Episode 63 - MICKEY MOUSE THEATRE ON THE AIR! 1938 “Snow White Day” Radio Show!
Episode 63 - MICKEY MOUSE THEATRE ON THE AIR! 1938 “Snow White Day” Radio Show! http://www.RedfieldArtsAudio.com November 18th marks the birthdays of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse! November 18th was chosen as the anniversary date (by the late Disney historian and archivist Dave Smith) as that’s the date that “Steamboat Willie” (by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks) was released. It’s the first “talkie” Mickey Mouse cartoon from the Disney Brothers. But Minnie and Mickie made their actual screen debut in “Plane Crazy” on 15 May, 1928. After the success of the sound “Steamboat Willie”, “Plane Crazy” was scored and vocal and sound effects were added, and the short was re-released in 1929! And the first voice of Mickey Mouse in the films? Walt Disney! I always wondered why Mickey didn’t have his own radio show. He, and all the characters created by Disney and voiced by such wonderful voice talents would have been a natural. Particularly as music was so important to all of Disney’s films, and rapid fire dialogue, character voices, and verbal humor was king in the movies and radio of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. But Mickey and his friends were on the radio in the late 1930s. Perhaps radio, and Walt being primarily a visual storyteller, was just too much for the growing studio after they released their feature animated cartoon, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Of course broadcasters we after Disney to do radio, and when the opportunity to help promote Snow White presented itself, Disney leapt at it, and put his all into it, like he did with everything. Mickey Mouse Theatre On the Air was a short lived variety radio program that debuted on NBC in January, 1938. Remarkably well produced and performed, it moves swiftly and packs the short program with great familiar characters and songs. It’s a shame that Mickey Mouse Theater on the Air only lasted until May of 1938, with only about 20 shows produced, broadcast every Sunday afternoon. There are so many wonderful possibilities for Mickey and friends on the radio…it could have been somewhat groundbreaking had it been given the chance, much like The Muppet Show was when it debuted on television in the 1970s… Here’s the second show, “Snow White Day”, originally broadcast on January 9th, 1938. With The Felix Mills Orchestra. Spike Jones conducting Donald Duck’s Swing Band. Clarence Nash as Donald Duck, Thelma Boardman as Minnie Mouse, Stuart Buchanan as Goofy, and the announcer is Joe Hiestand. Walt Disney appears as himself, and as Mickey Mouse!