A Golden Age For Gottfredson

Thanks to the Internet and the many comic art aficionados who use the wonders of the World Wide Web to celebrate and increase appreciation for comic masterworks, this is a golden era for the Mickey Mouse comic strip by Floyd Gottfredson. Widely regarded as one of the best newspaper comics ever produced, Gottfredson’s Mickey is available for anyone to read and enjoy as never before. For two sterling examples, see Thad Komorowski’s excellent Classic Animation ID blog for the 1936-1937 Island in the Sky continuity here (scroll down to find the Mickey strips), and the recent posting of The Mystery of Hidden River here (again, scroll down). This 1941-1942 story is rarely (if ever) reprinted so stop by Thad’s blog and enjoy. And I’ll post more about this golden Gottfredson age soon.

From the Pages of Sketches Magazine

On October 3rd I posted an entry about the 1955 debut of Walt Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club. Here's an article I wrote for Sketches Magazine about the show. The article features some rare color photographs and behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of the show, its popularity and the Mouseketeers, including Annette. This article ran in the Summer 2005 issue of Sketches, the Official Magazine of the Walt Disney Collectors Society. Each quarterly issue offers fun and informative articles about all aspects of Disney, from animation and live-action to TV and theme parks. For more information about the joining the Society (and getting Sketches as a Members-Only benefit) visit the Society website.

A Mod Monster Party

In the 1960s Hanna-Barbera released a series of LP albums with cool art outside and fun audio on the recordings themselves. Here’s the 1966 album featuring Snooper and Blabber, two of the least remembered H-B characters, this cat-and-mouse detective team were the stars of the supporting segment on The Quick Draw McGraw Show. Songs include the title tune “Monster Shindig,” “The Monster Jerk” and (of course) “The Super Snooper Song,” and the story centers on a monstrous party hosted by the Gruesomes. Hope the humorously horrifying art puts you in the mood for a Halloween hootenanny.

Halloween is Pirate Time

I’ve had some questions about the pirate sculptures showcased on the cover of Sketches Magazine posted here a few days ago. Those beautifully sculpted buccaneers are from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and are not yet available. Sculpted in the likeness of Johnny Depp, Captain Jack Sparrow will be debuting in December. The Captain Barbossa sculpture (as portrayed by Geoffrey Rush) will be unveiled as the Winter Premiere Event sculpture at participating Walt Disney Classics Collection dealers, December 1-2. Watch this blog for more details closer to the Event dates. (Now, if you were a member of the Walt Disney Collectors Society, you’d be getting Sketches and you would know these things—I’m just saying.) And by the way, if you think pirates don’t necessarily mean Halloween, wait until you see all the pirates that will knock on your door round about the 31st.

Mad Madam Mim Meets the Blot

Here are two spooky Disney characters for the price (12 cents??) of one! In 1964 Mickey Mouse's mysterious night-shrouded nemesis, the Phantom Blot (first introduced in Floyd Gottfredson's masterful Mickey Mouse comic strip in 1939) was given his own comic book, so it was just a matter of time before he met up with Madam Mim. This wild and wacky witch was introduced in Walt Disney's The Sword in the Stone (1963), and Mim quickly became a Disney comic book star. The kooky sorceress's over-the-top enthusiasm for anything bad made her a fun character, and in this October 1965 issue of The Phantom Blot (written by animation and comic book veteran Bob Ogle) she falls head over broomstick for the Blot. To Mim, the night-stalking criminal is tall, dark (obviously) and very bad, which is good as far as the mad madam is concerned. Mickey comic book master Paul Murry drew this cover, as well as the book-length story inside. Want more Madam Mim? Check back later in October and you just might find her popping up for more Halloween fun.

Happy Birthday, Hib

Over at 2719 Hyperion Jeff Pepper salutes veteran Disney writer and producer Winston Hibler with an excellent birthday tribute. Hib was a man of great taste and integrity who brought his writerly talents to many Disney projects both animated and live-action. Certainly Hib's major contributions include his writing and engagingly understated vocal narration for the True-Life Adventures and other Disney nature films, such as Perri. Hib was one of several writers at Disney—Jim Algar and Bill Walsh among them—upon whom Walt relied to give voice to his ideas and whose words gave shape to the qualities we think of as "Disney." A true company man (in the best sense of that term) Winston Hibler spent the majority of his career at the Disney Studios dutifully contributing to the “cause” until his death in 1974. There’s a wonderful documentary about this major Disney figure on the DVD Walt Disney's Legacy Collection: True-Life Adventures Volume 4: Nature's Mysteries, which you can find here.

Schulz Bio Review

Over at his excellent blog, AAUGH.com, Peanuts book expert Nat Gertler reviews the much-anticipated, about-to-be-published Schulz tome, Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. Nat praises the extensive research and new information but also questions some of the new bio’s conclusions. Perusing Nat’s review is the next best thing to reading the actual biography (scheduled for release next week, the bio by David Michaelis is available for
preorder) and is an insightful and informative read.

The Journey

On October 7 2003, Disney DVD released The Lion King as a Platinum Edition DVD. The 2 Disc DVD set was also released as a special Collector's DVD Gift Set that included a DVD Companion Book. The Lion King Special Edition: The Journey (pictured) was written by yours truly (with the retelling of the Lion King narrative by Disney historian Christopher Finch). In this special book I relate the behind-the-scenes story of the creation of the film, from development and story to music and animation to the addition of the newly animated "Morning Report" to the film especially for the DVD. (I also wrote the DisneyPedia-like bonus documentary about the real Lion King animals featured on Disc 2.) I don't know how many of the millions who obtained the bestselling Lion King DVD sought out the Gift Set but if you'd like to read the book, the Collectors Set can still be found online, at Amazon.com, for example.

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.

“Free People Read Freely”

Huckleberry Finn. The Catcher in the Rye. Of Mice and Men. A Wrinkle in Time. To Kill A Mockingbird. These classic works of American literature have all been challenged as books that some felt should be banned from a public library. These threats against intellectual freedom and the First Amendment are brought to greater attention each year with Banned Book Week, held annually during the last week of September. This year’s observation is almost over (today’s the last day) but it's never too late to emphasize freedom. Celebrate liberty, literacy and literature at the same time by visiting your local library and reading a book of your choice. As Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury has said, “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”