Last Chance For Summer Fun!

It's Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of summer vacation—the last gasp of vacation, so to speak—so here's a bit of summer fun, comic book style. This colorful 1955 cover conveys all the fun of a summer road trip, as enjoyed by Tom (who knew he had a driver's license?) and Jerry (and little Tuffy, Jerry's comic book-only sidekick) and their friends. This is (another) opportunity to all you Tulgey Wood visitors that I will be back to blogging on a more regular basis soon. In the meantime, please enjoy this choice bit of comic art—and for some real late summer fun, visit Thad K's blog, as he's posted a full Tom & Jerry comic story from March 1951, drawn by the wonderful Harvey Eisenberg here (scroll down until you see the Tom & Jerry story).

How Will I Know My Love?

Good news for all Disney fans: the new wave of the fantastic Walt Disney Treasures DVDs has been announced, and in addition to Donald Duck Volume III and the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (more about that soon), the really great news is that the entire "Annette" serial from The Mickey Mouse Club TV show is getting the Treasures treatment. Starring (who else?) Annette Funicello, the serial co-stars those Disney TV faves Tim Considine and David Stollery (pictured here with Annette in their most famous Spin-and-Marty guises on a 1957 cover of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club Magazine) the serial was a showcase for the most popular of the Mouseketeers. It's a thrill to anticipate not only every installment of this fun story being available to everyone on DVD but also what bonus materials might be included. (At the very least we can anticipate another full, hour-long episode of The Mickey Mouse Club, as was presented on the "Spin and Marty" and "Hardy Boys" DVDs.) Most of all we can look forward to "our fav'rite sweet brunette...Annette! Annette! Annette!"

Holy Bert John Gervis, Jr., Batman!

With all the attention gained by Heath Ledger’s breathtaking performance as the Joker (and the actor’s untimely death) and the overwhelming popularity of The Dark Knight (some now believe that this new Batman film will overtake Titanic [1997] as the all-time box-office champ), there’s been plenty (and by plenty I mean more than usual) of Batman history and analysis on the Internet. One of the best aspects of this expanded interest in Batman is the attention being given the Batman TV show, the ABC twice-a-week series that created a nationwide Bat craze in 1966. One of the best comic book blogs (it’s actually more of an online magazine), Dial B For Blog, has already featured an extensive and authoritative history of the "secret origins" of the Batman TV show, but now the “blogazine” features 16 “Batman Fun Facts” created by Dial B For Blog’s Robby Reed, illuminating some fascinating factoids about the television series. I’m including two of these trading card-like “Fun Facts” here to spotlight Burt Ward, who portrayed the definitive Robin. Despite the woeful and disgraceful salary paid this co-star of a hit series, as seen in the first Fun Fact here, it’s incredible to realize that, in a overnight-stardom Hollywood story, young Mr. Ward (real name: Bert John Gervis, Jr.) was cast out of nowhere without any film, TV or acting experience, because he was the very embodiment of the famous superhero teenage sidekick (and because of his athletic abilities—as you can see from one of the Fun Facts included here, Burt was skilled in karate). Burt’s overplayed earnestness was part of the show’s over-the-top “camp” approach to what are after all outlandish characters, and his overly enthusiastic exclamation, “Holy [you-name-it], Batman!” (an expression that I very much doubt the comic-book character ever employed), became a catchphrase that is still evoked today (and I find it hilarious that in both of the "Facts" represented here, Robby Reed could not resist suggesting Robin is saying a "Holy" that he would never actually say on the show!). But I think it’s important to keep in mind that Burt’s Boy Wonder works on a sincere level and is even appreciated as a role model for some viewers. I remember reading in the Comments section of some website related to the Batman TV series a post saying that the grandmother of the person posting had praised the TV Robin’s manners and respectful attitude, and it took the commenter years to fully appreciate the truth of that observation. You can see all of Robby Reed’s Batman Fun Facts (and the rest of his extraordinary blog) here. (P.S. Happy Birthday, “Boy Wonder”!)

Big "Mac": Billions and Billions Served

In just a few hours, Turner Classic Movies is up to its old tricks: showcasing some worthy Disney movies (in other words, treading where Disney Channel dares not go). As part of their month-long Summer Under The Stars series (a different movie star is saluted each day of August), TCM is presenting three Fred MacMurray films in a row (starting at 4:15 am PST): The Shaggy Dog (1959), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and Son of Flubber (1963). If you can't catch that sterling triple-feature check out the decidedly-not-Disney The Apartment (1960) featuring one of Fred's best (and not-too-Disney) performances. And keep your eyes on TCM for both the occasional Disney gem and other terrific films, some of them starring one of Disney's favorite stars, Fred MacMurray.

Welcome To Mickey's Toontown

2008 marks the 15th anniversary of Mickey's Toontown, which opened in Disneyland Park on January 24, 1993. To commemorate the occasion, here's an article I wrote for the beautifully-produced (and much-missed) Mickey Mouse Magazine. I well remember being at Disneyland with some other journalists in 1992 on the day before Thanksgiving to get a preview of Mickey's Toontown so I could write this article. Aside from having a wonderful time seeing the new Disneyland "realm" before it was even quite finished, I remember that day because driving home about 5:00 p.m. on the 5 Freeway was probably the worst freeway traffic I've ever seen here in Southern California. It was of course rush hour but because it was Thanksgiving "Eve" the crush of everyone heading home or wherever they were going was stupendous. This article actually ran in the "Guide For Grown-Ups" section of the magazine (a magazine-within-a-magazine, really), but I also wrote a more "kid-friendly" article for the Mickey Mouse Magazine proper. I'll post that article too sometime before 2008 is over. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this article covering the creation of Mickey's Toontown.

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.