"Ask Chaplin prices"

mlanoue DeleteThis @yahoo.com wrote:
> Interesting. I wonder if it was because Disney had absolutely no idea
> where to even start, or if it was because he felt he had something in
> common with Chaplin that would have made Snow White's distribution
> comparable to Modern Times.
>
> Were they friends?

They were not close socially, although I think there was a mutual
respect, professionally speaking. There are several quotes from Disney
crediting The Tramp as the inspiration for Mickey's personality, and
Chaplin requested/insisted that a Mickey Mouse cartoon accompany City
Lights during its initial run.

>
>
> George Shelps wrote:
> > According to Neal Gabler's new
> > bio of Walt Disney, Chaplin supplied
> > the business ledgers from the release
> > of MODERN TIMES in order to aid
> > Disney in formulating terms for the
> > distribution of SNOW WHITE,
> >
> > Since a feature-length cartoon was
> > a totally new cinematic phenomenon,
> > Disney had no clue as to what deal
> > he should make with his then-distributor
> > RKO.
> >
> > Disney thanked Chaplin and wrote:
> >
> > ''Your records have been our Bible--without them we would have
> > been as sheep in a den of wolves."
> >
> > (pp.271, "Walt Disney, the Triumph
> > of the American Imagination," by
> > Neal Gabler)
 >> Stay informed about: "Ask Chaplin prices" 

mlanoue.RemoveThis@yahoo.com wrote:

>Interesting. I wonder if it was because
>Disney had absolutely no idea where to
>even start,

Yes, there was no precedent for a feature
length cartoon and Disney was a Hollywood outsider dealing with the
movie industry insiders of RKO, his distributor.

Chaplin had admired Disney from when
Disney released his films briefly through
United Artists.

What is lost now is how revolutionary
SNOW WHITE was. Audiences were
floored by it. The movie industry had
no idea what to make of it.

Many years later, Disney formed his own
distribution company, Buena Vista,
which continues to this day.

> or if it was because he felt he had
>something in common with Chaplin that
>would have made Snow White's
>distribution comparable to Modern Times.

I think this was a factor, too. Both
were movie industry mavericks and
innnovators who financed their own films.

And they admired each other

>Were they friends?

Not socially, but Disney was on record
as saying that Chaplin was his hero.

As is known, I have been very critical
of Chaplin, but I must say that this
was a very magnanimous gesture
on his part.

(I highly recommend the Gabler book
as an antidote to Schickel's
hatchet job.)
 >> Stay informed about: "Ask Chaplin prices" 

It's nice to hear something like that. So often with big stars like
Chaplin we either only hear about his larger-tha-life genius and role
in film history, or about his affairs and scandals. You don't hear
much about him just being a decent human being.


George Shelps wrote:
> mlanoue.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> >Interesting. I wonder if it was because
> >Disney had absolutely no idea where to
> >even start,
>
> Yes, there was no precedent for a feature
> length cartoon and Disney was a Hollywood outsider dealing with the
> movie industry insiders of RKO, his distributor.
>
> Chaplin had admired Disney from when
> Disney released his films briefly through
> United Artists.
>
> What is lost now is how revolutionary
> SNOW WHITE was. Audiences were
> floored by it. The movie industry had
> no idea what to make of it.
>
> Many years later, Disney formed his own
> distribution company, Buena Vista,
> which continues to this day.
>
> > or if it was because he felt he had
> >something in common with Chaplin that
> >would have made Snow White's
> >distribution comparable to Modern Times.
>
> I think this was a factor, too. Both
> were movie industry mavericks and
> innnovators who financed their own films.
>
> And they admired each other
>
> >Were they friends?
>
> Not socially, but Disney was on record
> as saying that Chaplin was his hero.
>
> As is known, I have been very critical
> of Chaplin, but I must say that this
> was a very magnanimous gesture
> on his part.
>
> (I highly recommend the Gabler book
> as an antidote to Schickel's
> hatchet job.)
 >> Stay informed about: "Ask Chaplin prices"