Tag Archives: disney

Interview: Marcia Miner Phillips (1967 Disneyland Ambassador to the World)

Marcia hosting an episode of "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," at the grand opening the "new Tomorrowland," and with Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie
Marcia hosting an episode of “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color,” at the grand opening the “new Tomorrowland,” and with Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie

 

Marcia Miner Phillips was a Disneyland tour guide, VIP hostess and the 1967 Disneyland Ambassador to the World.

AUDIO INDEX

2:03 Her start with Disney as a tour guide; memorizing the script; about the tours; a tour for a sight impaired Guest

6:35 Walt Disney; the grand opening of “it’s a small world”

8:43 A finalist for the 1965 Disneyland Ambassador, and that ceremony at Sleeping Beauty Castle; Walt Disney’s passing; Honorary Ambassador of Orange County

15:08 Re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs press tour

16:50 Her Ambassador year; Working at home without a Disney office

21:06 The opening of Pirates of the Caribbean and getting into photos; Roy O. Disney

23:49 Ambassador description; Walt Disney; Hedda Hopper; Peter Ustinov

27:08 “A day in the life of” the Ambassador; President of Turkey, Cevdet Suney; Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie

Remembering Page Cavanaugh

Page CavanaughBorn on January 26, 1922, jazz pianist Page Cavanaugh was the special guest in a concert I went to at the Greek Theater back in the 1980s. They mentioned that he performs at a club in Burbank, and that began a wonderful friendship. Every week I would go see Page, listen to him play and talk with him about music, learning about the great composers and performers of American music.

Page worked with everybody! Frank Sinatra, Chico Marx, Louis Armstrong and on and on. I miss Page and I miss his stories.

I had known Page for awhile before I learned that he provided his musical talents for a Disney cartoon short entitled “The Truth About Mother Goose.”

Page Cavanaugh - The Truth About Mother Goose

This animated short, featured segments explaining the story behind Mother Goose stories. Page and his trio introduced each segment in song. Here’s a clip from the opening of the film:

Although “The Truth About Mother Goose” was the only animated film Page appeared in, he was in a number of other movies including “A Song is Born,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and “Romance on the High Seas.” In the latter, he accompanied Doris Day on piano and in voice for the song, “Put ‘Em in a Box.”

In that same film, Doris Day also sang “It’s Magic,” written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. That song was nominated for an Academy Award that year.

One of the last times I saw Page, I recorded him singing this parody, “It’s Tragic.”

Page Cavanaugh - Romance on the High Seas

 

Interview: Kathryn Beaumont (How the Disney staff involved her in the film process; working with other voice actors)

 

Kathryn Beaumont interview
Kathryn Beaumont, with Alice in Wonderland co-stars Jerry Colonna and Ed Wynn 

Kathryn Beaumont was a child actress at MGM and went on to voice Alice and Wendy in Walt Disney’s animated versions of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan” respectively

AUDIO INDEX

:56 Working for MGM and then Disney

1:39 Already familiar with Alice in Wonderland

2:34 The audition for Alice, getting a contract with Disney

3:25 Remembering Walt Disney, the atmosphere at the Walt Disney Studios

6:05 Storyboard conferences with artists, writers and Winston Hibler; Ink and Paint and other departments sharing the progress of the film

9:05 Involvement in Peter Pan vs. Alice in Wonderland

11:55 Working with other actors such as Hans Conreid

Interview: Stan Freese (Career overview)

Stan Freese - Disneyland

Stan is the talent booking director for Disneyland and tuba soloist extraordinaire. He was the longtime conductor of the Disneyland band and the first full-time conductor of the Walt Disney World band.

AUDIO INDEX
1:43 Performing tuba solos on the TV series Hee Haw

4:40 His start with music and choosing the tuba

7:01 Entertaining for Lawrence Welk and performing on his show

Stan Freese meets President Nixon8:30 Tuba soloist for the government cultural exchange program including Soviet Union and Siberia; Command performance at the White House for President Nixon

9:25 Starting with Disney; the first leader of the Walt Disney World band; problems with the first band

12:45 Moving to Disneyland

14:11 Involvement with Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea

15:40 Auditions and benefits of entertaining at Disneyland; Disney entertainment; the Trash Can Trio and the Mariachi Divas

20:28 Big bands at Disneyland

Interview: Bill Farmer (The recording process for Goofy; other voices)

INTERVIEW-bill-farmer

Bill is a voice actor, whose most popular character is Goofy, for which he has provided the voice for countless movies, toys Disney theme park stage shows and more.

AUDIO INDEX
:44 Bill’s version of Goofy compared to the original, voiced by Pinto Colvig

1:25 Work besides just the animated films, including Disneyland and Disney World live shows, games, toys, etc.

2:00 When Bill began doing the voice of Pluto

2:15 The soundtrack recording process and sessions done solo vs. group ensembles, and the job of the voice director

4:45 Disney’s Character Voices department

6:15 Recording thousands of names for personalized CDs

8:01 The loop group, looping, background voices and other work, including Disney-Pixar Toy Story, Cars, Monster’s, Inc. Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast as well as other characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

9:44 Bill’s work on the English-dubbed Japanese TV series Astro Boy, as well as redoing lines for Goofy

11:25 Bill as the original voice of Horace Horsecollar and his inspiration for that character

12:30 How Bill describes Goofy

 

Interview: Rikki Lugo (Disneyland/Disney movies dancer and choreographer)

Rikki Lugo in the Golden Horseshoe Revue, Babes in Toyland

Rikki Lugo, early dance captain in the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and dancer/choreographer in Disney television shows and films such as “Babes in Toyland.”

AUDIO INDEX
1:10 The Golden Horseshoe Revue 10,000th performance television special

2:19 Remembering working with Ed Wynn on Babes in Toyland

3:15 A fun story about Annette Funicello

4:14 Choreographer Tom Mahoney and the Disneyland 10th Anniversary television special and
performing as a dancing cake piece

5:17 Hanging out with Walt Disney at the Golden Horseshoe

6:28 Why she got cavities working at Disneyland

7:15 Performing at Holidayland at Disneyland, modeling for Pendleton and dancing the Can Can in parades

10:58 Swimming as a mermaid in the Submarine Lagoon