December 27, 1926 – The Alice Comedy Alice the Lumber Jack is Released to Theaters
On December 27, 1926, the Alice Comedy Alice the Lumber Jack premiered in theaters. It was the 40th Alice Comedy released, and the 24th to star second Alice actress Margie Gay. It has since been classified as a lost film, along with many of the other latter Alice Comedies.
December 26, 1927 – The Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Short Film Rickety Gin is Released to Theaters
On December 26, 1927, the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short film Rickety Gin premiered in theaters. It was the tenth Oswald short film to be released, and was animated by Ub Iwerks and Friz Freleng. The short has since been classified as a lost film.
December 16, 1929 – The Silly Symphony The Merry Dwarfs Premieres in Theaters
On December 16, 1929, the Silly Symphony The Merry Dwarfs was released to theaters. It was directed by Walt Disney.
The short begins with the dwarfs dancing in their village to the opening of the “Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore. The dwarfs are then seen hard at work at their chores, including working at a shoemaker shop and a blacksmiths. Afterwards, they prepare for a party, where plenty of beer is served and consumed before they continue to dance and be merry. Two of the dwarves fall into a barrel of beer while dancing and end up dancing while heavily intoxicated.
December 12, 1927 – The Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Short Film Empty Socks Premieres in Theaters
On December 12, 1927, the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short film Empty Socks was released to theaters. It was the ninth Oswald film to be created, and was, until 2014, considered to be a lost film, with only a small fragment of the film in existence in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The film was donated by a private collector to the Norwegian Film Institute, with the archive of the Institute subsequently handed over to the National Library of Norway. The film, discovered with a copy of the other previously-lost film Tall Timber, was screened at the National Library on December 17, 2014.
December 1, 1924 – The Alice Comedy Alice and the Three Bears Premieres in Theaters
“Ah! Hops at last!”
On December 1, 1924, the Alice Comedy Alice and the Three Bears was released to theaters. It was the 10th Alice Comedy released, and starred Virginia Davis as Alice. Although not considered a lost film, the short has not been released on home video.
The short begins with the three bears working in a kitchen, brewing what appears to be some form of liquor. Needing hops, the smallest bear runs out of the kitchen and spies some frogs “hopping” into a pond. He tries to capture the frog, but ends up landing in the pond. There is an underwater chase before the bear chases the frog onto land and captures the frog’s “hops” in the form of word bubbles. Meanwhile, Julius and Alice ride their cart into nearby house, where they find the liquor – and the bears. They run outside and try to make a break for it, though the bear catches up with them and seems to find Alice attractive. Julius and the bear fight, with the other bears joining in. They flatten Julius and capture Alice, placing her on a sawbelt to be cut in half. Julius gets up and manages to save Alice from the bears by using his nine lives as soldiers. Julius and Alice then share a kiss after she proclaims him her hero.
November 15, 1924 – The Alice Comedy Alice Hunting in Africa is Released to Theaters
“I sincerely believe I have made a great deal of improvement on this subject in the line of humorous situations and I assure you that I will make it a point to inject as many funny gags and comical situations into future productions…”
On November 15, 1924, the Alice Comedy Alice Hunting in Africa premiered in theaters. The short, starring Virginia Davis as Alice, was actually the third Alice Comedy produced, but it was not released due to concerns from the distributor that it wasn’t funny enough. The short would then be released months later as the ninth Alice Comedy. While not a lost film, the film has not been released on home video.
October 15, 1925 – The Alice Comedy Alice Plays Cupid is Released to Theaters
On October 15, 1925, the Alice Comedy Alice Plays Cupid premiered in theaters. It was the 24th Alice Comedy released, and the ninth starring second Alice actress Margie Gay. The short features Alice helping pal Julius, working as a lifeguard, get the girl he saves. While not a lost film, the short has not been released on home video.
September 20, 1926 – The Alice Comedy Alice’s Monkey Business is Released to Theaters
On September 20, 1926, the Alice Comedy Alice’s Monkey Business premiered in theaters. It was the 33rd Alice Comedy released, and the 17th to feature Margie Gay as Alice. The short has since been considered a lost film.
September 6, 1926 – The Alice Comedy Alice Charms the Fish is Released to Theaters
On September 6, 1926, the Alice Comedy Alice Charms the Fish premiered in theaters. It was the 32nd Alice Comedy released, and the 16th starring Margie Gay as Alice. The film has since become known as a lost film, and is one of the earliest releases to be classified as such.
August 25, 1923 – Walt Disney Writes Letter About Establishing a New Cartoon Studio
“…I am establishing a studio in Los Angeles for the purpose of producing the new and novel series of cartoons I have previously written about.”
On August 25, 1923, Walt Disney sent a letter to distributor Margaret Winkler stating his intentions of establishing a new cartoon studio, particularly for the development of the series that would go on to be the Alice Comedies. Walt’s other studio, Laugh-O-gram Films, was floundering after not even being open for a year, and in serious danger of going belly-up. During this time, he was inspired by the Out of the Inkwell series of cartoons of an animated character in the world, and started developing the idea of the Alice Comedies. He had written Winkler once he had established the idea and, while she showed interest in distribution, Walt’s funds dried up after the film was only half completed. Eventually, he had no choice but to declare bankruptcy and went out West to Los Angeles. After looking around Los Angeles for directing gigs, he concluded that he would have to break into the industry with his cartoons; he then printed special stationary bearing the title of “Walt Disney, Cartoonist,” and declared his intentions in a letter to Winkler about establishing a new cartoon studio to work on the Alice Comedy “Alice’s Wonderland.” The gamble paid off, and on October 15, 1923, Winkler sent him a telegram with the offer of a contract. The Disney Studio was officially created the next day, October 16, 1923.
disneydetail 