Hamilton S. Luske Movies

In this Disneyland episode, Walt Disney turns over the hosting duties to the Slave of the Mirror, an eerie animated character first introduced in the 1937 cartoon feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. His voice supplied by Hans Conried, the Slave explains that, while heroes are always given their due, villains are frequently ignored and maligned--hence this one-hour "tribute", comprised of excerpts from past Disney animated productions. Highlights include a battle between Captain Hook and the title character of Peter Pan (1953); the moronic connivances of Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox to make a lunch of the crafty Bre'er Rabbit in Song of the South (1947); that celebrated leviathan Monstro the Whale in Pinocchio (1940); and of course the Slave's own "boss", The Evil Queen (aka the Wicked Witch) in Snow White. First shown in 1956, Our Unsung Villains was curiously rebroadcast only once, in June of 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode of Disneyland consists primarily of four lengthy excerpts from two of Disney's animated features of the 1940s. The Kings' Men Quartet musically narrate the story of those famous feudin' families, the Martins and the Coys, in a sequence originally seen in Make Mine Music (1946). Also from the same source, Jerry Colonna delivers a spirited narration to the cartoon version of "Casey at the Bat", by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And Dennis Day doubles as the voice of the narrator and the title character of "Johnny Appleseed", a segment lifted from Melody Time (1948). Rounding out the episode is a newly animated musical adaption of "Casey Jones, the Brave Engineer", again featuring the considerable talents of Jerry Colonna. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Utilizing generous excerpts from the 1942 Disney animated feature Victory Through Air Power, this Disneyland episode traces the history of animation, from the earliest days of Chinese rocketry to the present. Though the narration of the original film has been rewritten (wisely, considering its WW2 propaganda content), the images remain intact, including a sprightly if slightly off-the-beam sequence in which the First World War is essentially reduced to the level of a sight gag. One year after its 1957 telecast, Man in Flight was released theatrically overseas; and in 1961, it was rebroadcast on Walt Disney Presents, with new footage added to promote the upcoming Disney live-action feature The Absent-Minded Professor (replete with an appearance by star Fred MacMurray). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In one of the best-loved and mostly fondly remembered episodes of the TV anthology Disneyland, host Walt Disney discusses the nuts and bolts of animation, and how individual cartoon components ultimately make up the sum total. For example, Disney demonstrates how a bouncing ball inspire a sequence in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, how an intensive study of water, fire, smoke and mud result in the "Rite of Spring" segment of Fantasia, and how a genuine ballet was transformed into a pas-de-deux between a hippo and an alligator in the "Dance of the Hours" segment from the same film. "The Tricks of Our Trade" was later released on 16 millimeter for classroom showings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Four cartoon shorts from the Disney archives are shown herein to trace the rise to stardom of the studio's number one celebrity, Mickey Mouse. Along the way, it is shown how such former "extras" as Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy were elevated to fame through their appearances in Mickey's popular movie vehicles. Even Pluto is on hand to congratulate Mickey on his success, via a lengthy excerpt from the theatrical cartoon Pluto's Christmas Tree. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Once again, Disneyland host Walt Disney turns the program over to the Slave of the Mirror (played by Hans Conried), a character first introduced in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This time, the Slave expounds upon his favorite topic, the combination of music and "magic" (specifically cartoon magic). What follows is a mosaic of musical sequences lifted from several past Disney cartoon features. Highlights include Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" from Fantasia (1940); "Bumble Boogie", orchestra leader Freddie Martin's interprestion of "Flight of the Bumble Bee", from Melody Time (1948); and, from the same film, "Once Upon a Wintertime", sung by Frances Langford. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Promoted as an in-depth study of the art of mountain climbing, this episode of Walt Disney Presents is actually an extended advertisement for the upcoming Disney theatrical feature Third Man on the Mountain. Although the stars of that film (including James MacArthur and Michael Rennie), the real hero of the proceedings is French mountain climber Gaston Rebufatt, who functioned as Third Man on the Mountain's guide and second-unit director while the company was on location in Switzerland. The highlight finds Rebufatt instructing a novice on the intricacies of scaling a particular precipitious precipice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although advertised as a "premiere," the first episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was actually a continuation of the ABC anthology series that had run under the titles Disneyland and Walt Disney Presents since 1959. The major changes in the "new" version were twofold: Disney was now seen on NBC, and (of course) his program was broadcast in "living color" (and in fact was sponsored by RCA, foremost manufacturer of color TVs). Episode one opened in black-and-white, with Walt Disney discussing his plans for the future, then magically switched over to a full rainbow of hues. Further emphasizing the advantages of color over black-and-white, Disney compared his 1927 Mickey Mouse cartoon vehicle Plane Crazy with his earliest Technicolor effort, the 1932 "Silly Symphony" Flowers and Trees. Walt also introduced the viewers to his latest cartoon creation -- a brilliant, erudite Viennese duck named Ludwig Von Drake, who happened to be the uncle of good ol' Donald Duck (Professor Von Drake was not so brilliant as to disbelieve Donald's claims that Disney worked for him, instead of the other way around!). The remainder of the episode consists of the 1959 animated theatrical short subject Donald in Mathmagic Land, an entertainng foray into the world of numbers, angles, and shapes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi