Boston Town Was Loaded With Tea/He Up And Dumped It In The Sea

In honor of this Independence Day, here's the 45 rpm record cover for the songs from Walt Disney's  Johnny Tremain (1957). Even though "The Liberty Tree" is heard as a vocal in the film and has become a somewhat familiar Disney song, the film's theme song is not sung in the movie; it's only heard as part of the movie's score. The songs were written by the film's composer George Bruns (the orchestra and chorus for this recording were conducted by George Bruns) and its screenwriter Tom Blackburn. This follows the pattern of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," which was written at Walt Disney's request by the same duo from the "Davy Crockett" shows, composer (Bruns) and writer (Blackburn). If only the Johnny Tremain songs were as popular as the "Davy Crockett" theme—they deserve to be. You can easily find these songs online to listen to—you already have "The Liberty Tree" permanently embedded in your brain cells and once you hear "Johnny Tremain"—well, let's put it this way, you'll "remember his name." In the meantime, check out the article I wrote about Johnny Tremain on the new-and-improved D23.com. Happy Fourth!

You'll beWITCHED...You'll beDAZZLED

October is the month for witches so it might not have been a coincidence that Disney’s musical-fantasy Bedknobs and Broomsticks had its world premiere on October 7, 1971. Jimmy Johnson, president of Disneyland Records, issued a October 12, 1971 letter to retailers, addressing each of them as “Dear Friend of Eglantine Price.” Jimmy wrote: “The World Premiere of Walt Disney Productions’ Bedknobs and Broomsticks with Angela Lansbury as Eglantine Price, the amateur witch, was a smashing success last Thursday night, October 7th, in London. More important, all time box office records at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, were shattered over the weekend.” Pictured here is the original soundtrack LP album (released on Disney's prestigious Vista label) featuring spectacular art by long-time Disney publicity artist Bob Moore and showcasing the Oscar-nominated score (including the Oscar-nominated song, “The Age of Not Believing”) by the marvelous Sherman Brothers. The movie, the art and the music make bewitching Disney magic for Halloween or any time of the year.