhow) is the latest issue of Sketches, which is as you know by now is the Official Magazine of the Walt Disney Collectors Society. This latest issue features three articles by myself (one on Johnny Appleseed, one on the classic Disney comic Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold, and—just in time for summer—an article about Walt Disney's charming live-action film Summer Magic) as well as a feature on that madcap monarch of Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts, by Stephen Matzkie and the cover story by the wonderful Disney writer Barbara Layman about Goofy and his classic 1942 cartoon, The Olympic Champ . There's only one way to get Sketches, the Magazine for Every Disney Fan: become a Member of the Walt Disney Collectors Society. See here for details.

Mickey and Minnie Welcome You To Disneyland

2008-06-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

With the coming of summer, the most heavily attended season of the year at Disneyland, here comes a wonderful piece of Park-related art. There have been many coloring books centering on Disneyland published since 1955 but the delightful cover pictured here has always been one of my favorites. The interior drawings are by Golden/Whitman/Western/Dell comics favorite Frank McSavage so I assume this painted cover was penciled by him. Originally published in 1961 (this edition is a reprint from the mid 1970s, judging by the stylized Whitman logo the publishing imprint adopted in the late 1960s and the classic Mickey Mouse Club logo from the second round of local-channel syndication in 1975-1977), the cover mentions the four original lands, with New Orleans Square, Bear Country and Mickey’s Toontown still in the future. And what of Main Street, USA? Mr. Mouse and his Miss represent that nostalgic realm, charmingly dressed as they are in Sunday-best turn-of-the-century (and you know which century) costumes. Looking as happy and proud as they ever have in this slightly stylized portraiture, Mickey and Minnie are wonderfully portrayed in a very appropriate role, welcoming one and all to Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

On Vacation?

2008-05-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Some of my many millions of loyal readers have wondered why I have not posted since May 4th. Could it be that I’m on vacation, they demand to know? Ehhh, could be, doc…but I’m not. Just crazy busy working on some pretty cool projects I hope to be able to tell you a bit about soon. Posts will continue to be pretty few and far between around here for at least the next few weeks but I will be popping in now and again. In the meantime enjoy the wonderfully drawn cover of this 1952 comic featuring a bunch of characters who actually are on vacation.

Dr. Sheldon Cooper’s House of Secrets

2008-05-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

As already pointed out by fellow Big Bang Theory fan Ed Squair at his blog, the genius physicist and geeky social misfit Sheldon (Jim Parsons) feeds his need for new and classic comic books at the same comic book shop that I and many of my friends attend, House of Secrets, right here in beautiful downtown Burbank. (The Big Bang Theory is set in Pasadena so it’s plausible that Sheldon and his fellow genius-physicist-geek Leonard [Johnny Galecki] might buy their comics in Burbank. Or it could simply be that House of Secrets happens to be located near Warner Bros. where the show is shot.) But how do we know that Sheldon goes to House of Secrets? Because he has two pieces of specially commissioned House of Secrets artwork by the artist Ragnar framed on his bedroom wall, as you can see in this image from the episode “The Pancake Batter Anomaly,” originally broadcast on March 31, 2008. (If you have not seen the episode you may wonder what exactly is happening, as it looks as if Sheldon is dead... or as if something entirely different is going on. In fact, Sheldon has the flu and his neighbor, the non-genius/non-geek Penny (Kelly Cuoco) is reluctantly caring for him.) The vintage comic books also seen in Sheldon’s room and framed on the wall were also purchased at House of Secrets. You can see more Ragnar art at the House of Secrets website. You can also see photos of the shop itself (including the one shown here) and imagine Sheldon or Leonard—or me—shopping for some primo comics.

From The Pages of Sketches: The Love Bug

2008-05-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

As promised here is an article (written by yours truly) from Sketches, the Official Magazine of the Walt Disney Collectors Society, giving the “behind-the-wheel” details about The Love Bug (1969), created by the talented triumvirate of Bill Walsh, Don DaGradi and Robert Stevenson. For more information on joining the Walt Disney Collectors Society go here.

Happy Herbie Day!

2008-05-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

Beating out Cinco de Mayo by two days, Herbie Day is today, May 3rd. Why is May 3rd Herbie Day? Because “5/3” is Herbie’s famous number… and because I say so. To celebrate here’s the fun poster for Herbie Rides Again (1974), the sequel to the wildly popular The Love Bug (1969). Though not as good as its predecessor, Herbie Rides Again has many marvelous moments, as it’s directed by Robert Stevenson and produced and written by the great Bill Walsh who (along with Don DaGradi) created the original. (The other Herbie sequels aren’t worth mentioning.) The film also features the return of Keenan Wynn as Alonzo Hawk, the unscrupulous loan shark from The Absent-Minded Professor (1961). To explain the significance of number 53 and a lot of other fun Herbie facts I’ll soon post an article I wrote about The Love Bug. Meanwhile here’s a "racy" tidbit: at the London (not San Francisco?) premiere of Herbie Rides Again, the gala was illuminated not by klieg lights but by Volkswagen headlights. (PS: Happy Herbie Day, “Hughbie”!)

John Canemaker on Ollie

2008-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Disney authority Jeff Kurtti points out there's a great piece on Ollie Johnston in The Wall Street Journal by the great John Canemaker. I of course have been planning on posting something here about the master animator and truly good person that was Ollie, but John says it better than anyone. The animation historian and analyst is of course the biographer of the Nine Old Men and was a close friend of Ollie as well. You can read John's appreciation of the last of the Nine Old Men here.

Better Late Than Never (Is That A Poor Richard Quotation?)

2008-04-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

Why am I posting this image of ol’ Ben? Is it some sly reference to this being just a few days after April 15 and Mr. Franklin’s famous remark about death and taxes? Not exactly. Thanks to my ridiculously busy schedule National Library Week 2008 slid past without a celebratory post here at Tulgey Wood. Even though this is a day late (National Library Week ended yesterday, Saturday April 19) I thought I’d still blog an observance. So here’s a book featuring the founder of the first Public Library in the United States, and no, I don’t mean Amos Mouse. Let this 1953 Little Golden Book with its delightful cover by veteran Disney artist Campbell Grant serve as a reminder that the Public Library is one of the great underused and underappreciated resources of our nation, not to mention part of the foundation of a free, literate and educated society, if only we choose to use and support it. Please don’t wait for National Library Week to roll around again. Celebrate this year (incidentally 2008 marks the National Library Week’s 50th anniversary) by visiting your local library and borrowing a book, DVD or CD, or browsing a newspaper or magazine. As for this wonderful Little Golden Book, who knows? Perhaps you can even find this gem in your Public Library. If you can’t, it will be just about the only thing you won’t find there.

What’s My (Wonderfully Drawn) Line?

2008-04-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

One of the many (at least 101) joys of Walt Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians is the sharply designed cast of characters, and that extends to the spoof of the popular TV panel show What’s My Line? enjoyed by the Badun brothers in the film. Due in large part to the skilled and only recently celebrated character designer Tom Oreb, What’s My Crime? (as the Dalmatians parody is entitled) features a wonderfully caricatured moderator, panel and contestant. Also pictured here (as published with the groundbreaking article about Oreb by Amid Amidi in his excellent Animation Blast magazine) is a Tom Oreb model sheet of the What’s My Crime? challenger, Percival Fauncewater, or as he is known to the Baduns, Meathead.

NOT an April Fool’s Joke

2008-04-17T02:33:00.000-07:00

As the last time I posted was back on April 1st, I’m sure some of my many millions of readers are wondering if the fact I have not posted since was some kind of sick April Fool’s joke. Nope. I’m just busy with a lot of projects lately, and I hope to share with you news on same soon. I’ll be posting again at least a couple times before the end of the cruelest month, no foolin’. In the meantime enjoy this funny drawing by the great Sparky.

Meet Mr. Fun

2008-04-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

Just today (well, yesterday) I was talking to good friend, fellow Disney historian and ace blogger Ed Squair about the folks who both witnessed and were part of Disney history and are also good historians in their own right, and naturally Floyd Norman's name came up right away. Floyd has been working in Disney animation and artistry since the 1960s and he has an amazing of fascinating stories about Walt, films both animated and un-, Michael Eisner (see Floyd's cartoon), and lots more fun from Mr. Fun. You can visit Floyd's fun factory here.

That Was Then For The Gremlins

2008-03-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

In tribute to Walt Disney’s Gremlins—and their triumphant return to comics, as mentioned in the last post—here’s a classic cover from the July 1943 issue of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, attributed to the great Walt Kelly. This issue, Number 34, also included a comic story written and drawn by Walt (Kelly, not Disney) entitled “Gremlin Gus and the Widgets,” one of a handful of short Kelly Gremlin stories, but this is the only comics cover on which the little guys appeared (until 2008, that is).

Glitchy Computer? It’s Gotta Be The Gremlins

2008-03-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

Dark Horse Comics has just published a primo new comic book, The Return of The Gremlins. Drawn in high-style by Dean Yeagle and written by Mike Richardson, this comic brings back Walt Disney’s wonderful version of the Gremlins—created by acclaimed author Roald Dahl when he was an RAF officer serving in World War II—and also reprints one of the few Disney comic book stories published in the 1940s. Check out your local comic book store for this new-and-vintage Disney delight—but watch out for those Gremlins!

Hot Off The Presses: A New Issue Of Sketches Magazine

2008-03-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

Gracing the cover of the brand-new issue of Sketches, the Official Magazine of the Walt Disney Collectors Society are three of my favorite Disney characters, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, featured as part the spectacular new the Walt Disney Classics Collection sculpture of the elaborate and ornate gift box in which the miniaturized trio ensconce themselves to plan exactly how they will protect Princess Aurora from the evil Maleficent. This issue includes an article about the Good Fairies and this magnificent new piece by Stephen Matzke, as well as articles about Elliott the Dragon, Bacchus and Jacchus by Barbara Layman, and a fun look at the other Silly Symphonies starring the Three Little Pigs by Kevin Kidney. We are currently completing the next issue of Sketches and about to start the issue after that, and there are plenty of surprises, announcements and behind-the-scenes stories in store, so you won't want to miss another issue. Published exclusively for Members of the Walt Disney Collectors Society, Sketches is a magazine for every Disney fan. For more information on becoming a Society Member please visit here.

“Blessed Are The Peacemakers…

2008-03-23T01:42:00.000-07:00

...for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God.” For Easter Sunday here’s a remarkable work of art profound in its simplicity. You can read the story of how Lorriane Schneider created this folk art-like print (the logo of the Another Mother For Peace organization) here and learn more about Another Mother For Peace here. Happy Easter everyone… and Happy Birthday, Mom.

Pixar On Parade

2008-03-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Backstage Pass, the newsletter for Disneyland Annual Passholders, recently ran this article (pictured) about the new Pixar Play Parade that just opened last week at Disney’s California Adventures Park. In this interview Steven Davison, Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars for Disney Creative Entertainment, rightly and accurately praises the parade’s scenic designer and artistic inspiration, the great Jody Daily. Check out Kevin Kidney’s blog (scroll down until you see Kevin's Pixar Play Parade) for more whimsical Jody Daily art.

Golden Art For Good Friday

2008-03-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

As part of the magnificent Giant (not Big, mind you, but Giant) Golden Book series, The Golden Bible: The New Testament was published in 1953. Beautifully illustrated by the great husband-and-wife team of Alice and Martin Provensen in a wonderfully stylized mid-century “modern” design that also evokes sacred iconic art and stained glass windows, The Golden Bible: The New Testament is quite simply a work of art. The Provensens illustrated many Golden Books (Martin was a former Disney artist, an elite member of Joe Grant’s Character Model Department), producing many brilliant illustrations, such as the one seen here from The Golden Bible: The New Testament. This beautiful adaptation of the Gospels and selected other New Testament writings justly won the 1953 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award.

Good Luck Duck

2008-03-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

I just couldn’t let St. Patrick’s Day go by without some notice beyond encouraging the abuse of green-colored alcohol, as I did in the previous post. So here’s a wonderful cover by the artists of Disney Publishing for Donald Duck No. 310, December 2003, in which Donald has discovered a not-so-lucky four leaf clover. Our lucky Duck should have stuck with the traditional shamrock for his comic book unfortunately suspended publication in 2006 with issue No. 346. Luckily (on the other hand) Donald continues to make comic book appearances a-plenty in the monthly Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories.

Physicists Gone Wild!

2008-03-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned back here, I was lucky enough (thanks, Ed and Debbie!) to be in the audience for the February 26 “taping” (filming, actually) of the great first season TV comedy The Big Bang Theory. It was a wonderful experience seeing this terrific show unfold before my eyes. (“Mild” spoiler alert.) Entitled “The Cooper- Hofstadter Polarization,” the story concerns a disagreement between best friends and roommates Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), a sticky sitcom situation, especially considering Sheldon is actually so dependent on Leonard. The cast was terrific and even funnier in person. One of the most fascinating aspects was seeing how the show’s signature talking-while-walking-up-the-four-flights-of-stairs was filmed: the crew actually re-dresses the hallway/staircase set for each floor, right down to changing the numbers on the apartment doors (which are almost always not even seen in the shot). The filming had an added emotional kick, as it was the first episode out of the gate after the strike. Co-creator/co-executive producer Chuck Lorre spoke to the audience before the show and thanked the fans for making it a hit that is coming back for nine new episodes to complete this season and also has been renewed for next. (I’m not really sure exactly how many real die-hard fans were in attendance—new shows often rely on groups that may not even know the show—but there were two real fans in front of me who were watching a previously aired episode on their iPod as they were waiting for the filming to begin.) The show truly had a family feel among the cast and crew and they all seemed to be elated to be back on track, and also to be performing and filming an excellent episode. At one point Johnny Galecki clambered up onto the "fence" in front of the audience to introduce his great aunt from Chicago who was in the audience. Also, we were served pizza, something that not every show provides for its studio audience. Pictured here is the cool program everyone received, and you’ll note the back cover reads, “The Big Bang Theory family thanks you for joining us.” Be sure and tune in tonight at 8:00 pm (the show’s new time) and enjoy this great episode (take it from me, it’s terrific)—you don’t want to miss the YouTube spectacular that ends the episode. And if you happen to be drinking green beer, chug it when you come across the killer reference to the bottled city of Kandor (“It’s a lot cooler when there’s not a girl looking at it.”).

P.S. Check out Ed Squair's own post about this episode (I attended the filming with Ed) over at his blog.