Babes in Waltland : Part II

Floyd Norman

15 years ago

Picking up where we left off last week ….

The Walt Disney Studio was abuzz with activity as production ramped up on “Babes in Toyland
.” Director Ward Kimball had been replaced by Jack Donohue, and
shooting was finally about to begin.

Still rumors persisted as to why Kimball had been taken off of this picture. And I’ll confess that I have no secret
inside information about his sudden departure. Some say it was the appearance of
an announcement in the Hollywood trades that congratulated Ward on being hired to helm “Toyland.” Ironically, Kimball had little or nothing to do with that ad being in
the trade papers. In any case, some say that this is what ticked off Walt. Which is
why Disney then had Kimball removed as director of this film.

That story may or may not be true. Since I was around at the time, I have a slightly
different take on the whole affair. For those of you who never had the pleasure
of working for Walt, I can tell you that he was a guy who wanted things done
his way. So you can be sure most employees deferred to the boss whenever he had
a suggestion or opinion. Not so with Kimball, who sometimes went out of his way
to disagree with Disney. On occasion, I observed Walt dressing down Ward on the
spot. However Kimball’s behavior never really changed.

Once “Babes in Toyland” moved toward production, Ward Kimball began running things
much as he had on those “Man in Space” episodes that he created for the
Disneyland TV show. Walt had pretty much given Ward a free hand on that quartet
of episodes, but those days were over. Walt finally put his foot
down. And this, they say, was a reminder from the boss that it was Disney’s
name — not Kimball’s – that was on the side of the building.

As for Ward’s replacement … Jack was a gregarious guy with all the flash & dazzle you’d expect from a Hollywood director. Having started his career as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies and then cutting his teeth directing TV variety shows in the 1950s, Donohue seemed
to be a perfect choice to helm a production that would feature lots of big dance
numbers.

And speaking of dancing: Who better to play “Babes” comic villain, Barnaby, than noted hoofer Ray Bolger? At that point, it had been almost 7 years since Bolger had last appeared
in a motion picture. But Walt Disney was very good about putting aging performers back in front of the cameras. And Ray was only one of many Hollywood veterans that Walt
pulled out of retirement and then put back to work.

Of course, given Bolger’s memorable turn as the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz,”
having him be a part of “Babes in Toyland” ‘s cast did much to validate this
movie. But having a performer of Ray’s stature on the lot also had other
benefits.

How so? Well, keep in mind that this was the Mouse Factory circa 1961. A place where movie stars
& animators all grabbed a tray and then dined together in the Studio Commissary
at noon. And one day as we all stood in line with Bolger, this hoofer decided to put
on a show for the crowd assembled in the Commissary. So he actually did a little dance
routine while waiting there in the lunch line.

Now this was more than two decades after Bolger had played the Scarecrow in that MGM
classic. To be specific, the guy was 57-years old at this time. But Ray still moved with the grace & agility of a far younger man. And
all us “Wizard of Oz” fans who worked at Disney back then were thrilled to get
this private performance as a lunch-time treat.

Still in his Barnaby make-up, Ray Bolger performed for us right there in the Disney Studio Commissary. That old Scarecrow was just as lively as ever

Unfortunately, as much as we may have wanted it to be, the Walt Disney Productions’ version of
“Babes in Toyland” was no “Wizard of Oz.” What went wrong? To be honest, I don’t
know. As I watched the film’s dance numbers being shot on that sound stage,
they all appeared pretty dazzling to me. But when I saw these same numbers
up on the big screen, they just fell flat.

Of course, industry vets will tell you that – of all the movie genres – musicals are
the most difficult projects to pull off. Each scene must be colorful, sweet and
lighter than air. Almost like cotton candy. And you then have to maintain this tone
all the way through your picture so that the audience can maintain their sense
of disbelief. Otherwise they’re going to have trouble buying into the idea that
your movie’s characters have to stop every now & then in order to burst
into song.

Mind you, we did have people in the “Babes in Toyland” cast who had no trouble
delivering a proper movie musical performance. Bolger for one. And Ed Wynn was also a
complete pro. Casting “The Perfect Fool” as that wacky toy-maker was one of
Walt’s master strokes on this movie. I used to love going down to the set and watching
Wynn work.

But as good as Ed & Ray were, their young co-stars on “Babes in Toyland” were almost
as wooden as those toy soldiers who come to life during this film’s comic battle sequence. And as
talented as Jack Donahue was, there was little this director could do to bring
their performances to life.

So was it a mistake for Disney Studios to try & produce a live-action full
color version of “Babes in Toyland” as its first full-fledged movie musical? Hardly. I prefer to think of this film as a very valuable learning experience.

How so? I’ll let Leonard Maltin explain. Quoting now from the “Babes in Toyland”
review that you’ll find in his excellent “The Disney Films” book:

“(Babes in Toyland”) was just a case of Disney trying to outdo himself, and channeling
his energy in the wrong direction. It was his first live-action musical and he
profited by the experience. A few years later he turned out a little something
called ‘Mary Poppins.’ Remember?”

Leonard’s absolutely right. Every misstep that was made on “Babes in Toyland” then taught
Walt & his team a valuable lesson about how you actually produce a movie
musical. They then put all of this practical information to good use just two years later when
the Studio began gearing up to make “Mary.”

To me, this seems to be consistent with Disney’s philosophy of never fearing
failure. Walt knew that failing was not a negative as long as you actually learned
from your mistakes. And all of the errors that had been made while making “Babes in Toyland” appeared to bring about a
maturity & confidence in Disney’s creative team. And this then allowed them to
deliver a “Practically Perfect in Every Way” motion picture the next time
around.

With this lesson in mind, it’s clear (to my way of thinking, anyway) that “Babes in
Toyland” shouldn’t really be considered a failure.That film provided an opportunity
to experiment with fanciful sets, special effects and animation mixed with
songs & choreography. All of the elements that Walt’s wizards would then marshal
on the Studio’s next live-action musical.

Okay. So Disney’s “Babes in Toyland” is probably doomed to forever be overshadowed by the version
that Hal Roach produced back in 1934. Which – again quoting from Leonard Maltin’s
write-up in “The Disney Films” …

“(The Laurel & Hardy version of “Babes in Toyland” hasn’t got) the color or
special effects of the new version, but it is everything the Disney film should
have been: charming, funny, frightening and truly memorable.”

Copyright 2008 Legend Films. All Rights Reserved

… but for those of us who were lucky enough to be on the “Babes” set back in
1961, it was still a delightful experience. Much to their credit, the cast
& crew who worked on this motion picture really gave it their all.

Which – come to think of it – is all that Walt Disney really expected.

Did you enjoy today’s column about “Babes of Toyland”? Well, this is just
one of the entertaining & insightful tales that this Disney Legend has to
share. Many of which you’ll find collected in the three books Floyd currently
has the market. Each of which take an affectionate look back at all the years
that Mr. Norman has spent working in the entertainment industry.

These include Floyd’s original collection of cartoons and stories — “Faster!
Cheaper! The Flip Side of the Art of Animation” (which is available for
sale over at John Cawley’s cataroo) as well as two follow-ups to that book,
“Son of Faster, Cheaper” & “How the Grinch Stole
Disney.” Which you can purchase by heading over to Afrokids.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out Mr. Fun’s Blog. Which is where
Mr. Norman postings his musings when he’s not writing for JHM.