As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

[OldNavy1988]

The Fox and the Hound

Released on July 10, 1981

Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures
Grantray-Lawrence

Directed by
Whitey Larkin
Art Stevens

Executive Producer
Walt Disney, Sr.

Music
Buddy Baker

Voices
Keith Mitchell as Young Tod
Corey Feldman as Young Copper
Mickey Rooney as Adult Tod
Kurt Russell as Adult Copper
Jack Albertson as Amos Slade
Jeanette Nolan as Widow Tweed
Sandy Duncan as Vixey
Pat Buttram as Chief
Dick Bakalyan as Dinky
Paul Winchell as Boomer
Pearl Bailey as Big Mama

With the exception of Wolfgang Reitherman, who returned to Disney from Nelvana during post-production, The Fox and the Hound was the last animated feature to involve the Nine Old Men in its production. Brad Bird, Darrell Van Citters and Phil Nibbelink were each hired by Disney's Grantray-Lawrence division after the Danjaq/Williams partnership abruptly imploded. All three worked on The Snow Queen and this film before moving on to projects elsewhere.

The Fox and the Hound was the last Disney film to end with the simple "The End" credit. Two prior exceptions were Bongo (1951) and Alice in Wonderland (1969), which listed the voice talents and the characters they played.

A pop version of "Best of Friends," recorded by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, reached #2 on the Billboard charts in the first two weeks of the film's theatrical run.

Disney's animation outlook after The Fox and the Hound...
- The Secret of NIMH (1982)
- Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983; short)
- Huck's Landing (1983)
- The Jungle Book (1984)​

 

[OldNavy1988]

ABC
7:00 Local Programming
8:00 The Bert and Ernie Hour (Hanna-Barbera; Children's Television Workshop)
9:00 Laverne and Shirley in the Army (Hanna-Barbera; Paramount Television)
9:30 The Gutsy Frog (Produced in Japan by TMS Entertainment; Dubbed in English by Famous Studios & Universal Television)
10:00 Goldie Gold and Action Jack (Ruby-Spears)
10:30 Heathcliff and Marmaduke (Ruby-Spears)
11:00 Scooby Doo and Scrappy Too (Hanna-Barbera)
11:30 The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (Hanna-Barbera; Paramount Television)
Noon Classic Looney Tunes (Warner Bros.)

CBS
7:00 Local Programming
8:00 Little Lulu and Her Little Friends (Produced in Japan by Nippon Animation; Dubbed in English by Columbia Pictures Television)
8:30 Angie Girl (Produced in Japan by Nippon Animation; Dubbed in English by Columbia Pictures Television)
9:00 Thundarr the Barbarian (Ruby-Spears)
9:30 Blackstar (Orion Television)
10:00 The Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour (Orion Television)
11:00 The New Fat Albert Show (Orion Television)
11:30 Karen Sympathy (Jay Ward Productions; Reruns)
12:00 The Alvin Show (Bagdasarian Productions; Reruns)

NBC
7:00 Local Programming
8:00 The Smurfs (Hanna-Barbera; SEPP International)
8:30 Trollkins (Hanna-Barbera)
9:00 Space Stars (Hanna-Barbera)
9:30 Rocky and His Friends (Jay Ward Productions; Reruns)
10:00 The Kid Super Power Hour with Captain Thunder (Produced by Orion Television in association with Gemini Comics)
11:00 Eastland Girls (Produced by Hanna-Barbera in association with Embassy Television; Based on the TV series The Facts of Life)
11:30 Drak Pack (Famous Studios; Universal Television)

SBC
7:00 Local Programming
8:00 Candy Candy (English dub by 20th Television; Reruns)
8:30 Chappy the Witch (English dub by 20th Television; Reruns)
9:30 Dog of Flanders (Produced by Nippon Animation; English dub produced by Universal Television)
10:00 Richie Rich (Marvel Productions; 20th Television)
10:30 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (Marvel Productions; 20th Television)
11:00 The New Mickey Mouse Club (Walt Disney Television)

 

[OldNavy1988]

Rich and Famous

(Left to right; Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset, the stars of Rich and Famous)

Released on
September 23, 1981

Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distributed By
United Artists

Based on the play Old Acquaintance
by John Van Druten

Rich and Famous was MGM's first theatrical release under the new ownership of Turner Broadcasting.

The film was also the screen debut of actress Meg Ryan (below).

 

[OldNavy1988]

Before I forget...

The fall of 1981 saw the nationwide launch of Music Television, or MTV for short. The network actually began just a few years earlier under the name Sight on Sound, part of Columbus, Ohio's experimental cable system QUBE. When MTV began, it was originally a subsidiary of Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment, as were Pinwheel/Nickelodeon and The Movie Channel. Right away, critics warned that MTV's initial all-music video format would be unsustainable and that the new network would have to diversify its programming to maintain its youthful viewership.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Time Bandits

Released on November 6, 1981

Production Companies
Hyperion Pictures
Handmade Films

Distributed by
Buena Vista Distribution Co, Inc.

Directed by
Terry Gilliam

Written by
Terry Gilliam
Michael Palin

Music by
Mike Moran

Songs by
George Harrison

Cast
Craig Warnock as Kevin
David Rappaport as Randall
Kenny Baker as Fidgit
Malcolm Dixon as Strutter
Mike Edmonds as Og
Jack Purvis as Wally
Tiny Ross as Vermin
Sean Connery as Agamemnon/Fireman
David Warner as Evil
Shelley Duvall as Pansy
Ian Holm as Napoleon
Michael Palin as Vincent
Ralph Richardson as Supreme Being
Peter Vaughan as Winston the Ogre
Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Ogre
John Cleese as Robin Hood
Derek Deadman as Robert
Jerold Wells as Benson
David Daker as Kevin's father
Sheila Fearn as Kevin's mother
Jim Broadbent as Compere
Tony Jay (voice) as the Supreme Being
Terence Bayler as Lucien
Preston Lockwood as Neguy
Derrick O'Connor as Redgrave
Neil McCarthy as Marion
Frank Converse as Dim
Ian Muir as the Giant
Myrtle Devenish as Beryl​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Polyester

Released by New Line Cinema on November 6, 1981

Directed by
John Waters

Cast
Divine as Francine Fishpaw
Tab Hunter as Todd Tomorrow
David Samson as Elmer Fishpaw
Edith Massey as Cuddles Kovinsky
Mink Stole as Sandra Sullivan
Ken King as Dexter Fishpaw
Mary Garlington as Lu-Lu Fishpaw
Joni Ruth White as La Rue
Stiv Bators as Bo-Bo Belsinger
Hans Kramm as Heintz
Rick Breitenfeld as Dr. Arnold Quackenshaw
Susan Lowe as Mall victim
Cookie Mueller as Betty Lalinski
George Hulse as Principal Kirk
Mary Vivian Pearce and Sharon Niesp as Nuns
Jean Hill as Gospel bus hijacker
George Figgs as Abortion picketer
Marina Melin as Supermarket Victim

TRIVIA
- Exhibitors who presented Polyester in its theatrical run handed out scratch and sniff cards to support the film's Odorama gimmick.
- From its inception in 1967, New Line had mostly acquired independently produced content for distribution. Stunts (1977) and The Sixth Sense (1979) were the first ahead of Polyester to be fully produced by New Line.
- Polyester was also the professional debut of future animation executive Rachel Stone [1], a Baltimore native who appears in a six-second walk on.

[1] A fictional screenwriter who created Steven Universe in the late 90's in the original American Magic before succeeding Seth MacFarlane as the head of Hanna-Barbera in 2006.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

A Chipmunk Christmas

First aired on NBC on December 14, 1981

Production Companies
CMJ
Bagdasarian Productions

Directed by
Phil Monroe

A Chipmunk Christmas was the culmination of a Chipmunk revival that had been taking place since the late 1970's. It was also the debut of Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. as the voices of Alvin, Simon and Dave Seville, and the first project in which Janice Karman voiced Theodore.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

The SCAA issued a statement that confirms NBC will pre-empt Hanna-Barbera and Embassy's Eastland Girls for at least three weeks while episodes originally scheduled to air in January undergo further review. This comes after the network's mailbox was stuffed with complaints over the "Home Economics" episode that aired on the morning of December 12th.
- TV Guide

Extra security deployed on the set of Facts of Life.
- KTLA 11:00 Newscast

Have football fans in Oakland seen their last Raider game at the Coliseum?
- SportsCenter

Little Caesar's founder Mike Illitch makes a bid to purchase the Red Wings.
- The Detroit Free Press

Dale Hawerchuk shines in debut with Jets.
- The Hockey News

Walt Disney, Jr., 35, will officially succeed his father, now 80, as the head of Disney Communications beginning in March of '82.
- The New York Times

 

[OldNavy1988]

Pogo for President

Released by RKO Radio Pictures on December 25, 1981

Based on the Pogo comic strip by
Walt Kelly

Production Companies
Possum Productions
Stowmar Enterprises

Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures

The Pogo comic strip was discontinued after the death of creator Walt Kelly in 1973. The Kelly estate hoped the release of this film would introduce the Pogo characters to a new generation. Instead, most of the ticket sales came from adults in their mid-thirties who grew up with the original newspaper comic strip.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Catfish Bend

Released on December 25, 1981

Production Company
Nelvana

Distributor
TriStar Pictures

Directed by
Zack Dillinger

Executive Producers
Clive A. Smith
Patrick Joubert
Michael Hirsh

Based on the books by
Ben Lucian Burman

Inspired by the characters created by Ben Lucien Burman, Catfish Bend told the tale of a raccoon pastor leading a group of critters in their escape from heavy flooding of the Mississippi River. Not only did Catfish Bend boast action and adventure, it also boasted three, yes, THREE sets of villains: city rats, vultures and weasels! Legendary Disney animator Wolfgang Reitherman brought a five page treatment of Catfish Bend to Nelvana and was heavily involved with pre-production work on the film. After Reitherman made an abrupt return to the Disney studio, Nelvana was able to keep the production on schedule under the eagle eye of fellow animation veteran Zack Dillinger. Released on the same Christmas Day as RKO's Pogo for President, Catfish would prove more popular, especially with weak box office competition.

Voices
Kris Kristofferson as Doc Raccoon
George Lindsey as Judge Black; A snake
Kurt Russell as JC the Fox
Stan Freberg as the Rabbit
John McIntire as the Frog
Thurl Ravenscroft as Old Joe the Alligator
Candy Candido as the Bloodhound
Dub Taylor as the Beaver
Brad Dourif as City Rat Leader
Pat Buttram as Weasel Leader
Ken Curtis as Vulture Leader
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton as Mr and Mrs Goose​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Walt Disney Jr. when asked why his cousin Abigail is not involved with the family business:
"As far as Dad is concerned, she's a disrespectful, spoiled brat."
- Excerpt from a Rolling Stone interview

Three members of NBC's Standards and Practices department were arrested for accepting bribes in exchange for allowing the controversial "Home Economics" episode of the Saturday morning cartoon series Eastland Girls to air without any kid-appropriate changes.
- The New York Times

Embassy Pictures, the copyright holder of the Facts of Life TV series and its animated spin-off Eastland Girls, sues Hanna-Barbera for breach of contract.
- The Los Angeles Times

 

[OldNavy1988]

Federal agents arrest a University of Michigan student for selling bootleg video tapes of the Eastland Girls episode titled "Home Economics."
- The Detroit Free Press

NBC chief Brandon Tartikoff questioned by the FBI over the network's failure to uphold its standards and practices. Three network censors were taken into custody, charged with accepting bribes from a Hanna-Barbera artist in exchange for airing a controversial Eastland Girls episode without any kid-appropriate changes.
- The New York Times

Federal law enforcement attain a warrant for the arrest of a man identified as John Kricfalusi.
- The Los Angeles Times

 

[OldNavy1988]

A Wrinkle in Time

Image above painted IOTL 2016 by Tiffany Turrill

Released on
March 5, 1982

Production Company
Famous Studios

Distributor
Universal Pictures

Directed by
Ralph Bakshi

Executive Producers
Walter Lantz
Al Brodax
Alex Lovy

Music
Giorgio Moroder

Story by
Tony Geiss
Judy Freudberg

Based on the book by
Madeline L'Engle

Editor
Jeffrey Patch

Notable staff members
Eric Goldberg
Mark Evanier
Tom Minton
Eddie Fitzgerald
John Lasseter
Art Vitello
Will Finn
Cliff Voorhees
Bob Jaques

Voices
Molly Ringwald as Meg Murry
Corey Feldman as Calvin O'Keefe
Sean Astin as Charles Wallace
Adam West as Dr. Jack Murry
John Vernon as The Man With Red Eyes
June Foray as the Happy Medium
Cloris Leachman as Mrs. Which
Hayley Mills as Mrs. Whatsit
Gilda Radner as Mrs. Who

Reaction
"Some three years ago, it looked like United Artists would give Disney a run for its money when they released The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Of course, UA's cartoon department fell apart far quicker than it was put together. This year, Walter Lantz - yes, Walter Lantz, the father of Woody Woodpecker - would make a miraculous comeback with a much more mature project than his usual slapstick fare. Together with director Ralph Bakshi, Lantz's new film A Wrinkle in Time takes us on an out-of-this-world trip with three youngsters who must make a dangerous, cosmic journey to a wicked planet in order to reunite with their long lost father. Those who read the Madeline L'Engel book in their youth may bemoan the liberties taken in this film. But for everyone else, this film is gonna be talked about for years to come."
- Gene Shalit; The Today Show

"Last fall, the animation business was rocked by the Home Economics scandal, but Walter Lantz's newest picture A Wrinkle in Time proves the industry's resilience from controversy tenfold."
- Roger Ebert; The Chicago Sun-Times​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Excerpts from a Press Conference announcing John Kricfalusi's arrest
Held at Parker Center (LAPD Headquarters)
March 10, 1982

Griffin Bell
Attorney General of the United States

"Good afternoon. I am honored to stand alongside Los Angeles County District Attorney Robert Philibosian, Robert S. Mueller III, Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, as well as the State of California's Attorney General George Deukmejian."

"Yesterday, the FBI arrested 26 year old Canadian national Michael John Kricfalusi, charging him with three counts of bribery and five counts of child enticement."

"Mr. Kricfalusi was entrusted by his bosses with the privilege of using his talent to help the Hanna-Barbera cartoon studio build on its success as the standard bearer for quality family entertainment. Instead, Mr. Krifcalusi stands accused of using his creative gifts to circumvent the authority of the Screen Cartoonists Association of America and its Cartoon Czar's office."

Robert S. Mueller III
"Mr. Kricfalusi is also accused of giving monetary bribes to several members of the National Broadcasting Company's department of broadcast standards and practices. Three of NBC's censors are now in federal custody for accepting those bribes. This was the result of objections raised by the network over the content of the Eastland Girls episode titled 'Home Economics,' for which Kricfalusi is credited as the sole writer. In that episode, a young boy named Todd, who is depicted as being the same age as the main girls on the show, is clunked on the head with a baseball bat and dragged into the dormitory where the girls live and study. Todd is then shown donning a diaper and a baby bonnet while sitting on an oversized high chair and fed with a baby bottle. All of this is culmination of the home economics lesson being given by Mrs. Garrett, the housemother of the dormitory."

Bell
"Over a three and a half year span, Mr. Kricfalusi attempted to lure child actresses such as Mindy Feldman, Dana Plato, Molly Ringwald, Felice Shachter and Nancy McKeon to his residence for the purposes of committing obscene acts with minors. Because of the repeated attempts to entice these young ladies, Mr. Krifcfalusi is currently being held without bail."

"A trial date will be discussed at a later date. Now I am happy to answer any questions."​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Trial date for Kricfalusi set for October 25.
- The Los Angeles Times

Universal's Wrinkle dominates the early spring box office due to weak competition.
- Variety

Walter Lantz confirms that the long-rumored Woody Woodpecker film is in the works.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Citing sagging attendance and revenues, the NHL confirms the Colorado Rockies are up for sale.
- The Hockey News

 

[OldNavy1988]

Walt Disney, Jr., who will turn 36 in June, officially succeeds his father as head of the Disney organization.
- The Hollywood Reporter

NHL Board of Governors approves the sale of the Colorado Rockies to Japanese video game company Namco. The team had previously been rumored to be headed to New Jersey.
- The Denver Post

Paramount acquires the distribution rights to the oft-delayed Thief and the Cobbler for a Christmas '82 release.
- Variety

Embassy Pictures wins $16 million USD in damages in its breach-of-contract suit against Hanna-Barbera. The case was filed amid the Home Ec scandal that rocked the business of animated cartoons last fall.
- The New York Times

Pick up the May '82 issue of MAD Magazine for the TV satire "Ecch-Land Hurls," which touches heavily on the Home Ec incident.
- The Bedrock Bugle; An unauthorized HB fanzine

 

[OldNavy1988]

April 13, 1982
FBI's field office in LA.
Three days before Daniel's 24th birthday.

Agent Hill:
"Congratulations, Mr. Abbott. Your work here is done."

Daniel Abbott:
(Normal voice; Hampshire accent)
"Won't I still have to testify at John's trial?"

Agent Hill:
"Nope. We have everything you recorded to use in court. In fact, you gave us more than we'll end up needing. You're free to go."

April 16, 1982
Daniel's 24th Birthday.

*Doorbell rings*

*Door opens*

Daniel:
"Richard? Long time, no see!"

Richard Williams:
"Happy Birthday, Daniel. I was able to buy back the rights to The Thief and the Cobbler and sign a better distribution deal with Paramount."

Daniel:
"Wow, that's terrific."

Williams:
"And, I've rented some office space to finish the remaining scenes before the Christmas release. I have one position open if you'd like to work with me on the project."

Daniel:
"So when do I start?"

Williams:
"Tuesday morning at 9:30. I'll be on the Paramount lot on Melrose Avenue."​

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Bronson Gate on the Paramount lot.

April 20, 1982
Paramount Lot

Daniel Abbott
"Good morning, Richard."

Richard Williams
"You're an hour early, Daniel. We have about five scenes left of The Thief to finish and only nine months to do it."

Abbott
"Five scenes in nine months? That can't be too bad, right?"

Williams
"Well, to complicate things a little bit, I was hoping Tack would remain a mute character, but the studio is really pushing hard for Tack to have a few lines."

Abbott
"Perhaps I can do the voice?"

Williams
"I would love for you to play the part, but Frank [Mancuso, Sr.] really wants Freddie Starr."

Abbott
"Alright then, lets give Freddie a call."

*Bronson Gate opens*
*Both men walk onto the lot*​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Conan the Barbarian

Released by Universal Pictures on May 14, 1982.

Based on the Robert E. Howard characters, Conan was the film that catapulted Arnold Schwarzenegger to super-stardom.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

ET: The Extra Terrestrial

Released on June 11, 1982

Produced and directed by
Steven Spielberg

Executive Producers
Roy E. Disney
Walt Disney, Jr.

Screenplay by
Melissa Mathison

Music by
John Williams

Director of Photography
Allen Daviau

Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures
Amblin Entertainment

Distributor
Buena Vista Distribution Co., Inc.

CAST
Dee Wallace as Mary, a single parent and Elliott's mother
Henry Thomas as Elliott, a 10-year-old boy and Mary's son
Peter Coyote as Keys
Robert MacNaughton as Michael, Elliott's older brother
Drew Barrymore as Gertie, Elliott's younger sister
K.C. Martel as Greg
C. Thomas Howell as Tyler
Sean Frye as Steve
Erika Eleniak as Pretty Girl
Pat Welsh as the voice of E.T.
Anne Lockhart as Nurse
Robert W. Scholler as Medical Unit

NOTES
The changes made for the OTL 2002 reissue (below) will not materialize if Junior stays in power.

And one more thing...

ET was originally slated to be released under the 20th Century-Fox label. The film was reassigned to the flagship Disney label at the request of Spielberg just five months before the film opened. Because of Steve's request, Disney would use ET to unveil its new on-screen logo (below) a month earlier than was originally planned.