Miracle on 34th Street 70th Anniverary Blog part 2

This blog continues our tribute to George Seaton’s Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with “34 thing you didn’t know” about it. The second in our series contains the last 17 fun facts. Please feel free to comment if you’d like.

1. At the very beginning of the movie, during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade scene, all of the cameras that were used in that scene froze and it became impossible for the crew to transition them in any way, shape, or form. So they just filmed it as positioned based on where they started. 
2. There is a scene in Home Alone (1990) where Kevin turns on the tv and sees “Miracle on 34th Street,” on the screen. Chris Columbus, who directed “Home Alone,” and its first sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) was a big fan, and directed Maureen O’Hara in her last theatrical film appearance in the dramatic/romantic comedy Only the Lonely (1991), which was released in between the “Home Alone,” movies.
3. Natalie Wood was Maureen O’Hara’s favorite child actor of all the child actors that she worked with throughout her whole career. She specifically said “I have been the mother to almost forty children in movies, but I have always had a special place in my heart for little Natalie. She always called me Mamma Maureen and I called her Natasha, the name her parents had given her.”
4. To this day, “Miracle on 34th Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and The Bishop’s Wife (1947) remain the only three Christmas movies ever to receive Best Picture Oscar Nominations. (While “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “Bishop’s Wife,” both won trophies in other categories, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” didn’t win any at all.)
5. Percy Helton, who played the drunk Santa at the beginning of the film, also played the Train Conductor in both White Christmas (1954) and The Music Man (1962).
6. Meredith Wilson, who was the composer and lyricist for “The Music Man,” adapted “Miracle on 34th Street,” as a Broadway musical entitled “Here’s Love.”
7. Edmund Gwenn’s (who played Kris Kringle) cousin, actor Cecil Kellaway, had been offered the role of Kris Kringle in the film, but declined.
8. Like Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara also made other films that were released the same year as “Miracle on 34th Street.” The films were: Sinbad, the Sailor (1947), The Homestretch (1947), and The Foxes of Harrow (1947). The latter two were distributed by Fox. (Rex Harrison acted in “The Foxes of Harrow,” with O’Hara and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” with Wood.)
9. The working title of the film was actually called “The Big Heart.”
10. Gene Lockhart, who played the authoritative Judge Henry X. Harper in the film, had just nine years earlier played the humble and timid Bob Cratchit in MGM’s A Christmas Carol (1938).
11. While Macy’s Department Store was willing to have its name used in this film, they were unwilling to re-donate their name to the 1994 remake. Thus, the producers of the remake came up with the fictional name of Cole’s Department Store.
12. The original “Miracle on 34th Street,” was released in 1947 and the theatrical remake was released on November 18th 1994, 47 years after the original. When the remake was released, Fox offered a full refund to any audience member who didn’t enjoy the film. Roughly, 1,500 tickets were returned to the studio. 
13. Co-writer Valentine Davies was inspired to write the story for the movie as he was shopping to find a Christmas gift for his wife—while struggling through huge crowds. He wondered what the real Santa Claus would think about all the commercialization of Christmas.
14. George Seaton, who won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his screenplay for the film, seven years later won another Best Original Screenplay Oscar for writing The Country Girl (1954) which starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William Holden. (He also directed “The Country Girl,” earning him his only Best Director Oscar Nomination.)
15. In the film’s climatic scene, where Fred Gailey presents a bunch of mailbags to Judge Harper, there are a total of 21 mailbags in the scene.
16. Maureen O’Hara and Alvin Greenman (who played Alfred the janitor) were the last two surviving cast members of the movie. O’Hara passed away on October 24th, 2015 at the age of 95 and Alvin Greenman passed away on July 14th, 2016 at the age of 86.
17. Edmund Gwenn gained a total of 30 pounds to prepare for his role as Kris Kringle.

“Miracle on 34th Street,” is a true classic and has remained beloved by film audiences for almost three quarters of a century. It is remarkable that, at the time, Fox chief Darryl Zanuck initially loathed the film and didn’t believe that it would be a success. Today the film is neither included in AFI’s Top 100 Films, nor is it included in any of AFI’s other lists, but it is still considered a classic, primarily because of its powerful story.  

Miracle on 34th Street 70th Anniversary Blog part 1

Last year Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) celebrated its 70th anniversary. This year, another holiday classic celebrates the same. But unlike “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Seaton’s Miracle on 34th Street (1947) was a huge hit when it was released! It was critically acclaimed, won accolades, and remains a classic today. To celebrate, these next two blogs will be a “walk down 34th Street,” with 34 interesting facts about this treasured holiday film. Please feel free to comment if you’d like!

1. When the film’s co-writer/director George Seaton pitched the idea of “Miracle on 34th Street,” to 20th Century Fox Studio Chief Darryl Zanuck, Zanuck detested the idea and did not want to allow Seaton to make it. Seaton was determined, however, and continued to persist, so Zanuck ultimately agreed to grant the film a medium-sized budget. BUT…only if Seaton would write/direct three other film projects assigned by Zanuck unconditionally. The films were Apartment for Peggy (1948), Chicken Every Sunday (1949), and The Big Lift (1950). “Apartment for Peggy,” starred “Miracle on 34th Street,” actors Edmund Gwenn and Gene Lockhart and “Chicken Every Sunday,” starred “Miracle on 34th Street,” actors Natalie Wood, William Frawley, Porter Hall, and Percy Helton.

2. Although the film takes place in New York at Christmastime, the film had its premiere in New York on June 4th, 1947. 20th Century Fox Studio Chief Darryl F. Zanuck claimed that more people go to the movies in hotter weather.

3. Maureen O’Hara, who played Doris Walker, initially did not want to make the film. She had recently returned to Ireland after having been prevented by the United States Government, along with a great deal of other immigrants, to return to her home country due to the breakout of World War II. She reluctantly came back to America, but fortunately changed her attitude and was very delighted that she was going to make it once she read the script.

4. The film won three Oscars: Best Supporting Actor Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle, Best Writing, (Original Story), Valentine Davies, and Best Writing, (Screenplay), George Seaton. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, but lost to Gentlemen’s Agreement (1947). The film also received the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay.

5. Maureen O’Hara and John Payne (who played Fred Gailey) in the film were very close friends in real life. They made a total of four films together: “Miracle,” To The Shores of Tripoli (1942), Sentimental Journey (1946), and Tripoli (1950), where they were both directed by O’Hara’s then-husband, Will Price.

6. John Payne specifically said that “Miracle on 34th Street,” was his personal favorite of all his films. 

7. William Frawley played the bit role of Judge Harper’s friend Charlie Halloran in the film. This was just four years prior to when Frawley became best known as Fred Mertz in I Love Lucy (1951-1957).

8. In the first courtroom scene, there is a moment where Fred Gailey is interviewing Thomas Mara Jr. (played by Robert Hyatt), the son of Gailey’s prosecuting lawyer opponent. Gailey asks “junior” how he knows that there is a real Santa Claus and his now famous reply “Because my daddy told me so.” was a line the young actor came up with himself.

9. Natalie Wood simultaneously made two films for 1947. “Miracle,” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” with co-stars Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.

10. Although there is a scene in the film where Natalie Wood’s character, Susan Walker, discovers that Kris Kringle’s beard is real, Edmund Gwenn’s “beard” was not real. Gwenn improvised his reaction in the scene when Wood pulled on it to see if it was real or not.

11. This film was the feature film debut of six-time-Oscar-nominee Thelma Ritter, who played Peter’s mother.

12. “Miracle on 34th Street,” was only the second film distributed by 20th Century Fox to be shot on-location in New York City. The first film was The House on 92nd Street (1945).

13. On an audio commentary for the film, Maureen O’Hara specifically recalled that when they were halfway through shooting the film, the entire cast and crew believed that Edmund Gwenn was, in fact, the real Santa Claus.

14. When Edmund Gwenn accepted his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Kris Kringle, his acceptance speech was “Now I know there’s a Santa Claus.”

15. The film has received numerous re-adaptations throughout the years. It was first re-adapted in 1955 by Fox as a television series, with Thomas Mitchell from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” as Kris Kringle. There were also two made-for-television movie adaptations in 1959 with Ed Wynn as Kringle and in 1973 with Sebastian Cabot as Kringle. Fox readapted the film theatrically in 1994 with Sir Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle, Elizabeth Perkins as Dorey Walker, Dylan McDermott as Brian Bedford and Mara Wilson as Susan Walker. Sadly, none of the remakes were quite as successful as their original predecessor.

16. There is a scene in the film where Kris Kringle speaks Dutch to a little Dutch girl with no subtitles shown on screen. The English translation for the Dutch spoken in that scene is Santa is asking what the little girl wants for Christmas and she replies nothing because Santa already got her the wonderful gift by being adopted by her new mother.

17. Alvin Greenman who played the young janitor, Alfred in the film also makes a cameo as the doorman named Alfred in 1994 remake.

“Miracle on 34th Street,” is a film that depicts that there truly is a Santa Claus, or it rather just depends on how you look at it. Furthermore, it’s a beautiful reminder that although we do live in a very realistic world, the world is full of mysterious, controversial things that no one fully understands or has ever been able to fully explain. But what we don’t realize too easily is that faith in those things provides the motivation that everyone needs to have good attitudes towards the crudeness that real life often brings and to not grow up feeling like depressed, cynical failures. As they say in the film “Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to,” or in other words we should all carefully balance common sense with faith in our lives.

That’s the first half of our “walk down 34th Street”—more to come in next week’s blog.  

Adam Driver: Slacker to Star Wars

Has curly hair, towering height,….and a mischievous grin. Adam Driver has gained fame playing unreliable, lazy, slacking, goof-offs, but it has taken him all the way to a three-time-Emmy-nominated role as Adam Sackler, the love interest to Lena Dunham’s Hannah Horvath on Girls (2012-2017) and Jason Bateman’s youngest brother in This Is Where I Leave You (2014). 

Right now, he has become known throughout the world as Kylo Ren, one of the latest villains created especially for the new Star Wars (2015-2019) trilogy produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Adam Driver definitely has a promising future ahead of him in motion pictures, though he also has gotten off to a remarkable start, having worked with several of Hollywood’s best directors and appearing in television, and theater too.

Adam Driver was born on November 19th, 1983 in San Diego California. He developed an interest in acting, appearing in plays in high school. After 9/11, he enlisted in the Marines, where he served for two years and eight months, but after breaking his sternum, he was medically discharged. As a result of his service, however, he created the AITAF (Arts in the Armed Forces), a non-profit organization that performed theater for every branch of the military both in the United States and abroad.

Later, he attended University of Indianapolis, but ultimately decided to move to New York to study Drama at Juilliard. In 2010, he appeared on Broadway in two different plays called The Retributionists and Mrs. Warren’s Profession. He also made appearances in television shows like The Unusuals (2009) and Law & Order (1990-2010) before winning the role of Adam Sackler in “Girls.” Prior to getting that role, Adam Driver also had bit parts in the movies J. Edgar (2011) directed by Clint Eastwood, and in Touchstone’s Lincoln (2012) directed by Steven Spielberg. During his time on “Girls,” he also made the romantic-comedy What If (2013) opposite Daniel Radcliffe and “This Is Where I Leave You.”

Believe it or not, Adam Driver was not Disney’s first choice to play Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Academy-Award-Winner Eddie Redmayne auditioned for the part and so did Lee Pace. (Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving were both also considered). Finally, Driver was cast, though he had to fly back and forth between New York and London to film both “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and Seasons 3 and 4 of “Girls.” Although he did enjoy portraying the character of Kylo Ren, he disliked his character’s mask, because it affected his vision during filming. Despite that, he never broke character throughout filming and even kept the mask on when cameras weren’t rolling. “The Force Awakens,” was also a reunion for Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac who plays Poe Dameron in “The Force Awakens.” Driver previously worked with Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), which was co-written, co-produced, and co-directed by Ethan and Joel Coen. Both Driver and Isaac will be reprising their roles in Disney’s upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). In between both “Star Wars,” movies, Adam Driver also made Silence (2016) starring opposite Andrew Garfield and directed by Martin Scorsese and Logan Lucky (2017) starring opposite Channing Tatum and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Adam Driver has become almost ubiquitous in the entertainment industry despite a young career. No doubt he will go on to much more success, but will probably remain most often recognized as Kylo Ren. (Whether or not he will be in Star Wars Episode IX (2019) remains to be seen.) Whatever he does next, his track record so far indicates that it will be great!

Cuba Gooding Jr.: Show Me The Disney!

“Show Me The Money!” is the trademark line spoken by Cuba Gooding Jr., in his Oscar-winning performance as Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire (1996). But Cuba Gooding Jr. has starred in a variety of popular films and television shows: comedies, dramas, biopics, and even two films for the Walt Disney Studios. Through every role he has played he brings a boundless amount of energy, along with a good sense of humor.

Cuba Gooding Jr. was born in The Bronx, New York on January 2nd, 1968. His parents, Cuba Gooding Sr. and Shirley Sullivan were both singers of two different groups (Gooding Sr. for “The Main Ingredient,” and Sullivan for “The Sweethearts.” His family relocated to Los Angeles when Gooding Jr. was four years old. At the age of six, his father unfortunately abandoned the family. As Gooding Jr. and his siblings (two brothers and one sister) were raised by their mother, they consistently were changing schools throughout different parts of California. Gooding Jr. attended four different high schools. Amidst the chaos, he did well in school and became class president for three of the four high schools where he attended. Although he was a good student, he was interested in pursuing a career in entertaining like his parents.  

He originally began his career as a breakdancer, performing with Lionel Richie at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was also a backup dancer for Paula Abdul but he decided to pursue acting after high school. As a result, he was fortunate enough to earn guest spots on Hill Street Blues (1981-1987), Amen (1986-1991), and MacGyver (1985-1992). He made his film debut in Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America (1988) and starred in the film Sing (1989) before landing his first leading role in Boyz in the Hood (1991). The success of this film led to him also having roles in A Few Good Men (1992), Lightning Jack (1994), and Outbreak (1995). Then, in 1996, his big hit (which reunited him with “A Few Good Men,” co-star Tom Cruise. After “Jerry Maguire,” Gooding also had a small part in As Good as it Gets (1997), which was co-written, co-produced, and directed by “Jerry Maguire,” producer James L. Brooks.      

In 2001, Cuba Gooding Jr. was cast in the role of Dorie Miller in Touchstone’s Pearl Harbor. The very next year he played Ted Brooks in live-action Disney comedy Snow Dogs (2002). Two years after that, he was the voice of Buck the Horse in Home on the Range (2004). In between “Snow Dogs,” and “Home on the Range,” Cuba Gooding Jr. starred in the biopic Radio (2003), based on the true story of James Robert “Radio” Kennedy and his friendship with Coach Harold Jones (played by Ed Harris in the film). In 2002, Cuba Gooding Jr. made Boat Trip with Roger Moore. Interestingly, Moore thought Gooding would be a good successor to Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, but that did not work out. In 2007 he starred in both Norbit and Daddy Day Camp.

More recentlty, Gooding Jr. made his Broadway debut in a revival of the play The Trip to Bountiful opposite Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams. He also played Civil Rights Movement Attorney Fred Gray in Selma (2014) and received a Primetime Emmy Nomination for playing O.J. Simpson in the miniseries The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016).

Cuba Gooding Jr. has had a career that spans almost 30 years. He has created many characters on stage and screen but will forever remembered as the football-playing Rod Tidwell, and his famous quote: “Show me the money!”   

The Redgraves

The Barrymores, the Fondas, the Cusacks…just some examples of talented families representing generations of talent show business. Another name on that list would be the Redgrave family. Beginning with the family patriarch, Sir Michael Redgrave and his wife Rachel Kempson (also known as Lady Redgrave), their children are even more famous. Vanessa Redgrave and her daughters Natasha and Joely Richardson are all accomplished actors as well as her sister Lynn Redgrave, and brother Corin.  Corin Redgrave’s daughter Jemma Redgrave, and Joely’s daughter, Daisy Bevan are continuing the tradition. Did you know that in addition to being an incredibly talented family, the second and third generations of the Redgraves all have connections to the Walt Disney Studios?

Vanessa Redgrave, the eldest child of Michael and Rachel, provided the voices of Mama Topolino and the Queen Car in Cars 2 (2011). She also starred in the Touchstone Pictures film Cradle Will Rock (1999). Vanessa was first married to director, Tony Richardson, who directed both his mother-in-law, Lady Redgrave and sister-in-law, Lynn Redgrave, in the film Tom Jones (1963). She had two daughters with Richardson, Natasha and Joely. After divorcing Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave appeared opposite Franco Nero in the movie-musical Camelot (1967), based on the Broadway musical of the same name, with Redgrave as Lady Guinevere and Nero as Sir Lancelot. They began a long-term relationship which produced a son, Carlo Gabriel Nero, who later directed them in film Uninvited (1999). They officially became husband and wife on New Year’s Eve of 2006. (Nero, also was the voice of Uncle Topolino in “Cars 2.”) To this day, Vanessa Redgrave is the only British actress ever to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Tony, and a Screen Actor’s Guild. Most recently, Nero and Redgrave reunited together on-screen, opposite Amanda Seyfried in Letters to Juliet (2010). 

Lynn Redgrave was the youngest child of the Redgrave family. She made a guest star appearance as herself in the third season of The Muppet Show (1976-1981). She also starred opposite Kirstie Alley in the made-for-television film Toothless (1997). Like her sister, Lynn Redgrave received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, but disappointingly never won. In 1993, she also received a Tony Nomination for the one-woman play “Shakespeare for My Father,” based on her relationship with her father. While she was never the voice of any Disney cartoon, she did lend her voice to the Nickelodeon series, The Wild Thornberrys (1998-2004) as the voice of Cordelia Thornberry, who is the mother of Nigel Thornberry, the family’s patriarch (voiced by Tim Curry). She reprised that role for The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002).

Interestingly, Vanessa’s daughters from her first marriage, Joely and the late Natasha Richardson, both starred in remakes of classic Disney films. Joely played Anita Dearly in 101 Dalmatians and Natasha played Elizabeth James, the mother of the twins in The Parent Trap (1998). After making “The Parent Trap,” Natasha went on to star in the leading role of Fraulein Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret opposite Alan Cumming as the Master of Ceremonies. She and Cumming both won Tonys for their performances. (Ironically, Natasha won her Tony before her mother, Vanessa won her Tony for her performance in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night in 2003.) Joely, also appeared under the direction of Bonnie Hunt in Return to Me (2000) and starred in the series Nip/Tuck (2003-2010) which earned her two Golden Globe Nominations. Joely’s daughter Daisy Bevan has acted in film and television, including Elizabeth (1998) with Cate Blanchett, which was produced by her father, Tim Bevan. (Bevan also was an executive producer on the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) which his former brother-in-law, Corin Redgrave acted in.)

From Broadway, to Disney, to movie-musicals, to Nickelodeon Cartoons, and beyond, the Redgraves were all entertaining in their own ways. They each created incredible performances on screen and on stage, resulting in well-deserved accolades . While many of them are no longer with us, the legacy of their family will live on for years to come.  

The Name’s Disney, James Disney

Ian Fleming first created the character of James Bond in 1953 in a series of novels and two short-story collections. Since his unfortunate death in 1964, Ian Fleming’s character of James Bond has been readapted for other novelizations as well as television, radio, comic strips, video games, and of course, film. The James Bond film franchise consists of 24 films. And Agent 007 has been portrayed by a total of 13 actors in television, radio, and video game adaptations. However, several of the actors who have portrayed Bond, long before they donned the smashing tuxedos, massive weaponry and technological gadgetry, starred in films for the Walt Disney Studios? In this blog, I would like to acknowledge that.

Pierce Brosnan played James Bond in the films: GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). Brosnan’s only connection to Disney is spoofing the character of James Bond in the ABC show Muppets Tonight (1996). Pierce Brosnan is the only actor to play James Bond who has also appeared in a movie-musical in Mamma Mia (2008). (He will also appear in Universal’s upcoming sequel to “Mamma Mia,” Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2018)). 

Sir Daniel Craig is the sixth actor who has portrayed Bond, though the first and so far only actor to portray him in the 21st century. His Bond movies are: Casino Royale (2006), (which was remake of an earlier film of the same name, Casino Royale (1967), which was a comedic/parody portrayal of James Bond where he was acted by David Niven), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). Before he was known as Bond, at just 27 years of age, Craig starred in Disney’s A Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995). Craig also made a cameo as one of the First Order Stormtroopers in Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).        

Sir Sean Connery is the very first actor to play James Bond on film. His Bond films include: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1965), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Never Say Never Again (1983). Just three years before “Dr. No,” Sean Connery was cast by Walt Disney in the film, Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959). Bond film producer, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, saw this film and knew right of the bat that Connery would be the perfect James Bond. (Connery also starred in the Disney-owned Hollywood Pictures films, Medicine Man (1992) and The Rock (1996)). To this day, Connery, along with David Niven, are the only two actors portraying James Bond to win an Academy Award, having won Best Supporting Actor in The Untouchables (1986). 

Timothy Dalton originally had been offered the role of James Bond for the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1968), but declined, believing himself to be too young for the part. He was approached again around 1979-1980, but declined once more, having disliked the direction the films were taking. He received a third offer in 1986, after Roger Moore retired and Pierce Brosnan had been considered, but couldn’t be released from commitments to Remington Steele (1982-1987). Dalton decided to accept that time and made the films The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989). He was under contract to make a third film, though that did not work out, due to a lawsuit the film’s producers got into with MGM. After his brief run as James Bond, Dalton starred as the villainous Neville Sinclair in Disney’s The Rocketeer (1991). He also lent his voice to Mr. Pricklepants the porcupine in Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 (2010), and continues that voice for every “Toy Story,” spin-off today. He also lent his voice to the Disney/Studio Ghibli film, Tales from Earthsea (2006) and the Disney Faires direct-to-video film, Secret of the Wings (2012).

Sir Roger Moore played James Bond in: Live and Let Die (1973), The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), and A View to Kill (1985). Roger Moore’s Disney connections include guest starring as himself in the final episode of The Muppet Show (1976), and after his run as Bond, starred in The Magic Snowman (1987). Just like his predecessor, Sean Connery, Roger Moore played James Bond in seven movies. Roger Moore’s daughter, Deborah Moore, acted alongside Pierce Brosnan in “Die Another Day.”

David Niven’s appearance as James Bond in the aforementioned original version of “Casino Royale,” was his only appearance as the character. Ironically, Ian Fleming originally had Niven in mind for the role in first Bond film “Dr. No,” but “Cubby” Broccoli thought he was too old.  In the ‘70s, Niven starred in the Disney films No Deposit, No Return (1976) which co-starred Darren McGavin and Don Knotts and Candleshoe (1977), which also starred a virtually unknown Jodie Foster. (Both those films were directed by Norman Tokar and produced by Walt Disney’s son-in-law, Ron Miller.) Prior to portraying Bond, Niven won his Oscar, in the category of Best Actor, for Separate Tables (1958). Niven is also the only actor whose name receives any acknowledgment in an Ian Fleming novel. His name is written in Chapter 14 of You Only Live Twice, which is the 11th novel in the book series.

The James Bond film franchise has grossed more than $7.040 billion dollars and is currently the fourth-highest-grossing-film franchise of all time. Daniel Craig is currently attached to make one final film appearance as Agent 007 in a film set for release in 2019, making it his fifth appearance as the character and the 25th film in the franchise.      

Michael J. Fox: 1980s Teen Hit, Award Winner and Fundraiser

Michael Andrew Fox was born on June 9th, 1961 in Alberta, Canada. His mother, Phyllis was an actress/payroll clerk and his father was a police officer. At age 15, he starred in the Canadian television series, Leo and Me (1976-1981), and at age 18 he moved to Los Angeles to continue his acting career. In LA he was discovered by producer Ronald Shedlo and was cast in Shedlo’s television movie Letters from Frank (1979). He was credited in the movie as Michael Fox and had intended to continue to use that name. But, when he officially became registered with the Screen Actors Guild, they told him he would need to use a different name because there already was an actor who was credited under the name of Michael Fox. Even though his middle name was Andrew, Fox adopted the middle initial of “J” and became Michael J. Fox. 

Fox made his film debut in a Comedy produced by Walt Disney Productions called Midnight Madness (1980). Two years later, he landed the role of Alex P. Keaton in the sit-com Family Ties (1982-1989). The show’s creator, Gary David Goldberg, also became Fox’s acting mentor. That is ironic, because Goldberg originally disliked him after his first audition, believing that Fox would play Alex too much like a smart-aleck. The show’s casting director, Judith Weiner believed he was right for the role and fought for Goldberg to give him another chance. Goldberg reluctantly agreed, and Fox’s second audition was a success and he was cast in the part. His role as Alex Keaton won him three Primetime Emmys and one Golden Globe. Fox’s future wife, Tracy Pollan was later cast as Alex’s artist girlfriend, Ellen Reed, and they married in 1988, the year before the show went off the air.  

As “Family Ties,” continued its successful seven-year-run on NBC, Fox received the offer to play what became his seminal movie role : Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985). Since was Fox originally was unable to commit to the film given his “Family Ties,” shooting schedule, As a result of that, Screenwriter Bob Gale and Director/Co-Screenwriter Robert Zemeckis chose to cast Eric Stoltz instead. Six weeks into shooting, however, Gale and Zemeckis both agreed that Stoltz was not the right person for the part, and Fox was then officially cast. He still remained as a series regular on “Family Ties,” and also starred in the film Teen Wolf (1985) as well. Throughout the busy filming schedules, Michael J. Fox only got an average of 1-2 hours of sleep. “Back to the Future,” became a huge hit and won the Oscar for Best Sound Editing, spawning two sequels, Back to the Future part 2 (1989) and Back to the Future part 3 (1990). He reprised his role as Marty McFly in both sequels and he also played Marty’s son and daughter, Marty McFly Jr. and Marlene McFly in “Part 2,” and Marty’s distant great-great-great grandfather, Seamus McFly in “Part 3.” (There was also a sequel to “Teen Wolf,” called Teen Wolf 2 in 1987, though that sequel starred Jason Bateman.)

After filming “Back to the Future part 3,” Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but never revealed his condition to the public until 1998. Prior to that, he starred as Mike Flaherty on Spin City (1996-2002), for which he won another Primetime Emmy and three more Golden Globes. (He also starred in Touchstone’s Life with Mikey in 1993). When he officially announced his condition, he slowed down on appearing live in television and film, but he continued to perform as a voice-over artist in animated films. His first voice-over role was as the narrator in Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories (1992-present) for the segment “There’s a Nightmare in My Closet.’) Next, he was cast by the Walt Disney Studios to provide the voice of Chance the Bulldog in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). He reprised the role of Chance for its sequel, Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco (1996). Disney later cast him in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) as the voice of the film’s main protagonist, Milo Thatch. He spoofed his “Teen Wolf,” character in an episode of the Disney Channel Original Series, Phineas and Ferb (2007-2015). Besides his Disney voice-over roles, Michael J. Fox was also the voice of Stuart Little in in Columbia Pictures’ Stuart Little (1999) and it’s two sequels, Stuart Little 2 (2002) and Stuart Little 3: The Call of the Wild (2005), which was a direct-to-video sequel.

Besides acting, Michael J. Fox also has become an advocate for finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease by creating The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which dedicates its time to finding that cure. He continues to make live appearances on television in series like The Good Wife (2010-2016) and Night Cap (2016-present). He will, however, be forever remembered for his three leading roles in the 1980s in “Back to the Future,” “Teen Wolf,” and “Family Ties.” 

Alan Tudyk: The “Wash” Man

Sci-fi fans remember Alan Tudyk best as Hoban “Wash” Washburne on the short-lived television series Firefly (2002-2003) and it’s spin-off movie Serenity (2005). But he is actually an accomplished actor with many vary Hollywood credits. 

Since the early 2010’s he has been a frequent Disney voice-over artist. He also auditioned for the role of Michael Scott in the American version of The Office (2005-2013) before Steve Carell was cast. Plus, he even portrayed Hollywood screenwriter Ian McClellan Hunter in the movie Trumbo (2015). (Hunter was the writer who received screen credit for writing the movies that Dalton Trumbo wrote, including Roman Holiday (2013), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay). In this blog, we will discuss his Disney voices, and some of his other work.

Alan Tudyk was born on March 16th, 1971 in El Paso, Texas. He decided to study drama at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas where he won the Academic Excellence Award for. It was there that he decided to pursue drama full-time. As a result, he headed for Hollywood, and at just 26 years of age, made his debut in the independent film 35 Miles from Normal (1997). A major role followed in the dramatic comedy 28 Days (2000) with Sandra Bullock and Viggo Mortensen. Following those two, he portrayed Wat in A Knight’s Tale (2001), opposite Heath Ledger, and Sonny the robot in I, Robot (2004) opposite Will Smith.

Alan Tudyk made his Disney debut voicing the evil King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph (2012). He modeled the character’s voice on Disney legend Ed Wynn’s. (Tudyk currently has an unknown role in the upcoming sequel to “Wreck-It Ralph,” Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018).) He also was the voice of the Duke of Weselton in Frozen (2013), Alistair Krei in Big Hero 6 (2014), Duke Weaselton in Zootopia (2016), Heihei the rooster/Villager #3 in Moana (2016), and K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Besides Disney movies, he has also voiced various characters for Disney television shows as well, including Phineas and Ferb (2007-2015), and Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2015-present).

Beyond Disney, Alan Tudyk lent his voice to Ice Age (2002), and its first and third sequels, Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) and Ice Age Continental Drift (2012). He also worked with “Firefly,” creator Joss Whedon on another short-lived series, Dollhouse (2009-2010) and played Ben Chapman in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 (2013). Most recently, he created his own television series, Con Man (2015-present) which can be seen on Vimeo On Demand. The show earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama series and reunited him with “Firefly,” co-star Nathan Fillion. (Fillion has also been credited as an executive producer on the show.) Like Fillion and his other co-stars, Tudyk was the voice of DC Comic character. He voiced Green Arrow in the Batman video game, Injustice 2 (2017). On Broadway, he served as a temporary replacement in each of the roles originated by Hank Azaria in 2005 in the Broadway Musical Spamalot. (The roles were Sir Lancelot, the French Taunter, and the Night who says Ni.)   

Alan Tudyk is a true Hollywood talent, having covered every medium of entertainment in the business. What he will do next has yet to be seen, though it is possible that he will voice Tigger in Disney’s upcoming film Christopher Robin (2018), a live-action film where Christopher Robin will be reunited as an adult with all of his imaginary friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. Whether he’s voicing a cartoon or playing a real person, he never ceases to entertain. 

Eddie Murphy: A Winner of a Comedian

“Loser, whaddya mean a loser? How about if I pop one of your antennas off and throw it across the yard? Then who’s a loser? Me or you?” Disney’s Oscar-nominated Mulan (1998) recognize this as one of many funny lines made famous by Eddie Murphy, the voice of “Mushu.” 

Not only is Murphy a legendary comedian. His voice talents included the very hilarious “Donkey” in the Shrek film franchise (2001-2010). But beyond animated voice-overs, this comedian is an actor—and one of the few comedians to take on a multiple of roles within the same film. He is also a singer. And while there are many comedians who received acting Oscar nominations, he remains the only comedian to receive an acting Oscar nomination for a performance in a movie-musical. Known as the king of one-liners in movies, he also has kept film audiences in stitches just by his own distinguishable laugh. 

Edward Regan “Eddie” Murphy was born on April 3rd 1961. He was named after his father, Charles Edward Murphy, who in addition to being a transit police officer, was an amateur actor and comedian. Eddie tragically lost his father when he was eight years old and later his mother became ill. As a result, Eddie and his older brother Charlie were raised in foster care. Throughout his time in foster care, Eddie was “bitten by the comedy bug” and began writing and performing his own routines around 15 years of age. Later, he and Charlie were able to return to their then-recovered mother and were raised by her and their stepfather, Vernon Lynch. 

At the age of 19, Eddie landed a regular cast member spot on Saturday Night Live (1975-present). He stayed on SNL from 1980 to 1984. In 1982 he released his first stand-up album, Eddie Murphy, and made his feature film debut in 48 Hrs., with Nick Nolte. He also sang  background vocals to the song “(The Boys Are) Back in Town” in “48 Hrs,” and released a second stand-up album, Delirious, in 1983. It was around this time that Eddie Murphy was presented the script for Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The film had originally been written as an action/thriller for Sylvester Stallone but had been revised into a comedy by Donald Petrie Jr. who is known for being the pioneer of buddy-cop films, having been the writer of Touchstone’s Turner and Hooch (1989) with Tom Hanks. The film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer had also been considering Richard Pryor, James Caan, and Al Pacino to play Foley, but ultimately decided that Murphy would be the best. Eddie accepted the role. A huge hit, it spawned two sequels, Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987) and Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1990). (In between the first two “Beverly Hills Cop,” movies Eddie continued singing and released a solo album called How Could It Be in 1985). 

Having been by inspired by Peter Sellers playing four different characters in the film Dr. Stangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Eddie starred in the film Coming to America (1988) released the year after the first sequel to “Beverly Hills Cop.” He too played four different characters in the successful film, and playing several different characters in the same film became one of Eddie Murphy’s trademarks. He played three characters in Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), seven in The Nutty Professor (1996), two in Bowfinger (1999), eight in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), three in Norbit (2007), and two in Meet Dave (2008). In between doing “The Nutty Professor,” and “Bowfinger,” Disney cast Eddie as the voice of Mushu in “Mulan.” Disney later cast him as Jim Evers in the film based on the Disney park attraction of the same name, The Haunted Mansion (2003), where he reunited with “Bowfinger,” co-star, Terrence Stamp. Besides his two Disney-labeled roles, Eddie Murphy starred in Touchstone Pictures’ Metro (1997) and Holy Man (1998) and Hollywood Pictures The Distinguished Gentleman (1992).

In 2006, Bill Condon cast Eddie Murphy in the role of James/Jimmy “Thunder” Early in his movie-musical adaptation based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Dreamgirls. The role was unusual, but not unconventional for Eddie, because while he had had some experience with singing, the role was not humorous and Eddie had no experience with musical theatre. Despite it all, his performance as Jimmy “Thunder” Early earned him a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and even his very first Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actor. He won every major award, except the Oscar, losing that year to Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). He is now one of few actors to receive every major acting award for the same performance, except the Oscar.

Eddie Murphy is one of the most hysterical comedians of all time. From “Beverly Hills Cop,” to SNL to “The Nutty Professor,” he never ceases to keep people laughing their heads off. And with exceptional “singing pipes” in films like “48 Hrs.” and “Dreamgirls,” he displays that he is one heck of an all-around performer. 

Maureen O’Hara: One of the Boys

Maureen FitzSimons was born in Ranelagh, Ireland (a suburb of Dublin) on August 17th, 1920. As a child, she developed a love for both sports and performing and excelled a great deal in each. Surprisingly, she was able to win every award for performing her country offered to young people, and as a result of that, decided to pursue performing full-time. At the age of 14, she was accepted into the Abbey Theatre where she was able to pursue classical theatre as well as operatic singing. Five years later, when she was 19, she screen-tested for a role in the film Jamaica Inn (1939) and was cast opposite Charles Laughton, who in addition to playing the leading male role in the movie, was also an uncredited producer. (The film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.) Before she was officially cast, however, Laughton told FitzSimons that she would need a shorter last name for the marquee and offered her the choices of O’Hara or O’Mara. And thus, Maureen FitzSimons became Maureen O’Hara.

Now officially under contract to Charles Laughton, her second film was also her American film debut: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) which also starred Laughton, as well as Thomas Mitchell and Edmond O’Brien. This film was a hit, and her Laughton contract was purchased by the film’s production company, RKO Radio Pictures. She was also fortunate enough to find herself an agent, Lew Wasserman. During “Hunchback”, World War II broke out, and the United States Government ruled that any foreigners who had recently relocated to America had to stay in America and could not go to their home countries. 

Devastated, Maureen O’Hara continued to make films produced in America, including: A Bill of Divorcement (1940), Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) in which she starred opposite good friend, Lucille Ball, and How Green Was My Valley (1941), which won the Best Picture Oscar. When WW2 finally ended, the U. S. finally allowed all foreigners to return home, and quick as a flash, Maureen got on the first airplane back to Ireland. As soon she was home, she was overjoyed to be reunited with her parents and her three sisters and two brothers. Then, out of nowhere, she received a long distance phone call from Wasserman that Fox wanted her to come back to America to make a film called Miracle on 34th Street (1947). Infuriated, she did not want to come back, but she was persuaded to honor her contract and return. Once she had returned, she read the script for the film, instantly changed her attitude, and was delighted to make the film.

In 1950, Maureen O’Hara made her first film with frequent co-star/close friend John Wayne: Rio Grande, directed by John Ford. It would be the first of five pairings for Wayne and O’Hara. At this point, Ford had completed another script for a movie to be titled The Quiet Man (1952), also starring Wayne and O’Hara. Ford had desperately been wanting to make “The Quiet Man,” but originally no studio wished to finance the film. However, the head of Republic Pictures, Herbert J. Yates, agreed to finance “The Quiet Man” if Ford would produce “Rio Grande” first. “Rio Grande,” was a hit, so Ford got the money to produce “The Quiet Man,” also a big hit. Wayne and O’Hara were again directed by Ford in The Wings of Eagles (1957). They were directed by Andrew V. McLaglen in McLintock! (1963) who was the son of Victor McLaglen, who portrayed O’Hara’s on-screen brother in “The Quiet Man.” On their fifth and final pairing, they were directed by George Sherman in Big Jake (1971).

 

Maureen O’Hara generally had a good working relationship with all of her leading men. Besides being close with John “the Duke” Wayne, she was also very close with Anthony Quinn. With Quinn, she made the films The Black Swan (1942), Buffalo Bill (1944), Sinbad, the Sailor (1947), Against All Flags (1952), and The Magnificent Matador (1955). 1961 was also a busy year for Maureen O’Hara. She made two films opposite good friend Brian Keith, The Deadly Companions and Walt Disney’s The Parent Trap. “Parent Trap.” (The only film O’Hara made for the Walt Disney Studios.) She made Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation in 1962 with Jimmy Stewart, and after starring in the made-for-television movie The Red Pony (1973), O’Hara retired from movies However,  she was  coaxed out of retirement four more times: Only the Lonely (1991), and three more television movies: The Christmas Box (1995), Cab to Canada (1998) and The Last Dance (2000). 

In Only the lonely, playing the fiery, outspokenness, overbearing mother of John Candy’s Director Chris Columbus knew only O’Hara was right for the party and considered the character an extension of Mary Kate Danaher, the fiery young woman that O’Hara had portrayed in “The Quiet Man.” While “Only the Lonely,” was in production John Candy discovered that he happened to have a trailer on-location much bigger than O’Hara’s and knowing that she was a much bigger star then he, insisted she take his big trailer and he would move into the smaller one. They became close on the film as a result. “Only the Lonely,” would also be her sixth pairing with Anthony Quinn as well as her final theatrical film appearance.

Throughout her entire career, Maureen O’Hara was never once nominated for any major awards as an actress: no Oscars, no Golden Globes, no Tonys, no Emmys, no nothing! She was, however, awarded an Honorary Oscar for “Lifetime Achievement,” on November 4th, 2014. She passed away of natural causes on October 24th, 2015 at 95 years of age. She leaves behind a legacy of films where she portrayed strong female characters, sometimes rebellious and tomboyish, but always plain-spoken, and kind. 

Ron Miller: LA Ram to Disney Leader

Having a family as big as possible was always important to Walt Disney. He and his wife, Lillian Bounds Disney, had two children together: one biological, Diane Disney Miller, and one adopted, Sharon Mae Disney. But both Walt and Lillian were overjoyed when their first son-in-law, Ron Miller, came into their lives. 

Ronald William Miller played college football at the University of Southern California, and was drafted as a quarterback by the L.A. Rams. After just one season, however, he was persuaded by his father-in-law to work for him. Miller became a producer on many classic films in the ‘60s and ‘70s and ultimately was named president of the Walt Disney Company in 1980.

Ron met Diane Disney on a blind date. They were married on May 9th, 1954 in a church ceremony in Santa Barbara. Throughout the first five months of their marriage, he worked as a liaison between WED (Walter Elias Disney) Enterprises and Disneyland, but then suddenly, he was drafted into the army. As a result of being drafted, Miller never finished college. Two months after his drafting, Diane gave birth to their first son, Christopher. (They had three more children during the first six years of their marriage. They had seven children total.) When Ron’s army service was complete, he returned home and played one season of football with the Los Angeles Rams. In the middle of one his games, he caught a pass and was knocked unconscious by an opposing player after he caught it. Walt Disney happened to be in the stands during this game, and the end of the football season Walt said “You know, I don’t want to be the father to your children. You’re going to die out there. How about coming to work with me?” Ron agreed, and Walt got him inducted into the Screen Director’s Guild (now Director’s Guild of America). His first job working for the studio was as a second assistant on Old Yeller (1957).

Ron Miller was one of the Associate Producers on the television series Zorro (1957-1959), and also the films Moon Pilot (1962), Bon Voyage! (1962), Son of Flubber (1963), the sequel to The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), and That Darn Cat! (1965). His first movie as the only credited producer was Never a Dull Moment (1968) which starred Dick Van Dyke. After the unfortunate passing of his father-in-law in 1966, Ron Miller continued to be a producer on films such as Guns in the Heather (1969), The Boatniks (1972), Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972) (the first sequel to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)), Snowball Express (1972), and No Deposit, No Return (1976). In 1971, he won a Primetime Emmy for his work on the show Disneyland (1954-1991). He also was an executive producer on a few animated films for the studio as well, including The Rescuers (1977), The Fox and the Hound (1981), and The Black Cauldron (1985).

He was elected President of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983. Sadly, though, many people who worked at the studio did not agree or even disapproved of Miller’s leadership. In 1984, Michael Eisner and Frank Well’s were elected the co-CEO’s of Disney. Miller, however, was successfully able to create Touchstone Pictures, which allowed Disney to produce adult-oriented films. Their first film was Splash (1984) with Tom Hanks. That hit paved the way for Disney to produce The Little Mermaid (1989)). Miller also created “The Disney Channel,” network and funded the first two short films for a young Tim Burton, Vincent (1982) and Frankenweenie (1984). Ron also helped with getting the film rights and the development of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and he even funded Disney’s first Broadway show, Total Abandon, with Richard Dreyfuss in 1983.

Ron Miller made wonderful contributions to the Walt Disney Studios throughout his life. No matter how unlikely his success, considering he really wanted to be a pro football player, his contributions helped Disney Studios to many future successes. 

Wolfgang Reitherman: Animator to Director

Like all Disney animators, Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman, always liked to draw. But unlike Disney animators, Reitherman initially was reluctant to work at Disney. He had heard that every animator at the studio had to draw the same character all the time. Thankfully, he joined Disney anyway…and did some great work!

Born in Munich, Germany on June 26th, 1909, Woolie Reitherman relocated with his family to America when he was a kid. He went to Pasadena Junior College and briefly worked as a draftsman for Douglas Aircraft before graduating from Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles. 

Wolfgang Reitherman started at Disney in 1933. After working on several shorts, including the Mickey Mouse cartoon The Band Concert (1935), he got his first major assignment as supervising animator of the Magic Mirror in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). It was a very challenging assignment, because he had to keep the face of the mirror in the exact same position for its entire appearance in the film. Four or five tries later, he finally came up with the final design for the film. Next he animated Monstro the Whale in Pinocchio (1940), the Dinosaur Fight Sequence in Fantasia (1940) and Timothy Q. Mouse in Dumbo (1941). In the 1950s he animated Tick-Tock the Crocodile in Peter Pan (1953) and Tramp in Lady and the Tramp (1955). The same year as “Lady and the Tramp,” he was officially promoted to director. 

His first directing assignment was a short called The Goofy Success Story (1955). He directed two other shorts after that called The Truth About Mother Goose (1957) and Aquamania (1961). The same year as “Aquamania,” he directed his first movie for the studio, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, co-directing the film with Clyde Geronimi and Hamilton Luske. Next he directed The Sword in the Stone (1963). His two older sons, Richard and Robert Reitherman shared the voice-over role of Wart/King Arthur with Rickie Sorensen in the film. 

He later cast his youngest son, Bruce, as the voice of Christopher Robin in the very first “Winnie the Pooh,” short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) and later as Mowgli in The Jungle Book (1967). His direction of the second “Winnie the Pooh,” short, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons. Reitherman was also a huge fan of frequent Disney voice-over artist, Sterling Holloway, whom he directed on “Winnie the Pooh,” “The Jungle Book,” and “The Aristocats.” 

Besides all the films he directed with his sons, Woolie Reitherman also directed The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) and The Rescuers (1977), which he co-directed with Art Stevens and fellow “Nine Old Men,” member John Lounsbery. Reitherman was also an innovator, with the creative idea of reusing animation from earlier films produced at the studio. In “Robin Hood,” there is a moment where the Houndog Blacksmith in Nottingham asks Maiden Marian for a dance. If you look closely at the scene, you notice that as the Blacksmith is escorting Marian to the dance floor the movements resemble that of Dopey escorting Snow White to dance when the dwarfs celebrate Snow White’s visit to their house in “Snow White.” In “The Rescuers,” the scene where Penny makes an escape attempt from Madame Medusa, the movements resemble that of Mowgli escaping Baloo in “The Jungle Book.” 

Woolie Reitherman’s final contribution to the studio was co-producing The Fox and the Hound (1981) again with Art Stevens and Walt Disney’s son-in-law, Ron Miller. He passed away in an unfortunate car accident on May 22nd, 1985, at the age of 75.

In addition to being a close friend, Wolfgang Reitherman was also a huge fan of Walt Disney and deeply respected him as an individual. He appreciated the fact the Walt was imaginative and creative, but at the same time, he was also very complex and career-driven. And when Walt passed away, no one was more confident that Disney animation could live on than Reitherman himself. He was determined to keep the team of animators together and did the very best he could do as a directing animator. While he didn’t work on a lot of projects for Disney other than the movies, he always managed to “keep flying through the air,” as he stayed true to heart of Disney Animation. 

Dean Jones: The Love Bug Pilot 

Dean Carroll Jones was born in Decatur, Alabama on January 25th, 1931. He attended River Side High School where he hosted his own radio show, Dean Jones Sings. He also served in the United States Navy during the Korean War and after he was discharged, worked at the Bird Cage Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It was there that Jones developed an interest in acting. He went to Asbury University as a college student in Wilmore near Lexington, Kentucky in 1953, though he did not graduate from the university. However, despite neither graduating nor receiving any formal training as an actor, he was fortunate enough to land bit roles in movies and television including Jailhouse Rock (1957) starring Elvis Presley and Imitation General (1958) with Red Buttons. And in 1960 he landed his first Broadway play at the age of 29, opposite Jane Fonda in There Was a Little Girl.

Two years later, Jones landed the title role of Ensign O’Toole in the NBC sit-com of the same name. The show caught the attention of Walt Disney because it happened to compete with ABC’s Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969). After having seen the show, and seeing him in Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963), the movie version of Jones’ Broadway role, Walt Disney signed him. Under contract from 1965 to 1977, Jones made his Disney debut in That Darn Cat! (1965) opposite Disney child star Hayley Mills who made her final Disney appearance in the film. 

Next, he made his first appearance with frequent co-star Suzanne Pleshette in The Ugly Dachshund (1966). After that, Monkey’s, Go Home! (1967) co-starring Maurice Chevalier and Yvette Mimieux. 1968 turned out to be Dean Jones’ busiest year throughout his time at the Walt Disney Studios, because it was the year he made the films: Blackbeard’s Ghost, which would be his first reunion with Suzanne Pleshette, The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, with Kurt Russell, and he narrated the television special The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show. 1968 would also be the year Dean Jones starred in what is arguably his most popular Disney film, The Love Bug. After “Love Bug,” Jones made The Million Dollar Duck (1971) which reunited him with “Love Bug,” co-star Joe Flynn. The following year, he made Snowball Express (1972) and four years later, The Shaggy D.A. (1976) which was his third pairing with Suzanne Pleshette. Dean Jones’ final Disney film was the third in the Disney studios series of “Herbie, the Love Bug” films, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977). Dean Jones also appeared in the short-lived Disney sit-com Herbie, The Love Bug (1982).

Besides making many beloved Disney films, in the later years of his career Dean Jones starred in two episodes of Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996) with friend/fellow Disney Legend Angela Lansbury. A born again Christian, he created a one-man show on Broadway entitled St. John in Exile, which at one point was filmed live, in 1986. Jones also took on the role of the evil Dr. Herman Varnick in Beethoven (1992) which was one of the very few times in his career where he portrayed a villain. The film spawned a short-lived animated series of the same name where Jones provided the voice of the George Newton, the patriarch of the Newton family who adopt Beethoven as one of their own. (George Newton was played by Charles Grodin in the movie.) He also made bit appearances in Disney’s remakes of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1995), The Love Bug (1997) and That Darn Cat! (1997).

Dean Jones passed away due to Parkinson’s disease at the age of 84 on September 1st, 2015. He played a great deal of nice guys on Television, Broadway, and Film, and he will forever be remembered as the man who piloted Herbie the Volkswagen.