Thursday, April 30, 2015

This just in:

[One of the amazingly talented artists at the Disney Studios during the ‘30s and ‘40s was Campbell Grant.  His work appeared in many of the animated stories and in the Little Golden Books series including “Snow White” and “Pinocchio” – and in Fantasia.  In-depth details will appear in a chapter of the third volume of the upcoming They Drew As They Pleased book series.  Mr. Grant also worked on incidental projects and a few of the original artworks from these have recently come to light.  Mr. Grant’s son Gordon is offering these for sale for the first time to readers of this blog.  Sample images are included here.  He is asking $2,500 for each original – but high-quality prints are also available at $250 each (coming to you matted and shrink-wrapped).  The giclee prints are derived from 1200 dpi scans and are very good.  The originals are gouache on illustration board. Gordon Grant can be reached at: trailgrant45@gmail.com]



Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Did one of you buy this rare photo of Mary and Lee Blair on HowardLowery.com recently? If so, could you please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com? I would love to buy a high resolution scan in order to use it in a future volume of They Drew As They Pleased. Thanks in advance.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Some additional news about books:

- Theme Park Press has just re-released Floyd Norman's Son of Faster Cheaper

- An updated edition of Russell Merritt and JB Kaufman's book Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series will be released by Disney Editions later this year

I am definitely planning to pick up both Sketchbook: Composition Studies for Film by Hans Bacher and Funny!: Twenty-Five Years in the Pixar Story Room when those books are released later this year.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Dear all: They Drew As They Pleased - The Hidden Art of Disney's Golden Age is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

This is the first volume in what should be a series of six. Volume 1 focuses on the 1930s (Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren and Bianca Majolie); Volume 2 and 3 on the 1940s (Volume 2 includes Kay Nielsen, Sylvia Holland, Retta Scott and David Hall); Volume 4 on the 1950s; Volume 5 on the '60s and '70s and Volume 6 on the '80s and '90s.
Each volume should be 208 page long.

80 percent of the 400+ illustrations in Volume 1 have never been released before and the text is filled with new information which comes from humdreds of pages of never seen before documents, including the recently discovered diaries and correspondence of Ferdinand Horvath, the correspondence of Gustaf Tenggren, etc...

I am hard at work on Volume 2 and the content should be even more spectacular thanks to a few major discoveries....

Friday, April 10, 2015

The blog will be updated again on April 27.
This book is not really linked to Disney History, but since the person who led the Freedomland project was CV Wood, the first VP of Disneyland, and since most of the artists who worked on its creation had also worked on Disneyland earlier on, I thought that some of you might want to be aware of it.

Thursday, April 09, 2015

This magazine has just been released and Barks fans will love it.

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

This is not Walt's last interview but it is definitely among the very last ones. (Thanks to Jim Korkis for the link).

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Help needed with background noise reduction

One of the songwriters of Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland was Jerry Livingston. As far as I understand he was interviewed only once, by Disney historian David Tietyen. Unfortunately that recording suffers from terrible background noise and is therefore close to impossible to transcribe.

Is anyone reading this post an expert when it comes to backghround noise reduction and if so, could you please contact me at didier.ghez@gmail.com?

[UPDATE: I found a volunteer.]

Monday, April 06, 2015

Someone asked me this morning to post a list of the table of contents of all the volumes of Walt's People. Here it is.



Volume 1
JB Kaufman : Rudy Ising
Mike Barrier : Dave Hand
George Sherman : Bill Tytla
Paul Anderson : Ken Anderson
Robin Allan : Milt Kahl
John Province : Marc Davis
Mike Lyons : Marc Davis
Jim Korkis : Jack Hannah
Alain Littaye : John Hench
Didier Ghez : John Hench
Robin Allan : Harper Goff
Jim Korkis : Joyce Carlson
Peter Emslie : Cover art

Volume 2
JB Kaufman: Friz Freleng
John Province : Grim Natwick
Mike Barrier : Frank Tashlin
Jim Korkis : Ward Kimball
Mike Barrier : Ward Kimball
Arn Saba : Floyd Gottfredson
Robin Allan : Herb Ryman
Christian Renaut : Frank Thomas
Wes Sullivan : Dale Oliver
Robin Allan : Eric Larson
Thorkil Rasmussen : Eric Larson
Thorkil Rasmussen : Woolie Reitherman
Christian Renaut : Richard Rich
Didier Ghez : Richard Rich
Mike Lyons : Glen Keane
Didier Ghez : Glen Keane
Peter Emslie : Cover art

Volume 3
Dave Smith: Ben Sharpsteen
Thorkil Rasmussen : Ward Kimball
Klaus Strzyz : Ward Kimball
Klaus Strzyz : Art Babbitt
Mike Barrier : Art Babbitt
Mike Lyons: Joe Grant
Jim Korkis : Bill Justice
Wes Sullivan : Volus Jones
John Province : Bill Peet
Robin Allan : Lee Blair
Robin Allan : James Algar
Klaus Strzyz : Jack Bradbury
Klaus Strzyz : Tony Strobl
Celbi Pegoraro : Floyd Norman
Christian Renaut : Burny Mattinson
Christian Renaut : Andreas Deja and Phil Nibbelink
Didier Ghez: Andreas Deja
Christian Ziebarth: Andreas Deja
Peter Emslie: Cover art

Volume 4
JB Kaufman: Virginia Davis
Grim Natwick: Homage to a Star
Joe Adamson: Dick Huemer
Brian Sibley: Dick Huemer
Dick Huemer: Huemeresque 1 and 2
Mike Barrier: Joe Grant
Jim Korkis: Peter Ellenshaw
Armand Eisen: John Hench
Armand Eisen: Marc Davis
Dave Smith: Lou Debney
Charles Solomon: Stan Green
Charles Solomon: Leo Salkin
Christian Renaut: Dale Oliver
Alberto Becattini: Dick Moores
Alberto Becattini: Roger Armstrong
Don Peri: Roy Williams
Didier Ghez: Brian Sibley
Christian Renaut: Ted Berman
Floyd Norman: The Other Fred
Floyd Norman: The Bullpen
Celbi Pegoraro: Floyd Norman
Christian Ziebarth: Eric Goldberg
Pete Emslie: Cover Art

Volume 5
Michael Barrier: Hugh Harman
Dave Smith: Nadine Missakian
Richard Shale: Ward Kimball
Dave Smith and Richard Shale: Erwin Verity
Richard Hubler: James Algar
Richard Hubler: Winston Hibler
Richard Hubler: Bill Anderson
Richard Hubler: Bill Walsh
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Bill Walsh
Richard Hubler: George Bruns
John Burlingame: Buddy Baker
Jérémie Noyer: Buddy Baker
Mike Barrier: Fess Parker
Christian Renaut: Walt Stanchfield
Richard Hubler: Marc Davis
Dave Oneil: Alice Davis
Richard Hubler: T. Hee
Harry McCracken: Maurice Noble
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Al Dempster
Bob Miller: Walt Peregoy
Floyd Norman: Windwagon Smith
Floyd Norman: The Making of The Jungle Book
Jim Korkis: Bill Evans
Alberto Becattini: Jack Bradbury
Alberto Becattini: Lynn Karp
Didier Ghez: Dave Michener
John Musker: In Memory of Vance Gerry
Charles Solomon : Vance Gerry
Christian Renaut: Vance Gerry
Clay Kaytis: Ron Clements and John Musker
Pete Emslie: Cover Art

Volume 6
Michael Barrier: Carl Stalling
I. Klein: The Disney Studio in the ‘30s
I. Klein: Some Close-Up Shots of Walt Disney during the “Golden Years”
I. Klein: Golden Age Animator Vladimir (Bill) Tytla
I. Klein: Walt Disney Took Another Giant Step!
Steve Hulett: Wilfred Jackson
Steve Hulett: Eric Larson
Steve Hulett: Ward Kimball
Steve Hulett: Ken Anderson
Steve Hulett: Ken O'Connor
Steve Hulett: Claude Coats
Robin Allan: Claude Coats
Christopher Finch: Frank Thomas
Christopher Finch: Ollie Johnston
Christopher Finch: Milt Kahl
JB Kaufman: Maurice Rapf
Richard Hubler: Lillian Disney
Richard Hubler: Roy O. Disney
Richard Hubler: Edna Disney
Richard Hubler: Sharon Disney
Richard Hubler: Diane Disney Miller
Richard Hubler: Ron Miller
Richard Hubler: Dick Irvine
Richard Hubler: Marvin Davis
Richard Hubler: Joe Fowler
Richard Hubler: Roger Broggie
Dave Smith: Fred Joerger
Jim Korkis: Ken Anderson
Richard Hubler: Frank Reilly
Frank Reilly: The Walt Disney Comic Strips
Jim Davis and Alberto Becattini: Ken Hultgren
Wes Sullivan: Bud Hester
Wes Sullivan: Iwao Takamoto
Gabe Essoe: Larry Clemmons
Christian Renaut: Joe Hale
Didier Ghez: Steve Hulett

Volume 7
David Lesjak: William Rast
Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston: Wilfred Jackson
Richard Hubler: Wilfred Jackson
Wilfred Jackson: The New Spirit
Grim Natwick: The Goldfish Caper
Grim Natwick: Bill Tytla
Grim Natwick: The Three-Fingered Hand
Grim Natwick: Analysis
Grim Natwick: Soundtracks
Grim Natwick: Hobbies
Brian Sibley: Adriana Caselotti
Milt Gray: Clarence Nash
Milt Gray and Michael Barrier: Billy Bletcher
Milt Gray: Jim Macdonald
Richard Hubler: Jim Macdonald
David Tietyen: Paul Smith and Hazel George
Christian Renaut: Carl Fallberg
Dave Smith: George Goepper
Rick Shale: Harry Tytle
Richard Hubler: Milt Kahl
Darrell Van Citters: Milt Kahl
Darrell Van Citters: Ollie Johnston
Richard Hubler: Ward Kimball
Richard Hubler: Frank Thomas and Ken Anderson
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Grace Turner
Jérémie Noyer: X. Atencio
Scott Weitz: X. Atencio
Didier Ghez: Bob Kurtz
Richard Hubler: John Hench
Jim Korkis: Marc Davis
Charles Solomon: Marc Davis and Andreas Deja
Alberto Becattini: Tom McKimson
Alberto Becattini: John Carey
Didier Ghez: John Ewing
Pete Docter: Art Stevens

Volume 8
Dave Smith: Ruth Disney Beecher
Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston: Les Clark
Richard Hubler: Harry Tytle
Milt Gray: James Bodrero
Robin Allan: Theo Halladay about Sylvia Holland
Robin Allan: Retta Scott
Jim Korkis: Retta Davidson
Floyd Norman : Retta Davidson
Steve Hulett: Mark Kirkland about Moe Gollub
Richard Hubler: Ben Sharpsteen
David Tietyen: Lou Debney
David Tietyen: Jim Macdonald
David Tietyen: Charles Wolcott
Richard Hubler: Bill Cottrell
Richard Hubler: Herb Ryman
Richard Hubler: Donn Tatum
Richard Hubler: Card Walker
Richard Hubler: Bob Sherman
Richard Hubler: Dolores Voght
Richard Hubler: Tommie Wilck
Richard Hubler: Welton Becket
John G. West: Bill Anderson
Richard Hubler: Robert Stevenson
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Don Griffith
Jim Korkis: Floyd Gottfredson
Tony Fischier: Floyd Gottfredson
Jim Korkis: Al Taliaferro
Jim Korkis: Jack Hannah
Jim Fanning: Carl Barks
Paul F. Anderson: Blaine Gibson
Scott Wolf: Harriet Burns
Charles Solomon: Roy E. Disney
Göran Broling: Correspondence with Frank Thomas
Didier Ghez: Bud Hester
Didier Ghez: Ken Southworth
Didier Ghez: Dale Baer

Volume 9
Dave Smith: Thurston Harper
Ray Pointer: Berny Wolf
John Canemaker: Fanny Rabin about Art Babbitt
John Culhane: Art Babbitt
Tom Sito: Bill Melendez
Mark Langer: Ken O’Connor
John Canemaker: Thor Putman
John Culhane: Art Scott
Dave Smith: Ken Anderson
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Ken Anderson
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Les Clark
Christopher Finch and Linda Rosenkrantz: Jack Cutting
Robin Allan: Jack Cutting
Robin Allan: Bob Jones
Robin Allan: Joe and Jennie Grant
Floyd Norman: Three Disney Story Guys (Pete Young, Fred Lucky and Vance Gerry)
Jim Korkis: Margaret Kerry
Paul F. Anderson: Jack Ferges
Paul F. Anderson: Fred Joerger
Jim Korkis: The Secret Walt Disney Commercials
Michael Mallory: Paul Carlson
Didier Ghez: Paul Carlson
Floyd Norman: Just Finish that Darned Thing!
Didier Ghez: Victor Haboush
Julie Svendsen: Walt Peregoy
Floyd Norman: Disney’s “B” Movie
Alberto Becattini: Frank McSavage
Klaus Strzyz: Jack Bradbury + Mary Jim Carp
Klaus Strzyz: Bob Foster
Alberto Becattini: Bob Foster
Didier Ghez: Julie Svendsen
Göran Broling: Correspondence with Ollie Johnston
Clay Kaytis: Burny Mattinson
Didier Ghez: Tom Sito

Volume 10
Jim Korkis: A history of the Walt Disney biography by Bob Thomas
Didier Ghez: Bob Thomas
Paul F. Anderson: Bob Thomas
Bob Thomas: Walt Disney
Bob Thomas: Walt Pfeiffer
Bob Thomas: Lillian Disney
Bob Thomas: Edna Disney
Bob Thomas: Ub Iwerks
Bob Thomas: Wilfred Jackson
Bob Thomas: Bill Cottrell
Bob Thomas: Herb Ryman
Jim Korkis: Walt’s secretaries
Bob Thomas: Dolores Voght Scott
Bob Thomas: Ham Luske
Bob Thomas: Woolie Reitherman
Bob Thomas: John Lounsbery
Bob Thomas: Ward Kimball
Bob Thomas: Frank Thomas
Bob Thomas: Milt Kahl
Bob Thomas: Hazel George
Bob Thomas: Marc Davis
Bob Thomas: Dick Huemer
Bob Thomas: Ollie Johnston
Bob Thomas: Ken Anderson
Bob Thomas: George Bruns
Bob Thomas: Larry Clemmons
Bob Thomas: Bill Anderson
Bob Thomas: Robert Stevenson
Bob Thomas: Bill Walsh
Bob Thomas: Roy E. Disney
Bob Thomas: Winston Hibler
Bob Thomas: James Algar
Bob Thomas: John Hench
Bob Thomas: Harper Goff
Bob Thomas: Dick Irvine
Bob Thomas: Card Walker
Bob Thomas: Donn Tatum
Bob Thomas: Wathel Rogers
Bob Thomas: Roger Broggie
Bob Thomas: Marvin Davis
Bob Thomas: Joe Potter
Bob Thomas: Robert Foster
Bob Thomas: Joe Fowler

Volume 11
Didier Ghez: Ruthie Tompson
Christopher Finch & Linda Rosenkrantz: Walt Pfeiffer
John Culhane: Shirley Temple
John Culhane: I. Klein
Peter Hansen: Basil Reynolds
Christopher Finch & Linda Rosenkrantz: Eric Larson
John Culhane: John Hubley
Robin Allan: Jules Engel
Darrell Van Citters: Ed Love
Darrell Van Citters: Mike Lah
JB Kaufman: Frank Thomas
Dave Smith: Carl Nater
John Culhane: John Hench
John Canemaker: Ward Kimball
Dave Smith: Ward Kimball
Didier Ghez: Frank Armitage
Robin Allan: Ray Aragon
Didier Ghez: Ray Aragon
Gord Wilson: Jacques Rupp
David Tietyen: George Bruns
John Canemaker: Dale Oliver
John Canemaker: Iwao Takamoto
John Canemaker: Richard Williams
Charles Solomon: Brad Bird
Alberto Becattini: Don R. Christensen
Jim Korkis: Tom Nabbe
Dave Smith: Roger Broggie
Didier Ghez: David Snyder
Didier Ghez: Carl Bongirno
John Culhane: Daniel MacManus
John Culhane: Ted Kierscey
John Canemaker: Glen Keane
Didier Ghez: Joe Hale
Jérémie Noyer: Mark Henn
Christian Ziebarth: Andreas Deja and Mark Henn
Didier Ghez: Ed Catmull

Volume 12
Dave Smith: Alice Disney Allen
Dave Smith: Jack Kloepper
Jim Korkis: Betsy Goodspeed about her father Gordon "Felix" Mills' work on the radio show Mickey Mouse Theater Of The Air
John Culhane: Les Clark
John Culhane: Al Eugster
Didier Ghez: Piercing the Perce Pearce Mystery
Alan Coats: Evelyn Coats
Alan Coats: Marge Hudson and Evelyn Coats
Paul F. Anderson: Mel Shaw
EMC West: Mel Shaw
Didier Ghez: Theo Halladay
David Tietyen: Sammy Fain
Edle Bakke: My Family Disney Dynasty
Didier Ghez: Olive Bosché
Dave Smith: Bill Bosché
Steve Hulett: Charlie Downs
Amid Amidi: John Dunn
Alberto Becattini: Del Connell
Wayne DeWald: Paul Murry
Donald Ault: Paul Murry
George Sherman: Paul Murry
Walt Disney: The Lurking Camera
James Algar: Film Music and Its Use in Beaver Valley
Tom McHugh: Animals Are Like Other People
Didier Ghez: Warren Garst
Didier Ghez: Jack Couffer
Didier Ghez and Jim Korkis: Lloyd Beebe
Brian Shoemaker: Lloyd Beebe
Didier Ghez: Milt Albright
Michael Mallory: Milt Albright
Lou Mongello: Ralph Kent
John Culhane: Larry Clemmons
Michael Barrier: Milt Kahl
Charles Solomon: John Pomeroy
NFFC: Leota Toombs Thomas
Didier Ghez: Kim Irvine
Didier Ghez: Burny Mattinson

Volume 13
Jim Korkis: Virginia Davis
John Culhane: Reg Massie
John Canemaker: George Bakes
Paul F. Anderson: Milt Neil
John Culhane: Al Dempster
John Culhane: Joe Grant
John Culhane: Woolie Reitherman
Michael Broggie: Becky and Carla Fallberg
Dave Smith: Jean Erwin
John Canemaker: John P. Miller
Milton Zolotow and Lawrence Weschler: Jules Engel
Michael Barrier: Fred Kopietz
Dave Smith: Don Duckwall
Pete Docter: John Sibley
Malcolm Willits: George Sherman
Malcolm Willits: Floyd Gottfredson
Robin Allan: Richard Todd
Les Perkins: Roy E. Disney
Les Perkins: Stormy Palmer
Les Perkins: Paul Kenworthy
Les Perkins: Hunt and Chris Hibler
Jim Korkis & Didier Ghez: Boyd Shaffer
Paul F. Anderson: Fess Parker
Didier Ghez: Dave Spafford
Alberto Becattini: Bob Moore
Didier Ghez: Blaine Gibson
Jay Horan: X. Atencio
Michael Broggie: Don Iwerks
Didier Ghez: Tony Baxter

Volume 14
Bob Thomas: Carman Maxwell
Mark Mayerson: Dick Lundy
Leonard Maltin: Dick Lundy
Leonard Maltin: Phil Klein
Leonard Maltin: Zack Schwartz
John Culhane: Ray Patterson
Didier Ghez: Marge Champion
John Canemaker: Joe Grant
Dave Smith: Bob Jones
Jim Korkis & Didier Ghez: Bob Baker
Vincent Randle: A Life Rendering: The Unrealized Art of Richmond “Dick” Kelsey
David Culbert: Eric Knight at Disney
The Holling C. Holling letters
John Culhane: Bill Justice
John Culhane: Irvin Graham
Michael Broggie: Lillian Disney
Alberto Becattini: Carson Van Osten
George Sherman: Bruce Bushman
George Sherman: Bob Mattey
Dave Smith: Chris Mueller
John G. West: Arthur Vitarelli
Charles Solomon: Alice Davis
Didier Ghez: Lucile Bosché
Harry Wessel: Joe Fowler
Didier Ghez: Eddie Sotto

Volume 15
Dave Smith: Bob Cook
John Culhane: Grim Natwick
Michael Barrier: Clair Weeks
Bob Casino: Willis Pyle
Didier Ghez: Charlene Sundblad about Helen and Hugh Hennesy
Göran Broling: Preston Blair
Cartoonist PROfiles: Preston Blair
Steven Hartley: Cy Young
Michael Barrier: Lynn Karp
Autobiography of Basil Reynolds
Alberto Becattini: The Life and Times of Riley Thomson
John Culhane: Ward Kimball
John Culhane: Wilfred Jackson
Jim Korkis: Ham Luske’s children
Michael Broggie: Stormy Palmer
EMC West: Guy Williams Jr.
EMC West: Buddy Van Horn
EMC West: Suzanne Lloyd
George Sherman: Roger Broggie
Jim Korkis: Karl Bacon & Ed Morgan
Dave Smith: Bill Martin
Jay Horan: Bill Evans
John Culhane: Card Walker
Didier Ghez: Mike Peraza