Today in Disney History 10/31
Oct. 31, 1892 – Elias Disney (Walt’s father) paid $750 for a 25 x 125 corner lot at 2156 N. Tripp Avenue on the northwest side of Chicago. The area was annexed into the city in 1889 and is now a desirable location for working-class families to buy lots and build homes of their own.
Oct. 31, 1912 – Animator Ollie Johnston, one of Walt’s “Nine Old Men,” and whose contributions in such Disney films such as “Pinocchio, “Fantasia,” and “The Fox and the Hound.”
Oct. 31, 1927 – Disney’s Oswald the Lucky Rabbit black & white “All Wet” was released.
Oct. 31, 1936 – Disney’s Silly Symphony cartoon “The Country Cousin” was released.
Oct. 31, 1939 – This is the date of the fateful “elevator accident” at the Tower of Terror, Walt Disney’s scary attraction at Disney-MGM Studios. This is also the date inscribed on the eviction notice that appears on the entrance gates and on the inspection notice in the elevators.
Oct. 31, 1942 – Actor David Ogden Stiers, the voice of many Disney animated characters including Cogsworth in the 1991 “Beauty and the Beast,” and Jumbain in the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch,” was born in Peoria, Il. (TV fans may remember him as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the hit series M*A*S*H.)
Oct. 31, 1950 – Funnyman John Candy, the voice of Albatross Wilbur in Disney’s 1990 “The Rescuers Down Under,” and also starred with Tom Hanks in the 1984 Disney/Touchstone Pictures feature “Splash”, was born in Toronto, Canada.
Oct. 31, 1951 – Animator Randy Cartwright was born in Newport News, Va. While attending UCLA, he would work at Disneyland in the character department, portraying such characters as Dopey and Pluto. A year after graduating he would accept a job at the Walt Disney Studios animation training program headed by the veteran Disney animator Eric Larson. Cartwright would begin his career as an inbetweener for Ollie Johnson on “The Rescuers” and progressed to full animator on “Pete’s Dragon.” He would go on to animate Belle in “Beauty and the Beast” and become the directing animator for the Magic Carpet in “Aladdin.”
Oct. 31, 1952 – Disney’s Goofy cartoon “Two Weeks Vacation” was released.
Oct. 31, 1953 – This weeks issue of Saturday Evening Post featured part-1 of the article “The Amazing Story of Walt Disney” by Jack Alexander. It also featured a series of color photos of walt and his family & friends at their California home.
