Orson Welles 'Snow White' Radio Performance, 1945

A studio audience admission ticket for this live CBS performance...

Sixty Seven years ago tonight, Cresta Blanca Wines sponsored a CBS radio dramatization of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The live broadcast took place at the Columbia Square Playhouse in Hollywood and aired on the program, "THIS IS MY BEST", a series hosted by Orson Welles.

In the introduction to the show, Welles shares that it's his oldest daughter's seventh birthday and that he knows of no better story to share with her than Snow White. As one would expect, his narration is rock solid. Jane Powell, who starred in the 1944 Screen Guild Theater performance, repeats her role as the princess. A full cast of Queen/Witch, Prince and Dwarfs fills out the presentation. Excerpts of the songs from the film are performed throughout with live orchestra accompaniment.

Original Airdate: March 27, 1945...

Listen to the entire half hour CBS radio broadcast starring Orson Welles and Jane Powell. (Audio clip courtesy of the Orson Welles on the Air archive collection.)

Special acknowledgement goes to Rick Payne of dadric's attic for the tip about the radio performance and for the ticket scan.

"Mirror, Mirror" opens...um...probably on March 30th

When Relativity Media first began promoting their new movie Mirror, Mirror, a film title had not yet been chosen. An early poster and ad simple referred to it as Untitled Snow White Project.

June 2011 Untitled Poster

2011 Magazine Promotion. Image via FilmAffinity.

Then on November 5, 2011, it was announced that the picture would be named Mirror, Mirror. Around the 19th of December, two official posters were revealed with a release date of March 16th, 2012.

Poster images copyright Relativity Media.

The film stars Lily Collins as Snow White and Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen, and it's being billed as a "high style romantic comedy." The story is familiar, of course, but the twist is that Snow and the Queen are both competing for the love of Prince Andrew Alcott played by Armie Hammer. And the dwarfs are bandits. The movie also features Nathan Lane as Brighton, the blundering servant to the Queen, plus Sean Bean, Mare Winningham, and Michael Lerner.

The trailer was released mid November, 2011...

Video posted by aaspri.

...along with these promo images...

Hi-rez sizes available at Filmofilia.

Also see the promotional pics from last October.

Relativity Media started this project back in June of 2010, and at that time, they weren't facing any known Snow White opposition. But things changed in September of that year when Universal Pictures announced their own version, Snow White and the Huntsman. Two feature films would now be in direct competition for the Snow White market (see Film Comparison Chart in earlier post).

In May of 2011, Universal attempted to trump Relativity by moving Huntsman up to a June 1, 2012 release date. Nine days later, Mirror, Mirror leapfrogged back in front with a March 16th date. That's tomorrow. But apparently, that was too soon for them because once again, opening day has been changed, this time backwards to the 30th of this month.

So whenever it may finally premiere--and no matter how well it fares at the box office--Mirror, Mirror is certainly one of the many particulars making 2012 a celebratory year for Snow White followers.

The Year of the Diamond!

_______________

2012

____________________________

75th DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY

of

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS!

_____________________________________________

Image via Snow White...An Art in Its Making 1994, p.137.

It's still nearly a year away, but on December 21, 2012, Walt Disney's first feature-length film will be 75 years old! As the months tick off, we might be experiencing a stream of commemorative events, promotions, and collectibles in honor of Miss White. We've already seen the very first items in the special edition wall calendar released back on August 1, 2011. Then there was the It's Off To Sleep We Go baby doll collection made available this past Fall.

If Snow's 75th is anything like her 50th, then Disney will have a number of anniversary events in the works. At least one has already been announced. According to Steven Clark, head of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club...

In the summer, D23 will offer an all-new “Destination D” event, Destination D: 75 Years Of Disney Animation, held over the course of two days at the Disneyland Resort in California (August 11-12). As Disney marks the 75th anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, D23 marks the occasion by gathering many renowned Disney animation legends along with top Disney animators, voice talent (past and present), and composers—plus interesting demonstrations, fascinating presentations, autograph sessions, and the chance to see entertaining animation rarities from the Disney vaults—all in celebration of 75 years of Disney feature animation. Source: D23 webpage

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It's also no coincidence that several live-action movies featuring the Snow White character are being released in 2012. The two productions getting the most hype include Mirror, Mirror starring Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen and Lily Collins as Snow White, and Snow White and the Huntsman with Kristen Stewart as the Princess, Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman, and Charlize Theron as the Queen. More on these as their release dates approach.

  The Brothers Grimm: Snow White

Snow White and the Huntsman

Lily Collins and Kristen Stewart backstage 2011 MTV Movie Awards

Film Comparison Chart via The Hollywood Reporter, p.10, August 5, 2011.

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As we wait to see what all unfolds for this year's Diamond Jubilee, it seems only fitting to continue our examination of the other anniversary commemorations. Not long ago we took a look back at the Golden Anniversary of Snow White. Over this next month we'll do the same for the 60th, 65th and 70th.

We've already had a glimpse of a few collectibles that were produced:

• 60th Radko and Hallmark ornamnets.
• 65th Radko ornament, Marie Osmond doll and Jody Daily snow globe
• 70th lobby card lithographs

But there's lots more where that came from. Sit back and enjoy the new year as we explore all-month-long the anniversaries of Snow White's past.

Walt Disney on Lux Radio, December 20, 1937

Seventy four years ago tonight, Cecil B. DeMille hosted the Lux Radio Theater presentation of the Song of Songs. The program, which starred Marlene Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., occurred on the eve of the world premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Just twenty four hours later, both stars would be there at the packed Carthay Circle Theatre, with a host of other Hollywood elite, to see Disney's first feature-length film.

At the conclusion of the radio performance, DeMille welcomed a very young-sounding Walt Disney to the mic. The two chatted about opening night jitters, the making of the animated film, and the obligatory sponsor plug for Lux Flakes.


Listen to the entire Song of Songs Lux Radio Theater performance via the Internet Archive. Original airdate December 20, 1937. (Marlene Dietrich really gives an excellent performance.)



The following year, Walt was back on the air when Lux presented the first radio broadcast of Snow White (see earlier post).

Snow White TV Special (50th Anniversary - 1987)

We wrap up our month-long look at the Snow White 50th Anniversary with a television show...

Screen captures via DTVzone.

This one hour special, Disney's Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was shown on NBC's weekly series The Magical World of Disney. In the Michael Eisner introduction to the show, it's clear that it aired around Christmastime. The copyright at the end of the program and the episode title both indicate that it was created in 1987. (I make a point of this because there are numerous online sources that state various and differing airdates for this program.)

Hosted by Dick van Dyke, the show included live-action and animated segments telling the history of the film and revealing for the first time the deleted "soup-eating" and "bed-building" scenes.

Dick van Dyke

The special guest-stars included Jane Curtin as the Evil Queen and Sherman Hensley as the Magic Mirror. The storyline that runs throughout the other historical and musical segments of the program has the Queen placing a spell on Grumpy in an attempt to get him to persuade the other Dwarfs to retire. Much of the show was shot on location at night throughout Disneyland with a couple of singing and dancing numbers by Dick Van Dyke and the Seven Dwarfs.

Jane Curtin

Sherman Hensley

 Dwarfs exit "mine shaft" at Big Thunder Mountain

Fantasyland song and dance

As mentioned earlier, the program was introduced by Michael Eisner. Later, partway through the show, things slowed a little with a weaker musical number by a few television stars of the day. Yet, Dick van Dyke picked things up, and Linda Ronstadt, singing at Snow White's Grotto, finished it off in style with Some Day My Prince Will Come .

Michael Eisner intro

Linda Ronstadt at Snow White's Grotto

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Now here's the entire program in six parts...

Part I

Videos posted by DTVzone.

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

You'd think that a Snow White television program from the 1987 might not hold up too well in today's video game, action adventure society. Yet, in fact, it does. Dick van Dyke is timeless, and following his lead, the program is informative and entertaining...even 24 years after its original airing.

Publicity Stills for "Snow White and the Huntsman"

Directed by Rupert Sanders, Snow White and the Huntsman stars Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman, Sam Claflin as the Prince, and Charlize Theron plays the Queen. The first chapter in what the producers hope will be an action-adventure movie trilogy is scheduled to premiere worldwide on June 1, 2012.

These "first look" publicity stills were released by Universal Studios this past July...

[CLICK IMAGES TO SUPERSIZE]

Then these on-set shots in Wales appeared online a little over a week ago in late September...

Additional images copyright Tilak Desai/Splash New and Rex Features

One thing's for darn sure...it ain't the Snow White story your grandmother read. It'll be interesting to see how Sanders tells this one.

First Look at Tarsem Singh's Snow White

Relativity Media has just released a set of publicity stills for director Tarsem Singh's working-titled Brothers Grimm: Snow White feature which is set to open in March of 2012. The film stars Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen, Lily Collins as the Princess, and Armie Hammer as the Prince. Nathan Lane plays Brighton, the Queen's harried servant.

[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]

(Left to right) Jordan Prentice, Joey Gnoffo, Sebastian Saraceno, Lily Collins, Martin Klebba, Mark Provinelli, Ronald Lee Clark, and Danny Woodburn.

Images via Yahoo Movies, People and Entertainment Weekly. Copyright Relativity Media.

This lone publicity still of Lily Collins was the first to be released for the film back in July...