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 45 minute NBC special, Disney's Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, originally aired on May 22, 1987. It was then shown later on their weekly series The Magical World of Disney. A Michael Eisner introduction was added to the rerun, and from his comments, it's clear the re-airing occurred around Christmastime.

Michael Eisner intro

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

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 .

Linda Ronstadt at Snow White's Grotto

The program was online in six parts, but because of copyright infringements, it was taken down from youtube. So instead, here's a short medley excerpt from the show...

Videos posted by WhereMagicLives95.

You might think a Snow White television program from 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.

Snow White UK Press Kit (50th Anniversary - 1987)

This press kit was sent out to media outlets in the United Kingdom for the 1987 theatrical return of Snow White. The film was released through U.K. Distributors Ltd., and the enclosed promotional materials included a fold-open synopsis card with movie credits on the back, five B+W 8x10 photos, and eleven pages of production information,.

The folder featured a nice "show-your-hands" graphic of Snow and the boys on the front cover along with the 50th Anniversary logo. The promotional materials were tucked under the inside flap where the contact info for U.K. Distributors was printed.

Folder Front Cover, approximately 12.28" x 8.66" (312 mm x 220 mm)

Materials Under Inside Flap

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The fold-open card includes the story synopsis and info on the film's making in condensed form.

Card Front 8.27" × 11.69" (210mm × 297mm)

Inside

Card Back

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Printed in the lower right corner of all the B+W 8x10s is the year in Roman numerals and the Disney copyright, "©MCMXXXVII The Walt Disney Company"

Glossy 8x10s

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The eleven pages of production information highlight the making of the film and the hoopla of it's initial 1937 premiere. Each page is printed on the A4 international standard size paper of 210mm × 297mm (8.27" × 11.69").

Promotion Pages

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UPDATE: Collector Nunziante Valoroso shares a couple additional 8x10 promo photos from his collection. They contain identical markings along the bottom edge as those seen above, placing them to this same time period.

"One Stop" Snow White Poster (50th Anniversary - 1987)

In 1987, One Stop Posters distributed a Snow White 50th Anniversary button and a series of other commemorative buttons to mark the occasion. These were also the guys responsible for this giant-size, 'in-your-face' door poster. At 26" across and 72" long, this is absolutely the largest piece of memorabilia I've ever tried to run through my pint-size scanner. It took forever...but it was certainly worth it.

Six feet down in the lower left hand corner is the One Stop logo and info. The lower right has the Walt Disney Company 1987 copyright.

Closer detail of Snow and the Dwarf "carvings"...

[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]

The artist's initials "DD" are placed next to Dopey's "woodcut" image.

Snow White Pins and Buttons (50th Anniversary - 1987)

PINS:

Although Snow White's milestone proceeded the theme park pin-trading craze by a good 12 to 13 years, Disney, and other official licensees, did issue a number of pins (and buttons) to mark the occasion.

This "50th Anniversary" cloisonné was sold to guests at Disneyland for $3.00. The pin measures about 1.25" x 1.25" and the reverse side reads "© Disney, Taiwan R.O.C." Today all Disney pins are post-backs and in 1987, most were too. Yet, this one is a pin-back.

A 9-piece commemorative set exclusively for cast members was available for purchase at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, the Company D store at Disneyland, and possibly other cast member locations. They stand approximately between 1" to 1.75" tall and contain "© Disney, Taiwan" on the backside. Original price $28.95.

Three near identical and slightly scary-looking "Snow White 50th" pins were also issued as cast member exclusives. The trio differ only in their word coloring. The back reads "© WALT DISNEY COMPANY."

SW 50th Triplets. Images via Pin Pics.

A couple of pins were released that read, "Disney's Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". One had a pink background, the other green. The back is stamped "© 1937 The Walt Disney Company".

The Golden Anniversary insignia--featuring the dwarfs encircling Snow White with Witch and Queen in the background--was available on two different pins. The first is quite rare and was sold at the Mouse Club/Disneyana Convention that year. It measures 2" x 2" and reads "1987 WD" on the back.

Images via pinkkingdom.

The second insignia pin came in two sizes: 3" and 1.5". The artwork is identical to the button seen below.

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BUTTONS:

The 50th Anniversary logo button measures 3" across and has a pin-back. Along the rim reads "© 1937 The Walt Disney Company - Distributed by One Stop Posters"

Also see the other Snow White buttons and poster distributed by One Stop during this time period.



Tokyo Disneyland issued a button featuring a variation of the anniversary graphic with text along the bottom that reads "Tokyo Disneyland 1987 Family Film Festival." Measures 3" in diameter.

Finally, this is a button worn by McDonald's employees to help promote their Snow White charity posters.

McDonald's button images via vintagenewsstand.

Also see the special "50th Anniversary" name tag that cast members wore for a limited time at Disneyland.