It’s one of the main reasons that people just can’t stop talking about “WALL-E.”
And — no — I’m not talking about the opening weekend grosses for this new Andrew Stanton movie (Though — now that we’ve broached this subject — while “WALL-E” didn’t earn the $70-million-plus that Mouse House officials had hoped it would, the just-revised-upwards $63 million that Pixar’s latest production earned over its first three days in domestic release actually bested “Kung Fu Panda” ‘s $60.2 million opening weekend. Which means that “WALL-E” can now legitimately claim to be the best opening animated feature — to date — for 2008). But — rather — why this CG film features music from 20th Century Fox‘s 1969 release, “Hello, Dolly!“
In interviews, Stanton himself has admitted that Jerry Herman‘s showtunes were sort of an odd choice for his futuristic fable. “I remember saying – when I first (proposed using “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” & “It Only Takes a Moment” in “WALL-E”), I said – ‘I am going to get asked this for the rest of my life.’ ” When speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, Andrew — with tongue partially in cheek — said that the real reason this lonely robot keeps watching “Hello, Dolly!” over & over & over is that ” … WALL-E has bad taste in musicals.”
Copyright 1969 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved
Which won’t earn Stanton any points with the managers at the Magic Kingdom. Given that they’ve had instrumental versions of three songs from this Tony Award-winning musical — “Sunday Clothes,” “Elegance” and “Before the Parade Passes By” — as part of Main Street USA’s area music for more than a decade now.
In fact, you’d be surprised how often the worlds of Disney & “Hello, Dolly!” intersect. Take — for example — E.J. Peaker ‘s appearance on “Disneyland Showtime” ( i.e. that March 1970 episode of “The Wonderful World of Disney” which promoted the then-newly-opened Haunted Mansion).
Mind you, in order to make sure that the folks watching at home actually knew who Ms. Peaker was, poor Donny & Merrill Osmond first had to get through one of the most labor intensive introductions in the history of television. Which went like this:
DONNY: Who’s E.J. Peaker?
MERRILL: Well, don’t you remember when we saw “Hello, Dolly!” ?
(L to R) Merrill refreshes Donny Osmond’s memory in the “Disneyland Showtime” episode of “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
Copyright 1970 NBC / Disney. All Rights Reserved
DONNY: Yeah.
MERRILL: Well, don’t you remember Miss Molloy’s dress shop?
DONNY: Yeah.
MERRILL: Well, do you remember Minnie Fay, the assistant?
DONNY: Uh huh.
MERRILL: That was E.J. Peaker.
DONNY: Oh (Double Take). The movie star?!
E.J. Peaker arrives a year too late for Disneyland’s “Love Bug Parade”
Copyright 1970 NBC / Disney. All Rights Reserved
MERRILL: The movie star.
Mind you, Ms. Peaker wasn’t the only “Hello, Dolly!” vet that Mickey would eventually recruit in order to lend a little star power to a project. How many of you remember “Condorman,” that James Bond spoof that Walt Disney Productions released back in 1981? Do you remember who played Woody Wilkins — the comic-book-writer-turned-spy — in that film? It was Michael Crawford …
Michael Crawford and Barbara Carrera prepare to take wing in Walt Disney
Productions’ 1981 release, “Condorman.”
… who played Cornelius Hackl in “Hello, Dolly!” and would then go on to the title role in the original Broadway production of “Phantom of the Opera.”
So as you can see, even before “WALL-E” rolled onto the scene, Dolly Levi and Co. have been a part of Disney’s world. But you want to know the most significant way that “Hello, Dolly!” had an impact on the Mouse House? That film’s “Before the Parade Passes By” scene.
Copyright 1969 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved
Among the nearly 4000 extras that 20th Century Fox hired to fill up 14th Street was the future senior Vice President of Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering, one Tony Baxter. Who remembers just being dazzled by this towering recreation of turn-of-the-century New York.
Another Imagineer who recalls the “Hello, Dolly!” sets as having a profound impact on his career is Eddie Sotto. Who got to tour 20th Century Fox right after production had wrapped on this Gene Kelly film. And as Eddie stood there in the street, marveling at all the detail, he thought to himself: “Who designed all this? I want a job like that.”
Copyright 1969 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved
Now jump forward nearly 20 years or so. When Eddie Sotto and Tony Baxter are working together to create a brand-new Main Street USA for Euro Disneyland. So which film provides Eddie & Tony with inspiration? You guessed it. “Hello, Dolly!”
So while Andrew Stanton may be quick to dismiss this Barbara Streisand flick (As part of his recent interview with CHUD, “WALL-E” ‘s director actually went out of his way to say that ” … the one thing I want to dispel is I’m a fan of [that] movie.”), many Disneyana fans still have a soft spot for this Jerry Herman musical. More importantly, the many different ways that the movie version (Which — due to its over-$20-million price tag — is said to have nearly bankrupted Fox back in the early 1970s) of “Hello, Dolly!” has woven its way into the fabric of the Mouse House.
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