Category Archives: Hollywood

Dennis the Union Menace

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Art Babbitt

I recently got a hold of the autobiography of Hank Ketcham, creator of the comic strip Dennis the Menace, aptly called The Merchant of Dennis.  The book is filled with photos and illustrations on every page, and reminds me a … Continue reading →

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SAG and the Disney Strike – June 1941

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Art Babbitt

In the early days of the Disney strike, (probably within two days of the first picket,) chairman of the Screen Cartoonists Guild Art Babbitt, with Disney striker John McLeish, contacted the Screen Actors Guild and petitioned the SAG executive board … Continue reading →

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Film History: Edison, Griffith, and Babbitt – part 2

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Art Babbitt

The tall concrete building at 2826 Decatur Ave in the Bronx was owned by Edison Studios  up through 1929.  Animation director Paul Terry and top animator Frank Moser were fired from the Van Beuren animation studio [1] – perhaps because … Continue reading →

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Babbitt’s Footage of the 1938 Oscars

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Art Babbitt

Happy Oscar season, everyone! The 10th Academy Awards was a unique event for the Disney Studios: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs received a nomination for best score, and The Old Mill won for best animated short. It was March 10th, 1938 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, Disney, Film, Hollywood, Photography, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Hyperion Horseflies Story

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Art Babbitt

It’s no secret that Chuck Jones and Art Babbitt were good friends from way back.  But in writing about Disney, Chuck borrowed one of Art’s own stories.  In Chuck Reducks (pp. 95-6) he writes: Disney animators were more likely to … Continue reading →

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The Third Disney Task

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Art Babbitt

By early August, 1932, Babbitt had successfully proven himself among the ranks of the novice animation talent.  Ben Sharpsteen was probably impressed with Babbitt’s Pluto work on the previous assignment, so he gave him a few more Pluto scenes in … Continue reading →

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The First Disney Task

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Art Babbitt

When Art finally got hired at Disney Studios in July 1932, he, like countless others before and after him, was assigned to inbetween another animator’s drawings. Inbetweening is low on the animation rung, but luckily for Art, the studio had … Continue reading →

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Walt Disney Praises his Victor Camera

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Art Babbitt

An original ad, circa 1935, featuring Walt and Art.  From Art Babbitt’s collection.

Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Animation, Disney, Film, Hollywood, Mickey Mouse, miscellaneous, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Old Disney Studios in 3D

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Art Babbitt

I used to be a big fan of the “Magic Eye” images, and I’m fascinated by the 19th century stereo photos of historical images.  They were photographed with two lenses, one beside the other, so they could be “stereo-viewed,” either … Continue reading →

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1936 Lecture part 3: Animation is Study

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Art Babbitt

Art Babbitt’s lecture to the Disney Staff on September 23, 1936 continues here.  Don’t miss parts One and Two.  In this section, Babbitt speaks some motivating words about being sensitive and critical to the world all around.

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