Walt Disney Archives

This Day in Disney
November 7, 1962
The Legend of Lobo Debuts
"Around the lonely campfire, when the wolves begin to call, the writers tell the story of the bravest wolf of all. The king of all the hunters, born to lead the rest, his name became a legend across the great southwest." Well, partner, those lyrics to the title song of The Legend of Lobo, released on this day in 1962, were penned by Disney Legends Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman and sung by another Disney Legend, singing cowboy Rex Allen. The film tells the tale of a wolf who has lost both his parents to hunters and his struggles to avoid the bounty placed on him, free his captured mate and find safety in a land that man has not yet invaded. Assisting Rex with the singing duties are the Sons of the Pioneers. If'n y'all reckon they sound familiar, the group appeared with founder Roy Rogers to introduce the "Pecos Bill" segment of Disney's Melody Time, for which they also provided the music. They're also heard in a number of other Disney films, including The Saga of Andy Burnett, The Swamp Fox, Sancho, the Homing Steer, The Saga of Windwagon Smith and Johnny Shiloh. If y'all listen closely in Disneyland's Frontierland, as part of the area music, you can hear the group singing some of their signature tunes such as "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." Speaking of Frontierland, here's a li'l nugget of trivia. One of the land's longtime residents, Betty Taylor, sang with the group on their Lucky U Ranch radio show in the 1950s before starring for 30 years in Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue. Hope you enjoyed today's This Day. Y'all come back, y'hear?



What's Old is News
We Open the Walt Disney Archives to Disney Fans Around the World
Go back in time with us by checking out these original press materials and other archival treasures from the Walt Disney Archives.
Tony Award®-winning actor Jonathan Pryce talks about his role as Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes.
A brief look at how Julie Andrews' career began after being called on stage by Wally Boag at the London Hippodrome stage.


Archives Library
During a 43-year Hollywood career, which spanned the development of the motion picture medium as a modern American art, Walter Elias Disney, a modern Aesop, established himself and his product as a genuine part of Americana.
Walt Disney arrived in California in the summer of 1923 with a lot of hopes but little else.
Take a nostalgic, informative and sometimes hilarious trip back in time to remember some of these classic Disney originals — from Clara Cluck to Pluto!
A complete list of Disney Legends — the special few who embody the Company's unique creative spirit as personified by its founder.
From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to our latest box-office smashes, here's a complete list of Disney films.
Browse through this bibliography of books written about Walt and Roy, The Walt Disney Company and Disney films, characters, music and theme parks.







Disney fans and D23 Members have already sent us dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to recent set of your questions. Check back every couple weeks — we'll be publishing more of our beloved Disney Legend's answers to your questions about Disney history!

Q: Who bought the first tickets to Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom… the Company or guests?
Alex, Saint Augustine, Florida
A: Ticket number one for Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, as well as for Hong Kong Disneyland, are in the Walt Disney Archives. Roy O. Disney bought the original Disneyland ticket; the others were provided to the Disney Archives by the parks.

Q: Were there any other canceled Disney parks besides Disney's America, and did Disney have any plans for what attractions were going to be inside of them?
Ryan, Huntington, Maryland
A: There were plans for ski resorts at Mineral King and Independence Lake [in California]. At one time, there was a tentative plan for a park in Long Beach, California, but events changed and the proposed park became Disney's California Adventure. Some of the theming proposed for the Long Beach park was eventually used for Tokyo DisneySea. Disney doesn't throw away ideas for parks or attractions even though they may get moved to the back burner, there is always the chance that they may be resurrected someday.

Q: Is it true that Mickey Mouse once appeared in a non-Disney movie with the Disney Studio's permission? If so, how did that come about?
Tom, Seattle, Washington
A: Mickey Mouse animation was done by Disney, under contract, for the 1934 MGM film entitled The Hollywood Party. Mickey appears with Jimmy Durante in a scene introducing a quasi-Silly Symphony cartoon called The Hot Choc-late Soldiers. Other films have had scenes with Mickey cartoons showing in a movie theater, though this did not constitute new animation.

Q: OK, so I'm a HUGE Walt Disney World fan, and I just wanted to know if there are any summer programs for teens who want to work as an Imagineer when they grow up?
Heather, Texas
A: You didn't mention if you are a high school student Disneyland and Walt Disney World have excellent college programs for college students interested in temporary learning jobs at the parks, but there is no similar program for high school students. Walt Disney Imagineering has the annual ImagiNations design competition for college students. You can find out about all these programs on the Internet.

Q: I have long been a fan of Swiss Family Robinson. Where was the movie filmed and what other Disney films has the youngest Robinson, Francis, played by Kevin Corcoran, played in? I have also heard that there may be a remake in the works. Is that true?
Andrea, Spokane, Washington
A: Swiss Family Robinson was filmed on the island of Tobago in the Caribbean. There are plans for a remake, to be directed by Jonathan Mostow, tentatively scheduled for release in 2012. Besides a number of television films, Kevin Corcoran also appeared in Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, Toby Tyler, Pollyanna, Babes in Toyland, Bon Voyage, Savage Sam and A Tiger Walks.

Q: Could you tell me a bit about Marc Davis' proposed animated feature Chanticleer? I know Mel Leven wrote a few songs for the picture and actress Robie Lester was signed on to voice one of the principle characters. Any other names who worked on the picture during its long and ultimately tragic pre-production?
David, Birmingham, Alabama
A: According to Charles Solomon's book The Disney That Never Was, Chanticleer was first discussed at the Disney Studio as a possible animated film in 1937. Preliminary story work continued on and off for three decades, with Ken Anderson and Marc Davis working on it in the 1960s. The concept was finally dropped for budgetary and other considerations, such as the complaint, "You can't make a personality out of a chicken!" Mel Shaw was unsuccessful in trying to resurrect the idea in 1981. Much of Marc Davis' artwork for the proposed film ended up in a 1991 book from Disney Press entitled Chanticleer and the Fox.