The Godfather Nephews

When we look at any of The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990) or the first five Rocky movies (1976-1990), it really is impossible to imagine anyone else in the roles of Connie Corleone or Adrian Pennino: Talia Shire was the one for the job. Being the younger sister of Francis Ford Coppola herself, it is easy to see that talent runs in their family and has done so for many generations. In this blog, I’d like to tell you about another generation of Coppolas, Talia Shire’s sons, Jason and Robert, whom you might recognize from live-action Disney movies. 

Jason Schwartzman played the role of Richard M. Sherman, Oscar-winning composer of Mary Poppins (1964), in Saving Mr. Banks (2013). Jason Schwartzman was born in Los Angeles, California on June 26th, 1980. He began his career as a drummer and formed the band “Phantom Planet,” at the age of 14. At age 17, he made his film debut cast by Wes Anderson in Touchstone Pictures’ Rushmore (1998). He was given the lead role of Max Fischer in the film as a result of being spotted by casting agent at a party in Los Angeles where he was “dressed to the nines,” according to lwlies.com, in a tuxedo. He is also quoted as having said “Rushmore was probably the best time of my life.” Jason left “Phantom Planet,” to pursue acting full-time in 2003, though he never completely shied away from his music roots, composing the theme song for the sit-com Cracking Up (2004) and the original score for the Adam Sandler comedy, Funny People (2009). He also acted in Touchstone’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005). 

He acted in the films CQ (2001) which was directed by his cousin Roman Coppola and he played King Louis XVI of France in Marie Antoinette (2006) which was written and directed by his other cousin, Sofia Coppola. When he was hired by Disney to play Richard M. Sherman in “Saving Mr. Banks,” he and B.J. Novak, who was hired to play Robert B. Sherman, visited the real Richard Sherman at his house where they learned how to play the “Mary Poppins,” songs and score. His real-life half-brother, John Schwartzman, was also the cinematographer for the film. Since “Rushmore,” Jason Schwartzman frequently continues to appear in Wes Anderson Films, including Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). He also lent his voice to Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Isle of Dogs (2018) and will next be seen in Anderson’s upcoming flick, The French Dispatch (2020).

Robert Schwartzman played the role of Michael Moscovitz, Mia’s love interest in The Princess Diaries (2001). Robert was also born in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, 1982. Like his brother, he shares a passion for music and he formed a band called “Rooney,” at the age of 17. He also enjoyed a brief stint as an actor, appearing in the short film Lick the Star (1998) and the feature, The Virgin Suicides (1999), both of which were written and directed by Sofia Coppola. When he was cast as Michael in “Princess Diaries,” Rooney’s song “Blueside,” was written into the film. In the scene where that song is performed, Robert is seen playing keyboard and vocals with M&M’s on top of the keyboard, though in reality he plays guitar and vocals. 

After wrapping “Princess Diaries,” Robert attended attend Eugene Lang College in New York City, but realized that he missed his band and wanted to pursue a career as a professional. Ultimately, he returned to LA and signed “Rooney” with Geffen/Interscope Records. They recorded their very first self-titled album in 2002 and Schwartzman continues as a member 20 years later. Although he did not appear in Disney’s sequel to “Princess Diaries,” The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), because he was touring with his band at the time, he acted in films like the comedy Look (2007) and most recently in the drama Lost Transmissions (2019). He also began making movies. He wrote, co-produced, and directed the drama/comedy Dreamland (2016), featuring performances by both his mother and his older brother, and he created his own production company, Utopia Media, in 2018.

The Schwartzman brothers are both extremely talented actors and musicians. Their skills helped make both “Saving Mr. Banks,” and “The Princess Diaries,” endearing Disney classics. And combined with their musicality, they are well-equipped to continue the legacy of their extraordinary family. 

The Parent Trap’s 59th

1961 was a remarkable year in Walt Disney’s life for several reasons. It was the year that he produced the highly successful 101 Dalmatians, saving the studio from permanent shut-down due to big losses on Sleeping Beauty (1959). It was also the year Walt had the Disneyland Monorail System extend to the Disneyland hotel, founded the California Institute for the Arts or “CalArts,” and created the very first Disney character ever created exclusively for television, Donald Duck’s uncle, Professor Ludwig Von Drake. In addition, ’61 was the year that Disney child star Hayley Mills starred in her second film for the studio, The Parent Trap, released on June 21st of that year. Since today is its 59th, I thought we could explore the legacy of that film, how it was developed, and why it continues as a fan favorite. 

The origin of “Parent Trap,” actually dates back to 1949, when German author/screenwriteer Erich Kastner published his novel “Das doppelte Lottchen,” which translates to “The Double Lottie” or “Lottie and Lisa.” The novel tells the story of an identical pair of twin girls who are separated at birth, but meet at a summer camp, and decided to trade lives so that each girl will have the chance to meet and get to know the parent that they never knew. Meanwhile the first twin is upset to find out her father plans to marry another woman. When the second twin tells their mother of the girls meeting at camp, mom takes her daughter and is reunited both children and her former husband. Kastner had originally pitched the idea for his novel as the story for a movie to Hungarian filmmaker Josef von Baky. Nicknamed “The Great Secret,” it was pitched amidst World War II, and the Nazis prevented the project from getting off the ground at the time. When the war was over, Kastner published the story as a novel, which was a hit, he re-pitched the idea to Baky and they collaborated together on the film adaptation of The Double Lotte, produced in West Germany in 1950. The following year, the novel was adapted into the Japanese film The Lullaby of Hibari (1951), and in ’53, the United Kingdom produced their version of the story, Twice Upon a Time.

In the mid-1950s, “Lottie and Lisa” slid across the desk of former Disney story editor, Bill Dover. He shared his discovery with Walt, and they bought the American film rights to the novel, coming up with their own version of the title “The Parent Trap.” The story was sent to screenwriter/director David Swift, who was hired to write and direct the film. At the time, Swift had just written and directed Pollyanna (1960). It was the Disney debut for Hayley Mills and won her the Best Juvenile Performance Oscar. Swift knew that “Parent Trap,” would also be a wonderful vehicle for her, so he cast her in the dual role of Sharon McKendrick and Susan Evers. Ultimately, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith were cast as the parents, Margaret McKendrick and Mitch Evers, along with Joanna Barnes as the father’s “other woman,” Vicki Robinson, and filming proceeded.

When filming began, the entire camera crew, David Swift and cameraman Bob Broughton in particular, knew that it would be difficult to shoot all the scenes in the film with the twins together. For this, Disney hired Special Effects Engineer, Petro Vlahos, who invented what is known as the “sodium vapor process,” which is live actors performing on a set piece surrounded by lights combined with background footage filmed at a completely different time. Vlahos had originally created this process for Ben-Hur (1959), and that film won the Best Special Effects Oscar as a result. “Parent Trap,” became an even more groundbreaking film when the filmmakers combined the sodium vapor process with split-screen technology, to provide the “twins” illusion. For shots in which one twin directly faces the camera while the other has its back turned, the other twin was played by Susan Henning. For Henning’s efforts, Walt Disney awarded her a “Duckster,” a small golden statue of Donald Duck for “Best Unseen Performance on Film.”

For the music in the film, Walt discovered a pair of songwriting brothers, Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. The Shermans had already been making a name for themselves in music writing the Annette Funicello songs “Tall Paul,” which Funicello recorded for the Disney’s music publishing branch Wonderland Music Company. Before Walt assigned them to “Parent Trap,” he had them write “Strummin’ Song,” which was sung by Funicello in the made-for-television film The Horsemasters. They also wrote the “Medfield Fight Song,” for Disney’s The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) which, like “Parent Trap,” also used the sodium vapor process. For “Parent Trap,” the Shermans wrote “The Parent Trap,” song which was sung as a duet with Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands, who were also filming Babes in Toyland (1961) at the same time. They also wrote “For Now, For Always,” which sung by Maureen O’Hara as a theme song for the mother, indicating that she is still in love with the father, and the song “Let’s Get Together,” which became the theme song for the movie. (Of course, the Shermans went on to compose many beloved Disney movie songs!).       

“The Parent Trap,” was a huge hit for Disney and earned two Academy Award Nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. It later earned $1.8 million dollars in rentals. The film also spawned three made-for-television sequels, The Parent Trap II (1986), The Parent Trap III (1989) and Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989). In 1998, Disney remade the original “Parent Trap,” with Lindsay Lohan as twin girls, Hallie Parker and Annie James, and Dennis Quaid and the late-great Natasha Richardson as parents, Nick Parker and Elizabeth James. The film also starred Elaine Hendrix as Meredith Blake, the new “other woman,” in the father’s life and Disney hired Joanna Barnes, from the first film, to make a special appearance as Meredith’s mother, Vicki Blake. The remake was directed by Nancy Meyers, who named the twins after her real-life daughter, Hallie and Annie Myers-Shyer.

As true “feel-good” film, “The Parent Trap” has become a classic among Disney’s live-action hits from the 60s, and its modern adaptations brought the fun to entirely new audiences. 

The Origin of the Duck

Before producing feature-length films, Walt Disney’s studio produced cartoon short films which featured Mickey Mouse, his sweetheart Minnie Mouse, and all of their friends. Their “circle of friends,” started with Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck. Donald Duck officially made his debut on screen in the Silly Symphonies short “The Wise Little Hen,” which was released on June 9th, 1934. In honor of the fact that it was Donald Duck’s 86th birthday last Tuesday, June 9th 2020, I thought today we could explore Donald Duck’s history at the studio and what makes him such a beloved character.

Walt Disney came up with the idea for Donald Duck in the early 1930s at a point when his first character, Mickey Mouse—though still very popular overall—was at times also considered “a bit less sophisticated” by audiences. Walt began to feel that he needed a new character that, while unrefined, could be likable and funny as a result. Walt had just read a news article about an Australian cricketeer, Sir Donald Bradman, who made headlines for “being dismissed for a duck,” according to the India Times. In other words, he had struck out in one of his recent matches. Disney had also heard an audio recording of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” recited by a radio impressionist named Clarence Nash. Disney observed the fact that Nash had a “peculiarly funny” voice. Nash later claimed that he had recited the poem in the voice of a goat, but Disney believed that the voice could also pass for a duck. Hence, the character of Donald Duck was born.

Before Donald appeared on the big screen in “The Wise Little Hen,” he was also acknowledged in the 1931 Disney storybook The Adventures of Mickey Mouse. Two months after his screen debut, he appeared in a black-and-white short called Orphans Benefit, which was the first short that depicted his “fighting pose,” or his “put up your dukes” pose—later one of his many trademarks—along with his unique voice and bombastic attitude. It wasn’t long before Donald began to outdo the popularity of Mickey Mouse at Disney, as audiences responded to these unique qualities. A few years after Clarence Nash was cast as the voice of Donald Duck, he was later asked to do the voice of Donald’s nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, along with Donald’s sweetheart, Daisy Duck. Daisy originally appeared with Donald in the short Don Donald (1937), though her name at the time actually was Donna. Having voiced all these characters, Nash earned the nickname “Ducky” at the Disney Studios. Huey, Dewey, and Louis made their first appearance in the comic strip Donald's Nephews which was published on October 17th, 1937.

Donald’s original design at the time of “The Wise Little Hen,” and “Don Donald,” was very elongated and not entirely recognizable today. But he was redesigned for Moving Day (1936) to look shorter and more pleasant. “Don Donald,” also was the short that marked the beginning of solo “Donald Duck” cartoons, whereas the “Silly Symphonies,” featured all the classic Disney characters. Donald later made his feature length film debut in The Reluctant Dragon (1941), followed by Saludos Amigos (1943) and The Three Caballeros (1944) and Fun and Fancy Free (1947). Donald’s popularity with audiences inspired the animators at Disney to create characters that extended his family, including his uncles: Professor Ludwig Von Drake and Scrooge McDuck. Professor Ludwig Von Drake made his first appearance in the pilot episode of Disney’s NBC series Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969), which made him the first Disney character created exclusively for television. Scrooge McDuck made his first appearance in the 1967 featurette Scrooge McDuck and Money, which aired as a segment for the original Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1996) in 1967.

Clarence Nash continued to voice Donald Duck for a total of 61 years. The last times he voiced the beloved duck were in Disney’s Oscar-nominated holiday short Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) and in the CBS television special Donald Duck’s 50th Birthday, which aired on television in 1984. Nash passed away on February 20th, 1985 at the age of 80 due to leukemia. Before, however, he passed the “Donald voice” torch to Disney animator, Tony Anselmo whom Nash mentored for the last three years of his life. A lover of imitating voices, Anselmo received personal lessons from Nash on how to do the voice and he has now officially voiced the character for the past 35 years, beginning with the Disney Channel television special DTV (1986) and most recently with the DuckTales 2017 reboot and the Disney+ series Legend of the Three Caballeros (2019-present). Daniel Ross, however, voices the character in the Disney Junior series Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (2017-present) and its spin-off series Chip n’ Dale’s Nutty Tales (2017-present). 

Donald Duck has a very remarkable history at the Disney Studios. It’s hard to believe he’ll be 90 years old by 2024! He has evolved a great deal physically from the time he was first animated in early short films to what he looks like today, but vocally and personality-wise he is still the same irascible but lovable duck.      

 

David Thewlis: A Werewolf of a Talent

If you grew up on the Harry Potter series like I did, you remember a series is full of extremely fascinating. Whether good or evil, each of J.K. Rowling’s characters are interesting for their own special reasons, and Professor Remus John “R.J.” Lupin is no exception. Although he has a werewolf for an alter ego, he is a kind-hearted man devoted to protecting Harry. His first appearance is in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. And in this blog, I’d like to tell you some interesting facts about the actor who brought that character to life on the big screen in five out of the eight Harry Potter films, David Thewlis.

David Thewlis was born David Wheeler on March 20th, 1963 in Blackpool, England. His father, Alec Raymond Wheeler, owned a wallpaper and toy shop, in which his mother Maureen also worked. As a teenager, David aspired to be a musician, and he played lead guitar in a punk rock band called Door 66. After graduating Highfield High School in Blackpool’s Matron Area, he went with Door 66 to London to try to book gigs, but later decided to try acting instead and enrolled at Gulidhall School of Music and Drama. He graduated in 1984.

While pursuing acting, he adopted the name David Thewlis (Thewlis was his mother’s maiden name) and booked his first two jobs in 1985: the British sit-coms Up the Elephant and Round the Castle, and Only Fools and Horses. His first truly professional acting job, however, was in a production of the play Buddy Holly at the Regal in Greenwich. After taking small roles in UK-produced films such as Little Dorrit (1988) and Damage (1992), Thewlis landed his breakout role in the black comedy Naked (1993). He made his American film debut the following year in Warner Bros. remake of Black Beauty (1994).

Throughout the 1990’s, David Thewlis became an extremely busy working actor, starring in the films Total Eclipse, Restoration, and the short film Hello, Hello, Hello. He also made The Island of Dr. Moreau opposite Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, Dragonheart opposite Dennis Quaid, and he was hired by Disney to provide the voice of the Earthworm in the live-action/stop-motion animation hybrid film James and the Giant Peach. In 1998, he made The Big Lebowski with Jeff Bridges, and in 2000 he provided the voice of Judas Iscariot in the stop-motion animation biopic of Jesus Christ, The Miracle Maker.

When the Harry Potter series was green-lit at Warner Bros, Thewlis tried out for the role of Professor Quirrell in the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001). He lost that role to Ian Hart, but when Alfonso Cuaron was hired to temporarily take over directing duties on the third film, “Prisoner of Azkaban,” Curaon’s first choice to play Lupin was Thewlis. Ironically, Ian Hart personally told Thewlis that Lupin “was the best part in the book.” At the time he took the role, he had seen the previous two movies, but only read part of the first book. He read the third book after he was cast in the movie, and became very excited that he was making a kids movie. His favorite prop from the film was the “Marauder’s Map,” and his favorite word from the series was “boggart.” 

Making Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban reunited David Thewlis with his co-stars from “Dragonheart,” Julie Christie (Madame Rosmerta) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy). Later Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) reunited him with Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) who voiced Jesus in “The Miracle Maker.” Thewlis also made his debut as a novelist that year, writing the Black Comedy The Late Hector Kipling.    

Thewlis also had a robust “non-Harry Potter” career: He was directed by Steven Spielberg in War Horse (2011). He starred in the Steven Hawking biopic, The Theory of Everything (2014), played the evil Ares in Wonder Woman (2017) and Justice League (2017), received a Golden Globe Nomination for his performance as V.M. Varga in the series Fargo (2014-present). He also has an unknown role in the upcoming sequels Avatar 2 which will be released in 2021 and Avatar 3 which will be released in 2023. 

David Thewlis is a wickedly talented and versatile actor. It’s difficult to imagine anyone in the role of Lupin other than him. In addition to the “Harry Potter,” series Thewlis has played several roles that have made us laugh, some that have scared us, and some that might have also made us weep just a bit. And it will be exciting to see what he does next in the “Avatar,” sequels.     

Kevin Kline: The American Olivier 

He has been actor on Broadway, Television, and Film for nearly 50 years. He has been ranked among the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench, and Ralph Fiennes as one of the all-time great “Shakespearean” actors and he’s made three films where he plays a dual role. He has been accoladed with one Oscar and three Tony awards and he has also acted in two of Disney’s greatest love stories. He is none other than Kevin Kline!

Kevin Kline was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 24th, 1947 to Robert Joseph and Agnes Kirk Kline. His father owned The Record Bar, a record store which opened in the early 1940s, though it went on to sell toys in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Although his father was Jewish, he was raised in his mother’s Catholic faith. Kevin Kline has fondly described his mother as “nuts” and as the “dramatic theatrical character” in the family for her political tirades at dinner when he and his three other siblings were growing up (He has one older sister and two younger brothers).  

Kline graduated from the St. Louis Priory School in 1965 and enrolled at Indiana University in Bloomington as a music major. He studied both composing and conducting, but he switched his major to theater and speech for his last two years, graduating in 1970. He is quoted as having said “When I switched to the Theater Department, all I did was theater. I could barely make it to class because this was my passion.” His graduation earned him a scholarship to the Drama Division at Juilliard School in New York City.

Kline relocated to New York where he formed the City Center Acting Company in 1972, and for the next four years he travelled with the company’s other members (including Patti Lupone and David Ogden Stiers), performing Shakespeare and other various works including the musical The Robber Bridegroom. He left the acting company in ’76 to do a small role on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986). He made his Broadway debut in the original musical production of On the Twentieth Century under the direction of Harold Prince, winning his first Tony Award. In 1981 he originated the role of the Pirate King in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Central Park Production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s production of The Pirates of Penzance, which won him another Tony. It was around this time that Hollywood also came knocking on his door.

Kevin Kline made his feature film debut in Sophie’s Choice (1982) starring opposite Meryl Streep and Peter MacNicol. The film won Steep her second Oscar and when she accepted the award she said “I’d like to thank the 37 members of the American and European casts, who I won’t mention all of their names but for two. I feel like I owe them this because everything I had I got from looking in their eyes and for the great love they gave me for five months: I thank Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol.” Next, Kline made his first two films under the direction of Lawrence Kasdan, The Big Chill (1983) and Silverado (1985). He himself was awarded an Oscar, in the category of Best Supporting Actor in 1988 for his performance as Otto West in A Fish Called Wanda, which was co-written and starred “Monty Python” alumni John Cleese and Michael Palin.

Kline reunited with Lawrence Kasdan on the films I Love You to Death (1990), Grand Canyon (1991) and French Kiss (1995). Prior to “French Kiss,” he also made the film Dave (1993) in which he plays Dave Kovic who is hired to impersonate the President of the United States. He later made The Wild Wild West (1999) opposite Will Smith and reunited with John Cleese on Fierce Creatures (1997), playing the dual father-and-son role of Vince and Rod McCain.

When Disney was looking to hire someone who would voice the role of Phoebus, the love interest for Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), they wanted a combination of Errol Flynn and John Wayne, and Kline’s name topped their list. He reprised the character for Disney’s direct-to-video sequel The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2: The Secret of the Bell in 2002 and starred in a revival of Shakespeare’s Henry IV in 2004. He reunited with “Sophie’s Choice,” co-star Meryl Streep two more times in the films A Prairie Home Companion (2006) and Ricki and the Flash (2015). In 2008, he starred in the leading role of Cyrano de Bergarac, a character who is ashamed of his huge nose, ironically like Quasimodo in “Hunchback,” who is ashamed of his entire appearance.

The same year as “Cyrano,” Kevin Kline also lent his voice to Universal Animation’s The Tale of Despereaux, which also featured the voice of Emma Watson. When Emma Watson was cast as Belle in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017), Kline was cast as Belle’s father, Maurice. (The original “Beauty and the Beast” was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise who also directed Kevin Kline as Phoebus in “Hunchback of Notre Dame.”). In the film, Kevin Kline performed the song “How Does A Moment Last Forever,” which was written by Alan Menken, the Oscar-winning composer of the original animated film. (The song was written exclusively for the live-action film. It wasn’t in the original film or the ’93 Broadway stage version.) Kline won his third Tony for his performance in the revival of Noel Coward’s play Present Laughter in 2017 as well. He has also provided the voice of Mr. Fischoeder in Bob’s Burgers (2011-present) and he is set to appear as himself in the comedy Here Today (2020) co-starring, co-written and under the direction of Billy Crystal.

Kevin Kline was nicknamed “The American Olivier,” for his performances on stage by theatre critic Frank Rich. Of course that is easy to understand, but it could easily be argued that he’s still the “American Olivier,” for his movie performances too. He is a wonderfully versatile actor, and he showing no signs of retirement anytime soon.