Rewording History:
I was looking at Disney`s Merbabies yesterday from the More Silly Symphonies Volume 2 of the Disney Treasures and listening to the commentary by J. B. Kaufman. It amazes me how official studio true in not lies in what is said but in what is not said.
Merbabies is the 1938 sequel to Disney`s 1935 Water Babies. It was created by Harman and Ising not the Walt Disney Studios. Kaufman slides right over the whole event and makes it sound like Walt and Rudy and Hugh were buddies and it is the most natural thing in the world for Walt to call them up and ask them to do a picture for him when Snow White got too demanding to keep the shorts unit running. This is the nuts and bolts of the whole event. This is the studio truth and all the things said are technically true.
Hugh Harman, brother of Fred Harman one time partner of Walt in one of his Kansas City studios, was a contemporary of Walt in the days that they were both learning animation out of a library book. Rudy Ising answered a newspaper add. Walt went bankrupt and left Kansas City. It is a true tribute to Walt`s power of persuasion that Walt could talk anybody from his Kansas City Studio into moving to Hollywood to join the new Disney Bros. Studio.
Walt quit animating early on around 1922 - 23. Only to be forced to serve at ink and paint when Charles Mintz, working on hard feeling and jealousy in the studio, convinced Harman and Ising and all of the rest of the Disney animation crew, except Ub Iwerks, to jump ship. Mintz also took Disney`s distributor and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at the same time. Walt was not happy.
The feeling between Walt and the Mintz betrayers was anything but happy. In 1937 Walt was in a race for his life. He had to get Snow White finished before the Bank of America quit giving him money. The studio was at stake. Mickey Mouse was in hock up to his always face-front swiveling ears. Harman Ising had just lost MGM who where bringing the studio in house. Walt needed an ink and paint crew. Harman Ising needed money to keep their studio afloat.
Merbabies was the bone that Walt threw Harman Ising to rent their studio`s ink and paint department. But Walt would not meet with them or talk to them. Everything was done through intermediaries. There was no second picture deal for the deserters after Walt got what he needed out of them. Walt was not one to forgive anything, ever.
My question is why are historians still self censoring themselves about events that happened 70 years ago? Shouldn`t there be a statute of limitations? How is that serving history? I know that there are truths that are dangerous to tell but if nobody ever tells them then they cease to exist and the half truths become the lies of history.
Merbabies is the 1938 sequel to Disney`s 1935 Water Babies. It was created by Harman and Ising not the Walt Disney Studios. Kaufman slides right over the whole event and makes it sound like Walt and Rudy and Hugh were buddies and it is the most natural thing in the world for Walt to call them up and ask them to do a picture for him when Snow White got too demanding to keep the shorts unit running. This is the nuts and bolts of the whole event. This is the studio truth and all the things said are technically true.
Hugh Harman, brother of Fred Harman one time partner of Walt in one of his Kansas City studios, was a contemporary of Walt in the days that they were both learning animation out of a library book. Rudy Ising answered a newspaper add. Walt went bankrupt and left Kansas City. It is a true tribute to Walt`s power of persuasion that Walt could talk anybody from his Kansas City Studio into moving to Hollywood to join the new Disney Bros. Studio.
Walt quit animating early on around 1922 - 23. Only to be forced to serve at ink and paint when Charles Mintz, working on hard feeling and jealousy in the studio, convinced Harman and Ising and all of the rest of the Disney animation crew, except Ub Iwerks, to jump ship. Mintz also took Disney`s distributor and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at the same time. Walt was not happy.
The feeling between Walt and the Mintz betrayers was anything but happy. In 1937 Walt was in a race for his life. He had to get Snow White finished before the Bank of America quit giving him money. The studio was at stake. Mickey Mouse was in hock up to his always face-front swiveling ears. Harman Ising had just lost MGM who where bringing the studio in house. Walt needed an ink and paint crew. Harman Ising needed money to keep their studio afloat.
Merbabies was the bone that Walt threw Harman Ising to rent their studio`s ink and paint department. But Walt would not meet with them or talk to them. Everything was done through intermediaries. There was no second picture deal for the deserters after Walt got what he needed out of them. Walt was not one to forgive anything, ever.
My question is why are historians still self censoring themselves about events that happened 70 years ago? Shouldn`t there be a statute of limitations? How is that serving history? I know that there are truths that are dangerous to tell but if nobody ever tells them then they cease to exist and the half truths become the lies of history.
posted by Larry Loc @ 8:32 AM
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