1944 Dell Comic Book

With the Disney Studio thoroughly sequestered by the US military, the deep loss of revenue from the eclipsed European market, and a shortage of top animators, 1944 saw Walt Disney once again facing a serious cash flow problem. His answer was simple yet brilliant--use what you've got. For the first time ever, he re-released a film to the theaters. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made a basket full of money and reignited public interest in all things Snow...one of those things being the comic book printed by Dell Publishing in that same year.

Cover Art, 1944 Dell Comic Book.

Front Endpaper, 1944 Dell Comic Book.

Page One, 1944 Dell Comic Book.

As mentioned in the previous post, staff artist Hank Porter illustrated the original Snow White newspaper comic back in 1937-38. Hank was still employed by Walt in 1944 but was assigned to oversee the department which pumped out a thousand plus insignias (many drawn by Porter himself) and other illustrations for the war effort.

So why mess with a good thing? This Snow White comic issued by Dell Publishing utilized the same Porter illustrations and Merrill de Maris story from the earlier newspaper strip. The only real changes were in the colors, e.g. Snow White's dress in the original dark forest scene was red with a white cape; in 1944 they both were painted yellow.

[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]

Original January 23, 1938 newspaper strip illustrated by Hank Porter. 
Image courtesy of the Thom Buchanan collection via The Pictorial Arts blog.

1944 Dell Comic Book; same Hank Porter illustrations, different color painting.

According to Don Markstein's Toonopedia, the strip was "repeatedly reprinted" in comic book form by Dell, Gold Key, Gladstone and even a Marvel edition in 1995.  It was also published as a Big Little Book by Whitman Publishing. Most assuredly, Hank Porter's original 1937-38 Snow White strip will continue to live on in future forms.

Comics copyright Disney. All images (unless otherwise noted) courtesy of the Bob Fergusson Collection. Used with Permission. See Bob's blog at Allure.

For more Snow White comic book covers, see this post.

1937-38 Hank Porter Comic Strip

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, this Snow White Sunday newspaper comic strip ran for twenty weeks, from December 12, 1937 to April 24, 1938, actually beginning nine days prior to the film's colossal premiere at the Cathay Circle Theatre on December 21, 1937 and a whopping 45 days before the movie's general public release on Feb. 4, 1938. By the time the film actually appeared in theaters, devoted readers would have already been familiar with the princess, prince and queen. They'd also have had a silhouetted glimpse of the dwarfs marching home from their diamond mine.


-December 12, 1937 - week one...

- December 19, 1937 - week two...

- December 26, 1937 - week three...

- January 2, 1938 - week four...

- January 9, 1938 - week five...

- January 16, 1938 - week six...

- January 23, 1938 - week seven...

- January 30, 1938 - week eight...

- February 6, 1938 - week nine...

- February 13, 1938 - week ten...

- February 20, 1938 - week eleven...

- February 27, 1938 - week twelve...

- March 6, 1938 - week thirteen...

- March 13, 1938 - week fourteen...

- March 20, 1938 - week fifteen...

- March 27, 1938 - week sixteen...

- April 3, 1938 - week seventeen...

- April 10, 1938 - week eighteen...

- April 17, 1938 - week nineteen...

 - April 24, 1938 - week twenty...

The strip was illustrated by the talented but lesser-known Hank Porter, a staff artist in the Disney Publicity Art Department from 1935 to 1950. The story was authored by Merrill de Maris, one of several writers credited with the Snow White screenplay.

Hank Porter. Image via Walt Disney's Mickey and the Gang, p 10.

Comics copyright Disney. Images courtesy of the Thom Buchanan collection via The Pictorial Arts blog.

Birthday Lillies and cards

Good morning folks, sorry no post for a day or so, been back having another op on my mouth. I really thought all that was over last year, but the problem spread so there was no option. Still rather sore with the stitches so not a lot of talking from my end.......what a relief for my whole household I hear them say.

So a bit of a catch up on what I should have posted yesterday along with today's postings so this might be a bit of a long one. First up is this weeks new Polkadoodle's challenge where it's my turn to host the theme and I am going with "Something for a Boy" as it's Birthday time in our house this weekend, today it's my hubby's, myself and Grandson's tomorrow and Monday one of our granddaughters, nothing like cramming them all in together is there.

I have crated a card for my daughter to give to our grandson using the Paper Boutique CD. The template is all designed for you and even coloured, all you have to do is print it off, cut it out and layer it up, easy peasy. I printed a few extra stars, added some eyelets and fibres to the spine and stickles to the stars.

Next a reminder about our new Penny Black at Allsorts challenge which kicks off on Thursday. If you have not already been over and added your name to make sure you don't miss anything what are you waiting for, there will be super prizes from Penny Black themselves and one or two other exciting things lined up as well........I will be doing a post on the challenge blog in the next day or so to tell you a bit more about that.

And finally our brand new weekly challenge at Allsorts where it's the lovely Kirsten's turn to host the theme where she would like us to use "Embossing" on our projects.

I have used Hero Arts K5393 Lily Silhouette as my main image which I stamped with versamark and embossed with detail clear onto a piece of red cardstock which I had stamped with Hero H2364 Old French Writing using Tim Holtz distress ink soot black, then bleached out the image.

The spotty DP is from Cosmo Cricket and the cream panel was run through the Big Shot using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The swirls are from a Sizzix die and the flower made with punches and the beady leaves are from Magnolia. Finally ribbon threaded down one side........don't ask me why, but whenever I use ribbon like this I think of French Follies.......I think it must be the basque image.

Marguerite Clark as Snow White (1916)

It's well-known that one of the first films Walt Disney ever saw was Snow White. It was a special free showing attended by sixteen thousand children squeezed into the Kansas City Convention Center. The hall was arranged with four separate screens set in the center of the room and the youthful audience encircling them. Four projectors all ran simultaneously and the film included live musical accompaniment.

I once saw Marguerite Clark performing in it in Kansas City when I was a newsboy back in 1917. It was one of the first big feature pictures I'd ever seen...I thought it was the perfect story. It had the sympathetic dwarfs, you see? It had the heavy. It had the prince and the girl. The romance. I just thought it was a perfect story. Walt Disney

Snow White title plate, 1916. Image via ImageShack

Marguerite Clark. Image in public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Directed by J. Searle Dawley with Marguerite Clark in the lead role, the 1916 feature motion picture adaptation of Grimm's fairy tale was first a 1912 play starring Clark. Her popularity in this and other Broadway productions led to a silent film contract in 1914 with Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. She was 31 when she starred in the first of her forty films--making her 33 when she played Snow White.

L to R: Creighton Hale (Prince), Dorothy Cumming (Queen) and Marguerite Clark (Snow White). Image in public domain.

Asleep in the dwarfs cottage. Image in public domain.

Marguerite became one of the most popular film stars of the teens and early 1920s--and also one of the industry's best paid. In November of 1916, the New York Times called her "one of the Big Four of movie stars, the other three being Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin. Like Mary Pickford, Clark was quite petite (4'10") and possessed youthful features which allowed her to play characters much younger than her actual age.

In recognition of her accomplishments, she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6304 Hollywood Boulevard.

Marguerite Clark, 1917 Kromo Gravure Movie Card. Image courtesy of Immortal Ephemera. Used with Permission. 

For detailed info on the Kromo Gravure card sets from the silent film era, see this video.

Movie playing card featuring Marguerite Clark. Card set featured a variety of film stars from the time period. Issued by Movie Souvenir Card Co, copyright 1916 by MJ Moriarty. Image courtesy of Immortal Ephemera. Used with Permission.

Watching this version of Snow White is like having a window into the past. Filmed nearly 100 years ago, we see a style of storytelling long gone. Many of the scenes were shot and performed as if it were still a stage play--not necessarily the most interesting filmically. Nonetheless, Marguerite Clark's performance is charming and charismatic. She makes the movie.

The Huntsman is unable to kill Snow White. Image in public domain.

One can also see the influence this film had on Walt Disney. Although there doesn't seem to be any confirmation of this, it almost seems as if he got ahold of the reels and screened it for his animators. The similarity of certain designs and scenes is noticeable.

The Huntsman and Queen with her chair in background. Image in public domain.

Contrary to popular belief, Walt Disney's film was not the first to name the dwarfs. Here we have Blick, Flick, Glick, Snick, Plick, Whick and Quee--a grumpy stubborn dwarf who is forced to wash up when the other dwarfs throw him in a water barrel.

Quee getting dunked. Image in public domain.

It's interesting to note the differences from Disney's film too. For example, the Queen and Witch are two separate characters, and it's the latter who demands to have the heart of the princess.

Witch and Queen as two separate characters. Image in public domain.

This version of Snow White was actually thought to be long lost until a copy was discovered by the Dutch film archives, Nederlands Filmmuseum. A 35mm preservation negative now exists in the International Museum of Photography and Film at the George Eastman House film archive.

The movie is available on DVD as part of the Treasures from American Film Archives set.

Watch a clip from the film...

Video posted by nyesteiran

Years afterward at a special dinner given to Marguerite Clark at the Disney Studios in Hollywood, [Walt Disney] told Miss Clark that [the] Snow White picture he saw in Kansas City--from a loft gallery seat--was the inspiration that caused him to create the first long cartoon picture.
From Walt Disney and Europe by Robin Allan

Movie Poster. Image in public domain.

The following review is from IMDb:

The highlight of this version of "Snow White" is the lively performance by Marguerite Clark, who fits into the role very well and shows why she was so popular in her time. Overall, the movie is a pleasant, old-fashioned telling of the story, with a stage-like technique but some pretty good production values for the mid-1910s.

At one time, Clark was as popular as any other actress of her day, but almost all of her movies have since been lost. Even this movie is still missing some material at various points, although the reconstruction in the Treasures From American Film Archives collection is very nicely done, and makes it fit together as well as it possibly could have.

Even when compared with the other great actresses of her day, Clark works very well in the role of a young girl. Her small stature certainly helps, but her actions and mannerisms are also very believable. For the story to work, "Snow White" has to be extremely sympathetic and engaging, and Clark is able to do that quite well.

The story stays fairly close to the Grimm Brothers' original, though downplaying or eliminating some of its more violent aspects.

Read another review on Commentary Track. And for more side-by-side comparisons between this and Walt Disney's version, see the post over at A Lost Film.

Keeing everything crossed for England

How is everyone today ? I just popped into the village for an appointment and the the place was deserted, I figure everyone is at home preparing for an afternoon of footie, tennis some tinnies and probably a barbie as well as the weather is still lovely.

I'm looking forward to the footie, but with trepidation.........so much hangs on a good win today and I know if we lose and are on the plane home from South Africa tonight, one or two in my household will be like bears with sore heads. So here's to a resounding win !!

I forgot to put my England shirt on for the last two games.........no I did not buy it myself, one of the boys gave it to me for my Birthday two years ago when we were plying in the European championships, seem to remember we lost then as well. So perhaps if I wear it today it might bring us luck, I can but hope.

It's quiet in the offices today as well and the phones have hardly rung this morning, so I feel some crafty stuff coming on shortly. I have a card to share which fits some challenges. The main image is another pretty Sarah Kay coloured with Copics and decoupaged with three layers. The DP is Doodlebug and the borders Martha Stewart doily lace. The sentiment is Penny Black 3851E Blessings. My card fits the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - Easel Card

Everybody Art Challenges - Green and Pink

ABC Challenge - Extra Dimension

Draw Snow White Tutorial

The following Snow White drawing exercise  is from artist Dawn Darko, the creator of the tutorial site DragonArt.com.

Step 1.
What you will do first is draw out the guidelines and shapes to form a nice body frame for Snow White. Start by drawing out a nicely shaped circle for her head with some facial guidelines drawn in as well. Next you will draw out the shapes of her puffed up shoulder sleeves and then the shape of her narrow torso. Then you can draw the shape of the bottom of her dress as shown. The guidelines for the arms, hands and feet should be drawn in next.

Step 2.
In this step you will start to sketch out the shape of her innocent looking face or shall I say the shape of her cheeks and the beginning lining for her hair. Then you will sketch in her mouth, nose, and first steps of her eyes. After that you can begin the detailing on the left puff shoulder sleeve and then draw out the shapes of her arms and neck. You will also draw out the lining for the creases in her dress as well as the ruffles on the bottom and the detail on her left hand.

Step 3.
As you can see by the time you are done with this step Snow White will almost look like the beautiful princess she is. You will now start sketching in her face like the eyebrows and her hair as well. Then you can add her small perfect bow. You will next draw out her high collar that rest just at the bottom of her hair. Next detail her shoulder sleeves and the front of the top of her dress as well as the bottom. You will also need to draw out the shape of her right arm and hand.

Step 4.
In this last step you will draw in the finishing details for Snow White. Draw the ribbon on her bow as well as the rest of the ruffles in her shoulder sleeve and dress. Next you will draw out her shoes and make sure her eyes are all drawn in as well. Erase all the guidelines and shapes that you drew in step one.

Step 5.
This is what your finished drawing of Snow White should look like when you are done. All you have left to do is color he in her pretty red, blue and yellow colors. That will end this tutorial on how to draw Snow White one of Disney's animated cartoons step by step.

 

And there she is!

All images and instruction copyright Dawn Darko and DragonArt.com. Used with Permission.

Molly Blooms

Good Afternoon peeps, it's Monday so back to the grindstone but at least the sun is shining and no winter woollies today.

Hope you all had a good weekend, mine was a mixture. Saturday I was busy finishing the samples for yesterdays exclusive launch at Sir Stampalot of the new Molly Blooms stamp range. It was really lovely to met Clare, the very talented artiste of the stamps which are now on line to buy here. Scary or what, I am quite getting a liking for cutsie.

I have used Molly Blooms Strawberry Girl on this card, masking her so she is sitting on the toadstool which is another of the stamps in the range, colouring her with Copics and decoupaging, adding some grass and flowers using Art Impression stamps. The DP is Cosmo Cricket, the border punched with Martha Stewart embossed scallop plus some ribbon and a doily. This card is for this the following challenges:

Cupcake - Strawberries and Cream

Stamptacular Sunday - Cute as a Bug - butterflies plus bees on DP

Stamp Something - Summer

My second card uses Penny Black 2407K Keepsake as the main image inked with Brilliance Mediterranean blue and yellow then spritzed with Glimmer Mist daisy yellow. I stamped the three flowers again to decoupage them after spritzing them with the same GM. The DP is October Afternoon, one of the brand new ones just arrived at Stampalot. The corner stamp is Penny Black 3857H Footnote, the with love sentiment is Art Impression and the left hand wording computer generated. This card is for the following challenges:

Penny Black Saturday - Travel/holidays

Stampin for the weekend - Sketch plus yellow and blue.

And finally I thought I would share a piece of fairy artwork my hubby bought me yesterday.

It's a bit unusual as it is a print glazed onto natural slate and the colour of the slate blends beautifully with Arthur Rackham's wonderful depiction of Ginevra from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Not sure where I am going to hang it yet, but I think my craft room is the most likely as it's very 'me' and I can feel the inspiration coming already.