Then a follow-up article appeared in this August 1938 issue which listed all the contest winners, most of whom overwhelming crowned Dopey their favorite Dwarf. The cover photo spotlighted the French actress Danielle Darrieux.
The grand prize was only a cedar chest, but first prize was actually something cool--an original color sketch of Snow White and the Dwarfs signed by Walt Disney! At least that's what they said in the May article. They neglected to mention the little detail of Walt's signature in this one.
The magazine also failed to print the winning 20-word essays. It was certainly a different world they lived in back in 1938. The Great Depression, no TV, no internet, no iPhones. Identity theft was not a topic that occupied most people's minds 74 years ago. So I guess it's not so surprising to see what the periodical actually did print--the full names of all the contest winners AND their home addresses too!
All images courtesy of Rick Payne via dadric's attic. Used with permission.
Wanting to have a look at this original Snow White sketch (which was possibly signed by Walt Disney), both collector Rick Payne and I attempted to locate more info on the first prize winner, William R. Batty. Unfortunately, it seems Mr. Batty passed away back in 2004. Hopefully one of his descendants is still in possession of the drawing and realizes what a treasure he or she has.
I saw the sketch referenced in the article on a visit to Bill Batty back in the 1990's. Bill's home was a treasure trove of Hollywood memorabilia. He actually became friends with many of the big stars of Hollywood and had many oersonally signed items and various correspondence. He also became good friends with Walt Disney who sent him tickets each year to come out to disneyland from his home in CT. There were many signed animation cells in his home. When he passed away his family donated the collection to the Motion Picture Association.
ReplyDeleteHey Tdfromct, Appreciate the info on Bill Batty. It's wonderful that you got to see the actual sketch mentioned in the article. It's a small world indeed. Thanks for commenting.
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