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VOLUME 16
NEW BERN, N. C. 28560, FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1973
NUMBER 13
Yesterday, exactly so years
ago, was when Walt Disney
dreamed up Mickey Mouse.
Shortly thereafter, you ddw
New Bemians took the little
fellow to your heart, as he
scampered across the
Masonic's screen for the first
time.
Disney was just another
struggling cartoonist until
Mickey came along. “He
popped out of my mind and on to
my pad during a train ride from
Manhattan to Hollywood,’’ Walt
once said. “He was a litOe
personality assigned to
laughter.’’
Itfickey, possessed of human
qualities, naturally needed
sHneone of the opposite sex to
bri^ten his life. Minnie Mouse
was the answer. She con*
tributed to Mickey’s fame, but
never quite matched his
tremendous popularity.
Disney was destined to
originate additional characters
of world wide renown, including
Donald Duck, Pluto, and
Dumbo, but no one, least of aU
Walt, ever doubted that it was
Mictey who opened the door to
great riches.
Initially, the cartoonist had
tried co*featuring a live action
young ghi witti drawn animal
characters, but this attempt at
animation for movie audiences
was a miserable flop.
“I failed,’’ Disney used to
recaU with no self pity, “but I
think it’s important to fail when
you’re young.” From that day
on, fate would smile on a
modest man who Hollywood
rates a genius, along with
Charlie Gumlin.
Of all the Disney productions,
our own favorite is his tender
and beautiful Song Of The
South, although Snow White is a
close second. Ifis biggest mon^
maker is Mary Poppins. These
and the rest made Urn a multi
millionaire.
Never was Walt’s great talent
more evident than in the chdce
of music for his films. This was
no ordinary cartoonist who,
.with uncanny good taste,
achiqved near petfectton in the
scoring of his delightful
creations.
Disney declined to cut comers
for the sake of saving money.
Every film he made as a fUll
length feattre demanded an
enormous outlay. This was
obvious to anyone who saw his
movies.
Walt made his bundle without
resorting to suggestive or of
fensive materitu7 while other
studios were battling with the
censors in an ^ort to insert
scenes and dialogue that finally
led to X rated movies.
Disney is no longer among the
living, but last year Disney
Enterprises netted more than
$300 million in revenues.
Disneyland in California, and
Disn^ World in Florida, are
drawing huge throngs.
There are no civilized sec
tions on the globe where you
won’t find Disney movies and
tdevlslon shows. And to think it
all began with a happy little
mouse, who stfll remains just as
spry as ever, after 80 years of
enttf taining.
Walt ^med no particular
(Continued on page 8)
—:—\
Our First Doctor bi OiRor Space Was Once
Stationed At Cherry Point.—NASA Photo.