100 Years of Louis Prima: An Appreciation

Louis Prima in the 1930s

To one generation of fans, he was the “Wildest” show in Vegas and Tahoe.

To another, he was the voice of “King Louis the Most.”

To Sam Butera and the Witnesses, he was known simply as “The Chief.”

Louis Prima was born one hundred years ago today—December 7, 1910—in the Little Palermo section of New Orleans’ French Quarter. It’s fitting that he came into the world surrounded by a tossed salad of nationalities (his neighborhood was home to Italians, Jews, Middle Easterners and African-Americans), because the music he made throughout his remarkable career was embraced by fans the world over.

For more than five decades, Louis Prima played it pretty for the people, and the people loved him for it.

Originally a violinist, Prima switched instruments following the early success of his older brother Leon, who played trumpet with Jack Teagarden’s orchestra and several others.

The switch to brass made sense for a cool cat with more than nine lives. While Prima may have found his greatest success in the late 1950s and early 1960s fronting Sam Butera and the Witnesses along with wife Keely Smith—creating arguably the most popular Las Vegas lounge act of all time—he had already hit it “big” at least two other times in his mercurial career.

Musical trends (and audiences) have always been fickle. Today’s “Toast of the Town” can just as easily be “toast” by the weekend, something the young Prima grasped early on. He was talented, driven and resilient, and his career was marked by constant re-invention. Beginning with his training in the musical hotbed of New Orleans’ local clubs, he navigated a meandering musical course, leading a small 1930s jazz combo and a 1940s big band before putting Las Vegas (some would suggest “single-handedly”) on the entertainment map in the late 1950s. Along the way, he recorded hundreds of 78s, 45s and LPs, appeared on film, radio and television, and headlined popular nightclubs on both coasts.

For those who remember  his crazy Vegas duets with Smith and Butera, or  the animated antics of King Louis in Disney’s 1967 hit, The Jungle Book (his final career re-invention), check out Swing Cats Jamboree, a Vitaphone short from 1938 featuring Prima and Frank Frederico on guitar. The shuffle rhythms, scat lyrics and crazy antics which made Prima’s music and voice famous decades later are both clearly in evidence during the band’s renditions of “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” and “Loch Lomand” which bookend this fun film.

As a special treat, we even get to see Louis—who later sported a series of toupees onstage—perform wearing his own hair.

If that isn’t enough evidence of his jazz chops, then take a look at this short segment from Louis Prima: The Wildest, the fine 1999 documentary of his life and career still available on DVD. This particular clip features Prima’s “call and response” duet method, something he perfected with sax great Sam Butera two decades later. Here he works out some musical mayhem with clarinet legend Pee Wee Russell in a scene from Rose of Washington Square.*

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When jazz combos faded in favor of big dance bands, Prima cast himself in a new light. Building on his strength as a composer (he had penned Benny Goodman’s huge 1938 hit Sing, Sing, Sing), he mounted a big band of his own by the advent of WWII, releasing several original novelty tunes trading on his Italian heritage and language, including Angelina, Felicia No Capicia, Please No Squeeza Da Banana, Eleanor, Baccigalupe (Make Love on the Stoop) and others. In addition, he recorded many popular numbers (including his theme song, Robin Hood and Oh, Marie) which kept his name on the charts.

By the early 1950s, however, musical tastes had evolved again. Even though he had hired a talented 17 year-old Keely Smith as his vocalist in late 1947 (she became his fourth wife in 1953), gigs for the “big” band were few and far between. Within a few years, Prima and Smith found themselves working a diminishing number of dates backed by house bands.

That all began to change when brother Leon reminded his younger sibling of an even younger sax man in their hometown of New Orleans: Sam Butera.

Butera was a local prodigy who’d been named the “Best High School Saxophonist” in 1946 by Look magazine. Prima had recently wrangled a three-year deal to play the lounge at the Sahara Hotel & Casino in nascent Las Vegas, and he needed a band. He put in a call to Sam and his group. Prima re-named them “The Witnesses,” and they joined Louis and Keely on December 26, 1954.

Honed in the harsh and unforgiving environment of the Las Vegas lounge scene, Prima and his new band soon developed a large following, leading one gaming official to complain that while Louis, Keely and the Witnesses were holding court in the Sahara’s lounge and other local spots, “No one gambled.” But what the casino bosses may have lost in gaming revenue, they made up for in beverage sales from the overflow crowds. After blowing away (literally and figuratively) standing room only Vegas audiences for two years, Prima signed the whole gang with Capitol Records. In 1957, the rest of the world was introduced to what the Vegas crowd already knew…that Louis Prima was “The Wildest Act in Show Business.”

And what an act it was.

With Sam and the boys driving the shuffle rhythm, and Keely providing a stoic counterpoint alongside Prima’s exuberant glee (a bit which dated back to Prima’s shtick with his big band vocalist Lily Ann Carol), audiences couldn’t get enough of it. The group mixed re-arranged popular standards, up-tempo medleys and novelty numbers with solos by Keely and Sam and non-stop hi-jinks. It was musical vaudeville, with enough energy to power the lights up and down the rapidly growing Vegas strip.

Just a few of the LPs from my personal Louis Prima collection

Over the years, Prima recorded for a variety of labels, large and small, including Brunswick, Decca, Majestic, Vocalian, RCA Victor, and Columbia, but it was his LPs for Capitol—intentionally recorded to capture the group in a “live” setting”—which really put him on the map. Because Prima was afraid to fly, he and his band didn’t travel far from their home on the range, so successful recordings were a must. Soon, multiple appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and other nationwide programs helped his star move higher in the pop culture firmament.

Here’s a great clip from one of those televised performances, with Sam Butera (sax), Lou Sino (trombone), Bobby Roberts (guitar), Tony Luizza (bass), Paul Ferrara (drums), Willie MacCumber (piano), and a dead-pan Keely pitching in on vocals:

In addition to their recordings with Prima, Smith and Butera (and the Witnesses) released several solo LPs, with Smith’s being particularly popular. Smith also recorded two vocal duets with Capitol label mate Frank Sinatra (something he rarely did) and appeared in a couple of films, including Thunder Road with Robert Mitchum. Butera played the title track and played a small role in the Tony Curtis/Debbie Reynolds film, The Rat Race. But most of their time was spent alongside The Chief, playing it pretty for the people.

Because of their growing popularity, Prima and the band were asked to star in a feature film. Prima agreed on the condition that they could shoot it in Las Vegas around their performing schedule. The resulting feature, Hey Boy, Hey Girl (1959) co-starred actor James Gregory as a local parish priest. Shot in two weeks (with the thinnest of plot lines), it is sought by Prima collectors for songs not available elsewhere.

Later that same year, Prima leveraged his popularity into a unique deal with Dot records. Prima received the proceeds from his LPs and 45s, and paid Dot a royalty! In 1963, he even launched his own label, Prima Microgroove Records, based out of his sprawling estate on Warm Springs Road in South Las Vegas, a huge parcel of land which also included Prima’s private golf course named “Fairway to the Stars.”

Unfortunately, in 1961, at the height their professional success (much like Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz), Prima and Smith divorced. Keely went on to a solo career (she signed with Frank Sinatra’s Reprise label), and although Louis continued to perform and record with Sam and the Witnesses (and eventually with his fifth wife, Gia Maione), the combination of the loss of Smith from the act, changes in Vegas entertainment tastes and new musical trends diminished his popularity once again.

Louis Prima in his later years

But Prima soldiered on.

In 1965, he provided the voice for “King Louis the Most” in Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book, a gig which renewed his popularity AGAIN, leading to voice work on some additional spoken word Disney LPs.

Songwriter Richard Sherman, who co-wrote most of the film’s songs with his brother Robert, tells of how he flew to Las Vegas to pitch Prima on the role of King Louis. With Prima, Butera and the band standing beside a rehearsal piano, Dick performed the soon-to-be hit, I Wanna Be Like You. Sherman didn’t know that Louis had decided to play a trick on the Academy Award-winner by remaining stoic throughout the comedy number, and he told his band to do the same.

When Sherman finished the number, he was met with seven expressionless faces, until Prima sternly asked, “Are you trying to make a monkey out of me?” When Sherman offered him a weak, “Yes,” Louis and the boys broke into raucous laughter before Prima finally answered, “Well, you got me!”

Even though his personal star was on the wane, his influence continued to be felt in pop music circles. When Sonny & Cher hit network television in the early 1970s,  their on-stage personnas could be easily traced to Prima and Smith.

By the early 1970s, Prima and Butera had returned to New Orleans to entertain at local hotel lounges. In 1973, he experienced a small heart attack. In 1975, a tumor was discovered surrounding his brain stem. He fell into a coma during surgery to remove the tumor, and he never regained consciousness.

Prima died in his native New Orleans on August 24, 1978.

Today, Prima’s music lives on in many ways, from covers by more recent artists (including Brian Setzer’s version of Jump, Jive & Wail and, perhaps more famously, David Lee Roth’s note for note ripoff of Sam Butera’s arrangement of Just a Gigolo/Ain’t Got Nobody) to TV programs, movies and commercials, which continue to license his songs (Elf, Mr. Saturday Night, Casino, etc.). Setzer even wrote and recorded a song titled Hey, Louis Prima.

At least two of Prima’s children are carrying on the family act, including his son Louis Prima, Jr. and his daughter Lena. Keely Smith also continues to record and perform.

Prima made the news recently, when he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July of 2010.

- craig

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* Another great film scene (not currently posted on YouTube but available on DVD) features Prima singing and playing Johnny Mercer’s classic “I’m an Old Cowhand” alongside Bing Crosby, Bob Burns, Martha Raye and Frances Farmer in the 1936 film, Rhythm on the Range.

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Personal Note: I never saw Louis Prima perform live (my parents caught his act a few times up at Lake Tahoe’s South Shore), but I was fortunate enough to see Sam and Keely perform together in 1992 at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn. A few years later, I spent a couple of weeks in Las Vegas on business. Each night for those two weeks, I made a beeline over to the Desert Inn to catch both sets of Sam Butera and his new band, The Wildest. They were as hot as ever, with Sam taking over Louis’ vocals as if he had sung them all of his life.

After seeing me in the audience at multiple shows, Sam came over to my table to say hello. He introduced me to his band, and let me hang out with them between sets the next couple of nights. What a thrill to hang with Sam and hear his stories about Prima and the early days of Las Vegas.

Sadly, Sam Butera passed away at the age 81 on June 3, 2009.

Books: The WPA and the American Guide Series: Part 1

My complete set of the American Guide "state" books line the top 3 shelves. Others (including several of the "city," regional and topical guides) appear below.

I first came across a reference to the American Guide Series (often referred to today as the “W.P.A. Guides”) in John Steinbeck’s penultimate work, Travels with Charley (1962). I was in high school at the time, and here’s part of what I read:

“If there had been room in Rocinante I would have packed the W.P.A. Guides to the States, all forty-eight of them. I have all of them, and some are very rare…The complete set comprises the most comprehensive account of the United States ever got together, and nothing since it has ever approached it. It was compiled during the depression by the best writers in America, who were, if that is possible, more depressed than any other group while maintaining their inalienable instinct for eating.” (pgs. 121-122)

Like Steinbeck, I was born with an urge to “be someplace else,” and this nascent wanderlust was not slackened by frequent family moves throughout Northern California (For the record, I attended six different elementary schools). Instead, each subsequent relocation only heightened my sense that there was a great deal to see and experience “out there.”

As an avid reader and armchair adventurer, a series of books featuring stories about the lesser-known nooks and crannies of the United States seemed like a great read. Unfortunately, while I was certainly better off at that time than the depressed writers to whom Steinbeck referred in Travels, I lacked the funds to spend on non-essential reading material (ie: not assigned for classwork), so a personal collection of W.P.A. Guides would have to wait. Eventually, other important priorities such as work, marriage and family took root, and I forgot about them.

In my early 30s, however, I came across the W.P.A. Guide to Colorado in a used bookstore, and those few Steinbeck paragraphs came flooding back to mind. I remember deciding at the time—being a bit of a Western Americana buff—to collect all of the volumes representing the Western States. A few years later, when I took a job requiring a good deal of domestic travel, it made sense to attempt to complete the collection.

Over the next five years, I assembled a complete set of the state Guides, purchasing them from bookstores in more than 25 different cities. Interestingly, because of the transient nature of travel guides, I found many of them in states other than the ones they represented. I remember that I picked up my final First Edition (North Carolina: A Guide to the Old North State) at a favorite bookstore of mine, The Complete Traveler on Madison Avenue in New York City.

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The Federal Writers’ Project, which produced the American Guides, had its beginnings in 1935 under the broad umbrella of the W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), itself a product of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” legislation. Since the New Deal was ostensibly designed to get Americans back to work, in the case of the F.W.P. this meant unemployed writers, editors and photographers. Because of the great need for the collection and compiling of information in each state, hundreds of “non-writers” were employed as well. These included college students, unemployed teachers and many others. At it’s peak employment period (April of 1936, when much of the state data began to be compiled), the Writers’ Project counted 6,686 men and women on various state and federal staffs.

An early inspiration for the W.P.A. guide concept was the Baedecker travel guides from Europe (A Baedecker guide to the United States had been published in 1893 and revised in 1909), with the exception of focusing an entire volume on even the smallest states. The process for each guide book was to be the same: assignments would be issued to “local” writers by state project directors, who would then assemble a rough first draft. The final editing of each book would then be completed by the editorial staff in New York City, and that is mostly what came to be. And although several critics were openly wary of the Federal government getting involved in supporting the “arts” in such a direct manner, and despite a broad range of internal and external challenges, the resulting series of guides became what architect, city planner and social critic Lewis Mumford (writing in the New Republic) called “the first attempt, on a comprehensive scale, to make the country itself worthily known to Americans.”

Of course, the F.W.P. did much more than simply create books about the “Lower 48.” Between 1935 and 1943, the W.P.A. produced and/or sponsored hundreds of other publications (hardbound and softcover), including several dedicated to larger US cities, with a couple of glaring omissions. Chicago, for example, never received a guide of it’s own, although (according to the September 1941 W.P.A. catalogue) there were twenty-two books and pamphlets produced on various New York City locales and topics alone. In fact, the New York City guide was published in TWO volumes, with New York Panorama (1938), focusing on the history and culture and the New York City Guide (1939) on more up-to-date, detailed information, including a chapter on how to best navigate and enjoy the (then) current World’s Fair located in Flushing Meadows, Queens. Both of these were published by Random House, who didn’t print any of the state guides.

The Alpha & Omega of the American Guide state series: Idaho (1937) and Oklahoma (1942)

But the state guides remain the most recognizable published product of the F.W.P. From January 15, 1937, when Idaho, a Guide in Word and Picture (the “unintentional” first volume*) appeared, through the publication of Oklahoma, a Guide to the Sooner State on January 3, 1942, each of the 48 states was featured, along with U.S. Territories Alaska and Puerto Rico (no Hawaii guide was produced) and the District of Columbia.

To share the wealth (and the risk) the series was divided among nineteen different publishing houses, including giants such as Viking, Oxford Press, Houghton Mifflin, several small state or regional presses and—in one instance—the Federal Government Printing Office (GPO). The GPO published the massive Washington: City & Capital, a nearly 1,200 page behemoth of a book printed on semi-glossy stock paper, it weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds, allegedly causing FDR himself to remark that it should have been distributed along with a suitcase [it is easy to spot on the right side of shelf 3 in the top photo]. A heavily edited version (a mere 528 pages) of City & Capital was released in 1942 under the title of Washington D.C.: A Guide to the Nation’s Capital.

But other than the Idaho and City & Capital volumes, the remaining forty-six guides were similar in appearance and stature, if not always in page count. That is not to say that the remaining guides were created equally. While some–such as the guides to California, Illinois and New York State–had large print runs, the other, less populous state books were printed by small presses in relatively small runs. Of course, it appeared to some that population wasn’t the only reason for this. Steinbeck had a theory about this as well:

“If I remember correctly, North Dakota printed only eight hundred copies and South Dakota about five hundred…But these books were detested by Mr. Roosevelt’s opposition. If W.P.A. workers leaned on their shovels, the writers leaned on their pens. The result is that in some states the plates were broken up after a few copies were printed…” (page 122)

But no matter the reason, the guides to the less-populated states are traditionally more difficult to locate in collectible condition, especially in original dust jackets. Of course, all of these books were designed to be used on trips, and as such, more wear would be expected from being toted in and out of the automobiles and motor courts of the day.

However, the longest journey for many of these guides would be the one from field reporting and writing to editing, fact-checking and publication.

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Coming soon in Part 2: Famous names, color maps, and political intrigue

* F.W.P. leadership had intended for the volume on Washington D.C. to be published first, but the Idaho guide writer/editor–novelist and historian Vardis Fisher–had other ideas.

- craig hodgkins

Books: Chris Epting’s Pop Culture Dispatches

Chris Epting

Chris Epting is the real deal.

And, if you love the study of Popular Culture half as much as I do, you need to add a few of his books to your shelves. The only challenge may be choosing among them.

Epting has penned seventeen pop culture landmark guides for multiple publishers (including a handful of Arcadia Publishing’s sepia-toned historical photo volumes), but he is more than just a writer of books. Among many other roles, he is the national spokesman for Hampton Inn’s “Save-A-Landmark” program, hosts the weekly syndicated radio show, The Pop Culture Road Trip, and regularly dons the mantle of “Pop Culture Guru” on National Public Radio, the E! Channel and Access Hollywood.

His books, however, remain the most accessible pop culture fix for most fans. Even limited exposure to this fun and fascinating body of work leaves the impression that Epting himself could be parachuted blindfolded into any tiny corner of the United States, and–after taking a moment to get his bearings–teach the locals a few things they didn’t know about their own hometown.

Of course, his past work has not always been about famous people. Like Paul Simon, he sees “angels in the architecture,” and can often wax as lyrical about the history of buildings, landmarks and trees as he can about the rich, the famous, and the infamous.

Epting just knows stuff.

The tales he spins, however, are more than just book knowledge or a bunch of unrelated facts memorized off of out-dated Trivial Pursuit cards. For the past four decades, he’s enjoyed amazing first-hand experiences with some of the biggest sports, musical and pop culture icons of recent generations, and he generously shares many of them in his most recent work, Hello, It’s Me: Dispatches from a Pop Culture Junkie, just published by Santa Monica Press.

Make no mistake. Epting gets around. Like Johnny Cash, he’s been “everywhere, man.” He’s Zelig without Photoshop, Forrest Gump without the special effects. From an early age, he’s posed for more “grip & grin” photos than any three Presidents. Dude’s a walking Kodak moment, but with a soundtrack to match.

He knows baseball. He knows music, film and television. And he may be the only man who could have negotiated a truce if a group of WWII veterans ever accidentally wandered in to CBGB’s back in the day.

With Chris Epting at a book signing for "Hello, It's Me" at Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach

I worked alongside Epting a decade ago at a mid-sized Orange County advertising agency, and can attest to his creative energy, sense of humor, and voracious appetite for all things pop culture. But despite his marketing background and knowledge of the ad biz, his books are chock-full of entertaining and enlightening paeans to his passions. He doesn’t write about baseball and rock and roll because it will “sell.” He writes about these and other topics because he genuinely loves them. Writing from a point of passion is certainly a road less traveled in the book business these days, but, for Epting, it makes all the difference.

The personal, passionate tone of each tale included in Hello, It’s Me adds to the telling. For the first time, Epting is a character in each of his mini-plays. And don’t assume that the “pop culture” he covers ends with the 1990s. Although the book begins in the early 1970s, the last few chapters are as timely as the requirements of the printing press will allow. The most recent, a moving chapter on the family, life and tragic death of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, drummer of the popular hard rock/metal core band Avenged Sevenfold (which grew out of a series of columns he wrote for Huntington Beach Independent), is not to be missed.

Hop in the shotgun seat alongside Chris Epting for a radical ride-along, either with Hello, It’s Me, or one of many other works. You won’t be sorry.

Check out Epting’s website for more information on Hello, It’s Me and all of his other titles. His books are also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and many other fine web retailers.

His available titles include: James Dean Died Here, Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here, Elvis Passed Here, Led Zepplin Crashed Here, Vanishing Orange County, Roadside Baseball, and many others.

- craig

RIP, Fess Parker

The world lost another class act today with the passing of Fess Parker (85), who died earlier today in of natural causes. Parker first made his mark as Disney’s Davy Crockett before going on to portray Daniel Boone on the long-running 1960s eponymous television series on NBC. After retiring from acting, he went on to great success as a hotelier and winemaker.

He was a gracious and gentle giant of a man, and he will be missed by many. Click HERE to read a lengthy obituary from Dennis McLellan of the Los Angeles Times.

Here are links to some other “Parker” posts found here on “Get it. Got it. Good.”

• A Disney convention interview from 2004
• A parody song from the same Disney convention
• Photographs of Parker as Davy Crockett

- craig hodgkins

Disney: John Lasseter at the D23 Expo

Here’s a link to a video (from Mark Eades/the OC Register online) of John Lasseter’s September 13, 2009 press conference at the D23 Expo.

It really gets going about five minutes in (not coincidentally, after a question from Leo Holzer) when john starts to discuss Walt Disney’s influence on story, the value of hand-drawn animation, the way Pixar does their films, etc. Great stuff as always from John.

FYI…that’s me as the disembodied host voice (see photo HERE). I may look better on audio.

Click HERE to watch it.

- craig hodgkins

Disney: Day 3/Day 4 of the D23 Expo

Since I’ve been a day late with both of my previous D23 Expo posts, I’ve chosen to combine my thoughts of Day 3 and Day 4 in one to catch up. Fortunately, I should stay caught up, since today was the fourth and final day of the Expo. Phew!

Me and John Lasseter in the D23 press room. I'm wearing the Hawaiian shirt in his honor.

Although it was an incredible (and exhausting) four days, I’d have to say that–all fascinating presentations, surprising special guests and wonderful show, ride and movie announcements aside–my favorite moments of the D23 Expo came when I hosted Sunday’s press conference with Disney/Pixar’s John Lasseter. More press turned out for him than for any other presenter, and understandably so. John has helped revitalize Disney’s animated films division since he and his Pixar team joined forces with the Mouse, and his ability to speak into everything from theme park attractions to consumer products is already paying big dividends, financially and “corporate” culturally.

Some of the intrepid D23 Expo press contingent. The bigger video cameras were in the back row, just out of sight.

In fact, just in case you’re wondering if any press turned out to hear John, here’s a photo (on the right) I snapped of some of them (with my “host-cam” iPhone) while we waited for John to arrive.

In true Disney fashion, I asked them all to smile for the camera, since we had been smiling for theirs all week…

But before getting too far into the Sunday program, let’s cover Day 3…

The press docket for Saturday, September 12 started off with Jay Rasulo, Disney’s President of Parks and Resorts, who was joined by Imagineers Eric Jacobson, Jon Georges and Chris Beatty. Among the future plans discussed by Jay and the team from Imagineering were the upcoming re-vamp of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World and the just-announced (at the prior presentation) re-do of Star Tours…in 3-D!

From left: Eric Jacobson, Chris Beatty and Jon Georges listen as Jay Rasulo responds to the press

My “M.O.” for all of the conferences was to moderate questions, and ask my own in case of a lull. There were no issues with the latter at any of the Parks sessions, as the press fired question after question at our panels. I must add that both corporate executives I hosted (Bob Iger and Jay Rasulo) did a wonderful job with the queries thrown their way. If a question arose that they couldn’t answer (at least “on the record”), such as a common one about company earnings, they demurred with humor and grace.

I’m the sort of guy who can listen to Imagineers discuss projects all day, so I was sorry that the allotted half hour had seemed to pass so quickly. I really enjoyed everything Chris, Eric and Jon had to say about their work on the new Fantasyland.

Me with Roy Patrick Disney

The second event of the day was quite a departure from our usual slate of company project announcements. Roy Patrick Disney–son of former Vice Chairman of the Board Roy E. Disney and grandson of company co-founder Roy O. Disney–stopped by the press conference room to discuss his presentation of “Growing Up Disney,” one which had been so popular that a second session was hastily added to the D23 Expo schedule.

I really appreciated Roy’s candor regarding the sometimes difficult (and always complicated) relationship between his grandfather and Walt, as well as the challenges he sometimes faced when he was working for the company that bore his surname (Roy hasn’t worked for the Walt Disney Company for more than a decade).

Our third panel featured Imagineers Kim Irvine and Tom Morris, who weighed in on the recent remaking of Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” attraction. Both Kim and Tom are Imagineering veterans (I wonder how many combined years of experience our WDI panels had?), and told of how they painstakingly returned to the original work of Mary Blair, Rolly Crump, and Alice Davis (among others) to inspire their re-do of the iconic attraction which dates back to the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Again, I was impressed (but not surprised) by the level of detail and care these  artists take when undertaking any new or revitalized show.

We ended the day with the always fun Tony Baxter discussing the reworking of another World’s Fair (and Disneyland) audio-animatronic resident: Abraham Lincoln. Tony lovingly discussed the re-editing of Royal Dano’s voice recordings that brought our 16th president to life, and which soon will again in the U.S. Presidents show.

Which brings us to Sunday…

Me addressing the press

Among the topics John Lasseter discussed were Toy Story 3, his teachers at Cal Arts, how he learned to make “timeless” and story-driven films from Walt (“Walt was always trying to push the technology of the films…but it was always in the service of story.”), and the mantra of Pixar, which is “tell a compelling story, populate it with appealing characters, and put those characters in a believeable world.”

That’s just a taste…it was more like a symposium than a press conference.

Our final conference of the day was our largest, as 5 Imagineers and 2 members of the Pixar team joined us for a discussion of “Imagineering Pixar for the Disney Parks.” This group included WDI’s Bruce Vaughn, Kathy Mangum, Eric Jacobson, Bob Weis and Kevin Rafferty as well as Pixar’s Roger Gould and Liz Gazzano.

Among the many items discussed was the new 12-acre Cars Land area, set to open at Disney’s California Adventure in (I believe) 2012. Kathy did an especially wonderful job of narrating us through a new cars ride. It was also cool to hear the panel tell–from both the Pixar and Imagineering vantage points–of how excited each team was when the Pixar/Disney deal went through. Roger Gould said that when they heard the news, he and Liz both shouted a loud “Yes.” When he related the story, he accented the word “Yes” with a first pump worthy of Tiger Woods.

Erin, Diane and Emily hang with the original Herbie from "The Love Bug"

I had a couple hours of R&R between the two Sunday press conferences, so I was able to show my wife and two daughters around the showroom floor downstairs, and escort them through the Disney Archives exhibit.

And, since my younger daughter wanted to see the big Wizards of Waverly Place stage show (nearly the entire cast sat on stage and talked about the Emmy Award-wining cable series), we did that as well. It had been quite a while since I was in a huge theater with that many screaming teens and tweens. Yikes!

But all good things must come to and end, and so it was with the inaugural D23 Expo. I don’t think I’ll have a vote in the process, but based on the attendance at the Anaheim Convention Center, I’m pretty sure there will be a second iteration of the D23 Expo.

John Singh joins me at the conference tables

I’d like to thank Disneyland’s Director of Publicity Mike Hyland and D23′s publicity consultant John Singh for allowing me to spend four wonderful days chatting about the Mouse and hob-nobbing with several of my old Disney pals (such as Richard and Elizabeth Sherman, Mary Costa, Howard Green, George Savvas, Tim O’Day, Michael Young…), and giving me the opportunity to meet so many new ones. I’d also like to thank the Orange County Register‘s Joshua Sudock for letting me use his photo of John Lasseter (and me).

We’ll see you next year!

- craig hodgkins

For links to posts about past Disney events, click HERE.

Disney: Day Two of the D23 Expo

Day 2 of the D23 Expo continued right where Day 1 had left off, with some even bigger surprises. During Studio President Dick Cook’s presentation, special guests John Travolta and Johnny Depp wowed the crowd, as did his sneak peak at several future studio releases. You’ve all seen the photos…no need to repeat them here. Well…OK…here’s a link to Access Hollywood’s footage of the two visits (A short commercial precedes the footage).

Although Miley Cyrus, Nicholas Cage and Tim Burton were also wandering the property at various times, I was busy off in the press conference room, hosting no fewer than five post-presentation soirees throughout the afternoon and evening with animators, Imagineers, producers, preservationists and songwriters. Quite the docket, to be sure.

Imagineers Steven Davison and Sayre Wiseman

First up was the Imagineering tandem of Steven Davison and Sayre Wiseman, leaders of the team designing and executing the upcoming (Summer of 2010) “water-and-fire spectacular” at Disney’s California Adventure. Really can’t wait to see it out at DCA. It sounds amazing.

Following Steven and Sayre was noted animation preservationist Ron Stark of S/R Laboratories, who has been studying and practicing the art and science of the restoration of animation art for decades. Ron was a great interview. His business card says that nobody knows more about animation art, and I can believe it!

Animator Andreas Deja and Master Artist David Pacheco with D23 Expo host Craig Hodgkins

Later in the afternoon, it was my pleasure to welcome long time Disney artists and friends Andreas Deja and David Pacheco to our little corner of the D23 Expo. Their presentation, “The Evolution of Mickey,” filled the Stage 23 auditorium. Andreas and David joined Walt Disney Animation a few weeks apart in 1980, and have each gone on to great careers with the company. Andreas most recently lent his talents to next year’s The Princess and the Frog, and David is currently a master artist, responsible for mentoring and advising the hundreds of artists in the Disney Consumer Products division.

Two more fun conferences rounded out the day. First, the team behind the recent Disney Cruise Line stage success, “Toy Story–The Musical,” told of the creation, gestation and production of this fun on-board show, currently exclusive to the Disney Magic. This energetic team includes Michael Jung, Matt Almos, Brendan Miburn and Valerie Vigoda.

Don Hahn and Dave Bossert discuss Disney Rarities

Our conference day concluded with a personal favorite of mine, producer and author Don Hahn, who appeared with Dave Bossert, the Creative Director for Walt Disney Animation. The two had combined for a presentation called “Disney Rarities,” which featured a collection of short films which had not seen theatrical distribution in decades.

Dave is the man who convinced the company to re-release several of the cartoons produced during and for WWII, including Victory Through Airpower and many other shorts, which came out on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD set On the Front Lines. Don’s is the author of the recently published “The Alchemy of Animation: Making an Animated Film in the Modern Age.” He is also the author of one of my favorite books on creativity, titled “Dancing Corndogs in the Night.” He is currently producing a documentary in the late 1980s renaissance in Disney animation.

- craig hodgkins

For links to posts about past Disney events, click HERE.

Disney: Day One of the D23 Expo

The D23 Expo press conference set-up, sans guests

Much has already been written about Day 1 of the inaugural D23 Expo, but I’ll weigh in with a little personal perspective, since I spent a good deal of the day hosting and moderating multiple press conferences, which were not open to the general public.

Fortunately, I’d already checked out many of the exhibits and displays during set-up on Wednesday evening (including the wonderful “Treasures of the Disney Archives” exhibit), and let me say this…if you are a Disney fan, and haven’t come to the D23 Expo, you are really missing out on some unique stuff.

Disney executives Steven Clark and Bob Iger at the first D23 Expo press conference. Taken with my official "host-cam."

My personal adventure began shortly before the first press conference. It was scheduled to start at 1:30, and was to feature Steven Clark, Vice President of Corporate Communications and the man behind D23 and the Expo. But at 1:25, we all received a surprise: Disney CEO Bob Iger, who hadn’t been scheduled to do a press conference, would join Steven. Suddenly, press and video cameras came out of the woodwork. It was as if the Beatles had reunited and landed to announce their recently remastered CD box set.

Bob fielded questions regarding the creation of D23 and the Expo, future theme park plans, and the recent acquisition of Marvel. Regarding the latter topic, he talked at length of the similarities of the two businesses, and shared how–after some initial meetings–he had put current Disney Feature Animation head John Lassiter in direct contact with Marvel executives, since John and his PIXAR team had recently gone through a Disney acquisition experience of their own. Bob’s enthusiasm for the future of all things Disney was contageous, as it was during his speech to open the Expo earlier in the day. He not only said the right things, but had a genuine passion for what he was saying.

The second conference featured Imagineer Tony Baxter and Media Preservationist Ed Hobelman, who discussed the rare footage the pair had shared during their “Wonderful World of Vintage Disneyland” presentation (one so popular with the Expo crowd that more than 100 people had to be turned away). Building on the bonus footage currently available on the “Secrets, Stories & Magic” Walt Disney Treasures DVD set, Tony and Ed told of discovery after discovery in a warehouse full of un- or mis-marked film cans, many scheduled to be destroyed. Several hundred hours of footage remains, and the pair are hoping for just the right projects to come along so they can share more of it.

Imagineer Emeritus Bob Gurr answers a question while the Legendary panel looks on. From Left: Don Iwerks, Bob Gurr, Marty Sklar, X Atencio and Alice Davis

The final Thursday conference featured a group of Imagineers with more than 300 combined years of creative service to the world of Disney: Bob Gurr, Marty Sklar, Don Iwerks, X Atencio, and Alice Davis. The five, along with sculptor Blaine Gibson (who had to return home prior to the press conference), were fresh from their “An Afternoon with Imagineering Legends” presentation, which Marty had moderated.

It was a treat for me to see them all of these Legends again, but especially Alice, since I had hosted several events with her and her late husband, Marc.

One of the more interesting questions was how being an Imagineer today differed from those in the past. Marty was quick to point out that most of the original Imagineers had come with a good deal of experience from other creative disciplines from within the Disney studios (since there was no way to be trained specifically to work for WED, as WDI was then known).

When asked if any of the panel had worked on any favorite shows or attractions that were never built, Bob Gurr pointed out that no good idea ever died. If an idea or method of executing a good story wasn’t used in one show, it would probably resurface in a future attraction. Marty added that some great stories and ideas simply had to wait until the technology to best communicate them had been developed.

Other highlights of the day:

• A special screening of the documentary “The Boys,” along with a special guest appearance of songwriter Richard Sherman.
• The Treasure of The Disney Archives” exhibit (don’t miss it!)
• A walk-thru of several future theme park attractions, including some for the Hong Kong Disneyland and a sneak preview of Cars Land, set to open in Disney’s California Adventure in 2012
• The 2009 Disney Legends ceremony, the first to be held off Disney property. Those recognized include: actor/comedian Robin Williams, Imagineer Don Iwerks, character voice talents Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck) and Bill Farmer (Goofy), and TV’s Golden Girls Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan and Betty White.
• A lengthy preview of the upcoming animated feature “The Princess and the Frog.”
• and a whole lot more…

All in all, a great first day! I’ll be back with more tomorrow…

- craig hodgkins

For links to posts about past Disney events, click HERE.

Images of Us: The Library of Congress Photostream Project

The New York Tribune, December 27, 1908

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than the Library of Congress Photostream project is more valuable than Fort Knox. From its cavernous collection of famous faces and everyday people to the far, exotic places and the farmer’s field just down the road, this online repository is truly a national treasure.

I’ve long been fascinated by photographic images of the past. I first came across a bound collection of historical shots as a twelve year-old volunteer at my local library. But it wasn’t until a few years later, while reading Jack Finney’s novel Time and Again, that it finally struck me: the characters in those often stiff and colorless images had been actual living, breathing human beings, just like me, my family and my friends. The photographs had merely frozen a moment of their lives in time.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Lyman, Polish tobacco farmers near Windsor Locks, Connecticut

As Finney pointed out, each had been doing something immediately before the photo was taken (even if it was only posing or grooming), and their full-color lives went on after the bulb popped, or the smoke from the flashpowder had dissipated. For example, can’t you “hear” Mrs. Lyman’s laugh in the photograph at left, and don’t you wonder what made her laugh so heartily?

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The Library of Congress collection features a wealth of images, broken into categories, but sortable in multiple ways, and not all in black & white.

For example, one category, “the 1930s-1940s in Color,” contains rich color images from a era most of us have only seen in shades of gray, and features everything from female factory workers in wartime, rural landscapes, carnival entertainers, and the hearty homesteaders of Pietown, New Mexico. Other segments of the collection feature actual newsprint images, Abraham Lincoln, and thousands of news photos from 1910 alone.

The images are fascinating, and comments added by visitors (often with links to Wikipedia entries or other informative websites) shed more light on the subjects, rendering the images more lifelike by adding a virtual third dimension of detail.

Dorothea Lange's "Toward Los Angeles"

Some date before the turn of the century, and give us glimpses into a class-divided society. Others focus on heroes of the sporting or show business worlds. Many are from the great depression, and are associated with the massive programs of the arts and cultural arm of the WPA.

I’ve collected a complete first edition set of the WPA guides to the United States (often referred to as the “American Guides”), and I consider these photographs to be a perfect compliment to the hardcover and softcover volumes and pamphlets published on the 48 states (plus the territories of Alaska and Puerto Rico…no WPA guide on Hawaii was published) and several major US cities.

A few “famous” photographers, such as Dorothea Lange, are represented in the collection, but most of the images were created by hard-working and little known craftspeople who often toiled for news or government agencies.

If you’re like me, and are drawn into the stories (and mysteries) of historical images, you’ll love clicking through the Library of Congress Photostream project. But don’t blame me if you get lost for a couple of days.

- craig hodgkins

The US Flag and the Smithsonian Institution

The Stars and Stripes at the Smithsonian

Each fourth of July holiday, we in the United States celebrate our Independence Day. In addition to being an excuse for many to detonate large quantities of explosives, it’s also a day when American flags of all sizes hang from houses and line parade routes and yards. But the flag we display today has evolved quite a bit from the ones which were around when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

The Smithsonian Institution currently has a marvelous and detailed online exhibit on the history and development of the official flag of the United States of America…what we often refer to as the “Stars and Stripes.” Contrary to popular belief, the flag — even the earlier versions of it — didn’t play a key role in the Revolutionary Era. Much of the tale begins with Francis Scott Key, the little-understood Battle of 1812, Fort McHenry, Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead, and a widow named Mary Pickersgill.

There is also a section of the site dedicated to a song you may have heard at a ballgame or two: Key’s own “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Check it out HERE.

- craig hodgkins

Travis Edmonson: RIP

Sixties folk music legend Travis Edmonson has passed away following a long illness. He was 79 years old.

Best known as one half of the popular duo Bud & Travis with partner Bud Dashiell, Edmonson had been in ill health for some time. In addition to his concert and recording work with Dashiell, he was a member of The Gateway Singers as well as a gifted and successful solo artist in his native Arizona. Dashiell passed away in 1989.

Here’s a link to a rare television appearance of the duo, featuring an introduction from a very young Hugh Hefner. (Travis is on the left):

- craig hodgkins

Disney: “Pinocchio,” Dickie Jones, and “Wrong Way” Hodgkins”

Dick Jones as Buffalo Bill, Jr.

Dickie Jones didn’t see it coming. Neither did I, and as a result, we nearly ended up in Gary, Indiana.

Don’t get me wrong…Northern Indiana was indeed beautiful on June 23, 2000. And all we missed was a highway off ramp. It’s just that Dick, his wife Betty and I were due back in Rosemont, Illinois to give a presentation to a convention hall full of Pinocchio fans, and, since Dick had lent his voice to the animated title character in Disney’s 1939 classic, his appearance was just the other side of compulsory.

We should have simply remained at the hotel, but the weather was sunny and warm, even by California standards, and both Dick and Betty wanted to see downtown Chicago. So see it we did…from Wrigley Field to Soldier Field and back again, as Dick told us stories of previous visits, highlighted by a huge, star-studded rodeo he participated in at the latter venue.

On the return trip, however, due to some inopportune road construction and (let’s be candid, here) a less-than-attentive rental car driver (me), we missed our turn, and found ourselves heading south instead of north on Interstate 90, with signs indicating that we would soon be in Gary, Indiana, and not Louisiana; Paris, France; New York or Rome.

Or, most importantly, Rosemont, Illinois.

But then, it wasn’t the first time that Dick Jones’ career had taken an unintentional turn.

Born February 25, 1927, in West Texas, Dick was a veteran in the saddle before he was old enough to start school. By the age of four, he was billed as the “World’s Youngest Trick Rider and Trick Roper.” Trained for a career in rodeo, he was instead personally recruited to Hollywood by none other than silent cowboy star Hoot Gibson. Convinced by the actor that he had everything it took to make it in western pictures, Dick (and his mother) soon relocated to Los Angeles, where the young man quickly found work in the plentiful horse operas of the day.

He soon graduated to roles in other film genres as well, and may have created a new niche market playing what he calls “as-a-boy” roles. In other words, he appeared in the first reel or flashback scenes of several bio-pics and fictional flicks of the day, playing the lead character as a youth. Dick is pretty certain he appeared in more of these roles than any other child actor, and he makes a compelling argument. A quick glance at his IMDb page indicates he played characters listed in the official film credits as: “David as a child,” “Donald Pecos as a boy,” “Lee Danfield, Age 11,” “Matt Howard at 12,” “Samuel Clemens – age 15,” and my favorite, “Dick Abbott – Age 8-12.” And these represent less than half of his total “as-a-boy” roles.

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By 1938, when he was cast as Pinocchio in Walt Disney’s second full-length animated film, he was a celluloid veteran, with credits in more than 40 features and serials. He would eventually appear in more than 100 films and 200 television episodes. But it was because of the long-term popularity of his one Disney project that he, Betty and I were in Chicagoland in the first place, heading the wrong way on Interstate 90.

Fortunately, a timely “U” turn was executed safely, and we arrived back at the Rosemont convention center with enough time for a shower and wardrobe change. Grace in abundance was extended to me by both of the Joneses, but it didn’t stop Betty, who handles most of the correspondence with good humor, from ribbing her directionally-challenged chauffeur annually on the Jones family Christmas card (see detail below).

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Once on the stage, Dick continued spinning his fun tales. He also continued to express surprise that anybody would be interested in his life story. I kept assuring him between questions that everyone present was there for precisely for that reason.

No video or audio exists of our show (at least officially), but Dick was a candid delight. As with many child actors, his memories of the adults he worked with were limited (Kathryn Beaumont, Disney’s Alice and Wendy, has told me she was almost always doing schoolwork in a trailer between takes, leaving little or no time to chat with the other performers). He did, however, remember one particular skill of Walt Disney’s…his ability to throw push-pins like darts.

Animators and story men used the old style push-pins (the ones shaped like little “rooks” from a chess game) to construct their storyboards, so they were always around in great numbers. If Walt was around during a lull in production, he would challenge everyone to a contest. He threw them underhand, with great accuracy. Dick remembered trying to throw them, with comical results.

In addition to his Disney memories, I asked questions about his other work, and so the audience learned of, among other things, his excellent performances in two classic James Stewart films released the same year as Pinocchio…Destry Rides Again, and Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

The next time you watch Mr. Smith, (and I suggest that you do it sooner than later) keep an eye out for the spunky U.S. Senate pageboy who gives Mr. Stewart’s title character a quick tour through the august chamber before the junior senator is sworn in. And when Mr. Smith asks the boy his name, our hero answers, “Richard Jones.”

Only in Hollywood.

Here I am with Betty and Dick after finishing our seminar

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In the 1940s, Dick was one of the actors who played the role of Henry Aldrich on the popular radio program, The Aldrich Family. He also book-ended a stint in the Army with several more film roles, and finished out the decade under contract with Gene Autry’s Flying “A” Productions. It was this work which led to career transition to the small screen.

In 1951, Dick was cast alongside fellow stuntman and actor (and eventual screen Tarzan) Jock Mahoney in the Gene Autry television production of Range Rider. Playing the part of the Range Rider’s sidekick Dick West, Dick was able to play both comedy and drama, and put his skills as a trick rider and roper to good use. He also did all of his own stunts.

Here’s a short clip from Range Rider, featuring Dick and star Jock Mahoney. Their obvious on-screen chemistry was one of the reasons for the show’s success.

The next couple of years, Dick appeared frequently in other Autry TV shows, including the flagship The Gene Autry Show, and Annie Oakley. In 1955, he was cast in a show of his own, the syndicated Buffalo Bill, Jr., also a Flying “A” Production.

Even though he was now the star, he still did his own stunts. Here’s the opening sequence from the show, along with a short, muddy scene.

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When he retired from the screen in 1959 (he occasionally took roles as a favor to good friends such as Alvy Moore of Green Acres fame), Dick moved on his next career in real estate. Honored as a Disney Legend in 2000, Dick is also a member of the Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame and is a Golden Boot Award-winner, which honors actors, actresses, and crew members who have made significant contributions to the genre of Western television and movies.

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These days, Dick and Betty live on their ranch in the San Fernando Valley, and spend a good deal of their time with their children and grandchildren, although Dick occasionally sneaks away for some deep sea fishing. The two also visit the occasional cowboy festival, and have been making appearances this year that coincide with Pinocchio‘s 70th Anniversary and it’s release on Disney DVD and Blu-ray.

- craig hodgkins

PS: For essays on my events and experiences other Disney personalities, just select the “Disney” category from the drop down menu in the right sidebar.

Disney: A Legendary Day with Fred MacMurray

I only met Fred MacMurray once. I won’t say once was enough, but I’ll take it.

The brief visit was all I’d hoped…I’ll always remember his self-effacing humor. He was also, it turned out, a much better conversationalist than the Shaggy Dog.

But maybe I should explain.

October 13, 1987 was the inauguration of the Disney Legends Promenade at The Walt Disney Studios, and MacMurray was the very first Legend to be honored. Although his late-career portrayal of Professor Ned Brainard in The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and Son of Flubber (1963) may have endeared him to Disney fans, it was his first Disney feature role that led to his “Legendary” selection.

In 1959, MacMurray was cast as Tommy Kirk’s befuddled father in The Shaggy Dog, a canine comedy caper (and surprise hit) that also showcased young Disney veterans Tim Considine, Kevin “Moochie” Corcoran, and Annette Funicello. Because The Disney Channel had scheduled the film (and a 1976 sequel, The Shaggy D.A.) on their fall 1987 line-up, a “Disney Legends” award was conceived as an additional promotional push for “Shaggy Dog Month.” So, MacMurray and his wife, actress/dancer June Haver, were invited out to Burbank for the ceremony.

When told about the award idea, then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner – to his credit – felt the concept, if given the right attention, could be much more lasting and impactful, something it has clearly become over the past 20+ years under the watchful eye of Jeff Hoffman (for an interview with Jeff about the awards, Click HERE).

But back to 1987, MacMurray, and the dog.

I was on studio property that mid-October day in a dual capacity, representing the Disneyland Resort’s weekly newsletter, The Disneyland Line, and their short-lived Cast Communications Network (“CCN: Coming to a Break Area Near You!”). With me were Jimmy McGraw, the graphic artist for the Line, and Tom Meslovich, one of Disneyland’s hardworking “AV Guys.”

In addition to writing a short Line feature on MacMurray and the Legends Award program (click on the Line page to the left to read the whole article), I’d been assigned to shoot a CCN video report as well. So, bursting with credentials, I joined the local media to the right of the Studio Theater entrance, and MacMurray arrived at the ceremony site a few minutes later. Riding in an open-top Model T roadster alongside Haver and a “next generation” pooch, he waved happily to the crowd. Both Eisner and COO Frank Wells spoke before MacMurray stepped to the podium.

“I just thought we’d come out here today,” he shared good-naturedly, clearly a little surprised by the large studio crowd, “get a few pictures taken, maybe say ‘hello’ to the dog. This is much more than I imagined.”

After sharing a few memories of Walt and the studio, and accepting a commemorative plaque from Eisner (the current Disney Legends award featuring Mickey’s hand holding his Fantasia wand had yet to be designed), the guest of honor stepped over to a square of wet cement and knelt, leaving his hand prints and signature behind (Sid Grauman-style) as the first-ever “official” Disney Legend. Camera bulbs flashed. Questions were shouted by us media types.

A few minutes later, as he finished wiping the wet cement off his hands, I stepped back over to him and asked if he still played the saxophone (his musical skill was what originally brought him to Hollywood). He laughed and put his hand on my shoulder. I checked my blazer to make sure he hadn’t left any cement residue.

“Imagine a young man like you remembering that,” he said, a little surprised again.

[Authors note: This was more than 20 years ago. I WAS young]

Holding up his right hand, he indicated the ring finger with his thumb. It bent in at an unusual angle, and had made a much deeper indentation in the wet cement than the rest of his fingers.

“No, I can’t really play anymore,” he answered, smiling a little wistfully, “this [finger]’s just gotten too arthritic to work the thing the way I want to.”

We chatted for a couple more minutes, and I thanked him for his work in the Disney films and on a childhood television favorite, the long-running My Three Sons, where he appeared as widower (and erstwhile father figure) “Steve Douglas” alongside Considine (who played “Mike Douglas” from 1960-65) and former Mousekateer Don Grady (who played “Robbie Douglas”).

Soon, it was time for him to join Haver (whom I also met briefly) and the dog in the Model T for a ceremonious exit. But before he left, he was kind enough to sign his name across the top of the Disney Legends press release I had with me (detail below).

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A few minutes later, the Model T driver returned with the dog so we could shoot some bookends (an open and close) for the video piece. For those shots, I sat behind the wheel of the car with the dog at my side, saying something like, “This is Craig Hodgkins, and the Shaggy Dog, at the Disney Legends Awards at The Walt Disney Studios.”

Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what I said, because I no longer have a copy of the video footage. I do know that we never cut a final piece for CCN, certainly through no fault of MacMurray or the dog. No, the only visual evidence I have that I was actually there (other than the article I wrote) is this photo (below) which surfaced a few years later. I never found out who took it, but I’m thankful they did.

That’s me in the blue blazer, leaning against the car, intently discussing a shot with Tom (with the video camera on his shoulder), who is mostly obscured by Jimmy (who stands with his back to the photographer). The dog, patient as ever, awaits his cue. He was thoroughly professional, but didn’t say a word to me the entire time we were together.

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In the Spring of 1988, I left Disneyland to begin a new job at the Disney Studios. One of my favorite things to do during my years there was walk around the property after eating a quick lunch in the commissary, frequently stopping by the Legends Promenade, where MacMurray’s prints were soon joined by other Disney greats.

Eventually, the Legends Awards outgrew the area in front of the Studio Theater, and were relocated to the newly-named Legends Plaza facing the Team Disney building, where hand prints and signatures are now reproduced as bronze plaques.

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Fred MacMurray's handprints...when the cement was still wet

Fred MacMurray passed away on November 5, 1991.

A few days later, I returned to the the Studio Theater to pay my respects. It must have rained the night before, for some water remained in the deep imprint left by his right ring finger.

I smiled, remembering our brief conversation, and for a moment imagined that I heard a lone saxophone off in the distance, softly playing the My Three Sons theme song.

- craig hodgkins

PS: I you need or want a little fatherly Fred MacMurray in your life, My Three Sons: Season One (In two volumes) has just been released on DVD for the first time ever. Enjoy every episode from the 1960-61 season in glorious black & white!

PPS: If you want to see a more dramatic (or sinister) Mr. MacMurray, check out his work in Double Indemnity (1944), The Caine Mutiny (1954), and The Apartment (1960). For his flair for comedy in early, non-Disney roles, try Murder, He Said (1945), The Egg and I (1947), and Father Was a Fullback (1949).

Three Faces of Eric at Breakfast

Eric at our “Boys Morning Out” at IHOP. A little coloring, a lot of pancakes, a warm cup of coffee and a lot of laughs.

Posted via email from craig hodgkins

Josh Griffin…Take Note…

A youth pastor from Southern California is a big winner on “The Price Is Right.” Courtesy of Jennifer Taylor.

Dedicated to my good friend Josh Griffin. JG is also a youth pastor, but he took decidedly less than top money from Bob Barker a few years ago.

Posted via email from craig hodgkins