Disney History

Friday, July 29, 2011

This just in:

[On August 3rd, Swann Auction Galleries’ will host a Vintage Poster Sale.

Included at this Vintage Poster Sale, will be a Walt Disney Productions poster. This 1939 original work, titled Standard Gasoline, Unsurpassed, depicts Mickey and Minnie Mouse driving in an automobile. Mickey Mouse is widely known as the symbol of Disney and in this rare piece, we see Mickey being used as a spokesperson for gasoline.

You can view the catalogue online at this link.]

I did not remember this beautiful photo of Walt and enjoyed it immensly when I stumbled upon it last week.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Help needed from someone in Italy

Any reader of this blog living in Italy? If so, would you be willing to try and visit a library which holds a complete run of the newspaper from Corriere della Sera from 1935?

I am trying to locate a key piece of information about Walt's trip to Italy in July 1935 and I need the help of someone who could check the archives of the newspaper for that year.

La Stampa has its full archives online and I have already extracted from them what I needed, but I suspect that the key information was released in the Corriere.

Please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com if you are willing to help.

I just love this photo. The caption mentions:

[John J. Mitchell, Chicago capitalist, and Walt Disney, creator Mickey Mouse, engage in a little close harmony following the completion of the annual Rancheros Visitadores ride when the more than five hundred business, industrial and professional men from all parts of the country relaxed following their week-long trek across picturesque ranches of Santa Barbara County. Mitchell is president of this unique organization, and both Wrigley and Disney are expert horsemen.]

Do not miss today:

- One Mystery Solved by Michael Barrier
- The Walt Disney Studio Ink and Paint Department 1937 on Stuff from the Park
- Buy Walt Disney’s House by Jerry Beck

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

This photo just in from Julie Svendsen.

Joe Hale, who saw it this week sent the following information:

[Back Row: Julius Svendsen, Art Stevens, Jack Boyd, Elmer Plummer, Jim Swain.

First Row: Hamilton Luske, Jimmy Trout, Joe Hale, Duncan McLaren (Mac) Stewart and John Emerson. Ruth Wright was the Unit Secretary.

This is a picture of Ham Luske's Unit when they were doing WW of Color TV shows. Probably was taken in the mid-60's. Ham was the Director. Svendsen and Stevens were the Animators, Boyd was the Effects Animator. Elmer Plummer & Jimmy Trout were BG Painters.
Jim Swain was the Asst. Director. Joe was the Layout Man, Mac Stewart was co-Director, and John Emerson also did special effects work.]

My sincere thanks also to Hans Perk and Floyd Norman for helping solve this small mystery.

Monday, July 25, 2011

While looking for something else, I stumbled onto this two filmed reports from the Italian L.U.C.E.:

Walt's trip to Venice in 1951 (I had only seen photos until today) and Walt visiting Torino in 1961.

Do not miss today:

- Tytla’s Stromboli - the Second half by Michael Sporn
- Here Come The Answers – Pt. 1 by Todd James Pierce
- Walt Disney's Secrets of Space by Jim Korkis
- Great series of Playthings covers by Matt Crandall

- Lady and the Tramp by Andreas Deja

Friday, July 22, 2011

Monday is a holiday in Madrid. The blog will be updated again next Tuesday.

I just picked this up last week and though you would get a kick out of this small poster for a "rat race" (I kid you not) which happened at the Fair of Sevilla, Spain in 1953.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Beautiful photo of Walt discovered recently on ebay by Mark Sonntag. Mark was kind enough to send it to me last week and I thought you would enjoy it.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Do not miss today:

- WALT DISNEY THE GOLFER, SWOPE PARK, KANSAS CITY by Paul F. Anderson
- The WED and Disneyland Quiz by Todd James Pierce
- Action Analysis - April 5, 1937 by Michael Sporn
- Designing Fantasyland – The Seven Dwarf’s Cottage Shop by Maxime

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

James Coleman was one of the key background artists at Disney in the mid-'70s to the mid-'90s. I recently discovered this book about him and I thought some of you would enjoy it. It contains 25 pages specifically focused on his career at Disney.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

If you are not already doing so, I would strongly advise you to start following the Disney History Institute group on Facebook, launched by Paul F. Anderson and Todd James Pierce.

Ken O'Connor and Mike Peraza

Do not miss today:

- Tod Polson and Chronicle are Making a Maurice Noble Book by Amid Amidi
- Walt Disney: The Night Before His Park Opened by Todd James Pierce
- Mystery Men by Michael Barrier
- MARY POPPINS AND THE SEA-CHANGE by Brian Sibley
- TEA WITH MISS ANDREWS by Brian Sibley
- Remembering Ken O'Connor, PART 1 by Mike Peraza
- Remembering Ken O'Connor, PART 2 by Mike Peraza
- Walt Disney’s daughter remembers her dad by Mark Eades

Friday, July 15, 2011

Thanks to Gunnar Andreassen, here are a few more of the Horvath drawings which were sold recently by Heritage Auctions.

Do not miss today:

- The Truth of the Matter Is by Rolly Crump (fantastic series of columns by Disney Legend Rolly Crump!)
- July 17th or July 18th? by Todd James Pierce
- DHI ON FACEBOOK For Our Fan Mail ... Like Mickey Mouse by Paul F. Anderson

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Do you have any unusual documents, interviews, photos, etc. related to Clarence Nash? If so, could you please contact me (didier.ghez@gmail.com)? Clarence's granddaughter, Maggie Barnes, is working on a biography of her grandfather and has asked some of us to help.