September 29 - Charles Wolcott

On this day, in 1906, composer Charles Wolcott was born in Flint, Michigan. By 1927, Charles was part of the growing Big Band scene, arranging music for and playing piano with folks like Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Whiteman. He also worked with radio stars like Rudy Vallee, George Burns and Gracie Allen.

In 1937, Charles started working at the Walt Disney Studio writing scores for the shorts department. He soon moved up to feature films. His credits include Bambi, Pinocchio, Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Song of the South, Make Mine Music and Fun and Fancy Free. By 1944, Charles had become General Music Director for Disney and had a hit single, his orchestra's recording of the Brazilian choro song "Tico Tico no Fuba."

In 1950, Charles left Disney to become an Associate General Music Director for MGM. At his new studio, Charles gets credit for bringing rock and roll to the big screen. While scoring the 1955's The Blackboard Jungle, he convinced the producers to use "Rock Around the Clock" in the film. The sky didn't fall and, as they say, rock was then here to stay. By 1958, Charles had become General Music Director for MGM. In 1960, he would release another hit single, "Ruby Duby Du," and leave the world of music behind.

Charles was a practitioner of the Baha'i Faith. In 1953, he had been elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. In 1960, Charles was made secretary of that body and resigned his position at MGM. Just one year later, he was elected to the International Baha'i Council and moved to Haifa, Israel. When the Council turned into the Universal House of Justice (think of it kind of like the Baha'i Supreme Court) in 1963, Charles became one of the first nine members. He would hold that position until his death in 1987.

September 28 - Janet Munro

On this day, in 1934, actress Janet Neilson Horsburgh was born in Blackpool, Lancashire England. The daughter of a Scottish comedian, Alex Munro, she used her father's stage name and was known as Alice Munro. Janet's mother died when she was seven and she grew up on the road with her father. She left school to work in a shoe shop but her ambition was always to become an actress.

At the age of 17, Janet began her professional acting career, gracing the stages of various repertory theaters, pulling in eight pounds a week. In 1954, she landed the lead role in a BBC drama, Capture the Castle. This lead to regular appearances on various BBC shows and small roles in British films.

Janet's big movie break came in 1959. Walt himself reportedly picked her out of a pool of 300 actresses to play Katie O'Gill, the female lead in Darby O'Gill and the Little People. She starred opposite a pre-James Bond Sean Connery, who actually sings in one scene. The film itself was very well received. Critic Leonard Maltin has even declared it to be one of the best Disney movies you've never seen. Janet's performance was so impressive she earned herself a Golden Globe and a five year contract with the studio.

It didn't take long for Disney to start using that contract. Later the same year they released Third Man on the Mountain. That movie chronicles the tale of a young mountaineer trying to conquer the mountain his father died climbing. Janet starred as the romantic interest of the climber, played by James MacArthur. Third Man is generally credited as the inspiration behind the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction at Disneyland. The following year, Janet and James would once again be paired in the Disney classic Swiss Family Robinson, which also begat an attraction at the park.

A third movie starring Janet and MacArthur was planned, Bon Voyage, which would also star Karl Malden. A change in directors and other production delays meant that never happened. Voyage would be released in 1962 but with a different cast. Janet's final project with Disney was 1961's The Horsemasters. Originally made as two episodes of Disneyland on television, The Horsemasters would later be released theatrically. It marked the first time Janet worked with Annette Funicello and the second with Tommy Kirk, who was also in Swiss Family Robinson.

Janet would continue to get roles in British films throughout the mid sixties, most notably the lead in The Day the Earth Caught Fire. As the decade came to a close, she took time off from acting to start a family, giving birth to two daughters. She would return to her career after her divorce in 1971. Janet's second go around would be brief, however. In December of 1972, she would pass away from a heart attack caused by ischemic heart disease. She was was only 38 years old.

September 27 - Fun and Fancy Free

On this day, in 1947, Walt Disney Pictures ninth animated feature, Fun and Fancy Free, debuted in theaters. Fun was the fourth of the so called package features Disney cobbled together during and after World War II in order to cut down on costs.

The film consists of two animated sections, both of which had originally been in development as feature length projects, joined by a live action segment, all hosted by Jiminy Cricket. The first animated part is called Bongo and is based on the short story "Little Bear Bongo" by Sinclair Lewis, best known for his novel Elmer Gantry. Since it takes place in a circus, Bongo was planned as a quasi-sequel to Dumbo, with some of the minor characters showing up in both to bridge the story. That plan, like so many plans at the onset of the war, fell through. Bongo's story was trimmed down, cutting out any references to Dumbo, and, to make it appeal to a wider audience, Dinah Shore was brought on board to narrate the story. The plot of Bongo centers around a circus bear that manages to escape, finds a girl bear in the forest and sets about winning her heart. You know, basic boy meets girl stuff, just with more fur.

The second animated section is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. The idea for the beanstalk segment was first pitched to Walt in 1940. He loved the pitch but declined to make the movie as it would, in his words, "murder his characters." The animators persisted with the idea and eventually Walt gave in, green lighting a project named The Legend of Happy Valley. More than 50 minutes of Valley had already been produced when the combination of the war and an animators strike derailed the film.

When the era of package films came along, Walt planned on pairing Beanstalk with Wind in the Willows for a film called Two Fabulous Characters. Eventually, Willows would be paired with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and Beanstalk would become part of Fun and Fancy Free. The most important aspect of Beanstalk is probably that it's the first time Mickey's second official voice, special effects wizard Jimmy MacDonald, would be heard (Walt had already recorded a good chunk of the dialog so technically Mickey duties were shared this time around). Again, to get more butts in the seats, Edgar Bergen was hired to narrate this section. Edgar was also tapped to do the live action segment between Bongo and Beanstalk.

The reception of Fun and Fancy Free was decidedly mixed. The film did reap a box office of over three million dollars, but the critics weren't particularly kind. Most praised the technical aspects of the animation and declared the stories to be lackluster at best. Still, Fun provided the revenue for the studio to get back on its feet after the war and get to work on new masterpieces like Cinderella. My personal opinion: Fun is mildly entertaining but not destined to become a favorite.

September 26 - Paul Leonard Newman

On this day, in 2008, Paul Leonard Newman passed away from lung cancer in Westport, Connecticut. Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio 83 years earlier as the younger son of store owners, Paul picked up on the theater vibe pretty early. His first role came at the age of seven, the court jester in his school's production of Robin Hood. Just three years later, Paul would be gracing the stage at the Cleveland Play House in Saint George and the Dragon.

After high school, Paul would spend a hot second at Ohio University before joining the United States Navy and shipping out to the Pacific Theater of World War II. He wanted to be a V-12 pilot, but his colorblindness kept that from happening; he became a gunner instead. As luck would have it, Paul's pilot got an ear infection just before the Battle of Okinawa and he didn't fly out to his assigned aircraft carrier, the USS Bunker Hill. A kamikaze attack just days later killed the other members of his unit.

Paul returned home from the war and completed a BA at Kenyon College. He began touring with summer stock companies before moving on to Yale School of Drama for a year. Paul then moved to New York City and studied under Lee Strasberg. He had his Broadway debut in the original cast of Picnic in 1953. He also appeared in the original productions of The Desperate Hours and Sweet Bird of Youth. During this time, Paul also started getting roles on television, mostly in episodes of anthology series like Tales of Tomorrow. He was supposedly reluctant to make the move to Hollywood, but it clearly worked out for him.

Paul had a screen test in 1954 with James Dean for East of Eden. He didn't get that part, but would, after Dean's death, get parts that were meant for the late actor. One of those, Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me, proved to be the beginning of Paul's long career in the movies. The list of films that Paul made shine is extensive and impressive. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Hudsucker Proxy, Road to Perdition. And that's probably not even half of the good ones.

Paul's life wasn't just about acting. While learning to dive race cars for the 1969 film Winning, he was bitten by the speed bug. Paul would enter his first professional race in 1972. Over the years, as a member of the Sports Car Club of America, he would win four national SCCA championships. In 1979, he finished in second place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans competition. At the age of 70, he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team, bringing home first place in his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The combination of acting and race car driving led to one of Paul's two roles with Disney. In 2006's Cars, he plays the crusty former racer Doc Hudson who teaches the young punk Lightning McQueen a thing or two. It would be the last major role Paul would have in a movie. Twenty years earlier, he made his other mark on Disney history in The Color of Money. That was a reprisal of his role from The Hustler, Fast Eddie Felson, who teaches a young punk named Tom Cruise a thing or two. Money would also finally get Paul an Oscar after he'd been nominated seven previous times.

As if actor and race car driver weren't enough to occupy his time, Paul also became a big time philanthropist. In 1982, Newman's Own salad dressing hit the supermarket shelves. Paul's credo was that all after taxes profits from the company would be donated to charity. After expanding into pasta sauce, popcorn, wine and a whole range of other products, Newman's Own has donated over 500 million dollars to various charities. One of those charities is the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which Newman founded in 1988. Seriously ill children get to come to the camp and just be kids for a week, free of charge. Several additional camps have opened around the world and they collectively host over 20,000 kids every year. In 1999, Paul co-founded the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, which has grown to include 175 members all striving to better their communities through giving. After his death, the unofficial newspaper of the Pope said "Newman was a generous heart, an actor of dignity and style rare in Hollywood quarters." I couldn't agree more.
 

September 25 - Al Hoffman

On this day, in 1902, composer Al Hoffman was born in Minsk, Russia. When Al was six, the Hoffman family relocated to Seattle, Washington. After graduating from high school, Al got even farther a way from the Mother Country by moving to New York and becoming a drummer in a band. In order to survive and keep at his fledgling musical career at night, Al would spend the day selling bagels door-to-door. In any spare time he had, he would also write songs, occasionally by himself but most often in collaboration with others.

Hits from this early period include 1932's "Fit as a Fiddle," which would regain popularity 20 years later when it showed up in Singing in the Rain. 1931's "I Apologize" reached number eight on the charts and entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 1934, Al continued his migration east, moving to London. For the next three years he worked on stage productions and movies. Hits from his cockney period include "She Shall Have Music" and "Everything Stops for Tea." By 1937, Al had tired of the British life. For once he traveled west and returned to the United States.

Al's biggest ear worm of a hit would occur in 1943 at the height of World War II. It caused such a crazed sensation that the New York Times ran an article about the phenomenon simply titled "That Song". It's a silly song, apparently exactly what people needed at that point in the war, and I'm pretty sure you've heard it. It's called "Mairzy Doats" and it goes "Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey..." And now, if you've ever heard it before even once, it's stuck in your head and, no, I'm not particularly sorry about that. It went up the charts several times with multiple people singing it, hitting number one at least once and sold over 450,000 copies of the sheet music withing the first three weeks.

Al made four significant contributions to the Disney songbook, all of them collaborations with Mack David and Jerry Livingston. The first few came in 1950 for Cinderella and one also included some nonsensical lyrics. I'm talking about the thingamabob that does the job, of course, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo." The boys put a song in the heart of the film's leading lady with "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "So This Is Love." The fourth song that's entered into a special place in Disney lore comes from 1951's Alice in Wonderland. Of all the songs in that movie, Al's is the one everyone remembers the most, "The Unbirthday Song."

Al continued to write hit songs throughout the 1950s. By the end of his life, he had over 1,500 songs registered with ASCAP. He passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 57 in 1960. Twenty-four years later, he was finally given a spot in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

September 24 - Brad Bird

On this day, in 1957, Phillip Bradley Bird was born in Kalispell, Montana. Since his grandfather was CEO of the Montana Power Company and his father was in the propane business, you might have thought that Brad would have had leanings toward a career in energy. You would have been wrong. Brad decided pretty early in life what he was going to do with his and it had more to do with using electricity rather than producing it.

On a family trip at the age of 11, Brad was taking a tour of the Walt Disney Studios when he met Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney's Nine Old Men. This meeting prompted him to turn to his family and announce that he would be part of Disney's animation team some day. For most 11 year olds, that would have been the end of it. Brad returned home and actually began working on a 15 minute animated film. And it only took him two years to complete it. By the age of 14, Brad was getting mentoring from another of the Old Men, Milt Kahl. It's no surprise that Disney would eventually give him a scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts. It's also no surprise that one of the people Brad made friends with at CalArts was a student by the name of John Lasseter.

After graduating, Brad of course went to work for Disney. He contributed to The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. Then he got fired. But that was okay, it happens to the best of us (right Tim Burton?). Brad moved into television animation. He did an episode of Amazing Stories. He co-wrote the movie *batteries not included. Then, in 1989,  he started working at a little animation studio called Klasky Csupo. One of the first assignments Brad got was taking these one minute filler animations on The Tracey Ullman Show and developing them into a full half hour stand alone program. For the first eight years of its life, Brad helped develop the look of The Simpsons and even directed a few episodes. Some might also recognize that Klasky Csupo was the company that produced The Rugrats. Brad was an animator for the pilot of that show as well.

In 1999, Brad's feature directorial debut, The Iron Giant, was released by Warner Brothers. The movie was a huge critical success (it still has a 96% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and a huge box office failure (it only managed to earn 31 million dollars on an 80 million dollar budget). Because Warner had decided they were getting out of the animation game, the studio basically did the equivalent of heaving Giant out of a moving car and squealing off. Zero marketing, zero caring, zero anything. Which of course meant that Giant would become a cult classic. Nevermind the fact that it's also a great movie. Again, the movie's financial woes were okay: that's when Brad made the move to Pixar.

The first project Brad pitched to his old friend now new boss, John Lasseter, was a superhero flick. It would be the first Pixar film to be mostly populated by human characters, which are much harder to animate than animals or toys. Brad got the go ahead to write, direct and act in the movie, so he wrote, directed and did voice work for his second feature film, The Incredibles. This time around, Brad achieved both critical and box office gold. And like any good director, he saved (in my opinion) the best character for himself, Edna Mode. That's right. Edna is voiced by a guy and yet she's still fabulous! You may have also noticed that Mr. Incredible looks a bit like Brad. Supposedly, he didn't realize the animators had done that until too far into production to change anything. Supposedly.

After The Incredibles, Brad went on to write and direct another Pixar hit, Ratatouille. He became part of the senior creative team at the studio, overseeing such gems as Up, Toy Story 3, Brave, Monster's University, Inside Out and Coco. At some point in there he got the opportunity to direct his first live action film, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol for Paramount. That led to a second live action movie, Tomorrowland, this time for Disney, which he also wrote, produced and did some design work. Then, earlier this year, he finally released The Return of Edna Mode, more popularly known as The Incredibles 2. It was worth the 18 year wait.

Brad's work has earned him numerous Annie Awards, Oscars, Golden Globes, Saturn Awards and BAFTA Film Awards. He reportedly has several project ideas in the works. I'm pretty sure that whatever the future brings for Brad, he's going to need more shelf space in the den.

September 23 - Mickey Rooney

On this day, in 1920, Joseph Yule Jr. was born in Brooklyn, New York. Known professionally as Mickey Rooney, he made his screen debut at the ripe old age of six in 1927's Orchids and Ermine. 80 years and more than 300 movies later, his final appearance would be in 2017's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In between, Mickey's career had more ups and downs than a courthouse elevator.

As the only child of vaudeville performers, Mickey's destiny was pretty well wrapped up from the moment he was born. Luckily for him, he had the talent to see it through. Laurence Olivier himself once declared that Mickey was "the best there has ever been." He was one of those rare actors who was able to make the transition from silent pictures to talkies. His 15 turns as the character Andy Hardy pushed him to the top of the box office. He was the top attraction, and one of the best paid actors, for three years running, 1939-41.

The onset of World War II would change that. Mickey was drafted into the Army where he spent his service entertaining the troops. His willingness to go into combat zones to raise his fellow soldiers spirits earned him a Bronze Star. But at the end of the war, Mickey returned to Hollywood with a two-fold problem. He was too old to play the teen roles he'd made his career on and he was too short to play leading men. Fortunately, he wasn't too versatile to become the steady and endearing character actor that most of the world came to know and love.

Like many actors of his time, Mickey struggled with alcohol and pill addictions. Whether or not those factored into his eight different marriages is hard to say. He also wasn't good at managing the millions of dollars he'd earned at the height of his career, partly because of he was also addicted to gambling; he filed for bankruptcy in 1962. But no matter what happened to him, Mickey had a resiliency and optimism that gave him comeback after comeback.

In addition to hundreds film roles, Mickey would make hundreds of television appearances. He did everything from The Red Skelton Show to made-for-TV Christmas movies. He also graced the stages of Broadway in shows ranging from A Midsummer Night's Dream to The Sunshine Boys to Showboat.  Along the way he received two Oscars, a Golden Globe and an Emmy and was nominated for a Tony.

Mickey's first role with the Walt Disney Company came in 1977 as Lampie, the Passamaquoddy lighthouse keeper, in Pete's Dragon. Four years later, he would give voice to Tod, the fox of The Fox and the Hound. Two decades later, in 2000, Mickey made a brief appearance in a Disney Channel Original Movie, Phantom of the Megaplex and the following year voiced Sparkey in Lady and the Tramp II. His final cameo for Disney came in 2011, as an Elderly Smalltown Resident near the beginning of The Muppets.

In the end, Mickey's life may have seemed far more down than up. He was reportedly abused by family members, taken advantage of financially and had to declare bankruptcy a second time. Through it all though, he kept exuding energy and boyish charm, at least according to his co-stars of one of his final films, Night at the Museum. On April 6, 2014, Mickey passed away from complications due to diabetes. After a lifetime of amazing work, his net worth was reportedly only $18,000. He was 93.

September 22 - Bonnie Lynn Hunt

On this day, in 1961, Bonnie Lynn Hunt was born in Chicago, Illinois. As the sixth of seven children in an Irish/Polish Catholic family, Bonnie learned early on that life can be noisy and chaotic and that it helps if you know how to improvise.

Bonnie worked part time as a nurse's aide while attending Chicago's Notre Dame High School for Girls. After graduation she became a nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in oncology. Since the cancer ward of a hospital doesn't lend itself to much in the way of lightheartedness, Bonnie co-founded an improv group in 1984 called An Impulsive Thing. Two years later she joined Second City, keeping her day job to pay the bills. Two years after that, she had a life-changing lunch break: an audition for the movie Rainman.

Bonnie got the part of waitress Sally Dibbs in the Dustin Hoffman/Tom Cruise vehicle. Two years later (there seems to be a pattern forming here) she would appear on the small screen in a show called Grand. I loved that show, at least the first season of it, but the network managed to kill it in the second season, like so many things the networks touch, and it died a horrible death. She was offered a role on Saturday Night Live but turned it down as she prefers more improvisation than Lorne Michaels does. She also declined a replacement role on Designing Women, instead joining season two of the Randy Quaid/Johnathan Winters sitcom, Davis Rules, in 1992. Unfortunately, season two was also that shows last season. In 1993, she had a sitcom that lasted only five episodes, The Building, that was filmed live and generally left any mistakes in. Two years later, a good chunk of the cast of The Building would return for Bonnie, another attempt at an improvisational loose comedy. Alas, it was critically acclaimed (again I found myself in the minority that loved it) but only made it 11 episodes.

Bonnie had returned to the big screen in 1992 in Beethoven with Charles Grodin. A sequel happened the following year, as well as a turn in Dave with Kevin Kline. For the next several years, Bonnie worked steadily in such films as Jumanji, Jerry Maguire and The Green Mile, which earned her a SAG Award nomination. In 2000, she wrote and directed the movie Return to Me starring David Duchovny, Minnie Driver and Carol O'Connor in his final performance. In 2003, she starred with Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel, you guessed it, two years later.

In 2007, she tried her hand at hosting a talk show. The Bonnie Hunt Show was loosely modeled after Live with Regis and Kelly in that Bonnie made a point of interacting with the audience as much as possible. The show ran for three seasons and earned Bonnie a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2010.

You many have noticed that there are some gaps in Bonnie's history so far. That's because starting in 1998, Bonnie has had an increasing presence in the Disney catalog, mostly in Pixar films. Her first character was Rosie in A Bug's Life. She next appeared as Mrs. Flint in Monsters, Inc. Bonnie then played Sally Carrera in Cars, for which she also received writing credit, Dolly in Toy Story 3, Sally again in Cars 2, Karen Graves in Monsters University, Bonnie Hopps in Zootopia and Sally again in Cars 3. She also has a recurring role on Sophia the First as Aunt Tilly. Bonnie also starred in a sitcom produced by Touchstone Television from 2002-04 called Life with Bonnie, earning Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations along the way.

When not lending her voice to subtly hilarious characters, Bonnie is, as all real Chicagoans are, an avid Cubs fan and, in a nod to her former profession, a board member and ardent supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

September 21 - Jerome Leon Bruckheimer

On this day, in 1943, Jerome Leon Bruckheimer was born in Detroit, Michigan.

The son of German Jewish immigrants, Jerry attended the University of Arizona as a psychology major. Naturally, after graduation he went to work in the advertising field. In the early 1970s, when he tired of the ad world, he began producing movies.

A short pause here. Jerry is the kind of movie producer that people generally love or hate. Sure he's one of the most successful producers ever. His films have grossed over 13 Billion dollars. They also seem to be heavy on explosions and car chases and light on character development and plot. But he has also garnered 41 Oscar nominations, 77 Emmy nominations, 8 Grammy nominations and 23 Golden Globe nominations, winning a total of 32 of those times. Does he make great, high quality films? Sometimes. And sometimes, not so much. In other words, basically like anyone else in Hollywood. So, take him or leave him, you can't deny that Jerry is good at what he does.

Jerry's first bona fide hit came in 1983 with a little film starring Jennifer Beals called Flashdance. Since then he hasn't really looked back. He followed that up with Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II and Days of Thunder, working with the likes of Tom Cruise and Eddie Murphy. Shortly after this string of hits, Jerry began a long relationship with the Walt Disney Company.

Films Jerry has done for Disney, under the Hollywood, Touchstone and Walt Disney Pictures umbrellas: The Ref, Dangerous Minds, Crimson Tide, The Rock, Enemy of the State, Armageddon, Remember the Titans, Coyote Ugly, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Pearl Harbor, Bad Company, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Veronica Guerin, National Treasure (1 and 2), King Arthur, Deja Vu, Glory Road, G-Force, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and The Lone Ranger. He's dabbled in everything from comedy to action to fantasy to period pieces. And for the most part, been pretty successful at whatever he puts his mind to.

Jerry has done as much for television as he has for film. Whether putting his stamp on reality shows with The Amazing Race or on dramas with the CSI series, he has helped shaped what we watch both at home and at the theater. Who knows what Jerry will bring to a screen near us next. Will it be loud and fast paced? You bet. Will it be the greatest movie ever made? There is no doubt that to someone somewhere, it sure will be.

September 20 - Frank Denny De Vol

On this day, in 1911, composer Frank Denny De Vol was born in Moundsville, West Virginia.

De Vol, as he was frequently known as, did most of his growing up in Canton, Ohio. His father, Herman, was the band leader at the Great Opera House so it's no surprise that De Vol started composing music at the advanced age of 12. Within two years, he was already a member of the Musicians' Union. He went to the University of Miami to study law, at his parents request, but only lasted six weeks. De Vol was determined to become a professional musician.

Taking whatever gigs he could find, De Vol did everything from playing violin in his father's orchestra to being background music in a Chinese restaurant. Eventually, in the 1930s, he would hook up with the Horace Heidt Orchestra as the man in charge of all the arrangements for the group. Arranging music was something he'd been doing incredibly well since he was 16 and he would continue to do it for decades to come. Sometimes he would record his own arrangement; sometimes he did it for someone else to play. A list of the folks who had hits with a De Vol arrangement would include Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, The Supremes and Nat King Cole, who had a number one hit in 1948 with "Nature Boy."

Popular songs weren't the only place De Vol shined. He got into writing scores for Hollywood and got a nod from Oscar on four separate occasions. True the nod never turned into handing over an actual award, but when those nominations are for such films as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Pillow Talk, does that really matter? De Vol wrote the score for dozens of other familiar films including The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Yard, The Frisco Kid and the cult classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

De Vol was no stranger to the little screen, either. He did some acting, most notably on Fernwood 2 Night, but his most lasting television legacy would be his theme songs. Maybe you can't hum the number from Gidget or My Three Sons, even thought that one was a hit single, but I would put money on the fact that you know most of the words to another of his tunes. I'll give you a hint: it starts out "Here's the story, of a lovely lady... "

De Vol did work for Disney for both films and television. His scores for the big screen include The Parent Trap, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo and Herbie Goes Bananas. Fans of The Parent Trap might also recognize De Vol as Chief Eaglewood, the head of the Thundercloud Boys' Camp. For television, he composed the music for The Ghosts of Buxley Hall and Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang, both for the Wonderful World of Disney.

De Vol's final film score would reach the big screen in 1981. His last appearance on television would be in 1980 and his last TV composition would be in 1982. De Vol would remain active in the Big Band Academy of America for another decade and half. In October of 1999, he would pass away from congestive heart failure. He was 88.

September 19 - Jeremy John Irons

On this day, in 1948, Jeremy John Irons was born on the Isle of Wight in England.

Jeremy attended the Bristol Old Vic Theater School in Bristol, England for his formal theatrical training. The Old Vic is, of course, the most prestigious British acting school having been founded by Laurence Olivier himself, don't you know. His training definitely took though, as he's managed to win all kinds of awards since his West End debut 47 years ago.

And what a debut. He played John the Baptist and Judas in the original London production of Godspell, which ran for over 1100 performances. Jeremy would go on to grace West End stages for multiple productions right up to this year. He's played with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and at the Globe Theatre. All that success on British stages naturally made British television notice him.

Jeremy began appearing fairly regularly on all sorts of programs on the BBC starting in the early 1970s. In 1977, he starred in Love for Lydia for 13 episodes. The following year he was romantically linked to Judy Dench in Langrishe, Go Down.

But it was in 1981's Brideshead Revisited that Jeremy got a taste of what could really be called fame. A Golden Globe nomination would come out of that performance. The same year, Jeremy would star opposite Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's Woman. A BAFTA award nomination would come out of that performance. If you can believe it, things would only get better for Jeremy after that pretty spectacular year.

A Tony Award win for his Broadway debut in The Real Thing in 1984. Multiple awards for playing twin brothers in 1988's Dead Ringers. Multiple awards including an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Reversal of Fortune in 1990. Primetime Emmys in 1997, 2006 and 2014. Another Golden Globe, a SAG Award and more nominations then most graduating classes can usually amass collectively. Yes, Jeremy is just that good.

His contribution to the Disney Studio is threefold. First, and foremost, Jeremy turned an a deliciously unctuous performance as the villain of The Lion King, Scar. My second favorite Disney bad guy earned Jeremy a well deserved Annie Award. The second place you might known him, actually seeing him this time, was as HG Wells in the Circle-Vision movie called The Timekeeper. This film played in Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland from the mid 1990s through the mid 2000s. The third place Jeremy was heard was also a place that almost paired him with Judy Dench again. He was the third person to narrate the Epcot attraction Spaceship Earth, replacing Walter Cronkite in 1994. She was his replacement in 2008.

As I said earlier, Jeremy was playing on the West End earlier this year. Even though he turns 70 today, he may have a few more award nominations in his future. I think I speak for all of us when I say we look forward to seeing what that future brings.

September 18 - June Lucille Foray

On this day, in 1917, veteran voice actress June Lucille Foray was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 As a little girl, June, like many little girls, wanted to be a dancer when she grew up. Lucky for us, if not for her as a child, an ill timed case of pneumonia kept her home from dance class and she ended up becoming a voice actress instead. By the age of 12, June had already been heard in a drama on the local radio station and by 15, was doing that sort of thing regularly. After graduating from high school, her family fell on hard financial times and moved to Los Angeles, mostly to be near an uncle, but that was when June's career took off.

By the late 1930s, June had her own radio show, Lady Make Believe (also the title of a children's album she released in 2016). It didn't take long for her to be featured on coast-to-coast radio shows like The Jimmy Durante Show. In the 1940s, June began working in the movies. Very occasionally she would do a live action part, but mostly she voiced animated characters. This work naturally spilled onto the television screen when the new media came along. If you've payed even the tiniest bit of passing attention to cartoons since the 1950s, I guarantee you've heard June's voice. How can I make this guarantee? June provided the voice for:

Rocky J. Squirrel, Natasha Fatale and Nell Fenwick for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show

Granny and Witch Hazel for The Bugs Bunny Show (and dozens of Loony Tunes shows and shorts both before and after)


Cindy Lou Who for How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Ursula and Marigold for

The original voice of Karen and the Teacher for Frosty the Snowman

Jokey Smurf and Mother Nature for The Smurfs

 Mrs. Cauldron for The Garfield Show (for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award)


Plus literally dozens and dozens of other characters in everything from Scooby Doo to Mr. Magoo to the Pink Panther. If you try to say you haven't ever heard her voice, you're flat out lying.



 June also did extensive work for Disney. Those credits include:

Lucifer in Cinderella

Witch Hazel in the Donald Duck short Trick or Treat (and not to be confused with her Loony Tunes character of the same name)

Mrs. Sheep in Lambert the Sheepish Lion

A Squaw in Peter Pan (she also was the live model for one of the mermaids)

Wheezy Weasel and Lena Hyena in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Mrs. Featherby  and Magica De Spell in Duck Tales

Grandmother Fa in Mulan and Mulan II

She can also be heard in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction as the wife of the man getting dunked in the town well.

In the mid 1960s, June looked around and began to worry that the legacy of animation wasn't being paid attention to much less preserved. Being who she was, rather than talking about the problem, she did something about it by creating the Annie Awards, basically the Oscars of animation, in 1972. Almost 46 years later, the Annies are still going strong thanks in large part to June's efforts. The fact that there is an actual Oscar for Best Animated Feature is also due to June's lobbying efforts.

June worked regularly up until 2014. In 2015, her health began to decline after she was involved in an automobile accident. On July 26, 2017, June passed away in Los Angeles, California. She was less than two months shy of her 100th birthday.

September 17 - Robert Carey Broughton

On this day, in 1917, film effects artist Robert Carey Broughton was born in Berkeley, California.

 A California native through and through, Bob grew up in Glendale, graduating from Glendale High School. He then moved on to Glendale Junior College. When he had learned all he could there, he took the next logical step and went to the University of California, Los Angeles (you thought I was going to say UC Berkeley, didn't you?). Not one to shy away from a challenge even then, Bob studied chemistry, physics, math and optics, all of which would help him fulfill his destiny making movies.

In 1937, Bob got the most iconic Hollywood job he possibly could at the Walt Disney Studio: he started in the mail room. And just like in the movies, he didn't stay there long. Bob quickly got pulled to the camera department as an assistant in the test camera area. His job was to shoot test footage of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to check for fluid movement before the final shots were made. Bob's eye for detail helped him graduate from test footage to working on the granddaddy of Disney innovations, the multiplane camera. He helped give visual depth to Pinocchio and Bambi. Then came Fantasia and another semi-promotion: Bob was one of only two people running a special camera creating special effects like the ghosts on Bald Mountain.

After the successes of Fantasia, Bob was promoted again, this time to camera department supervisor. At about the same time, World War II broke out and Bob signed up to serve in the United States Army. He was assigned to the Field Photographic Branch of the Office of Strategic Services, what would eventually become the CIA. Bob spent most of the war working with director John Ford making documentaries of the fighting. They would win the Academy Award for best documentary in 1942 for their film about the battle of Midway.

Following the war, Bob returned to the Disney Studio and began working as assistant to Ub Iwerks. He started transitioning into doing effects for live action films. Bob was even in charge of filming Walt's introductions to the Wonderful World of Color television show for a while. He believed that his job was to create effects in the most subtle way possible. He once said "If it looked like we doctored up a scene, we were a failure." One of his great successes was making Dick Van Dyke dance with penguins in Mary Poppins, using a system called Color Traveling Matte Composite Technology to blend the live action shots with animation.

After 45 years with company, putting his mark on almost every movie from 1937's Snow White to 1979's The Black Hole, Bob retired from Disney in 1982. But only from officially working as he headed up the retiree club, The Golden Ears, for the next 15 years. In 2001, Bob became a Disney Legend. In January of 2009, he passed away in Rochester, Minnesota. He was 91.

September 16 - Handy Manny

On this day, in 2006, Handy Manny made his debut as part of Playhouse Disney on the Disney Channel.

 Of all the shows my kids subjected me to... I mean, watched... when they were little, Handy Manny was easily my favorite. Set in the town of Sheetrock Hills, somewhere in... well, somewhere warm and coastal, the show centered around the town fix-it guy, Manuel Estevez Garcia III, and his trusty set of tools. Manny himself was voiced by Wilmer Valderrama who was best known for the character Fez on That 70's Show. The show featured a lot of characters that spoke both Spanish and English.

Just as in real life, something somewhere in Sheetrock Hills is always breaking and everyone knows that Manny is just the person to call when that happens. Occasionally, someone just needs something assembled but usually it's a repair. Even though Manny is constantly out on service calls, he apparently doesn't need a receptionist to answer the phone and he never seems to miss out on a job. Sheetrock Hills is a very accommodating place.

The only thing that Manny ever takes with him on a job are his tools. They include all the basics: a wrench, a saw, a hammer, pliers, two kinds of screwdriver and a tape measure; each tool, of course, has its own personality. When they get to the repair site, they put their heads together to figure out what needs to be done and whether or not they need some kind of part. They almost always need a part, which gives them the chance to go to the hardware store. They get their part, fix the problem, and learn something in the process just in time for the end of the episode.

I actually enjoyed many aspects of Handy Manny. One was the fact that it dealt with all kinds of personalities having all kinds of problems but it never seemed to get smarmy about it. It was predictable, as all children's shows are, but never cloying or in your face about stuff. I also loved the character of the Mr. Lopart, the man who owned the candy store next to Manny's repair shop. The sight gags they did with Mr. Lopart's fly-away comb over and his cat, who also had a comb over, were marvelous. The best part for me, though, was the hardware store. It was owned by a woman named Kelly and the innuendos between her and Manny were priceless. More than one character declared that Kelly had "everything Manny needs." The two would finally kiss, but only in the context of a play, so did it really count? The awkwardly romantic moments between them gave my wife and me the giggles pretty much every episode.

One interesting factoid about Handy Manny is that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Los Lobos did the theme song, something that I'm sure was lost entirely on most viewers. After 113 episodes, spanning three official seasons broadcast over six and a half years, Manny and his tools said "Hasta luego" for the last time in February 2013.

September 14 - Mickey Mouse Revue

On this day, in 1980, the Mickey Mouse Revue had its final curtain call in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World.

On opening day of the Magic Kingdom, October 1, 1971, Fantasyland boasted the most attractions with eight. (Tommorowland, if you can believe it, only had one: the Grand Prix Raceway). Of those eight, only four remain today. The Mickey Mouse Revue isn't one of them. Except, as we'll see, it kind of is, at least in spirit.

Can you think of a better way to get guests into an air conditioned theater than a show featuring 24 beloved Disney characters singing a dozen hit Disney songs? It's probably not that hard a task in July, of course, but the Mickey Mouse Revue was a charming way to do it.

After guests entered the pre-show area, they were treated to an 8 minute film giving highlights of Mickey's career, from Steamboat Willie to Fantasia. They then entered the main theater for an animatronic extravaganza much in the style of the Country Bears. There was a main stage in the middle with side stages on both flanks. Mickey conducted the orchestra while various groups sang songs, and medleys of songs, from Snow White to The Jungle Book.

One fact about the show that makes you scratch your head, is that the theater was built to hold 500 guests, but the pre-show area was only designed for 300 guests. Yes, they got that sorted out later, but you wonder how everyone missed that not so little detail.

In 1980, the Mickey Mouse Revue packed its bags and traveled across the world to Tokyo Disneyland where it became an opening day attraction once again in 1983. Revue would entertain Japanese guests until finally closing for good in May of 2009.

After the closing of Revue, the theater hosted the 3D film Magic Journeys, then the epic puppet show Legend of the Lion King. Currently in its spot, in both the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, is another 3D movie, Mickey's PhilharMagic. The latest film also features Mickey as a conductor and has various characters signing (mostly newer) Disney songs, much like the show that debuted in the theater. Which just goes to show that while the mode of delivery constantly changes, the best stories continue to entertain.

September 15 - Ellen's Energy Adventure

On this day, in 1996, Ellen DeGeneres began having an Energy Crisis in the Universe of Energy pavilion at Epcot.

You heard that right. When the revamped ride reopened that fall, Ellen's energy was in full crisis mode. It didn't last long. Almost immediately, she got her act together and Ellen's Energy Crisis was renamed Ellen's Energy Adventure. No explanation was ever given as to the nature of the crisis, we're just glad it got resolved.

The original Universe of Energy was fairly serious and utilitarian. Educational films informed guests about different kinds of energy and a trip through prehistoric times let everyone know where fossil fuels came from. It even got not one but two songs. Straightforward, not terribly exciting stuff. That all changed in version two, mostly due to a bad wig but I'm getting ahead of myself.

As attraction updates began to focus more on humor and celebrity faces, the Universe of Energy was ripe for an overhaul. And who better to use than folks with current hit projects. Bill Nye, the Science Guy would lend credibility to the presentation and Ellen would provide a perfect comic foil to all the sciency stuff. Add in Alex Trebek and Jamie Lee Curtis for a Jeopardy showdown like no other, and you get the adventure we'd been waiting for. Don't get me wrong, Ellen's Energy Adventure was still quite informative, as Future World pavilions should be.

The ride system itself didn't change from the original. Guests watched a short preshow in which Ellen dreams she's on Jeopardy losing against her old college nemesis and Albert Einstein. That led into a theater with four large ride vehicles. After getting seated, the vehicles rotated for another movie that showed Bill Nye offering to help Ellen learn a few things during the commercial break. The vehicles then moved through the area with dinosaur animatronics, again letting guests know where fossil fuels came from. The experience ended back in the theater it started in with Ellen using all her newfound knowledge to totally kill Final Jeopardy.

It was in the area with the dinosaurs that the real highlight of the attraction was found. No one knows for sure who dressed the Ellen animatronic figure, but it quickly passed into the hall of fame for unintentional guest favorites. Whether it was the absolutely terrible wig or the fact that Ellen was trying to fend off a dinosaur by poking a stick at it, a little part of all of us died when the figure stopped working and was removed from the ride in 2014. The adventure stopped altogether on August 13, 2017 as the Universe of Energy pavilion went dark in anticipation of version three featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy. No word yet if the dinosaurs will still be a part of it, but we can always hope.

September 12 - Captain EO

On this day, in 1986, the science fiction, 4D movie Captain EO debuted in the Journey to Imagination pavilion of EPCOT Center.

 What happens when the creator of Star Wars teams up with an Academy Award winning director, an Academy Award winning actress and the King of Pop? You get one of the most expensive, on a per minute basis, movies ever made. In fact, if you adjust the 1.76 million dollars per minute cost for inflation, it still tops the list by quite a bit. Good thing Captain EO was highly entertaining.

In 1984, Michael Eisner was looking to create original entertainment to boost attendance at Disney theme parks. Yes, there was a time when that sort of thing needed to be done. He approached Michael Jackson with the idea to do a short film. Jackson was a regular visitor to Disney, albeit usually in an elaborate disguise: he once reportedly dressed as an old woman to avoid being mobbed by fans. Needless to say, Jackson loved the idea.

Because of the burgeoning relationship between Disney and LucasFilm, Eisner had already gotten George Lucas to agree to at least produce the film. Jackson wanted Steven Spielberg to direct. Steven wasn't able to make time to do it, so Lucas suggested Francis Ford Coppola. This was a slightly odd suggestion as Lucas and Coppola had had a falling out and refused to speak to each other for several years. Funny how a good gig can bring old friends together again.

Imagineers were asked to come up with something that blended outer space and music with a liberal amount of 3D effects. They came up with a parable about an intergalactic performer who healed lost civilizations with his song. It got a few tweaks and was finalized into the script we know and love today. Then filming began and the initial 11 million dollar budget for a 12 minute film got shot all to hell.

One of the biggest problems was that neither Coppola nor his cinematographer had ever done anything in 3D before, which requires specific lighting and camera set-ups. As any bean counter can tell you, on the job training like this is never cheap. Lucas, as producer, didn't help the budget woes any. He was working on several other projects of his own at the same time, so was rarely around to reign his friend in. When he did show up, he tended to approve whatever expenses were laid before him. After all that, when it came time for post production, 40 effects shots ballooned into 140. By the end, Disney had spent 30 million dollars for a 17 minute film. Eisner was incredibly worried about how this roll of the dice was going to go.

What do you do when you're worried about how an expensive project is going to be received? Throw a lavish premier party of course. EPCOT Center hosted a motorcade featuring the film's leading lady, Angelica Huston, fresh off her Oscar win for Prizzi's Honor, and her then boyfriend, Jack Nicholson. Janet and LaToya Jackson were also present. Their notoriously shy brother, however, was a no show. His absence didn't affect how people felt about the movie. It was an instant hit. Over 93% of people who came to EPCOT that first weekend said they came specifically for Captain EO and they were not disappointed.

Captain EO would eventually expand to theaters in Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. It would have runs of varying lengths in each of the four parks. The final showing would be in Europe in 1998. Or would it? After years of fans asking for the return of the Captain, it wouldn't be until after Jackson's death that EO would reemerge, once again in all four parks in 2010. It wasn't exactly the same show. The film was the same but since most of the in theater effects had been removed when it closed the first time, Disney ran the movie without them. Since the presentation wasn't the same, the revival was named Captain EO Tribute. The final final showing of this musical extravaganza was back where it all began, in the Journey to Imagination pavilion of Epcot in 2015.