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"What's New" Archives: December 2013

 

December 27, 2013:

Speaking of Pictures...

 

December 27, 2013:

Walt with comic book

Speaking of Pictures...

Gunnar Andreassen passed along the photo above, which originated on the D23 website. I haven't signed up with D23—that seems like an extravagance for anyone as far from Burbank and Anaheim as I am—and unfortunately I have no idea of the circumstances under which the photo was taken. That's the August 1950 issue of Walt Disney's Comics & Stories that Walt and the kid are inspecting, and it would certainly be tempting to seek permission to use that photo in my new book Funnybooks if there were a Carl Barks story in that issue, but there isn't. It was one of the nine 1950 issues with a lead Donald Duck story drawn by another cartoonist, in this case Paul Murry.

As for where the photo was taken, that was somewhere in the Disney studio, but I'm not sure where. I have vague memories of the studio store when it was in the same building as the commissary—to the left of the commissary as you entered the building from Mickey Avenue—but my memories date to around 1969, almost twenty years after this photo was taken. I'm sure there are visitors out there who remember that store better than I do.

There's another view of Walt just below, in a photo posted on Facebook by Jon Cooke and called to my attention by Thad Komorowski. The "Mouse-taches" are being sold at Walt Disney World. Wear one and see if anyone mistakes you for Tom Hanks.

The transformation of Walt into a “Disney character” is obviously well under way. Maybe candy Gitanes (unfiltered, of course) will be next.

Mouse-taches

And finally, a non-Disney photo that seems just right for the season. That's Phil Monroe, the wonderful Warner Bros. animator, drawing Porky Pig for his granddaughter, Kelly, more than twenty-five years ago (Phil died in 1988). Kelly, who is now Kelly Monroe Jenk, found the interviews with her grandfather on this site and was moved to share this photo with me. I'm very glad she did.

Phil Monroe and granddaughter

And although it's too late for me to wish everyone a merry Christmas, thanks to the down time inflicted accidentally by my website host (which somehow thought there were two Barriers, one still living in Virginia, and wouldn't let the one living in Arkansas renew the domain name), let me at least wish you a happy and prosperous 2014.

Comments

From Floyd Norman: Just a quick note to say Happy Holidays, and you are correct that the picture was taken inside the Walt Disney Studio commissary. I used to buy books and magazines off the very same rack. Thanks for the memories.

[Posted December 28, 2013]