Before you dash off, could you please mention some of the essential Blanche Sweet performances you would recommend to the uninitiated viewer? By common consent, the two celebrated highlights of her career are Judith of Bethulia (1913) and Anna Christie (1923). Both films are extant (although, frank...

Hi, Lynn - and thanks for the reminder that it's warm where you are! (Actually, at the moment it's not bad here either.) Quick question for you- why are drawn to silent films? That is a quick question, but I don't know that I have a quick answer. The best I can do is a two-part answer. First, I love...

Moira, let me add a PS to your question about scrutiny of Disney stories and films in Europe with the rise of fascism. In general, as I said, there wasn't much concern over that with the Disney films. On the other hand, after the U.S. joined the war effort, Disney produced some very hard-hitting pro...

Thank you, Moira, these are great questions. Were there specific lessons learned during the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that made the making of Pinnochio less stressful for the creators of the later movie? It's certainly true that having produced one animated feature was invaluable...

Thank you, Christy, and at the risk of repeating myself, it's absolutely my pleasure to be with you folks this weekend. People have been asking some really good and thoughtful questions. Any comments concerning the Disneland theme park and its connections with Pinnochio? I have to confess that my kn...

Thank you, Professional Tourist, for your followup thoughts. Donald stretches out his arm to shakes hands, but Jose, please as punch to meet the legendary Donald, will have nothing less than a long embrace -- which takes aback the tourist from the north. The scene you cite was animated by the great ...

Thanks so much, J.B.! Blanche Sweet seems like such a fascinating subject, too! Can't wait to hear more about the development of her biography. Thank you, Christy -- and stand by! Yes, Blanche was a pretty wonderful lady and I only hope I can do her justice. She was both a popular movie star and a ...

I'm planning to seek out the documentary produced a few years back by one of the animators' sons, but wanted to ask you if you had any anecdotes or tidbits about the trip or its output, from your own research, that you could share with us here. Thank you. Thank you, Professional Tourist. Actually, ...

You mentioned earlier that you are working on a book about actress Blanche Sweet. Can you talk about how you became interested in her and her career? Thanks, Lynn -- and yes, of course! Years ago, and I mean decades ago, when I was first getting serious about pursuing film history, I had an idea of...

Can't you relate any of Evelyn Venable's experiences while involved in the filming of Pinnochio? The Blue Fairy's live-action model was Marjorie Belcher (later known as Marge Champion), who had also modeled for Snow White. (And her principal animator was Jack Campbell, who had been part of the team...

Thanks for these questions, Moira, and may I say that you and I are very much on the same page regarding those great character players. The Frankie Darro pictures you picked as examples are two of my own favorites. To answer your question, some of the writers did have Mickey Rooney in mind as a mode...

Hi, Moira, and thank you for your Cliff Edwards questions. The primary documents are a little sketchy on why Edwards was cast as the Cricket's voice, but of course Walt and the artists would have been very familiar with him as a character actor and as a voice -- testing him for the role was in line ...

Now that the Pinocchio book is available, what's next for you? What other projects are you working on? Actually, I'm working on several projects at once now -- I wasn't planning to do that; it just worked out that way! For one thing, a book that Russell Merritt and I co-wrote, years ago, about the ...

Is this a photo of Christian Rub who voiced Geppetto next to the on-screen Geppetto? Is it true the animators used his likeness? Yes, that's Christian Rub who provided both the voice and the likeness of Geppetto. He and some of the other voice talents were actually filmed in live-action, performing...

Thank you, Christy. It was great to see you, too, and our other mutual friends at SFSFF. That's one of my favorite festivals, and it just keeps getting better. Yes, the Disney studio acquired the rights to both Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan in 1938, while Pinocchio was in production. So at the b...