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Disney Legends Awards 2007
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It was a beautiful day on October 10, 2007,
and a very special one. This is the day Disney would honor
some amazing people as "Disney
Legends."
This is a very special day for me because it is a chance for
me to see some favorite legends, maybe meet some new ones,
and reunite with people I've worked with and have known thru
Disney.
When I got out of the car, the first two people I saw were
two incredible legends that I have the honor of knowing, the
wonderful Blaine Gibson and the dear Harriet Burns who I
absolutely adore.
(Be sure to see their
interviews on here!) |
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Here's another true Disney legend... Art
Linkletter, one of the three hosts of the original
Disneyland opening day television special on July 17, 1955.
At 94 years he looked just great!
All the past Disney Legends are always invited back to the
studio each year for this ceremony and it was great seeing
many of the ones that
I'm fortunate enough to know and
have interviewed for
this website such as Alice Davis, Jack Lindquist,
Kathryn Beaumont, Richard M. Sherman, and Wally Boag. |
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This year, twelve special people
were inducted. Those who were honored posthumously include: |
Roone Arledge was the President of ABC
Sports & ABC News
Art Babbitt was an Animator who most notably devloped
Goofy and animated the Queen in Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs, Gepetto in Pinocchio, and Mr. Stork in
Dumbo amongst others.
Dick Huemer was once described by Ward Kimball
as a "jack of all trades" having been an Animator, Director, and
Story Man. He contributed to classic Silly Symphonies and was
the Story Director on Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland,
and Fantasia amongst others.
Bob Schiffer was a Makeup Artist who began his
professional career in 1932 at age 17 when he did make-up for
the Marx Brothers' Horse Feathers. He worked at MGM on
films including The Wizard of Oz. He finally joined
Disney and stayed for 31 years, working on films such as The
Apple Dumpling Gang, The Shaggy D.A., Tron,
and
Splash.
Below are the honorees that were present. |
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Tom Murphy (pictured left with Disney CEO
Bob Iger) built Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. from a single TV and
radio station into a multibillion-dollar international media
conglomerate. He also distinguished himself as a responsible
corporate citizen by a constant emphasis on public service. |
Lucille Martin planned to be a teacher,
but when the single mother of a five and ten year old moved to
California she found her Illinois credential was not valid.
She typed up a résumé and stopped by the Disney Studios to
inquire about work and was hired on the spot, starting in the
secretarial pool.
Within a year she was asked to work for Walt's office. After
Walt's death she continued to work for Ron Miller as he made his
way to CEO and eventually she worked for Michael's Eisner's
office. |
In 1995 Lucille was promoted to Vice
President and special assistant to The Walt Disney Company Board
of Directors until she retired in January 2006.
"I loved every minute of my forty one years
and miss you all." |
"From 1956 ‘til now… it’s a long time, but I
tell you every year working with Walt, working with a great
bunch of people, it’s been a ball." |
Floyd Norman (pictured left with Roy E.
Disney) was an animator and in-betweener who worked on
Sleeping Beauty,
The Sword in the Stone, and The Jungle Book along
with various animated projects at Disney in the late 50s and
early 60s.
Most recently Floyd has worked on Toy Story 2 and
Monsters, Inc.
I fondly remember meeting Floyd and making a few special trips
to his office when we both worked in the same building. |
Any MGM fan knows Marge Champion as one of the most
popular dancers during the Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals.
With then husband, the team of Marge and Gower Champion became
the screen's most popular dance team since Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers.
Much less known is that Marge was the live action reference
model for the animators for Snow White in Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.
She also modeled for the Blue Fairy in
Pinocchio, Hyacinth the Hippo in Fantasia, and even
did some modeling for Mr. Stork in Dumbo. |
"I can’t tell you how moved I am today. Not
only with thanks and gratitude for this extraordinary award, but
also because it brings back so many memories." |
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Carl Bongirno (pictured here with Marty
Sklar, International Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering)
first joined the Disney Company in 1963, but from 1979 to 1989
was the Vice President of Finance
and Treasurer of Walt Disney World in Florida.
Carl led the Disney Imagineers to unimagined heights of creative
achievement, worldwide expansion, and unprecedented growth and
change, both within the organization and within the themed
entertainment industry. |
Ron Logan started his Disney career as a
trumpet player at Disneyland. He later moved to Florida in 1978
as Walt Disney World Music Director.
Ron eventually became involved in all of Disney's parks and
ultimately became the Executive Vice President, Executive
Producer for Walt Disney Entertainment, creating, casting, and
producing all live entertainment products for The Walt Disney
Company which includes Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disney
Cruise Line and much more.
Ron produced many of your favorite park shows such as
Fantasmic!, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage!,
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth and much much more.
Although he "retired" in 2001, Ron
continues to be involved in music and continues to consult and
create for Disney, as well as teaching his over 400 students! |
As a huge fan of Disney live entertainment, it
was a delight for me to meet Ron for the first time at this
ceremony.
During his speech, Ron turned to the musicians of this event and
said, “Hey guys, check’s in the mail.” |
"I should say, 'Wow, that’s heavy!' when I pick up this award,
but I don’t have to. We have one in the Archives and I’ve been
practicing."
- Dave Smith |
I, like most employees, first met Dave Smith
(pictured left with Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, Dick
Cook) at my Disney orientation on my first day of work.
Dave founded the Disney Archives in 1970 (see
my interviews with Dave to learn about his fascinating start
with Disney) and continues.
Dave has written extensively on Disney history and has authored
several books including the official Disney encyclopedia
Disney A to Z, now in it's third edition.
Dave continues to an important part of the Disney Archives and
is regarded as the final authority on matters of Disney history. |
Randy Newman was already a professional
songwriter at the age of seventeen. In 1977 he had a hege
unlikely hit with his song "Short People."
Randy has not only recorded his own albums but was composed
music for films including Ragtime, The Natural, Meet
the Parents, and Seabiscuit.
In a perfect collaboration between Randy and Pixar, he has
written the score and songs for the Toy Story, Toy
Story 2, Bug's Life, Monster's Inc. and
Cars and is currently working on Disney's next traditional
animated film, The Princess and the Frog. |
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After his funny and poignant acceptance speech,
Randy was invited to the piano to sing his Academy Award®
nominated hit from Toy Story, "You've Got a Friend in Me"
with Buzz and Woody by his side. |
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After each inductee receives their award they
sign their
name and leave their handprints to be preserved for posterity. |
These people are truly the ones responsible for
inspiring me to be a part of the magic that we all love. They
are the ones who have inspired me to originally work for Disney
and continue to inspire me to keep this website alive. When it
comes to their association with Disney, certainly the best words
to describe them are true "Disney Legends."
It seems like just yesterday that I
attended the second Disney Legends Awards Ceremony which
included Animators Marc Davis, Ward Kimball, Frank Thomas and
Ollie Johnston.
My sincere thanks go out to everybody at The
Walt Disney Company who continue to accept my wife Shani and
myself as a small part of Disney. I also want to thank Jeff,
Andrea, and Liz for allowing us to once again be amongst
greatness at the 20th Anniversary of the Disney Legends Awards. |
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