2004:
Oscar-winning composer Elmer Bernstein, who wrote the music for Disney's The Black Cauldron (and 250 other films and TV shows including The Magnificent Seven and To Kill a Mockingbird) passes away at age 82.
1922:
Actress Shelley Winters, who appeared in Disney's 1977 Pete's Dragon as Lena
Gogan, is born Shirley Schrift in an apartment on Newstead Ave. in St. Louis,
Missouri. A brassy actress and raconteur who appeared in more than 120 films and twice won the Academy
Award for supporting performances, Winters is probably most remembered for her roles in A Place in the Sun,
Alfie, and The Poseidon Adventure.
1930:
The Mickey Mouse cartoon short The Chain Gang is completed. It features
the debut of Pluto (though he is not yet named). The film will be released September 5.
1931:
Disney's 7-minute black & white Mickey Mouse cartoon Blue Rhythm is
released. Mickey plays an orchestra leader in this take off of popular music man Ted Lewis.
1943:
Actor, comedian, painter & musician Martin Mull is born Martin Eugene Mull in Chicago, Illinois. His Disney credits include the 1985 made-for-television comedy "Lots of Luck" as Frank Maris, the 1996 feature film "101 Dalmatians" as Wildlife Presenter, and the 1997 television film "Beverly Hills Family Robinson" as Doug Robinson. Mull was also the voice of Governor Kevin for the Disney animated television series "Teamo Supremo" (2002 2004) and can be heard in an episode of the animated "Recess." Fans of the ABC sitcom "Roseanne" will know him for his role of Leon Carp for 46 episodes. First famous for playing twins Garth Gimble and Barth Gimble in the television nighttime absurd soap opera "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and its parodies "Fernwood 2 Night" & "America 2-Night," Mull has appeared on many sitcoms including a 1990 episode of "The Golden Girls" and multiple episodes of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" (1997-200) playing Principal Kraft. Mull broke into show business as a songwriter, penning Jane Morgan's 1970 country single, "A Girl Named Johnny Cash", which peaked at No. 61 on Billboard's country charts. Shortly thereafter, he began his own recording career. Mull has been a painter since the 1970s, and his work has appeared in group and solo exhibits.
1956:
At Disneyland, Carnation Plaza Gardens opens in the Plaza Hub next to Sleeping
Beauty Castle. An outdoor bandstand and dining locale, it will become a popular site for "Date Nite at Disneyland," the following year. (In 2012 Carnation Plaza will close to make room for the Fanatsy Faire Stage.)
Emmy Award-winning composer/conductor John Cardon Debney, whose music can be heard throughout Disney theme parks and feature films is born in Burbank, California.
His Disney/Touchstone credits include White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994), the short Runaway Brain (1995), Inspector Gadget (1999), The Emperor's New Groove (2000), The Princess Diaries (2001), Snow Dogs (2002), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Chicken Little (2005), Swing Vote (2008), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), Old Dogs (2009), and The Jungle Book (2016). John is the son of Disney Studios producer Louis Debney.
1957:
Comedian/actor Denis Leary, the voice of Francis in Pixar's 1998 "A Bug's Life," is born
in Worcester, Massachusetts. He also appeared in Disney's "Operation Dumbo Drop" and Touchstone's "The Ref." Leary was the star and co-creator of the hit FX television series "Rescue Me" and is known for his voice role of Diego in the animated "Ice Age" film series.
1986:
Crockett's Tavern opens in Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness. Part of Trail's
End Restaurant, it is located at the northern end of the campgrounds.
1989:
Disney's live-action film Cheetah, starring Keith Coogan and co-produced by Roy E. Disney, is released. Two teenagers help raise a cheetah and protect it from dangerous poachers and later merchants who want to use the animal for racing. Filmed on location in Kenya, the cast includes Lucy Deakins and Collin Mothupi.
2002:
The 5th Anniversary Disney Institute Animation Event - Drawn to Be Bad (a 6-day
event featuring workshops and visiting artist presentations) begins at Disney World.
2006:
High School Musical (which has been a huge sleeper hit for Disney
Channel) is performed at a kids' summer camp in the Catskill Mountains for
the very first time. The world premiere is held at a 300-seat theater near the town of
Liberty, New York, for proud parents, fellow campers and a few Disney representatives. Stagedoor Manor
summer camp won the license to mount the premiere because it has a record of working with Disney and
other producers on ''junior'' versions of musicals (such as Aida) that are licensed to high schools.
Winnie's Hometown Festival, an annual event celebrating the real-life bear who
inspired A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, kicks off for three days in White River,
Ontario.
"The Great American Concert: Walt Disney’s Fantasia with Fireworks" is performed
at the Hollywood Bowl in California. The concert marks only the second time that excerpts from
Fantasia has been screened with a live orchestral accompaniment.
In 1941, Walt and Lillian Disney
along with sixteen colleagues spent
10 weeks visiting several Latin
American nations to gather story
material for a series of short films
with South American themes. The
result was Saludos Amigos and
The Three Caballeros.
2000:
The Disney Channel Original Movie Quints starring Kimberly J. Brown debuts.
The White River Historical Society and the community of White River hold the 12th Annual Winnie's Hometown Festival in White River, Ontario, Canada. The 3-day festival is a tribute to a black bear cub named Winnie who made an unforgettable contribution to children's literature.
1934:
While on holiday in Hawaii with his wife Lillian, Walt Disney attends a charity
event - the opening game of the Army's baseball championship series between
teams from Fort Shafter and Wheeler Field. Prior to the game Walt appears at Honolulu's
Princess theater at 10 a.m., for the regular meeting of one of the many "Mickey Mouse Clubs" that are
popular with children across the U.S.
1938:
Disney's first full length animated feature Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs is released in Australia.
2008:
Jonas Brothers attend the unveiling of their very own wax figures at Madame Tussauds in Washington, D.C.
AUGUST 18
THIS DAY
MADE IN
THE USA
AUGUST 18
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"I do have a deep history with Disney. My father worked for Disney for over 40 years, and he was actually a
producer for many of their television shows, like "Zorro," "The Mickey Mouse Club," as well as a lot of their Sunday night shows. I really grew up in the Disney family and on that lot! I’ve done a lot of work with them
for films, the theme parks, animated material, and I love working with them!" -John Debney (born This Day)
"I was very lucky. Two weeks after I graduated from CalArts, I got into the copying department at Disney.
They needed a runner, someone who could paste scores, organize scores. One day (veteran Disney composer) Buddy Baker said, 'Hey kid, come in here.'Buddy would give me assignments -- arrange this little French song for musette, write a German polka. ... They were building Epcot and needed a lot of music for different pavilions and rides." -John Debney
1975:
The Platters (with 16 gold records to their credit) begin two weeks of performances at
Walt Disney World. They will present two shows nightly with dinner seatings at 6:30 and 9:45.
Actress, producer and comedian Kaitlin Olson is born in Portland, Oregon. She provided the voice of Destiny, a nearsighted whale shark, for Pixar's "Finding Dory" (2016) and the video game "Disney Infinity 3.0". In 2000, she had a small role in Touchstone's musical comedy-drama "Coyote Ugly." Her television credits include 12 episodes of the ABC sitcom "The Drew Carey Show," 2 episodes of "Bob's Burgers," and an appearance on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Fans of the FX comedy series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" know her as Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds. In 2022, Olson earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as DJ in HBO's "Hacks."
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The Chain Gang released
Disneys visit Hawaii
2011:
Disneyland holds a special celebration to remember Wally Boag and Betty Taylor, who both passed away last June. This salute to "The True Legends of the Golden Horseshoe" kicks off with song and dance from the iconic show.
1953:
Jazz fusion/smooth jazz pianist, composer and producer David Benoit is born in
California. His jazz version of the SpectroMagic theme can be found on Disney's Music From The Park as
"SpectroMagic Medley."
August 18
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2013:
The official Disney Infinity launch event is held in Times Square, New York City.
Disney Infinity is for the Xbox 360, the PS3 system, Wii U, Wii and Nintendo 3DS.
1940:
The Great Walt Disney Festival of Hits begins running at Warner's Playhouse in
Dover, New Jersey. The screening includes Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Ferdinand the Bull,
The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling and Donald's Lucky Day. In an effort to raise much needed funds for
the studio, Snow White is being brought back to theatres for the summer of 1940 after
having been "retired" just one year earlier. The compilation will run at Warner's Playhouse through August 21.
1936:
Actor, director, producer, Robert Redford is born Charles Robert Redford Jr. in Santa Monica, California. His Disney/Touchstone roles include Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) & Avengers: Endgame (2019), Warren Justice in Up Close & Personal (1996), and Mr. Meacham in Pete's Dragon (2016). Redford also narrated the 2004 IMAX film Sacred Planet, and produced & directed both the 1994 Quiz Show (Hollywood Pictures) and the 1998 The Horse Whisperer (Touchstone Pictures) - in which he also played the role of Tom Booker. First acting on television in the late 1950s (including an appearance on The Twilight Zone), he went on to appear in such classic films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Sting (1973),
The Way We Were (1973), All the President's Men (1976), The Natural (1984), and Out of Africa (1985).
1993:
Actress/singer Maia Mitchell is born in New South Wales. Co-starring in the Disney Channel original films Teen Beach Movie (2013) and Teen Beach 2 (2015) as McKenzie, her Disney credits also include 2 episodes of Jessie, an episode of Phineas and Ferb, and 6 episodes of The Lion Guard.
2019:
Former Grand Floridan Society Orchestra bandleader, and long-time Walt Disney World drummer/musician, Pat Doyle, passes away unexpectedly at age 66 in Florida. He had been working with the GFSO two days a week since semi-retiring 3 years ago. Originally from West Virginia, Doyle began his professional career with the Sons of Liberty Fife & Drum Corps at Walt Disney World in 1971. He went on to play in the Pearly Band at the Magic Kingdom in 1981, before leading the beloved Grand Floridian Society Orchestra for 30 years at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
1996:
Disney animator and Imagineer Al Bertino passes away at age 84 in California. Apart from his work on feature films such as Pinocchio and Fantasia, he also wrote for the Wonderful World of Disney, and helped create a number of park attractions including Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree (the giant bear called 'Big Al' is a self-portrait), and America Sings.
2020:
Actor, director, and writer Ben Cross passes away at age 72 in Austria. He voiced The Sorcerer in Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (an American-British-Irish animated television series created for Disney XD). Cross also played William Lloyd Garrison in the 1991 television film She Stood Alone (a co-production with Walt Disney Television). (Cross is best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.)
1937:
Actor and country music disc jockey Sammy Jackson is born in Henderson, North Carolina. His Disney film roles included Garlotti in The Boatniks (1970) and Frisby in The Million Dollar Duck (1971). Fans of classic TV will remember Jackson as Airman Will Stockdale in No Time for Sergeants.
1987:
Actress & director Mika Boorem is born in Tucson, Arizona. She played young Jill Young in Walt Disney Pictures 1998 Mighty Joe Young, and appeared in the 1995 Mickey's Fun Songs: Beach Party at Walt Disney World. Boorem's ABC-TV credits include episodes of The Drew Carey Show and Sabrina, The Teenae Witch.
