MICKEY MOUSE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 31 May 1930, Page 3

MICKEY MOUSE

I AN INTERESTING ROMANCE ! HOW THIS POPULAR TALKIE STAR CAME INTO BEING Accustomed to hearing of films whoso cost runs iiito hundreds' of thousands ' of dollars, and of stars whose salaries make the Prime Minister's appear a mero pittance, the cinema public.could be excused for thinking that success in the moving picture world can be secured only by spending money, and then more and more money. There appeal'; to be little chance of such things as romanco or personality having a place in such a world of big business, where, it can be said without exaggeration, already £50,000,000 has been spent in the production of talking pictures. Yet if a ballot were to be taken, it would be found that the most popular film "star" of to-day is that quaint little fellow Mickey Mouse—and Mickey represents not big business, but romance (says the "Sunday Pictorial" film critic). j Mickey is, of course, the talkie dc- ' vclopmeut of silent screen cartoons, but, strange though it may seem, the idea of sound cartoon did not come • from the brains of any of the big combines. It might almost be said that the sudden popularity of talking pictures blinded the eyes of directors i to the possibilities of this simple type j of film. Following the first astounding sllc- ! cess of Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" and "The Singing Fool," the film world threw overboard, almost overnight, the whole of its past achievements. Talkj ing picture producers paid fortunes to cud agreements With silent film stars, simply because the personal success of lAI Jolson started a stampede toward I the stage.

WORKING ON HIS OWN

More fortunes were spent in entering into agreements with stage stars and with many others who were not stars. Still more fprtunes were spent on securing writers of popular songs and writers of popular dialogue. While all this frenzied-spending and rearrangement was occupying the minds of the film magnates, the creator of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney, was working quietly with a few friends,' aim, in comparison with the resources of the big syndicates, with trifling capital; while the producers knew not whether their speaking stars would prove successful, Disney had faith in his creation, Mickey.

The magnates were too busy to bother about cartoonists, and Disney M'as too busy with his own ideas to waste time trying to win their interest. Mickey Mouse was his own cinema star, and his quiet determination to make him a success was typical of the artist. _ * Walt Disney went to school in Chicago. He studied drawing until he reached 17. He did odd jobs for the "Chicago Tribune." He wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist. He thought he was good—Chicago thought not. So he drifted to Kansas City, and sought work with the Kansas "City Star." He was so successful that he decided to go to Hollywood. He thought he, might become a motion' picture director. Kansas City let him .go without regret. ! ..: ...' Hollywood gave him no welcome. His efforts to become a director met with no succes& He. drifted through the studios, doing odd jobs. Nobody wanted him as a director. ' .

But he was drifting to some purpose. When the talking picture arrived. Walt Disney was an expert film cartoonist, and ho was familiar with the inside of a film studio. Still, Hollywood gave him no thought. Short talking pictures were badly wanted. They are still wanted and wanting. All that the millionaire producers could think of was to photograph musiehall sketches or an operatic star. Animated cartoons never entered their heads. No mergers and no millions went to the creation of Mickey Mouse. "We just got together, the bunch, of us," says Walt Disney, "and wo worked things out. Sometimes wo had good old-fashioned scraps, but in the end things got ironed out, and we had something." For the. making of each Mickey Mouse cartoon "the bunch" providos about 5000 different drawings, and takes infinite care to ensure that the film action flow's. with the musical accompaniment. Mickey Mouse scenarios are written on sheets of music, to correspond precisely With the. scores prepared by Carl Stallings, the director of tho Mickey Mouse orchestra.

WHAT A MICKEY MOUSE COSTS

The cost of a Mickey Mouse cartoon is about £ISOO, which,is a romance in itself, since a film trade expert estimates the exhibition value of each of these cartoons in England alone at probably £15,000. The exhibition value of a. Mickey Mouse cartoon throughout tlk;, world, and \having regard to the many "return dates" Mickey Mouse is now commanding, must be not far short of £ino,ooo, which represents a week's work by "the bunch." . "The bunch," however, does not pay any heed to finance. That is left to Walt Disney's brother. All that. Walt himself says is: "I knbw we are getting by all right; my brother turns up each Week with enough to pay everybody." But, as to actual income, Walt Disney explains he lias not yet found lime to "sit around and count profits." The nearest Walt Disney has yet come to boasting about the success of Mickey Mouse is to say: "Everybody here has his shoulder to the wheel. Maybe some time we'll all be rolling in wealth and move into more pretentious quarters, and put on the high hat, but we won't be making any better movies."