80th Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

DATE: 21st of December 1937
TIME: 8:45 pm
LOCATION: 6316 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, California - Carthay Circle Theatre
ADULT TICKET PRICE: $5.50
ATTENDANCE: 1500+ inside (sold out); well over a thousand outside
EVENT: World Premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

EXTRAORDINARY FACT: It's eighty years later and we're still talking about it!

Image via Snow White...An Art in Its Making 1994, p.137.

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This 1937 Carthay Circle program book belonged to Madeleine Wheeler, the executive secretary for Roy O. Disney for over 34 years. She attended the screening that night and kept this amongst her personal possessions for the rest of her life. (See another example in an earlier Archive entry.)

Program images courtesy of Kevin Hicks.

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News from the event made headlines near and wide. December 24, 1937 newspaper clippings: Decatur Herald and The Capitol Journal, both published three days after the premiere.

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Premiere footage.

Video posted online by The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Happy 80th Snow White! If you missed it, see our detailed coverage of the Carthay Circle world premiere in our Archive entry from five years ago.

"Disneyland Line" - Thanksgiving Covers

The weekly cast member newsletter, Disneyland Line, provided employees of the park with information about the resort and the Disney Company. Snow White and Seven Dwarfs were pictured in a Thanksgiving scene on the cover of the November 24, 1983 issue. The same illustration was used again in the November 26, 1986 edition.

Special thanks to Kevin Hicks for sharing images from his collection.

Unusual Snow White Sign

Snow White strikes an unusual "glamour" pose in this sign that comes to us from the Kevin Hicks Collection. We don't have a lot of information on it, except that it is a metal plate with four screw holes. Text in the lower left corner reads, "© Walt Disney Productions - World Rights Reserved". Walt Disney's signature is on the right. Dimensions: approximately 9.25" x 9.25".

Without more details, it's difficult to say what the origin is. One insider shared this with us:

It looks a lot like a studio equipment sign...something they would attach to a light truck or generator. However, the image, the signature are so off model, I would be surprised if it was from the studio. Could also be a building sign.

Yet, Kevin has suggested that it might be a war insignia. That makes sense. Definitely looks like something the Disney Studio could have created during World War II.

If you know more information about this Snow White sign, we'd be happy to add it to this post.

Verifax Kodak Ad Sheet

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in an ad sheet for a Verifax copier by the Eastman Kodak Company. Dates from 1948. Two sided, 8.5" x 11".

Special thanks to the Kevin Hicks Collection for sharing this with us.

1986 Cast Member Handbook

Disney University is an employee training program for cast members who work for the Walt Disney Company. This is a handbook from 1986 that was given out to participants. It contains 76 typewritten pages (which we don't have pics of) separated by these attractive cover sheets (that we do have pics of). All feature illustrations of Doc, plus one with the rest of the dwarfs.

Image scans courtesy of the Kevin Hicks Collection.

E.K. Shaw Snow White Figurines (large set)

Circa 1943, E.K. Shaw's Los Angeles-based company, American Pottery, was licensed to produce a series of hand-painted glazed ceramic Disney figurines. Snow White measures about 9" tall, the dwarfs between 5.5"-6". Each originally came with an American Pottery foil label with the individual character name.

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The figurines were featured on the cover of the August 1999 Disneyana Update magazine.

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A set sold at Heritage Auctions in 2012 for $1195.00.

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Collector Kevin Hicks shares this next one with us. These particular Snow White figurines originally belonged to Madeleine Wheeler, the executive secretary for Roy O. Disney for over 34 years. During that time, she displayed this set in her office just outside of Roy's.

Images courtesy of Kevin Hicks.

See next Archive entry for more E. K. Shaw figures.

Kraft "Family Reunion" Disneyland Campaign

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Disneyland in 1980, Kraft Foods sponsored the "Family Reunion" promotional campaign. A sweepstakes was held with one first prize of a four-day, three-night vacation to Disneyland, plus $5000. Ten second place winners received a three-day, two-night Disneyland trip and $1000. A $100 check was awarded to 100 third prize winners. And finally, 1000 fourth prize winners got a Kraft cookbook.

 

A promotional grocery store banner.

A series of six two-sided posters with an illustrated Disney character scene on one side and a photo of a Kraft family meal on the other. Each is dated 1979 and copyrighted Walt Disney Productions and Kraft. Printed on heavy stock paper. Dimensions: 38" x 25".

Snow White

Pinocchio

Alice + Peter Pan

Lady and the Tramp + Robin Hood

Images courtesy of the Kevin Hicks Collection.

Kraft also sponsored a 25th anniversary television special. Description from IMDb:

Filmed throughout Disneyland, this made-for-TV special celebrates the 25th anniversary of the park. We follow the story of a young boy (Adam Rich) on his first ever trip to The Happiest Place on Earth. While there, he encounters many interesting characters (All played by Danny Kaye) who tell him various tidbits on the park's history. Musical numbers by Donny Osmond, Michael Jackson, and Danny Kaye as well as group sing alongs that include many actual Disneyland cast members and guests!

See the Kraft Family Reunion record album in the previous Archive entry.