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July 8

Posted on July 8, 2014 by disneydetail

July 8, 1913 – Voice Actor Bill Thompson is Born

Bill Thompson

“I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, good-bye! I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!”

On July 8, 1913, voice actor and radio star William H. Thompson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana to vaudevillian parents. His career began on the Chicago airwaves, where he worked on the variety series The Breakfast Club and on The Sinclair Weiner Minstrels. Thompson could voice a great range of characters, as seen in his work with Disney. His first notable role with the studio was in the 1951 feature animated film Alice in Wonderland, where he voiced the White Rabbit and the Dodo; this was followed with roles in Peter Pan (Smee and various pirates), and Sleeping Beauty (King Hubert). In Lady and the Tramp, Thompson was given five different parts to voice, including that of Jock, the Scottish Terrier. Thompson found even more fame at Disney voicing Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore in several short films and episodes of the Disney anthology series, and was the first actor to give a voice to comic character Scrooge McDuck in the feature Scrooge McDuck and Money. His last role was Uncle Waldo in The Aristocats; Thompson passed away suddenly at the age of 58. For his voice work, Thompson has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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June 22

Posted on June 22, 2014 by disneydetail

June 22, 1920 – Voice Actor and Disney Legend Paul Frees is Born

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“Color has its harmony and just like I have said: red, yellow, green, red, blue, blue, blue, red, purple, green, blue, purple, red, red!”

On June 22, 1920, Solomon Hersh Frees was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career as a radio actor, but his career was put on hold when he was drafted during World War II, and fought in the D-Day landings at Normandy, France. Injured in battle, he was sent back to the United States to recover; after the war, he attended the Chouinard Art Institute, but left to take care of his ailing first wife and returned to his radio career. He quickly became busy, working on such series as Escape and Gunsmoke. Frees was a major player during the Golden Age of Animation, asked to work for the major studios to include Disney, UPA, Jay Ward Productions, and Hanna-Barbera, just to name a few. For Disney, Frees’ unusual four-octave range allowed him to play parts ranging from the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion to his most well-known role of zany Professor Ludwig von Drake, who appeared in eighteen episodes of the Disney anthology series. Frees did a plethora of voices for Disneyland, including the narration for Adventure Thru Inner Space, as well as several of the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean. As Ludwig von Drake, Frees recorded several songs on the Disneyland Records label, including “The Spectrum Song.” During the 1960s and 1970s, it was near impossible to not hear Frees’ voice on a program. Frees continued to be active as a voice actor until his unfortunate death of heart failure at the age of 66. In 2006, Frees was honored as a Disney Legend.

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May 21

Posted on May 21, 2014 by disneydetail

May 21, 1984 – Clarence “Ducky” Nash is Honored at Grauman’s Chinese Theater

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On May 21, 1984, Clarence “Ducky” Nash, original voice of Donald Duck, and the character himself were on hand at a special ceremony honoring Nash at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, where Nash placed Donald Duck’s footprints in cement. Nash’s ceremony was the 150th ceremony held by the landmark theater, and coincided with the celebrations of Donald Duck’s 50th birthday. At the time, Nash had mostly retired from voicing the character, but joined in the festivities of the year honoring the character he brought to life.

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March 13

Posted on March 13, 2014 by disneydetail

March 13, 1960 – Animator, Storyboard Artists, and Disney Legend Joe Ranft is Born

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“Joe was really a major part of Pixar’s soul. He was one of the key players who made all the films what they are.” – Director Pete Doctor

On March 13, 1960, Joseph Henry Ranft was born in Pasadena, California, and grew up in Whittier. He had a strong interest in movies, magic, and performing, all things that would impact his career. In 1978, Ranft enrolled in the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied Disney-style animation alongside future collaborators John Lasseter and Brad Bird. In 1980, Ranft accepted a job offer from Disney, and earned a quick reputation as an outstanding story artist. He contributed to the story of several films, including Oliver and Company, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Fantasia 2000. In 1991, Ranft began working for Pixar, working on the story for their first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story. His knack of performing and impressions got him hired as the voice of Heimlich in the studio’s second film, A Bug’s Life; he would continue writing and performing on Toy Story 2, voicing Wheezy the penguin, and had writing credits for Monsters, Inc. and Cars. Unfortunately, Ranft was killed in a car accident on August 16, 2005, leaving behind a legacy of storytelling and a reputation as a “story giant of our generation,” as relayed by director Henry Selick. Ranft was named a Disney Legend in 2006.

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December 31

Posted on December 31, 2013 by disneydetail

December 31, 1920 – Actor, Singer, Songwriter, and Disney Legend Rex Allen is Born

Rex Allen

“Basically, all I ever wanted to do was try to be a singer and make a living at that.”

On December 31, 1920, Rex Elvie Allen was born in Willcox, Arizona. He honed his skills as a singer during his youth, performing in local functions with his father, who played the fiddle. After high school, Allen began his career in vaudeville, and performed on the Chicago radio program National Barn Dance, one of the first American country music programs in radio. Allen left the program in 1949 to move to Hollywood, where he scored a contract with Republic Pictures. His first movie was The Arizona Cowboy, and Allen would go on to become a fixture in cowboy films for Republic. He also had a record deal with Mercury Records, making country music records through 1952, where he switched labels to Decca.

In 1956, Allen began his work with the Disney Studios by narrating the documentary Cow Dog, which would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award. He continued to narrate for Disney nature documentaries, earning the nickname “The Voice of the West.” His most noticeable role, however, is the narration of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey. Allen’s vocals are also featured in several Disney park attractions, most notably the voice of the Father in the original Carousel of Progress; the 1993 updated attraction has Allen now voicing the role of the Grandfather. For his work with Disney, Allen was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1996; he passed away at age 78 in 1999.

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November 9

Posted on November 9, 2013 by disneydetail

November 9, 1886 – Comedian, Actor, and Disney Legend Ed Wynn is Born

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“A comedian is a man who doesn’t do funny things but who does things funny.”

On November 9, 1886, Isaiah Edwin Leopold was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He left high school at the age of 15, working odd jobs to support himself. He used a variation of his middle name as his new stage name, Ed Wynn, to save his family the embarrassment of having a performer as a relative. He started his performing career in vaudeville, becoming a star of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1914 at the age of 19. In 1920, he started his own show called Ed Wynn’s Carnival, which became a hit for him; in 1921, he had his most famous role in The Perfect Fool. Wynn also found success in radio, starring in The Fire Chief from 1932 to 1935. Wynn first joined Disney in the 1951 animated feature film Alice in Wonderland as the Mad Hatter. After this, he would be given other roles in Disney films that showed off his comedic skills, including the Toymaker in 1961’s Babes in Toyland; Wynn also appeared several times on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. His most recognizable Disney role, however, was the role of Uncle Albert in 1964’s Mary Poppins. He would continue work for the studio through the ’60s, including That Darn Cat!, The Absent Minded Professor, and his final posthumously released role, The Gnome-Mobile. Wynn passed away on June 19, 1966 of throat cancer. He was named a Disney Legend on August 10, 2013.

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October 10

Posted on October 10, 2013 by disneydetail

October 10, 1961 – Actress, Voice of Ariel and Barbie, and Disney Legend Jodi Benson is Born

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“I pretty much came out of the womb singing. I think I was born with the gift to be able to sing, so I can’t take credit for it.”

On October 10, 1961, Jodi Marie Benson was born in Rockford, Illinois. She originally attended college to major in Pre-Law with a minor in theater, but soon switched to pursue a BFA in Musical Theater. She was cast in the musical Smile, which closed after six weeks; there, she met lyricist Howard Ashman, who would invite her to audition for The Little Mermaid, along with all the other girls in the cast. Benson made a reel-to-reel tape, and was selected to be the voice of the main character, Ariel. This role has become Benson’s most famous role to date, and has stated on record that her winning the role was God-ordained. She has continued to voice the character in the television series, the prequel and sequel films, and video games including the character, such as the Kingdom Hearts series. Benson has also re-recorded her signature song “Part of Your World” for the World of Color show at Disney’s California Adventure, and has voiced Ariel once again in the Ariel’s Undersea Adventure attraction. Benson has also voiced the character of Barbie in the Disney Pixar films Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, and played the character Sam in the live-action Disney feature Enchanted. In 2011, Benson was awarded the honor of being inducted into the Disney Legends. On getting the call for the honor, Benson remarked, “When they called and said we’d like to honor you, I was silent. I thought I would be retired, I thought you had to be dead to get that award…to say thank you to the people who for 25 years have loved and supported me was a blessing.”

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September 24

Posted on September 24, 2013 by disneydetail

September 24, 1894 – Voice Actor and Comedian Billy Bletcher is Born

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“So what the hell, I did it, and I recorded this thing for Walt [Disney], as the Big Bad Wolf. That put me in pretty solid with Walt.”

On September 24, 1894, William Bletcher was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His career began with silent comedies, and he moved on to two-reel Hal Roach comedies in the 1930s. During the ’30s and ’40s, Bletcher was well known for voicing villains for cartoons, being blessed with a deep, rich voice despite his appearance, as he only stood a five feet two inches. His friend Pinto Colvig (best known as the voice of Goofy) recommended that Bletcher try out for a new cartoon Disney was making called Three Little Pigs, and Bletcher won the role of the Big Bad Wolf, which was his first work with cartoons. Bletcher would continue to voice the Wolf in the two sequels, and provided the voice of Pegleg Pete in several shorts, as well as any bit parts that they needed. Bletcher also provided voice work for Warner Brothers, and in the 1950s, he voiced the Lone Ranger in the Lone Ranger radio program. Bletcher passed away on January 5, 1979 in Los Angeles at the age of 84.

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August 8

Posted on August 8, 2013 by disneydetail

August 8, 1925 – Voice Actress and Disney Legend Ginny Tyler is Born

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“And I was raving away to Walt how wonderful Disneyland was, he said, ‘And that goes for my Disneyland Storyteller, too.’ I have never felt prouder in my entire life.”

On August 8, 1925, Merrie Virginia Erlandson was born in Berkeley, California; her family then moved to Seattle when she was a young girl. Steeped in a tradition of storytelling and imitations, Tyler began her career as a voice actor in the 1930s on the radio show Make Believe Island. By the 1950s, the show had been moved to television and renamed Magic Island. In the 1960s, Tyler was hired by the Disney Studios to narrate vinyl records for classic films Bambi and Babes in Toyland, and was known as one of the “Disneyland Storytellers.” Tyler was also a voice actress in several feature films, playing the amorous squirrel in The Sword in the Stone, several barnyard animals in Mary Poppins, and the bees in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. When the Mickey Mouse Club was in syndication, Tyler was hired as the Head Mouseketeer for the repackaged show, recording segments live from Disneyland’s Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters, located inside the Main Street Opera House. In 2006, Tyler was inducted as a Disney Legend. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 86,

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July 20

Posted on July 20, 2013 by disneydetail

July 20, 1890 – Character Actress Verna Felton is Born

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“Walt found her voice wonderful, and he used her again and again.” – John Culhane, Author and Film Historian

On July 20, 1890, Verna Felton was born in Salinas, California. She began her career in radio, working on Red Skelton’s radio series and The Jack Benny Program. In 1941, Felton was hired as a voice actress for the Disney animated feature film Dumbo as Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo’s mother) and the Elephant Matriarch. She would continue to be hired by the studio in a variety of roles, including the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, Aunt Sarah in Lady and the Tramp, Flora in Sleeping Beauty, and Winifred the Elephant in The Jungle Book. The Jungle Book would be her last role, as she would pass away from a stroke on December 14, 1966, the day before Walt Disney passed away.

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