1959:
The last episode of the Disney-produced TV show Zorro airs.
Muppeteer Steve Whitmire is born near Atlanta, Georgia. Working for the Jim Henson Company since 1978, Whitmire's career with the Muppets began on The Muppet Show, where he developed his first major character, Rizzo the Rat. His Disney credits include Studio DC: Almost Live! and Disney Extreme Digital. (Whitmire was nicknamed Kermit in his youth because he aspired to become a puppeteer. After the death of Jim Henson, the orginal voice of Kermit the frog - Whitmire was chosen to take over the role of Kermit!)
2004:
Disneyland debuts "Mysteries, Myths, and Legends Tour" - an interactive tour that allows guests to be a part of a fictional storyline woven by the host.
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1894:
Actor, comedian, and voice artist Billy Bletcher, the voice of Clown in Disney's 1941 classic Dumbo, is born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Bletcher's work with Disney will begin with the 1933 Three Little Pigs as the voice of the Big Bad Wolf, and later supply the voice for Pegleg Pete (an anthropomorphic cat) and numerous other characters in countless shorts. (Bletcher is also among the midgets in Laurel & Hardy's 1934 Babes in Toyland and troupes with the Munchkins in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz. Our Gang fans may remember him as Spanky's dad!)
1936:
Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and the original voice of Kermit
the Frog, is born James Maury Henson in Greenville, Mississippi.
Henson will first name his puppets, "Muppets," in 1954 while working as a producer of the
Washington, D.C. TV show, Sam and Friends. Henson will be the leading force behind the
Muppets long run in the television series Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and films
such as The Muppet Movie and creator of advanced puppets for projects like Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal,
Labyrinth and Return of the Jedi. (Sadly in May 1990, Henson will pass away suddenly at the age of 53 while in
negotiations to sell his company to Disney.)
1937:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Hawaiian Holiday is released. In this short, Mickey and
Minnie play the uke and dance, Goofy surfs, Pluto fights with a crab, and poor Donald Duck sets himself on fire.
1948:
Actor, comedian, screenwriter, and Saturday Night Live star Phil Hartman is born in
Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His Disney credits include the voice of SIR for Disney
World's Alien Encounter (1992-1996), both the TV series TaleSpin and DuckTales,
and the 1987 animated film The Brave Little Toaster. (TV fans will also remember Hartman for
his role of radio news anchor Bill McNeal on the comedy series NewsRadio.)
1961:
Sunday: Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color makes its debut in color
and on NBC (for the series' 8th season on television). Hosted by Walt himself, the episode
consists of "An Adventure in Color," "Donald in Mathmagicland," and a brand new character called Professor
Ludwig Von Drake - voiced by Paul Frees. The episode is sponsored by RCA, who runs commercials during the
show promoting their new RCA color television. (Before this, the series had been called Disneyland and then Walt
Disney Presents - but both broadcast on ABC and in black & white.)
1973:
Construction begins on a one story pavilion to house General Electric's Carousel of Progress (an attraction shipped in from Disneyland) at Disney World's Tomorrowland.
1983:
The TV series Walt Disney (which originated on ABC as Disneyland) airs for the last time on CBS with the episode "Walt Disney’s Mickey and Donald." (Three years later the series will be revived on ABC as The Disney Sunday Movie.)
1984:
Disney's new executive team - which now includes Chairman & CEO Michael Eisner - is voted in at a meeting of the board. A celebration is later held at the Lakeside Country Club.
1992:
The very first Official Disneyana Convention takes place at Walt Disney World. Although enthusiasts around the world have organized conventions in the past, this marks the first time that the Disney Company itself sponsors the 4-day event (held at Disney's Contemporary Resort).
1993:
The ABC-TV series Boy Meets World premieres.
(Years later it will become a Disney Channel favorite.)
1998:
The sky above the Seven Seas Lagoon fill with fireworks and music as Disney World joins forces with the American Pyrotechnics Association to launch Disney's Rock 'n Rockets (for the next 2 nights). This first-ever event is held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the association and features the latest in fireworks technology along with a collection of classic displays. Accompanying the fireworks show is live musical performances by Kenny Loggins (on September 24) and the B52's along with 10,000 Maniacs (on September 25).
Michael Eisner's book Work in Progress is published.
1999:
Previews begin for the London West End production of Disney's musical "The Lion King" at the Lyceum Theatre.
Disney Channel's half-hour original series The Jersey debuts.
2001:
Tapestry of Dreams opens at Epcot (replacing Tapestry of Nations).
2003:
The University of Maryland honors Muppet creator Jim Henson by holding a dedication ceremony. A life-sized statue of Henson (a University of Maryland alumnus), conversing with one of his favorite creations, Kermit the Frog, is dedicated in front of the Adele Stamp Student Union on the College Park campus.
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1947:
Major Harry Colebourn, the soldier whose pet bear became the inspiration for A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, passes away in Canada.
1934:
Animator Frank Thomas joins the Disney Studios as employee number 224. He will go on to animate dozens of feature films and shorts until his retirement in 1978. (He will become one of Walt's "Nine Old Men" and a Disney Legend!)
2006:
The cruise ship Disney Wonder makes its inaugural visit to St. Kitts and Nevis. The 2,600 passenger capacity vessel docks at Port Zante at 7:00 a.m., its fifth stop on an eleven night South Caribbean cruise.
Walt Disney was selected to be in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1960 Winter Olympics (held in Squaw Valley, California).
1982:
Previews begin for the not-yet-opened EPCOT Center in Florida.
On this evening, Cast Members and their families are invited to the new park (which will officially debut October 1) from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.
1953:
Roy Disney learns that prospective financiers in New York for Disneyland want to meet next week. He contacts his brother Walt, asking for a visual presentation to take.
1985:
The Lotus Blossom Cafe restaurant opens in EPCOT's China Pavilion.
2008:
Disney holds a daylong presentation at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to
showcase its upcoming films. The industry-only showcase includes a full screening of the
animated dog-hero movie Bolt. Future films announced include a 3-D motion capture remake of Charles
Dickens' A Christmas Carol (starring Jim Carrey), Tron 2, Cars 2, and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
(featuring Johnny Depp).
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SEPTEMBER 24
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
SEPTEMBER 24
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"The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children." -Jim Henson
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Jim Henson born
"Many years ago, there weren't many auditions, there weren't many of us. They were doing a thing called Three Little Pigs at Disney's,
and Pinto Colvig told me, "Why don't you go over and do this thing for Walt, they want a guy who can huff and puff and blow your house
in." So what the hell, I did it, and I recorded this thing for Walt, as the Big Bad Wolf. That put me in pretty solid with Walt. From then
on, I had a session every week, not only to record one voice, but to record two or three voices, for Walt." -Billy Bletcher
"Haven't you got the word? We're in full color." -Walt Disney
"I've always tried to present a positive view of the world in my work. It's so much easier to be
negative and cynical and predict doom for the world than it is to try and figure out how to
make things better. We have an obligation to do the latter." -Jim Henson
2009:
In a special ceremony, Disney Theatrical Productions donates objects from the Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical The Lion King to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Costume elements from the show’s protagonist Simba and the tribal shaman Rafiki (all designed by Julie Taymor) will join other objects from such musicals as Cats, Rent and the King and I in the museum’s permanent entertainment collections.
"It is a tremendous honor to see Taymor’s groundbreaking creative vision recognized by a world-renowned organization like the Smithsonian." -Thomas Schumacher, producer and president of Disney Theatrical Productions
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Frank Thomas joins Disney Studio
