Remembering: Virginia Davis

Before there was a mouse, there was Alice.

In 1923, in Kansas City, Walt Disney began experimenting with the blending of live-action with animation. His experient yielded the "Alice Comedies." Disney made 49 featurettes about the adventures of Alice. Between 1923 and 1925, Virginia Davis helped in this pioneering effort by starring in the first 13 of the comedies. She was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998. Sadly, Ms. Davis died this past Saturday at the age of 90.

The Disney Obsession wishes to extend its sympathy to the family of Ms. Davis.


Photo: Disney Legends website

This Just In...

Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may call them garage sales, rummage sales or yard sales. And our friends across the water call them boot sales (and I have picked up a fine trinket or two from a few of them; in fact almost missed a train because of one in Stratford-upon-Avon. But that is another story entirely.) Me personally, I call them yard sales.

My brother-in-law Russ is a connoisseur of yard sales. Seriously, he is a professional. He will visit sale after sale and come home with items as small as a set of coasters, or as large as a jet ski with trailer. He also came across a rather large collection of antique cameras. I am fairly certain these would sell for a considerable amount of money and he took them home for next to nothing. His collection of pencil sharpeners is rather impressive too. But whatever it is, Russ is a master!

Every so often, Russ, like other family and friends will think about me when they run across something of a Disney nature. For which, I am very appreciative. So, it was not surprising that a few weekends ago Mrs. Doc answers the front door and is given a rather large package addressed to me. Obviously, I am excited. I quickly opened the package and found a first edition The Art of Walt Disney by Christopher Finch. Wow! The book is huge and will take more than a few minutes to go through. You’ll see that the dust jacket is missing as is the paint bucket, but the raised image of Mickey holding a paintbrush is there as are the 458 pages of incredible content.

The stack of books I have to read has just gotten taller. And this, before I lay in a copy of Pierre Lambert’s Mickey Mouse.

Thanks Russ. I know you probably don’t read The Disney Obsession, but I thank you anyway. What a wonderful surprise!
More to follow…

please stand by...

...and please keep your feet, arms and legs inside the blog at all times. The Disney Obsession will resume shortly. Thank you for your attention.

Honestly, things have been a little busy around Doc's house as I make plans for my first trip to Walt Disney World with the grandchildren. It will also be my first trip with my daughter-in-law who is something of a photographer herself. So we have been exchanging tips, ideas and so forth. For the record, the last trip with my son was in June 1994. As I recall, we came home with several episodes of Stupid Home Video. I can only hope we can make it home a few hours more.

Last night, after a wonderful dinner, we all poured over park maps and discussed our plans for the days we'll be there. Afterwards we jumped into YouTube and previewed some of what we'll be experiencing along a few things we won't. Who can passed up a chance to watch the Hyperspace Hoopla? The family loved it.

Status? Devon is completely ready to combat the Evil Emperor Zurg and Shelby is looking forward to visiting The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Jack-Jack; well Jack-Jack learned to say Tur-tle.

But back to blog at hand. In a few days I'll try to post a few items I have been working on. One having to do with a book and the other with IllumiNations. So as I am fond of saying:

More to follow...

Watching The Days Go By

It's alright, okay, you can go ahead and admit it. You just had the urge to sing a Talking Heads song didn't you?

"Same as it ever was,
Same as it ever was."Onward.

I am definitely living in one of the most exciting times of recent memory. Earlier this year my wife and I fulfilled one of her grandest dreams; that of taking an Alaskan cruise. Later this year, on October 17th to be precise, I will have the honor of escorting “my princess”, my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. And as I have previously written, this Labor Day Weekend has a particular significance.

I posed a question to each member of my family making this particular journey. The question was, “What I am most looking forward to on my trip to Walt Disney World is…” The results are in.

Devon – “What I am most looking forward to on my trip to Walt Disney World is riding Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and seeing what our hotel looks like.”

Shelby – “What I am most looking forward to on my trip to Walt Disney World is to seeing Minnie Mouse and going to see shows.”

Gregory – “What I am most looking forward to on my trip to Walt Disney World is seeing my babies’ expressions and excitement watching the magic of Disney cover my kids like a warm blankie.”

Jennifer – “What I am most looking forward to on my trip to Walt Disney World is hearing the giggles and the unending can we do this, ride that, get this and what’s next as their minds try to wrap itself around all there is to see and do.”

Mrs. Doc – “What I am most looking forward to on my trip to Walt Disney World is watching the Devon and Shelby experience their first Disney trip and watching my hubby's dream come true.”

Oh, and we can’t forget Jack-Jack. True, at two years old, he may not be particularly passionate about any one attraction (though I can see him running rampant around Pooh’s Playful Spot). But, he too, chimed in with an answer. Jackson is most looking forward to “una una dis, okay?”

All in all, I would say that 2009 is shaping up to be a banner year.

This just in! Jack-Jack can now say Mickey Mouse. It sounds something like M-I-N-K-E-Y M-O-O-S-E.

This, of course, conjurs up memories of one of the great lines in motion picture history:

"The Moose says you're closed, but I say you're open."

More to follow...

IllumiNations - The Introduction

“Good evening, and welcome to World Showcase. Tonight we are pleased to present a visual journey, an international fantasy of music and light. We're about to embark on a sparkling abstract expedition around World Showcase. With the music as your passport, we'll discover sights and sounds from colorful ports of call. And to celebrate our journey, the countries will be united by the festive elements of water, fire, and light. And now, let your imagination be your guide, as EPCOT Center proudly presents IllumiNations.”

Thus began, IllumiNations. IllumiNations, as I remember it when I first saw the nighttime spectacular in late 1988. As much as I enjoy, appreciate, and love IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth*, this version is a sentimental favorite and I will often dust off one of my VHS copies of the show and recall those nights setting on the patio of the Cantina de San Angel enjoying sights and sounds.

The nighttime extravaganza at Epcot has a history stretching back to October 23, 1982. What began as the Carnival de Lumiere and has assumed many forms prior to its present incarnation as Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. This sentimental journey opened on Saturday, January 30, 1988 and played through Friday, September 20, 1996. It was presented in three acts: The Opening, World Showcase, and the Finale.

Over these next few weeks I would like to explore each of the three acts. We’ll take a look at the music and the composers who created it. From the opening measures of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, through the lone clarinet strains of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, to the Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Festival Overture, IllumiNations (1988-1996) presented a soaring kaleidoscope of sound.

Let’s begin to explore, shall we?

More to follow…

* The crescendo and fanfare at the 8:02 mark in the music is nothing short of thrilling to the ears and inspiring to the spirit.

A Man Has Dreams...

“A man has dreams of walking with giants,
to carve his niche in the edifice of time.”

These have long been some of my favorite lines from the film, Mary Poppins. In the film, George Banks is reflecting on what he thought his life would be and what his life has become. Like George Banks, I think all men and women grow up having grand dreams of what our futures would be and then live in the reality of what our lives are.

Yet, the words, a man has dreams are not restricted to a certain place and specific time. No, these words are timeless, and each morning we are greeted with a new opportunity to dream and to reach.

I have had several dreams in my life; some have come true and others continue to elude me. One dream that I have had, had its beginning on Monday, June 5, 2000. On that day my first grandchild, Devon, was born! Shortly after he drew his first breath, a dream began to breathe in me. That dream – to walk down Main Street U.S.A. with my grandson. Over time, that dream has grown to include, not just Devon, but Shelby, Luke, Emmery, and Jackson (our as I like to call him, Jack-Jack). My song has been, “This man has dreams of walking with grandkids, to share the parks with the little ones he loves.”

On Saturday, September 5, 2009, the dream will become a reality! On, what I hope will be a cool, crisp, September morn, Mrs. Doc and I, along with my son, daughter-in-law, and their children, Devon, Shelby and Jack-Jack, will gather before the Walt Disney World Railroad Station and watch the Magic Kingdom Welcoming Ceremony. We’ll all pass through the tunnel and out into Town Square, there we’ll be greeted by the sounds of “Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby” and the aroma of freshly popped corn. Then, one of my grandest dreams will come true as my grandchildren and I join hands and walk down Main Street U.S.A.

I don’t know, and I am not ashamed to say it, but there may be a tear or two in my eyes.

I sure hope so.
More to follow…

In Doc's World - Chapter One

I am a member of the Music City NFFC; the local chapter of the National Fantasy Fan Club. At this time our group is small enough that we can meet in various members’ homes – which is good since Mr. & Mrs. Doc occupy a rather small home. I enjoy offering our address as a meeting place as it gives me an opportunity to share my Disney collection with others who either collect or have an appreciation of things Disney.

The majority of my collection occupies my office upstairs. This is due mostly to a promise I made to my wife to try and contain the majority of what I have in one room. This is hard to do since every trip brings new additions and friends and family help add to the assortment of treasures from time to time. Consequently, some things have found other areas of the house to be displayed. It is part of the A.L.D.I.E.R. Initiative that is under way In Doc’s World. The A.L.D.I.E.R. Initiative proposes to place A Little Disney In Every Room.

Chapter One has is roots in a 1992 (or was it 1994) trip to Walt Disney World. Tucked away in a small corner, just off of our living room, is homage to one of our favorite cities, Paris. There you’ll find a paper model of the Eiffel Tower that I found in Galerie Des Halles. For a time there were several models you could choose from. I purchased the Eiffel Tower and Mont St. Michel. To date, only the Eiffel Tower has been constructed. The Mont St. Michel model resides on a shelf along with models of the Opera and Notre Dame that I picked up while on a visit to Paris. The small resin buildings could be found in La Signature. The sculptor is J. Carlton working in association with Dominique Gault.

Over the next few weeks I hope to share more chapters from Doc’s World. I hope, too, that some may provide an interesting anecdote here and there.

More to follow…