Come Fly With Me (To The 1960s)

To celebrate the return of that stylish series Mad Men for a second season on AMC, Entertainment Weekly is running an exploration of the stylish appointments in main character Don Draper's high-rise Manhattan office. Though I definitely dig the (unmentioned) abstract painting on the wall of that swank corner office, what I'd really like to see on my own wall is the fantastic TWA poster focusing on the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Somehow it instantly transports one back to that era, when jetting to NYC and seeing the four attractions created by Walt Disney for the Fair was possible. Not to mention that the poster is a spectacularly stylish artifact. Though it's not part of the office decor as chosen by Mad Men's design whiz Amy Wells (at least as seen in the photo), it's no wonder this advertising artwork is included in this article on the show's sharp but always subtle early-60s sensibility.

More Johnny For July

Here comes Johnny Appleseed, the star of his very own and very wonderful Little Golden Book. One of Walt Disney's most charming and most underrated animated productions, "Johnny Appleseed" (from Melody Time, 1948) inspired this priceless Little Golden Book (one of the earliest in that timeless series, it was published in 1949), an engaging adaption of Walt's animated version of the legends of John Chapman, focusing on Mr. Appleseed's experiences with the" forest folk", the woodland creatures who help him plant apple trees throughout the frontier. Illustrated by Tom Parmalee, this Golden volume is one more way the delights of Walt Disney's Johnny Appleseed, like a red crispy apple, are ours to enjoy.

Lots of Loter

If you are attending the mammoth Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, please take a moment and stop by Booth 4406 and view the wondrous art created by Loter, Inc. Loter, Inc. is the company of the globally celebrated, super-talented (and super-nice) artists and creators John and Shelley Loter. Their art is classy, dynamic, colorful and fun-filled, and includes T-shirts, books, prints and a brand-new and ultra-awesome comic book that's being unveiled at the convention. John and Shelley are not only world-class artists and creative types (plus top-notch Disney experts whose creations are sought, celebrated and imitated around the world), but they are also world-class friends. If you aren't attending the Comic-Con (or even if you are), stop by their website and you will discover the delight of their artistic creations (and you can even buy some of their awesome art too). Stay tuned—I'll be posting more about the very special creations from Loter, Inc. soon.

Sons (And Daughters) Of Liberty

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 friend with Miss Patten when both girls were young children who found occasion to be at the Disney Studios.

America On Parade

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 above, 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.