Fantasound: Not Just For Fantasia Only

I've been writing a lot about Walt Disney's Fantasia (1940) lately, and that magnificent film is being released as a Diamond Edition Blu-ray later this month...so what better time than now to take a look at Fantasound. I don't exactly mean the Oscar-winning multichannel sound system created for Walt's animated masterpiece but rather a little-known series of recordings released in the late 1960s by Disney's prestige label, Buena Vista Records. Promoted as a sophisticated adult listening experience for the serious audiophile, and recorded mostly in Europe, these specialized LPs were first issued in 1967. The Fantasound albums featured classical selections and the scores of Broadway shows (and The Happiest Millionaire, the Disney musical in release at the time). Billboard magazine reported that Vista launched a major promotional campaign for this internationally-distributed adult-oriented series, elements of which included posters, counter displays and special discount rates to retailers. Another promotion was included on the inner sleeve included in all Vista albums, the Fantasound detail of which is pictured above (click on the image for a larger view). Plus watch this blog for news of some of my upcoming writing about Fantasia.

Conan Takes To The Skies Over Burbank

Living in the center of Hollywood (well, it's really Burbank) one gets to see a lot of things some people living in some other parts of the country might not. For example, I have seen overhead on numerous occasions the Goodyear blimp and the Fuji blimp. (Sadly, I have never seen the MetLife blimp, featuring the famous World War I Flying Ace.) Today I saw the new Conan blimp. It seemed to be basically flying over the Warner Bros. lot, which would make sense as Conan does his freshly-minted late-night show from that lot, which is right here in Burbank. I imagine Conan will make reference to his blimp being directly overhead. I'll soon know as his show starts in less than a half-hour as of this writing. (I'm not surprised Conan has a blimp as he has always seemed to like them... if memory serves, I think he had Andy Richter spend an entire episode of his first NBC series aboard the MetLife blimp. Some people have all the luck.) You can find out more about the Conan blimp and even track its travels (so you will know when its over your city) here. (Even though the graphic above says the Conan blimp will be in flight through October 31, its flight has been extended trough November.)

60 Years Of Crashed Kites And Disrespectful Dogs

Today, October 2, 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of the comic strip that surely needs no introduction, Peanuts, for it was on this date in 1950 that the initial entry in what would become a worldwide phenomenon was first published in a mere seven newspapers, a marked contrast to the 2,000-plus papers in which the comic would eventually appear. To mark the occasion, here's a rare bit of art—a 1967 letter sent out by comic-strip artist/writer par excellence Charles M. Schulz in response to a fan apparently requesting original art. It would be interesting to know if Mrs. Jones of Parsons, Kansas ever received an original strip from United Features Syndicate. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this example (click on the image for a larger view) of special art created by Schulz outside the strip itself as we celebrate sixty years of happiness with Peanuts.

Who Is Wade Sampson And Why Are They Saying All Those Wonderful Things About Him?

As most every Disney fan who peruses the internet now knows, the mysterious online Disney historian Wade Sampson is actually the mysteriously gifted Disney historian Jim Korkis—and Jim has a brand new book that collects the many in-depth articles Wade, uh, I mean Jim has published online. (Go here to read the final "Wade Sampson" column.) One of the best thing about this book, entitled The Vault of Walt, featuring all kinds of overlooked, underrated and mostly unknown Disney behind-the-scenes stories is that Jim has enhanced his original historical reporting with new findings and even more little-known delicacies. Be sure and get your own copy of this fascinating book here and discover the wonderful historical world of "Wade Sampson."

Blazing A New Frontier At The Walt Disney Family Museum

If you are in the San Francisco area this weekend, you won't want to miss the Fess Parker tribute at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Jeff Kurtti, otherwise known as King of the Wild Disney Historians and one of the guiding imaginations and Disney authorities behind the splendid museum devoted to a man named Walt, will be hosting two very special salutes to the tall Texan who so winningly portrayed the coonskin-capped Congressman in Walt Disney's groundbreaking, blockbusting "Davy Crockett" TV shows. For more information about all the Fess Parker festivities, check out the Museum's website.

Share a Horse Laugh With Horace (and Other Disney Stars)

One of the many informative, intriguing and just plain fun offerings on the D23 website is a series of star bios. Who do we mean when we refer to Disney stars? Well, Mickey Mouse of course and Donald, Goofy, Minnie...but there's also some other members of the gang that don't always get the star treatment. I had the honor of writing these D23 biographies, and I have to admit I'm proudest of the pieces about such immortal but obscure Disney pals as Clarabelle Cow, Clara Cluck and that improbable matinee idol, Horace Horsecollar (seen here in panels from the famed Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strip drawn by Floyd Gottfredson, originally published on December 2, 1931; click on the image for a larger view). Don't miss Biographies of 10 Classic Disney Characters at D23.com.

Jimmy On Broadway

Or is it Broadway on Jimmy? Either way, all this week on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, it's Broadway Week. Each night, starting tonight, Monday September 13, 2010, Jimmy is presenting a number from one of the musicals currently trodding the boards on the Great White Way. Jimmy's show emanates from famed 30 Rock, and its proximity to New York's storied theatre district makes it a natural to showcase productions that only a relative few of us will otherwise experience, so this is a not-to-be-missed celebration of musical theatre. First up is this year's Tony winner as Best Musical, Memphis, followed on Tuesday by a selection from Promises, Promises (which looks, well, promising to me because it seems to have been produced with a very 1960s vibe), and on Wednesday, it's the Green Day musical American Idiot. Assuming you aren't staying up to watch the actual Late Night broadcast (and no one I know is doing that) you can catch all these acts and the rest of Broadway Week on Jimmy Fallon's website.

Special Guest Villain: The Penguin

Batman became a TV superstar with the debut of his smash TV show in 1966, but of course the superhero-with-no-superpowers started in comic books—so of all the awesome Bat-memorabilia issued to tie-in with the Bat craze of 1966, what could be cooler than an actual comic book? This Batman mini-comic was a giveaway in Kellogg's then-new Pop-Tarts and was just one of six you could find "in specially marked boxes." Starring that natty nasty the Penguin ("starring" is an apt term as this "special guest villain" appears in this comic story more than Batman and Robin themselves), this now-rare comic was drawn by prolific DC mainstay Curt Swan, who was more closely associated with an entirely different DC superhero (a super man, in fact) than he was with Batman. Here in all its giveaway glory is "The Penguin's Fowl Play."

Sherman Magic

Imagine having Richard Sherman sit down and play a personal piano concert just for you. That sense of intimacy is exactly what you get with Forgotten Dreams, the splendid must-have CD (produced by Grammy Award-winning James Jensen) of haunting piano pieces both composed and played by acclaimed and award-winning composer/lyricist Richard Sherman. If you are a fan of Richard Sherman's music from films, theme parks and TV shows (and who isn't it?) you will love this new recording, a loving collection of 15 pieces Richard has composed as personal reflections, compositions I'm sure he originally wrote for himself and close friends, but that can now be enjoyed by everyone. These intimate musical interludes range from the soulful to the melancholy to the upbeat, each skillfully and expressively played by Richard himself. There's a stylish sophistication to these pieces that are different from the Sherman songs we know so well, though I certainly would not consider any Sherman song lacking in either style or sophistication. (By the way, it is beyond annoying to still encounter people, especially those who should know better, that still insist the Sherman Brothers wrote songs for "kiddie" movies. As anyone who reads this blog surely knows, the Shermans wrote songs for everybody of every age, and no one—least of all Walt Disney—considered the Disney films and other productions to be exclusively or even mainly for "kiddies.") I myself have listened to Forgotten Dreams many times and each time I discover another nuance in between the notes, an additional richness, a new musical emotion. Be sure and add this beautiful musical experience to your musical library—it's available at AcousticMusicResource.com, at Amazon: Forgotten Dreams, and iTunes. As Poppin' Guitars co-producer Bernadette Bowman has said, the "M" in Richard M. Sherman most definitely stands for magic.

Writer, Cartoonist, It's All The Same

Not much activity here in Tulgey Wood lately, and those ever-present deadlines on other projects are the reason why. This comic-book page (click on the page for a bigger view) written and drawn by first-class comic artist Evan Dorkin explains it all for you. (Change the word "Cartoonist" to "Writer" and you'll get the idea.) Did I say first class? Actually Dorkin, an Eisner Award-winner, is in a class by himself. Check out his stuff at his website and his blog (and be aware that some of his stuff, unlike most of the material recommended here in Tulgey Wood, is not family-friendly) and discover the demented comic genius that is Evan Dorkin. (The comic page seen here is actually the back cover of an issue of Evan's superlative anthology comic Dork!) In the meantime I'll try and get out from under and do some more posting soon.