This just in from Jim Korkis:
[I've been enjoying David's coverage of Der Fuerher's Face at his Blog.
David did tease us with a short excerpt from "Dispatch from Disney", an extremely rare booklet that was done by the Disney Studio for employees that were serving in the Armed Forces during World War II. It was intended to be a regularly published booklet that would keep Disney servicemen up to date on the happenings at the Studio. Unfortunately, only one issue was done: Volume One Number One!
"Dispatch from Disney" featured wonderful Disney wartime artwork and numerous articles including the following: Introduction by Walt Disney; Private Joe Disney (letter from Mickey Mouse); Victory Through Air Power by Alexander P. de Seversky; A Day With Walt ( humorous series of 12 drawings which is a two-page fold out, featuring Roy "The Big Mooseketeer" Williams art about a Day With Walt!); Films Unite With Textbooks; Education For Death; Laughter Knows How To Fight (by Dick Huemer and Joe Grant); Training Fighter Pilots With Film; Entertainment Values in Educational Films; Roll Call (Disney artists such as Herb Ryman, Hank Porter, Hal Adelquist); How I Wrote der Fuehrer's Face by Oliver Wallace; Keeping Fit; Gremlins (a piece on the then in development Disney feature based on Roald Dahl's first book); Saludos Amigos; Disney and the Aircraft Industry; and more. Printed on very high-quality linen paper it measures 5.5" x 8", 36 pages and it came with a loose page of nude pretty girl pin-ups done by Fred Moore, Bill Justice and Milt Neil.
Since David only provided an excerpt of Oliver Wallace's essay. I thought your readers might enjoy the complete version:
How I Wrote "Der Fuerher's Face"
By Oliver Wallace as told to Ralph Parker
The time was 3:00 P.M., and I was feeling low. I had been a naughty boy the night before.
That had to be the moment when Walt encountered me in the hall and gave me a rush order: "Ollie, I want a serious song, but it's got to be funny."
The further information that it was to be for a picture telling Donald Duck's adventures in Nazi land didn't help very much.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Suppose the Germans are singing it," Walt offered. "To them, it's serious. To us, it's funny."
Walt walked away. I stood in the hall. I continued to stand in the hall.Once more I was on the spot.
Arriving home disgruntled, I encountered no idea while eating dinner.Then I laid down for a rest. "To hell with it," I told myself.
The wee small voice told me what it thought of me. It was a familiar routine."Get off your back and get on your bike," said my wife. "You're going to the store with me."
The fresh air brought out the nobility in me. I turned receptive and laid myself wide open to any idea.
There ought to be a German band.
The music came to me in one flash. It nearly knocked me off the bicycle. My mouth opened in surprise. There followed a second surprise. Words came out of that mouth. I heard myself singing with the loudness which distinguishes my voice: "Ven Der Fuehrer says, 'Ve iss der Master Race,' Ve Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's Face."
My wife laughed. "Who wrote that?"
"I'm writing it!" I yelled--and almost ran into a truck.
Half an hour later, it was finished. I sang it to my two daughters (separately) --and when each said she liked it, I thought I had something.
But would Walt like it?
Arriving at the studio next day, I sang it all over the place.
The sound brought Walt out into the hall (where he does most of his business).
"Let's hear it," he said.
I stalled. "Orchestration . . . there's a funny sound in it . . . can't be made without an instrument . . . has to be practiced . . ." The truth is, I didn't know what Walt would think of the highly robust Bronx cheer. Could such a sound be used in a Disney picture?
"Let's hear it," said Walt.
I let loose.
Walt laughed.
The rest is history.]
"Dispatch from Disney" featured wonderful Disney wartime artwork and numerous articles including the following: Introduction by Walt Disney; Private Joe Disney (letter from Mickey Mouse); Victory Through Air Power by Alexander P. de Seversky; A Day With Walt ( humorous series of 12 drawings which is a two-page fold out, featuring Roy "The Big Mooseketeer" Williams art about a Day With Walt!); Films Unite With Textbooks; Education For Death; Laughter Knows How To Fight (by Dick Huemer and Joe Grant); Training Fighter Pilots With Film; Entertainment Values in Educational Films; Roll Call (Disney artists such as Herb Ryman, Hank Porter, Hal Adelquist); How I Wrote der Fuehrer's Face by Oliver Wallace; Keeping Fit; Gremlins (a piece on the then in development Disney feature based on Roald Dahl's first book); Saludos Amigos; Disney and the Aircraft Industry; and more. Printed on very high-quality linen paper it measures 5.5" x 8", 36 pages and it came with a loose page of nude pretty girl pin-ups done by Fred Moore, Bill Justice and Milt Neil.
Since David only provided an excerpt of Oliver Wallace's essay. I thought your readers might enjoy the complete version:
How I Wrote "Der Fuerher's Face"
By Oliver Wallace as told to Ralph Parker
The time was 3:00 P.M., and I was feeling low. I had been a naughty boy the night before.
That had to be the moment when Walt encountered me in the hall and gave me a rush order: "Ollie, I want a serious song, but it's got to be funny."
The further information that it was to be for a picture telling Donald Duck's adventures in Nazi land didn't help very much.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Suppose the Germans are singing it," Walt offered. "To them, it's serious. To us, it's funny."
Walt walked away. I stood in the hall. I continued to stand in the hall.Once more I was on the spot.
Arriving home disgruntled, I encountered no idea while eating dinner.Then I laid down for a rest. "To hell with it," I told myself.
The wee small voice told me what it thought of me. It was a familiar routine."Get off your back and get on your bike," said my wife. "You're going to the store with me."
The fresh air brought out the nobility in me. I turned receptive and laid myself wide open to any idea.
There ought to be a German band.
The music came to me in one flash. It nearly knocked me off the bicycle. My mouth opened in surprise. There followed a second surprise. Words came out of that mouth. I heard myself singing with the loudness which distinguishes my voice: "Ven Der Fuehrer says, 'Ve iss der Master Race,' Ve Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's Face."
My wife laughed. "Who wrote that?"
"I'm writing it!" I yelled--and almost ran into a truck.
Half an hour later, it was finished. I sang it to my two daughters (separately) --and when each said she liked it, I thought I had something.
But would Walt like it?
Arriving at the studio next day, I sang it all over the place.
The sound brought Walt out into the hall (where he does most of his business).
"Let's hear it," he said.
I stalled. "Orchestration . . . there's a funny sound in it . . . can't be made without an instrument . . . has to be practiced . . ." The truth is, I didn't know what Walt would think of the highly robust Bronx cheer. Could such a sound be used in a Disney picture?
"Let's hear it," said Walt.
I let loose.
Walt laughed.
The rest is history.]
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