As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

[OldNavy1988]

Daniel Abbott's house
Los Angeles, California
January 22, 1982

On a Sony Trinitron TV set, Pat Summerall narrates the Los Angeles Raiders' shut out victory over the Washington Heroes in Super Bowl XVIII.

Beer bottles and a pizza box populate Daniel's coffee table.

Then, the phone rings.

Daniel: Hello? Freddie?

Freddie Starr: Hi Daniel. I heard Richard [Williams] moved back to London.

Daniel: Yup. And I was laid off the week after Ziggy's Gift aired. The ratings were too low for Paramount to keep us on the payroll, I suppose.

Freddie: Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

Daniel: So what are you up to now?

Freddie: I'm working on a new version of The Jungle Book over at Disney.

Daniel: So let me guess, are you playing Bagheera or Tabaqui?

Freddie: Tabaqui is absent in this version, but they got John Cleese to be Bagheera. They wanted to have a group of vultures and I'm voicing one of them.

Daniel: A Scouse vulture in a Rudyard Kipling film?

Freddie: Why bloody not? Anyways, they also went out and got Chad Stuart...

Daniel: Hold it. Chad....from Chad and Jeremy?

Freddie: Yes, and Eric Idle. Remember the Rutles?

Daniel: Really???? That should be plenty, right?

Freddie: Well, you'd think so. But the studio wanted four, and they're having trouble filling that last spot.

Daniel: Do me a favor. Put Don Bluth on the phone and ask if he wants to hear my George Harrison impression.

 

[OldNavy1988]

David Stern succeeds Larry O'Brien as the NBA's new commissioner.
- The Sporting News

Colts' future in Baltimore could be in jeopardy.
- The Baltimore Sun

Bob Clampett signs deal with CBS/Columbia Pictures Home Video to bring his Beany and Cecil series to videocassette and laserdisc.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Bidding war for NBC comes down to five competitors: Gulf+Western, MCA, Turner, Coca-Cola & General Electric.
- Variety

 

[OldNavy1988]

Reagan's ties to the Church of Scientology of utmost concern to voters heading to the polls for state primaries.
- The Washington Post

Walt Disney, Jr. announces a longterm plan to bring his father's animated classics to home video.
- The Los Angeles Times

Justice Department approves Amblin Entertainment's purchase of Lucasfilm, Ltd.
- CNN

Jay Ward Productions seeking third-party partners for VHS and laserdisc releases of its classic cartoon library.
- Variety

Chuck Jones hints at a reunion project with Dr. Seuss.
- Good Morning America

 

[OldNavy1988]

March 28, 1984

The Baltimore Colts leave the city where they were loved....

....to a new domed stadium that awaited them in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Baltimore Sun mourned the Colts' departure the next day.

​

"At the time, I was hired by 20th Century-Fox to work on the Movietoon revival. When I got home from my first day at Fox, I got a message on my answering machine from my older brother Randy, who was still living in Baltimore. He told me that the Colts, the football team we loved when we were kids, had up and left in the middle of the night." "Some of my friends back in Baltimore began rooting for the Washington Heroes. I couldn't see myself doing the same because the Beltway rivalry used to be so bitter. Plus, my dad despised the Heroes when they used to be the Redskins because of George Preston Marshall dragging his feet on the integration of African-American players." - Rachel Stone; 1999 interview with Animation Magazine.

 

[OldNavy1988]

At a rally in St. Louis, GOP candidate Bob Dole told supporters "We cannot allow Reagan to commute John Kricfalusi's sentence."
- CNN

Democratic candidate Walter Mondale calls out Gingrich, Rumsfeld, Bush and Thurmond for alleged Scientology ties.
- The Washington Post

Warner Communications announces they are selling their stake in Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment.
- The Detroit Free Press

Coca-Cola agrees in principal to purchase NBC.
- The New York Times

 

[OldNavy1988]

Footloose

Released by Paramount Pictures

Repo Man

Released by Universal Pictures

This is Spinal Tap

Released by Embassy Pictures

Police Academy

Released by Warner Bros.

Moscow on the Hudson

Released by Columbia Pictures

Who should release Romancing the Stone?​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Lee Gunther leaves Grantray-Lawrence to helm Nelvana's second feature film unit while Zack Dillinger stays in Toronto to oversee the first unit. Dillinger will direct The Care Bears Movie, which is due for a Summer '85 release. Gunther's unit will deliver My Little Pony: The Movie in the summer of '86.

Low ratings for Ziggy's Gift prompted Paramount Pictures to opt out of extending its distribution deal with Richard Williams. When asked about Paramount's possible re-entry into animation, a spokesperson for the studio declined to comment.

Richard Williams returns to London to resume work on TV commercials while entertaining an offer from 20th Century-Fox for a feature length adaptation of a detective novel written by Gary K. Wolf.

Speaking of Fox, the studio feels they've built a strong core of its Movietoon revival crew. Among the names you'll see in the credits come next year are Tom Ruegger, Rachel Stone, Eric Goldberg, Bruce W. Smith, Brad Bird and Roger Allers. Spots are filling up fast, and Fox is currently in talks with Daniel Abbott, Gary Trousdale, Tad Stones, Henry Selick, Tim Burton, Bruce Timm, Mike Gabriel, Floyd Norman and Bob Camp for the last three positions.

Murakami-Wolf-Swenson is looking for a distributor for its upcoming film The Adventures of the American Rabbit, based on the pop-art posters by Stewart Moskowitz.

The Graphics Group, now a division of Amblin Entertainment, welcomes John Lasseter to their team. John had previously worked on A Wrinkle in Time at Famous Studios.

After several years of Looney Tunes package films, CMJ is ready to reunite with Dr. Seuss on a project slated for a 1988 release.

Peter Schneider takes over for Lee Gunther at Grantray-Lawrence.

Muppet Babies, expected to hit the airwaves in Fall '84, could be the start of a new era at Hanna-Barbera.

Famous Studios is gearing up for An American Tail, which is slated for a Fall '86 release.

Disney made plenty of headlines when they decided to offer a tryout to troubled journeyman animator Daniel Abbott.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Romancing the Stone

Released by Grand Diamond.

After directing two clunkers in the form of Used Cars and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Robert Zemeckis would finally score his first box office hit with Romancing the Stone. After the success of this film, Zemeckis would be hired by Universal and Amblin to helm Back to the Future, which is slated for a Summer '85 release.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

May 1, 1984 saw the debut of an independent comic book that would spawn an entire pop culture phenomenon.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
Released on May 1, 1984

Pencils, Lettering and Ink by
Kevin Eastman
Peter Laird

Published by
Mirage Studios

The first Turtle comic was created to skewer the trends being set by Frank Miller's runs on Daredevil and Ronin, along with Marvel's New Mutants line.

A newsletter article on Eastman and Laird's creation.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Indianapolis Colts to keep name: NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle has blocked a proposal from 20th Century-Fox and Amblin Entertainment to offer team owner Bob Irsay $30 million to rebrand the former Baltimore franchise as the "Indiana Joneses."
- ESPN; SportsCenter

With MGM having been sold to Ted Turner three years ago, the former MGM lot in Culver City is now up for grabs.
- The Hollywood Reporter

In response to Fox's upcoming Movietoon revival, Turner is negotiating with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for a possible rebirth of the Tom and Jerry franchise.
- Variety

With Coca-Cola's purchase of NBC complete, Brandon Tartikoff is out and in his place comes former Paramount chairman Barry Diller.
- The New York Times

Coca-Cola will rebrand RKO Home Video as NBC/RKO Video.
- TV Guide

 

[OldNavy1988]

Giovanni Rocco "Rocky" Lorenzo
Born on March 2, 1941 in New York City

Lorenzo worked briefly for the Walt Disney studios in the late 1960's. He is most notorious for the infamous pantyshots in the 1969 version of Alice in Wonderland. He is also remembered for having drawn Belle's cup size to match that of voice actress Dolly Parton for the 1975 film Beauty and the Beast. Lorenzo slandered veteran animator and director Whitey Larkin as having been responsible for the aforementioned content. Walt, Sr. saw through Lorenzo's lies and promptly fired him. After that, Lorenzo bounced around between Filmation and Hanna-Barbera. For the latter, he worked on the infamous Home Economics episode of Eastland Girls along with the disgraced John Kricfalusi. When Michael Eisner and Jim Henson took over HB to clean house in the early 1980's, Lorenzo was the first to be fired by the new regime.

Lorenzo currently resides in San Francisco. Remember, this was long before DeviantArt, so the pantyshots and cheesecake that Lorenzo continues to draw can be found in underground comics sold at any head shops that may still exist around town. Pretty much on the same shelves where you can find reprints of Trina Robbins' early works, Robert Crumb's Zap, Dan O'Neill's Air Pirates and Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Released on May 8, 1984

Production Companies
20th Century-Fox
Amblin Entertainment

Produced and directed by
Steven Spielberg

Executive Producers
George Lucas
Howard Kazanjian

Screenplay by
Lawrence Kasdan

Music by
John Williams

Rather than have Indy fight the Nazis again, the prequel pits him against an ancient cult that practices human sacrifice and other violent rituals to honor the goddess Kali. Without Willie Scott to drag down the story, Indy now has a youthful, jovial sidekick named Short Round (Brandon Lee) who rescues Indy from the nightclub in the first act and provides much needed backup when engaged in combat with the cult members. Together, Indy and Short Round must navigate through every twist and turn of the temple to recover a precious stone and return it to its rightful home at a quaint Indian village.

CAST:
Tom Selleck as Dr Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr
Brandon Lee as Short Round
Amrish Puri as Mola Ram
Roshan Seth as Chattar Lai
Phillip Stone as Capt Blumburtt
Roy Chiao as Lao Che
David Yip as Wu Han
Raj Singh as Zalim Singh
DR Nanayakkara as Shaman

Plot summary copied and pasted from the original American Magic.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Ghostbusters

Released on June 8, 1984 by Paramount Pictures

Produced and directed by
Ivan Reitman

Screenplay by
Dan Aykroyd
Harold Ramis

Story by
Dan Aykroyd
John Belushi

Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Ghostbusters theme performed by
Ray Parker, Jr.

Cast
Bill Murray as Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz
Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett
John Belushi as Egon Spengler
Rick Moranis as Louis Tully
Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz
William Atherton as Walter Peck
Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore

Upon its release, Ghostbusters usurped the #1 spot at the box office from Indy.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Donald Duck's 50th Birthday

Aired on the evening of June 19, 1984 on SBC.

Host
Dick Van Dyke

Special Guests
Clarence Nash
Walt Disney, Jr.
Candice Bergen-Disney
Trey Disney [1]
Tiffany Disney
Mark Hamill
Ed Asner
Cloris Leachman
Andy Warhol
Henry Winkler
Kenny Rogers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Carl Barks
Anthony Daniels
Kenny Baker
Donna Summer

[1] Credited as Walter Elias Disney III

This special edition of the anthology series featured a retrospective on the career of one of Disney's most popular cartoon stars. Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald, headlined a star-studded series of special guests, including Tony Anselmo, the man who one day take over the iconic role. Walt, Sr., now 82, was only seen in archival footage because he was undergoing a pacemaker installation during production of this special.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Amblin, Disney, Corman and Turner emerge as front-runners while Henson, Coke, Warner, MCA, CBS and Gulf+Western drop out of the race for the Filmways library.
- The New York Times

Disney creates two home video imprints. "The Classics" will bring many of the studio's beloved animated feature films to home video for the first time. "Playhouse Video" will serve as a specialty label for video releases of third-party children's properties.
- The Hollywood Reporter

The newly formed Film Roman cartoon studio acquires the screen rights to the Garfield comic strip. Two Garfield specials had been previously produced by Roman in collaboration with legendary Peanuts animator Bill Melendez.
- The Indianapolis Star

Former Disney artist Rocky Lorenzo, 43, pleads no contest to assaulting two men in the Castro district.
- The San Francisco Chronicle

 

[OldNavy1988]

THE SPORTS PAGE
The Philadelphia Stars have defeated the Arizona Wranglers for the USFL Championship in Tampa. After speculation over a possible move to a fall schedule, Commissioner Chet Simmons confirmed the league's commitment to spring.
- The Sporting News

1984 NBA Draft Notable Picks
Houston Rockets - Michael Jordan
Kentucky Colonels - Hakeem Olajuwon
Spirits of St. Louis - Charles Barkley
San Diego Clippers - John Stockton
Kansas City Royals - Sam Perkins
Philadelphia 76ers - Kevin Willis
Washington Federals - Otis Thorpe
Denver Nuggets - Alvin Robertson
Portland Trail Blazers - Jerome Kersey
Chicago Bulls - Sam Bowie

Mario Lemieux selected #1 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Entry Draft.
- The Hockey News

 

[OldNavy1988]

Will the Addams Family move to Dopey Drive or Pico Boulevard? That's the question every pop culture geek is asking as Walt Disney, Jr. announced the purchase of the Filmways TV library from a Los Angeles bankruptcy court.
- The Hollywood Reporter

After years of speculation, Columbia Pictures confirms they have put a Wonder Woman movie into production for a 1986 release.
- Variety

Rumors are circulating that MCA is in talks to acquire Archie Comics.
- Good Morning America

A trial date for former Disney artist Rocky Lorenzo has been set for February 1985. Two men say they were brutally assaulted in the Castro district by the one-time animator who flamed out of the industry and is now reduced to drawing underground comics containing fetish porn.
- The San Francisco Chronicle

Bagdasarian and Jay Ward have each signed on to license their respective properties to the new Playhouse Video label.
- TV Guide

Paramount's board of directors vote to oust chairman Frank Mancuso, Sr., citing his mishandling of the situation involving Richard Williams, who has since been hired by Fox.
- The New York Times.

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Mighty Thor

Released on July 6, 1984

Directed by
Richard Marquand

Produced by
Stan Lee
Ron Miller

Screenplay by
Alvin Sargent

Based on the characters created by
Jack Kirby
Larry Lieber
Stan Lee

Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Production Companies
20th Century-Fox
Marvel Films

Distributor
Buena Vista Distribution Co., Inc.

Special Effects produced by
Industrial Light & Magic

CAST
Miles O'Keeffe as Thor/Donald Blake
Alan Rickman as Loki
Michael Gambon as Odin
Carolina Blakiston as Frigga
Olivia Newton John as Jane Foster
David Prowse as Heimdall
Jean Claude Van Damme as Volstagg
Mark Rolston as Fandral
Charles Bronson as Hogun
Sybil Danning as Sif
Jack Palance as King Laufey

Based on the mythology of the ancient Vikings, The Mighty Thor leaped out of the imaginations of Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Larry Lieber all the way back in 1962. Fast forward 22 years later, the God of Thunder was set for his theatrical debut in a summer blockbuster from Fox. The film chronicles Thor's feud with Loki as is spills from the realm of Asgard to Midgard, better known as planet Earth. Thor, the heir to the crown worn by his father Odin, is banished from Asgard when he uses excessive brute force to punish the Frost Giants for violating a millenia-old treaty, and sent to live among the mortals of Midgard, where he slowly adopts the alias Donald Blake. Back in Asgard, Thor's banishment cracks the door wide open for Loki's plan to unilaterally take over Asgard and unleash mischief on all of the Nine Worlds. When Loki and his henchmen arrive on Earth, it is up to Thor to engage his brother in battle and reclaim his rightful throne.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

L. Ron Hubbard makes a surprising appearance at the Republican National Convention in Dallas.
- The Washington Post

Fox begins production on Iron Man. Based on the Marvel comic, the movie is slated for a summer release in 1985.
- The Hollywood Reporter

After the ouster of Frank Mancuso, Sr., the search for a replacement continues at Paramount. Norman Lear, Alan Ladd, Jr., Sherry Lansing, Francis Ford Coppola, Lawrence Gordon, Peter Guber and Kathleen Kennedy are among the outsiders being considered by the studio. Current Paramount board members Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer plan to leave the studio to become independent producers if they are not picked.
- Variety.

Citing creative differences and belligerence with management, Disney fires animator Rick Rich.
- The Associated Press

Berkshire-Hathaway, parent company of Orion, gives executives Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott an ultimatum to improve the studio's sagging Saturday morning ratings.
- The Omaha World-Herald

 

[OldNavy1988]

And then, there were two: Paramount is expected to choose between Sherry Lansing and Norman Lear as the studio's next leader. Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson have agreed to stay at the studio to aid the transition regardless of who is picked.
- Variety

GOP Convention: Delegates embrace Reagan's brand of Scientology.
- CNN

Warner Home Video's VHS/Beta/Laserdisc release of last year's hottest TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is an instant bestseller!
- The Detroit Free Press

Walt Disney, Jr. teases the upcoming video releases of his father's animated feature classics during a speech at Comic Con.
- San Diego Evening Tribune

He wants our MTV: Australian newspaper baron Rupert Murdoch is placing simultaneous bids for multiple American media companies: ABC, Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment and, curiously, tiny Miramax Films.
- The Rolling Stone

Turner to launch the Cable Music Channel to provide an alternative to MTV.
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution