Roy Williams, January 1960
I have a pair of extra-fun scans for you today - both featuring Roy Williams, aka "The Big Mooseketeer", drawing Disney characters and signing autographs for children in Frontierland. Roy was hired by Walt in 1930, and was not only an artist but a prolific "gag man". Director Jack Kinney, a friend of Roy's, described him as a "big fat balding hot-headed unpredictable bastard", but hugely admired his prolific talent, saying that he could "sit down and grunt out a few pounds of gags as if it were nothing".
Roy gained a certain level of fame once he became a part of the Mickey Mouse Club TV show, which had ended its four-year run in 1958, but I believe the show was still being shown in syndication in 1960. Former Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr called Williams "a warm guy, who liked kids, always had time for kids, and always helped us any way he could."
I've had opportunities to acquire some of Roy's sketches/autographs, but somehow never bit. So I scrounged two examples from the Internet, these are typical of what he produced. I assume he would ask each child who their favorite character was, and probably knocked one of these out in a matter of seconds.
3 comments:
Major-
Good 'ol Roy 'Mooseketeer' Williams, as it says on his shirt. I'm rather fascinated by the two young lads in the 2nd image - the one in the white shirt with his snappy yellow bowtie; and standing in front of him, the fella with the red-black-white patterned shirt and a box of Good and Plenty candy stuffed in his front right jeans pocket - the colors almost matching his shirt. (There must be a backstory...)
And the lady standing between them appears to be carrying a Rolleiflex Automat Model 3 TLR 6x6 Camera. Very nice.
Thanks, Major.
Ha! "...hot-headed unpredictable bastard". Funny how those endearing qualities never revealed themselves on the MMC show. I wonder if they had to do a few re-takes to keep it a 'family show'? Probably not, I'm sure Roy was a professional who knew what was expected of him, and acted accordingly. Interesting dress on that girl; it's covered with 'wiener dogs'! One of the ears on Roy's 'Mouse ear' hat is dog eared.
In the second pic, I like how everyone is watching intently as Roy sketches some Disney characters.
Sketches: I guess it makes practical sense that Roy didn't blacken Mickey's ears. nose, and forehead. It would've taken too much time and it also would've looked scribbly. Pluto forgot to shave this morning.
Nanook, Ha! I didn't notice the Good & Plenty. Like you said, it looks the same as his shirt.
A little something different today. Thanks, Major.
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