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Category Archives: miscellaneous
“Picket Lines in Paradise”
Read my feature article for American History Magazine on Art Babbitt and the Disney Strike, “Picket Lines in Paradise.” You’ll find it in the June 2017 issue of the magazine. It has been a couple months since the issue hit … Continue reading
Posted in 1941: The Disney Strike, miscellaneous
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Gunther Lessing – a backstory
Gunther Lessing is often mentioned as a key player in the Disney strike. As Walt Disney’s Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel, he certainly held influence. In the mid-1930s, Lessing had an affable relationship with Art Babbitt. In December 1937 … Continue reading
Posted in miscellaneous
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Letters of Termination
Seventy-five years ago today, Art Babbitt was fired from Walt Disney Productions. It was Tuesday, May 27, 1941. Babbitt was coming in from lunch and the security guard apologetically handed him an envelope containing two letters. “Bad news, Art,” he … Continue reading
The Fake Disney Union
As noted in the previous post, the fake (i.e. company-based, non-independent) union was called the FEDERATION OF SCREEN CARTOONISTS and was formed collaboratively Between Disney’s vice president/head lawyer Gunther Lessing, and top animator Art Babbitt. Executive officers include president Art … Continue reading
Disney’s Life Drawing Classes Today
Many moons ago I did an interview with a writer for the Fast Company Magazine website about the origin of Disney’s life drawing classes within the studio, and Babbitt’s significance. A lovely article was published about Disney’s classes in the … Continue reading
Posted in Disney, miscellaneous
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Saving Mr. Banks
I just saw Saving Mr. Banks, a dramatic re-enactment of author P. L. Travers and Walt Disney’s head-to-head on the making of 1964’s Mary Poppins. I loved it. Probably due to the Sherman brothers. As a Disney historian, there were … Continue reading
Posted in Animation, California, miscellaneous
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Disney Fires Babbitt How Many Times?
A question was posed to me recently: How many times did Walt fire Babbitt? In his later years, Art Babbitt was fond of saying things like “Disney tried to fire me five different times” for his union activity at the … Continue reading
Happy 106th Birthday, Art Babbitt
In honor of Art Babbitt’s birthday, I’m sharing an interesting bit of European memorabilia. Ten years ago this year, Babbitt was honored with an exhibit of his work in Austria’s Gallerie Maringer. … Does anyone care to translate?
Marge Champion receives Lifetime Achievement Award Tonight!
Disney fans might recognize Marge Champion, ex-wife and muse of Art Babbitt, as any one of these three characters: But to the dancing public, she’s a legend for her actual on-screen appearances. And this very night, she is receiving a … Continue reading
Posted in 1932-1941: Disney Glory Days, Dance, Film, miscellaneous
Tagged Marge Champion
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Margaret Thatcher and Labo(u)r Strikes
Yesterday’s news that Margaret Thatcher passed away left me with recollections of the musical “Billy Elliot.” Did you manage to catch this show while it was on Broadway? Its backdrop is the tumultuous UK coal miners’ strike in the 1980s, … Continue reading
Posted in 1941: The Disney Strike, Disney, Labor, miscellaneous
Tagged Reluctant Dragon, Strike
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