Donald Duck Drawing!
Today I have another SPECIAL GUEST POST, thanks to GDB friend Grant McCormick. You've seen some of this other contributions HERE, HERE, and HERE.
This time Grant took a few photos of an unusual item - a drawing of Donald Duck, looking extremely relaxed (!), done by a Studio artist for Grant's father. Here's what Grant said: When my mom was working at Disneyland she either knew one of the Studio artists or went through Tommy Walker to have this made for my dad, Jay McCormick, for his birthday. I think it was around 1960.
Talk about a special gift! I'm sure it didn't help that Grant's mother knew Tommy Walker, an important person in the Disneyland hierarchy. Donald is smoking a cigar, and enjoying an adult beverage (presumably), while reclining in his mid-century style chair, feet resting on a cushion full of swan feathers (I'll bet). Life is good! Grant said, It was always hanging on the wall in my parents bedroom and is a big part of my childhood memories. When my dad passed I took possession of it for my house. It will eventually go to my son whose name is also Jay. A very special family heirloom for sure. Very neat that it will go to Grant's son.
It's a shame that we don't know who drew this - whoever it was had real drawing ability - and they clearly spent some real time on it. He (or she) even took the time to copy Walt's famous signature! More from Grant: I thought my fellow Junior Gorillas might enjoy seeing it. (Thanks Sue for telling me to send the pics to Major the same day I posted about it. You're right, at my age I forget things pretty easy. LOL).
MANY THANKS to Grant McCormick for sharing this wonderful item! He has sent scans of another great piece (completely different), so stay tuned for that one.
19 comments:
What a riot! Grant, you have some great pieces in your collection, I must say! I bet nobody else has one like this. Was your dad a Donald Duck fan?
Hey, maybe Walt drew this?! In his free time, in his apartment...
Thanks for sharing this (and not forgetting), Grant and Major!
Grant,
What a wonderful and personal treasure you have there. I love the more adult nature of the drawing showing Donald with cigar and drink in hand. Definitely a very special family heirloom as you said.
Thanks for sharing, Grant!
Yes, very adult! Donald's not even wearing pants! ;-)
I'm assuming the company would frown upon this type of portrayal of any of their characters, today.
What a wonderful and unique souvenir! Thanks for sharing this with us, Grant!
This is amazing! I’m so glad this piece has retained meaning for you and that it will continue to be passed on for future generations of McCormicks to enjoy. Too many of these kinds of things wind up at swap meets and in landfills.
Thanks for sharing, Grant!
Grant-
What a treasure, indeed. Judging from Donald’s waistline, this moment must’ve followed a delightful repast-!
Thanks for sharing this with all of us.
What an awesome piece of art and history. “D. Duck ties one on!” Smoking’ and drinking’ like everyone was doing in the swinging 60’s. I can’t see this going over well with the Disney of today…or even the Disney of years past for that matter. Nonetheless…it’s awesome. It’s like those Kinney drawings of and angry Walt, or a smoking Walt, or full figured ladies with a gaggle of animators close by. “Creative Services” would do custom art work for employee situations, like retirements/job changes/etc. I think you had to have 10 years under your belt to get one. I guess my 10 years didn’t qualify as I spent my last year at the Queen Mary and that very interesting “spin off.” I admire the artists who can replicate the Characters so exactly, but it does make it tricky to identify who actually did the art unless it signed…or there is some discerning trait within the art that sometimes artists do. I hung around a Disney artist back in the day and although Mickey and Minnie look like Mickey and Minnie, there is a definitive difference in all of her character work that set it apart from the rest of the pack. Thanks so much for sharing your piece of family history!
Rat Pack Donald! I love it, Baby!
I'd like to see a Rat Pack Fab Five! I'm sure they would get into all kinds of adult mischief!
Great family piece, Grant!
Grant, thanks for sharing this piece of your family history. Wow. A unique possession to definitely pass on to future McCormick's. Like having a personally painted Dali, only better. Bet your Dad really appreciated that treasure.
Thanks Grant and Major.
This is awesome. Donald having down time. Love the cigar stub.
Grant, thanks for sharing this. What an amazing fun thing to have, and a wonderful story.
JG
Donald, how could you? Think of the children! But seriously, this is amazing. You’re right Major, this artist was a pro. I love the crosshatching and parallel hatching on the pillow and seat that we see in the detail closeup with the signature. And this sounds weird, but even with the cartooniness, there is a real understanding of anatomy in his knee that’s closest to us, and in how his leg connects to his foot. A treasure! Thank you for sharing, Grant.
Lou and Sue, I should have given Grant a “heads up” that his piece would appear today, he might not check in. D’oh. I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is a unique piece of art! Walt Disney occasionally drew Mickey Mouse for fans, and those are crude, but he drew Donald even more rarely, and those are… “interesting”.
K. Martinez, if this had been drawn a few years later, perhaps Donald would have been drawn holding a “doobie”! Well, maybe not. Disney has some standards.
TokyoMagic!, I’m sure you’re right, even for an item that was not meant for mass publication, the Disney Company would probably frown on a picture like this. Which is what makes it even cooler!
Chuck, yeah, it’s really cool that this will be passed on to Grant’s son. Luckily it’s in a nice frame, so it seems less likely that it would wind up in a swap meet, but you never know! I once went to a postcard show in Pasadena and a seller had a bunch of gag sketches from a Disney animator (with caricatures of other animators) , they were clearly from the 1940s. They were just a little bit above my budget, but I wondered how they wound up there, of all places.
Nanook, Donald has always been “pleasantly plump”!
Bu, I wonder if Grant’s mother requested a drawing of Donald enjoying “the finer things in life”, or if she just asked for a drawing for her husband’s birthday, and this is what the artist decided to draw, completely on his own? Ward Kimball was famous for making “inappropriate” drawings of Mickey Mouse, mostly weird. I knew a couple who had a drawing that he did, Mickey had one eye and three ears, and Ward wrote that Mickey was an “acid freak”.
Stu29573, ha ha, Donald must be in his suite at the Flamingo hotel and casino. That evening, he will go play some high-stakes poker, and then go see Sammy perform at midnight. Rickles will make a surprise appearance.
DrGoat, yeah, this definitely qualifies as an “heirloom”. Yet another benefit of having a mom who worked at Disneyland during those golden years!
JG, it’s not every day you see a duck smoking a cigar. Or wearing little sailor hats, for that matter. I wonder if this was drawn on newprint? If so, I’d be tempted to take it to a conservator to see if they could de-acidify it. Whoever drew it probably never imagined that it would be a valued item 60+ years later.
Kathy, hey, Grant was a child when his dad got this, and he seems to have turned out OK! You can always tell when a person is tentative, or when they are tracing a drawing. I once bought what I thought was a genuine old drawing (very well done) of Donald at an antiques store in Pasadena, and I took it to an animation gallery for authentication, only to be told that it was on the wrong kind of animation paper and couldn’t be from the 1930s. D’oh. LIve and learn.
Thanks everyone for the kind comments.
Thanks Major for posting my stuff. I love contributing to the awesome pics and memories from my fellow Junior Gorillas.
Sue, I don't know if dad was a Donald Duck fan but he sure treasured the drawing.
As for who drew it... I didn't want to brag but Walt did it one evening when he stopped by the house and knocked back a few scotches with my dad. Nah, that didn't really happen. ;)
Thanks for reminding me not to forget. :)
K. Martinez, The "adult nature" right down to the look in Donald's eyes is what makes it so cool.
Tokyo Magic, Drinking! Smoking!! Half naked!!! I'm sure posing for this drawing would have violated Donald's contract. Maybe cause for termination? Oh the scandal!!
Chuck, It truly is a special piece to be passed down. My son has had his eye on it as he saw it at his grandparents house the whole time he was growing up. I don't think you'll ever see it on Ebay.
Nanook, Yeah, I'd say Donald just finished a big meal. I wonder what it was... probably not Duck a l'Orange :D
Bu, Since you are a source of so much information I was hoping you could offer some about the drawing. The fact Creative Services did custom art for employees makes me wonder if that's who made it. I know my parents used Disneyland landscapers to design and landscape our yard. (No, it didn't have any topiary or Disneyland stuff, just grass, trees shrubs and flowers.)
I always thought a photo of real life costumed characters posing like that with drinks and smokes would be great. Now THAT would have gotten a lot of people fired!
Stu, The Disneyland Rat Pack Fab Five. I love it! I want a drawing of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto hanging out in a Vegas casino.
DrGoat, As much as I love Dali paintings this is definitely better. Dad did treasure it.
(BTW, I love your screen name. My band's name is Goat Hill Gamblers. Gotta love goats! :)
JG, Caption in the National Enquirer: "After a long day filming the latest cartoon Donald Duck relaxes at home telling tales of behind the scene debauchery."
Kathy!, Oh yes, the CHILDREN!! How many young minds did he corrupt with his off duty lifestyle?!?
Totally true about the quality of the art. It's not a quick sketch.
Major, I should have given Grant a “heads up” that his piece would appear today, he might not check in. D’oh.
No worries Major. Even though I don't always comment I'm here every day.
if this had been drawn a few years later, perhaps Donald would have been drawn holding a “doobie”!
Ha! I actually came across a promo poster for the Monorail with Chip n Dale captioned "Riding High at Disneyland" that I modified... but that's another story... ;D
I wonder if Grant’s mother requested a drawing of Donald enjoying “the finer things in life”, or if she just asked for a drawing for her husband’s birthday, and this is what the artist decided to draw, completely on his own?
I always wondered that too. If the animator knew my dad he got it right!
hey, Grant was a child when his dad got this, and he seems to have turned out OK!
I turned out ok? Hmmm... that's debatable!! ;)
Did anybody really not think Donald was a heavy drinker?
This thread quacks me up.
JG
Grant, I see that you and your band are all over YouTube - how cool is that!! Which one are you??
Grant, at first I was looking for a 10-year-old smiling little boy, but then realized you must be the bass player on the audiences’ right — right?? You should add a link, on GDB, to your favorite song so that everyone here can enjoy seeing you in action!
Hey Sue. I'm flattered you searched for the band. Yep, I'm the bass player on the right side from the audience point of view. My son is on the left playing lead guitar.
For you and any other interested parties here's the link to our YouTube playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsfyTU0rh-BIYqbJcjrQ5yW2HJezVLI_v
I know there are other musos in the Junior Gorilla family. Maybe they will post links to their stuff. :)
Hello! Great to see my big bro, Grant, sharing this with you all, along with his previous postings. Our folks first met Tommy while all three were students at USC. It was with Tommy's encouragement that we moved from Whittier and bought the house across the street from Tommy, his first wife Marjorie (Marge), who regrettably is not mentioned in Tommy's on line bio and articles, and their three daughters. I don't know if Grant has mentioned that our mother, through her connection with Tommy, became one of the small group of first tour guides at the Park before she became the Exhibit Co-ordinator of the Crane Co. Bathroom of the Future in Tomorrowland. I have many mementos our mom hung on to (hoarding isn't all bad!) from her days working at Disneyland in the early days. Glad you all are enjoying our family's treasures!
Kelly (McCormick) Mange
KellyM and Grant - THANK YOU for sharing your memories and treasures! I sure hope to see and hear a lot more from both of you!
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