You’re receiving limited access to D23.com. Remember to sign in or join D23 today to enjoy endless Disney magic!
Did you find what you were looking for? Remember to sign in or join D23 today to enjoy endless Disney magic! x
Before taking a trip to Walt Disney World with his wife and family in 2004, Timothy Susanin wouldn’t have considered himself much of a Disney fan let alone a candidate to write a biography about Walt Disney. “We went there for the kids and we ended up loving it,” he recalls. Intrigued by the resort and in turn the man who dreamed up the idea for it, Susanin picked up Bob Thomas’ Walt Disney: An American Original. “That biography is what got me hooked,” he laughs. From there, he delved into just about anything written about Walt until he had soaked up all that was published. An investigative lawyer by trade, Susanin noticed there were some missing details about Walt’s past in the years leading up to the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. Thus began his own search for Walt’s missing decade and the rest is history, well, a very specific time in it. Walt Before Mickey transports you back in time, from 1919 to 1928, to meet the 17-year-old black-and-white version of Walt Disney who was just taking his first brush strokes at creating the wonderful world of Disney.
The timeline turned into a chronology that turned into a draft that turned into a book
The idea was to come up with a timeline. “There was a whole decade there that I felt a need to put in order for myself,” Susanin explains. He began searching through the trail of documents and details that Walt had left behind. From newspaper articles and interviews to correspondence, census records and obituaries, a life story began to take shape — not only of Walt’s, but of those around him. “So the timeline turned into a chronology that turned into a draft that turned into a book,” Susanin reveals. “I saw pictures of Walt with all these young kids and you wonder, ‘Who are these people?’ and ‘Could they have ever imagined that they were at the start of this whole iconic saga?’ I wanted to jump in and learn about the fun stuff in his glory years and focus on the Hollywood years. And then, as I joked with [Disney Legend] Dave Smith and a number of people, I got stuck in Kansas City.”
Young Walt Disney at an animator
One of the things Susanin noticed was that most of what had been written about Walt’s early years began with Steamboat Willie. And if an author dared to go earlier into his past, it usually began with Laugh-O-Gram Films in Kansas City. “Laugh-O-Gram Films is always the headliner when they talk about his Kansas City years, or his career there anyways,” Susanin points out. “That was the second of the two studios he had there.” The first was called Kaycee Studios. And most people incorrectly think he started doing those first fairytales — Little Red Riding Hood and The Four Musicians Bremen — at Laugh-O-Gram, but he really animated those while he was at Kaycee Studios.”
I was struck at how many years went by before he did hit it big.
As a reader you really get a sense of what it was like to be right there with Walt and his animators during the experimental days of animation and the birth of Hollywood. “The book starts out with a flashback, and putting that aside, I try to stay in the moment,” Susanin says. “So I’m not referencing Winnie the Pooh or Disneyland. I’m not breaking the image that I am creating there.” From photos and interviews, Susanin connects historical quotes with vivid descriptions. Readers learn about Walt’s trek to California through his own words and, based on newspaper articles, ads and photos, Susanin describes the surroundings in vivid detail. The book also provides a rare glimpse at Walt’s early struggles and his perseverance to go back to the drawing board when things didn’t work out. “I was struck at how many years went by before he did hit it big,” Susanin says. “One presumes it was an overnight thing.”
Roy and Walt, two brothers with their whole life ahead of them.
Walt Before Mickey ends with Walt and Lilly departing on a train from New York to California. They just had lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and were on the brink of creating Mickey Mouse. “Most people would give up and go into another line of work, but he remained focused on his goals,” Susanin says. “He did not give up, and there is a real lesson there.” Susanin adds, “I like that the reader knows the ending as he is getting on the train, but Walt doesn’t. He gets on the train having lost — again — but the readers know he ends up a winner, and that his story is really about to begin.”
Familiar with the smash-hit, glowingly reviewed, and Oscar®-nominated film that’s set on a college campus? It’s where a revolutionary new invention gets the whole university bouncing. No, we’re not talking about 2010’s The Social Network. The above accolades reference The Absent-Minded Professor (1961). Walt Disney’s enormously popular funfest of a film. Starring Fred MacMurray, the first Disney Legend inducted in 1987, this kooky collegiate comedy relates the story of Medfield College’s Professor Ned Brainard, who is so preoccupied with his scientific experiments that he’s forgotten to show up at his own wedding three times — the latest time because he’s discovers an anti-gravity material, “flying rubber” or flubber. “The goo that flew” enables Prof. Brainard to take wing in his Model T Ford, allow the scrawny Medfield basketball team to slam-dunk their way to victory, and turn Washington, D.C.’s heavy world of bureaucracy upside down. Originally released on March 16, 1961, this zany film is one of Walt Disney’s most revered family comedy hits.
One story was about rubber and one was about flying cars, and we combined them.
So how did this weird goo known as flubber first bounce into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere? Well, after the overwhelming success of Walt Disney’s The Shaggy Dog (1959), the studios were inspired to search for another zany “shaggy dog” story. And there couldn’t have been a better way to follow up with their last fantasy comedy hit about a man who transforms into a dog than with one about an “absent-minded professor” who invents a new wacky substance. Walt had obtained the screen rights to the short stories published in Liberty magazine by Samuel Taylor about an eccentric professor and his inventions. “One was about rubber and one was about flying cars,” recalls writer-associate producer Bill Walsh, “and we combined them.” Bill adapted the screenplay with veteran Disney artist Don DaGradi as a sequence consultant. “Walt thought Don could develop my ideas into pictures, but Don turned out to be a great story man himself,” Bill says. Walt made Don a full-fledged screenwriter and he and Bill Walsh co-wrote many other Disney films, including Mary Poppins.
We put aluminum fenders on it and of course took out the engine.
The Absent-Minded Professor enabled Walt to indulge one of his great joys: creating cartoon-like antics in a live-action film. The iconic image from this classic comedy is of course Prof. Brainard’s flying flubber-powered flivver. The airborne-automobile effects were accomplished utilizing a number of techniques, including the sodium screen matte process, miniatures and wire-supported mock-ups. For the wirework, the Model T was refurbished to make it as light as possible. “We put aluminum fenders on it and of course took out the engine,” reveals Disney’s legendary second-unit director Arthur J. Vitarelli, who helmed the special effects sequence for many Disney special-effects extravaganzas starting with The Shaggy Dog. “We made a fiberglass crankcase, the wheels with foam rubber tires, a screen for the radiator, and a fake differential out of fiberglass,” he says. Today, Prof. Brainard’s Model-T is part of the collection at the Walt Disney Archives.
Flying past the Washington Monument, looking through the little windows at the top, was great fun.
Special permission had to be obtained to fly a helicopter down the Mall between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. With the help of famed stunt pilot Paul Mantz, authorization was granted to Walt Disney, even though the sky-borne camera team was ordered to maintain a strict and very specific altitude.
To make the scenes where Ned and Betsy wing their way above Washington in the Model-T believable, special effects artist extraordinaire Peter Ellenshaw was dispatched to Washington, D.C. to shoot airborne footage of the nation’s capitol. Not surprisingly, special permission had to be obtained to fly a helicopter down the Mall between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. With the help of famed stunt pilot Paul Mantz, authorization was granted to Walt Disney, even though the sky-borne camera team was ordered to maintain a strict and very specific altitude. “The right-hand door of the helicopter was removed, a tripod was fixed so that the camera was hanging over the edge, the cameraman sat with his feet dangling outside,” Peter later recalled. “Flying past the Washington Monument, looking through the little windows at the top, was great fun.”
The show-stopping, eye-popping basketball game, which has the Medfield b-ball team bouncing high over the heads of their Rutland College rivals, was born out of the need to crate something that could visually dramatize flubber. “Walt said, ‘Maybe we’re overlooking something… sports,'” reported Bill Walsh of the great showman’s bouncing-basketball-players brainstorm. “No other studio was doing movies relating to sports but Walt saw that this was perfect for our kind of audience: kids, teenagers, the family.” The flubberized basketball game almost didn’t get past the jump ball, however. At first, no one could figure out how to get Don DaGradi’s fast-paced sight gags on the screen. But Bill Walsh turned to Art Vitarelli, who then, working with special-effects artist Bob Mattey, virtually invented the art of flying with actors on piano wires. He thought up the harness that fits under the costume and allowed the performer a great deal of natural movement. “Up to that time,” explained Art. “There was only one wire in the back — and you were really limited in what you could do because your body wanted to fall forward.” Pre-production for the complex game of airborne hoops alone took two months and two weeks to shoot. “Every shot was a whole scene of choreography,” explained Art. “So you planned ahead. You had every shot planned.”
Can you guys write me a college fight song? Something real collegiate?
Richard and Robert Sherman, new members of the Disney team, wrote songs for The Parent Trap (1961), but had come on board too late to contribute their talents to The Absent-Minded Professor. Late in production, Bill Walsh, whose office was across the hall from the songwriting siblings asked, “Can you guys write me a college fight song? Something real collegiate?” The result was the “Medfield Fight Song” — the first Sherman Brothers song heard in a Disney feature (The Parent Trap was released later that year). The Shermans also wrote a zingy novelty tune titled “Flubber Song,” recorded by Fred MacMurray, and another song came about when technical advisor Professor Julius Sumner Miller (Professor Wonderful on the 1960s syndicated version of Mickey Mouse Club) explained “serendipity” as setting up a climate where things can happen logically. “Walt was fascinated with the word,” recalled Bill Walsh. “And he had the Shermans write a song about it.” Fred MacMurray performed “Serendipity” on TV’s Walt Disney Presents on March 26, 1961 and re-broadcast in Man in Flight which was modified to promote The Absent-Minded Professor.
Bill Walsh adapted the screenplay with veteran Disney artist Don DaGradi as a sequence consultant. “Walt thought Don could develop my ideas into pictures, but Don turned out to be a great story man himself,” Bill says.
Besides the music, another iconic Absent-Minded Professor sound that fans most vividly recall is the distinctive noise made by flubber as it gives flight to the Model-T. “Flubber defies gravity and its sound defies description,” said Bill Walsh. “In a word, the sound of flubber was produced by several secret thicknesses of laminated plastic cut in triangular form and agitated in a peculiar manner on a variable tape recorder. In our quest for this unique sound, we tried oscillators, theremins, and all kinds of strange electronic equipment. Flubber not only had to emit a new sound but one with charm, and a soaring, spiritual quality. We rubbed everything together that we could rub together, or play backward, forward or sideways at all possible speeds. We tried two- or three-thousand sonic effects. It took a year to find the perfect sound, which is about as long as it took to cast Scarlett O’Hara.” Peter Ellenshaw had a Eureka! moment when he happened to absent-mindedly (appropriately) swing a plastic T-square back and forth. Hearing the wobbly sound it made, Peter knew he “heard” flubber, and that plastic-produced noise became the basis of the unforgettable flubber sound.
It either gets played or banned.
The Sherman Brothers incorporated the sound-sational effect into their “Flubber Theme” and the hilarious novelty tune was a favorite of kids, teens, and college students. “So far the “Flubber Theme” [of the 45 rpm single] has provoked great controversy,” reported Jimmy Johnson to distributors of records — on the Disneyland label (now known as Walt Disney Records) — just weeks into Absent-Minded Professor’s release. “There seems to be no in-between view,” he says. “It either gets played or banned. On those stations where the latter occurs, “Serendipity” [the B side of the record], which is the art of having a happy accident — we might accidentally have a hit!”
One of Walt’s favorite actors, Fred MacMurray, is comic perfection as the befuddled professor. “I have taken a back seat all my film career,” joked Fred during production. “Kids and shaggy sheepdogs have been my nemesis but never before have I been upstaged by a bucket of bolts. She’s Walt Disney’s flying hot rod, a car with a personality.” Fred recalled that, on the set of The Shaggy Dog, Walt told the actor of having seen Prof. Hubert Alyea, professor of chemistry at Princeton University demonstrate at the International Science Pavilion of the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958. For The Absent-Minded Professor, Walt invited Prof. Alyea to the Studios to give a demonstration for Fred, who incorporated some of Alyea’s characteristics into his performance.
Nobody ever asked me!
Nancy Olson, so appealing as housemaid Nancy in Pollyanna (1960), plays Betsy Carlisle, Ned’s long-suffering fiancée. Disney favorite Tommy Kirk, who Walt called his “good-luck kid,” is Biff Hawk, Medfield’s basketball star forced to sit out the big game by flunking Brainard’s science class. One of the most unusual bits of casting came in the tiny form of 74-year-old Belle Montrose as Prof. Brainard’s dedicated housekeeper. Walt Disney saw Belle performing her vaudeville act on Steve Allen’s variety TV hour it just so happened that Belle was the real-life mother of Mr. Allen — and added her to the cast. When inquiries came about why she had never before acted in a movie, she replied, “Nobody ever asked me!”
One of Walt’s favorite actors, Fred MacMurray, is comic perfection as the befuddled professor. “I have taken a back seat all my film career,” joked Fred during production. “Kids and shaggy sheepdogs have been my nemesis but never before have I been upstaged by a bucket of bolts. She’s Walt Disney’s flying hot rod, a car with a personality.”
A collection of character actors adds zest to the zaniness, including Disney favorite Wally Boag as a TV reporter (Wally also did the stunt dancing for Fred MacMurray), while frequent Disney voice artist Candy Candido is seen as the hot-dog vendor. Also on hand are the two flubber-gasted cops, Forrest Lewis and James Westerfield, who were such a hit in The Shaggy Dog. The film even reunited the screen comedy team of Wally Brown and Gordon Jones, who play the basketball coaches. The referee is Alan Carney, Brown’s former partner in the comedy team of Brown and Carney.
Nineteen star athletes were signed for the film’s whacky sports scenes. The eleven collegiate football players who tackle flubberized Alonzo Hawk include the famed McKeever twins, Mike and Marlin, of USC. For the zany basketball game, eight star college players were recruited. Added to the cast were Gordon Martin and Mike Fryer of USC and Carroll Adams of UCLA. Carroll Adams was a coach at a Southern California high school at the time of filming. These experienced players portrayed the Rutland team; professional dancers played the flubber-fueled Medfield team. Popular assistant USC coach Bob Kopf was the technical advisor for the fastest moving basketball game ever seen.
Heading for a Riot of Fun at the Chinese Theatre with The Absent-Minded Professor
For the opening of the film at Hollywood’s legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in March 1961, forty-five members of the Model-T Car Club of Southern California drove their “tin lizzies” (each adorned with a banner proclaiming “Heading for a Riot of Fun at the Chinese Theatre with The Absent-Minded Professor” as they headed down Hollywood Boulevard to arrive at the film’s opening.
The film was enthusiastically reviewed, but more importantly, audiences absolutely flocked to this wacky funfest. The Absent-Minded Professor appealed to audiences of all ages, just as Walt knew it would. It played an astonishing seven weeks at Radio City Music Hall, where it was the Easter attraction, and it was honored with three Oscar® nominations (Best Cinematography — Black-and-White, Art Director — Black-and-White and Best Special Effects). The main cast comically reconvened for a sequel, Son of Flubber (1963), which brought more fun with Prof. Brainard, the flying car and the anti-gravity goo, too. So iconic is this comedic classic that it inspired a TV movie follow-up and a new version Flubber (1997), starring Robin Williams, which actually credits Bill Walsh as a screenwriter and features a cameo by Nancy Olson.
Coconut-Lime Sauce 1 pound (about 2 medium) sweet onions, diced, divided 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound (about 4 large) plum tomatoes, diced 1 medium poblano pepper, seeded and chopped 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2/3 pound rock shrimp, shelled 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Herbed Rice with Hearts of Palm 1 1/2; cups uncooked jasmine rice 4 hearts of palm, sliced 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Grilled Mahi-Mahi 4 mahi-mahi fillets, about 1/2 pound each Coarse salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish Fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
Coconut-Lime Sauce:
Puree half of the onions with the coconut milk in a blender, and set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add remaining onions and cook until translucent (do not brown), about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and poblano. Cook until the tomatoes soften, about 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and coconut milk mixture. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Combine rock shrimp, butter, and lime juice in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Cook until shrimp are just cooked through. Add shrimp mixture to the coconut milk sauce; stir to combine. Add cilantro; keep sauce warm.
"Our mahi embodies the region by utilizing both the fruits and heart of the most symbolic of trees... the palm," Chef Artur Bukalo says. "We use coconut milk and hearts of palm, and this combination, paired with Caribbean white shrimp, produces our best-selling entree."
Herbed Rice with Hearts of Palm: Cook rice per package directions. Combine cooked rice, hearts of palm, chives, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir until rice is coated in oil and mixture is combined. Cover bowl loosely with foil to keep warm.
Grilled Mahi-Mahi: Preheat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Season mahi-mahi fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Grill mahi-mahi for about 3 minutes per side, or until just opaque.
To Serve: Divide rice mixture onto 4 plates. Place a mahi-mahi fillet on top of rice. Divide sauce evenly among each plate and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Serves 4.
Chef's Note If preferred, regular shrimp (peeled and deveined) may be substituted for rock shrimp.
Walt listens to the Fantasia score being recorded at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music in 1939, where nine “sound cameras” captured Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s magnificent performanes for Disney’s award-winning Fantasound sound syste
With “music you can see and pictures you can hear,” Walt Disney’s Fantasia (1940) has been fascinating audiences for many years. As one of the most elaborate and lavishly produced animated features ever created, Fantasia has a symphony of behind-the-scenes stories swirling around it. So join in D23’s celebration of Fantasia by conducting yourself through these fascinating facts about phenomenal Fantasia.
1. Dopey Might Have Been the Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Once again it all started with a Mouse. Walt wanted to star Mickey in an animated version of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Fantasia evolved from that miniature musical. However, as Walt began developing an animated film based on Dukas’s symphonic piece with Leopold Stokowski in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was on the verge of becoming a blockbuster, and it was suggested Dopey play the Apprentice instead of Mickey. Stokowski proposed another route: “What would you think of creating an entirely new personality for this film instead of using Mickey? A personality that could represent you and me You may have strong reasons for wishing Mickey to be the hero…. [But] I feel that if you create a new personality which represents every one of us, it might be a valuable factor in the years to come, and enlarge the scope. This is merely a suggestion… discard immediately if it does not interest you.” Walt in fact did have strong reasons to star Mickey, not the least of which was that Mickey does represent “you and me” as a kind of “everyman” (or “everymouse”). Of course Mickey does portray the Apprentice (wearing a costume similar to Dopey’s) in what has been acclaimed as one of his most brilliant animated performances. As veteran Disney director Ben Sharpsteen simply said decades later, “Mickey Mouse was, when you come right down to it… a good choice.”
2. Stokowski Was a Superstar
The original 1940 theatrical poster reads “Walt Disney’s Fantasia with Stokowski.” Aside from distributors and the like, other people rarely shared billing with Walt on a Disney production’s poster. Even more interesting is that the great conductor’s billing is not “Leopold Stokowski” — instead, it’s simply that one mighty name. In the history of art and entertainment, few have reached the point where one name says it all. Stokowski, you see, was more than a famous conductor — he was a superstar. The Maestro was famed for his masterful recordings and radio appearances from the late 1910s onward, but even those who seldom listened to classical music knew the name “Stokowski.” His fame was such that he was featured on the April 28, 1930 cover of Time magazine. (Stokowski’s second Time cover appearance was on the November 18, 1940 issue, as the conductor of Fantasia.) With his intense countenance, commanding stature and wild mane of hair (“He looks like Harpo Marx,” commented Walt as he watched Stokowski conduct the Fantasia score), Stokowski was the very image of what many people envisioned when they thought of a “longhair” conductor. The charismatic orchestra leader was a natural for the silver screen, and the Maestro starred in the 1937 hits The Big Broadcast of 1937 (in which he conducts Bach’s “Toccata & Fugue in D,” also used in Fantasia) and One Hundred Men and a Girl (the “one hundred men” being Stokowski’s Philadelphia Orchestra). So when Walt and Stokowski bumped into each other at a Hollywood hangout — Chasen’s in Beverly Hills — a meeting of Maestro and Mouse-tro, filmmaking history would soon be made.
Designed by famed illustrator Gyo Fujikawa, the Fantasia theatre brochure was given to audiences attending the roadshow engagements. Since the film itself had only a title card, the names of the Disney artists who made the film were printed in this program.
3. Dinosaurs Ruled the Screen
The animation for Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” — considered a truly avant-garde work at the time of production — audaciously portrays Earth’s formation and some of our planet’s early inhabitants. Upon hearing the piece on September 13, 1938, Walt enthusiastically responded, “This is marvelous! It would be perfect for prehistoric animals.” Paleontologists Barnum Brown of Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History and Chester Stock of California Institute of Technology were consultants, and pet iguanas and a baby alligator were brought to the Studio for the animator’s inspiration. Woolie Reitherman, one of Walt’s “Nine Old Men” and known for his vigorous action-oriented animation, animated the ferocious battle between the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Stegosaurus. A similar scene was to be created for Walt’s Magic Skyway attraction at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, the dinosaurs of which continue to thrill Disneyland Park guests at Primeval World along the Disneyland Railroad. Perhaps Walt gave the designers of the World’s Fair dinosaurs the same direction he gave Woolie: “Don’t make them cute animal personalities. They’ve got small brains, y’know; make them real!” For millions of Fantasia fans — including renowned Harvard paleontologist Stephen J. Gould — the “Rite of Spring” dinosaurs seem very real indeed.
4. Bela Lugosi Posed for “Night on Bald Mountain”
To inspire their animation, the Disney animators would sometimes enlist an actor to perform the characters, and for Fantasia‘s “Night on Bald Mountain,” sequence, director Wilfred “Jaxon” Jackson brought in horror movie great Bela Lugosi to act out the evil actions of Chernabog, the god of evil for animator Bill Tytla. Most famous for his chilling performance as Dracula, Lugosi gave it his all, but Bill wasn’t satisfied — so he had skinny Jaxon take off his shirt and perform as the muscular demon. Live-action was also used as inspiration for other Fantasia segments, such as for “Dance of the Hours.” World-famous dancer Irina Baronova of the Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre) danced for the Disney artists, who created the ostrich ballerina they called Mlle. Upanova. (Incidentally, Bela Lugosi was portrayed by Martin Landau in his Oscar®-winning turn for Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, released under Disney’s Touchstone banner in 1994.)
5. The Fantasia Characters Have Little-Known Names
With the exception of musicologist Deems Taylor’s narration (and a brief congratulatory exchange between Mickey and “Mr. Stokowski”), there is no spoken dialog in Fantasia, and perhaps that’s why the names of its characters, such as Mlle. Upanova, are not generally known. In addition to Mlle. Upanova’s balletic co-stars Hyacinth Hippo and Ben Ali Gator, there’s little Hop Low (the film’s original general release trailer termed him “the ‘Dopey of the Mushrooms!”); Peter Pegasus, the black baby flying horse; and Bacchus’s tipsy donkey Jacchus. Last but certainly not least, is the name of the mighty Sorcerer himself, Yensid. (If you’re not sure what the name signifies, spell it backwards.)
6. Joe Grant Was a Creative Force on Both Fantasias
Disney Legend and Fantasia story director Joe Grant was part of the select group — the others were Walt, Stokowski, Deems Taylor, and co-story director Dick Huemer — who, during an intense few weeks in September 1938, selected the music to be included in what had originally been called The Concert Feature. Along with Huemer, conceptual/story artist Grant accompanied Walt to Philadelphia for the music recording, and he also guided the design of dozens of Fantasia players in his Character Model Department. For the “Ave Maria” segment, he suggested the forest resemble stained glass windows, a visual concept Joe found in his own backyard: “The trees in my yard had a Gothic form, which gave me the idea for the cathedral look.” Incredibly, this beloved artist was also a vital contributor to Fantasia/2000, the original’s long-awaited follow-up: Joe conceived the flamingo with a yo-yo storyline for the “Carnival of the Animals” sequence. As Joe said, with true Disney expertise, “There’s always a good story in a good piece of music.”
7. Walt Wanted Widescreen and More
Walt envisioned Fantasia as a sensory filmgoing experience — sight and sound to be sure, but Walt wanted more. He dreamed of producing this extraordinary film with extraordinary effects, such as 3-D for the “Toccata and Fugue” sequence and filming the entire movie in widescreen. The ever-innovative impresario even hoped to introduce olfactory effects, such as wafting perfume through the theatre as the wildflowers danced during the “Nutcracker Suite” segment, while Stokowski suggested gunpowder as a powerful scent for the Sorcerer’s spell-casting. None of these concepts came to be for Fantasia, but Walt was proved a prophetic film producer, for widescreen and even “Smell-o-Vision” came into usage in the 1950s, as did 3-D — which is enjoying a resurgence in popularity today, as with Tangled, now in release in Disney Digital 3-D.
8. Fantasound Made a Splash
Among his other accomplishments, Stokowski was a pioneer in sound recording, and he was a proponent of a special sound system for Fantasia. Always an innovator, Walt Disney was also in favor of groundbreaking sound recording/reproduction for his experimental epic, as he desired to raise the live sound sensations of a concert hall to even greater heights. As Walt said: “Fantasia, to me is a whole new opportunity. For my medium it opens up unlimited possibilities. Music has always played a very important part since sound came into the cartoon. Now, the full expression that comes from the new Fantasound opens up a whole new world for us.” The music was recorded on Stokowski’s turf, the acoustically perfect Academy of Music, home of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Huge trucks hauled lineally tons of recording equipment to Philadelphia, where nine separate optical tracks were recorded, isolating various sections of the orchestra. This was mixed down to three main tracks with a special additional notched track (known as the TOGAD or tone-operated gain-adjusting device track), used to trigger relays for transferring the music to the many Fantasound speakers throughout the theater. Time reported: “The music comes not simply from the screen, but from everywhere; it is as if a hearer were in the midst of the music. As the music sweeps to a climax, it froths over the proscenium arch, boils into the rear of the theatre, all but prances up and down the aisles.” Later, beginning in 1967, Fantasound was used by Disney’s prestige record label, Buena Vista, for a sophisticated line of classical and Broadway musical score albums, as well as a “second cast” recording of Disney’s own The Happiest Millionaire, released that same year.
9. Fantasia Earned Not One But Two Academy Award® Honors
On February 26, 1942, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences honored Fantasia at its annual Oscar® ceremony. The Board of Governors voted to present the revolutionary motion-picture-and-music meld two Special Awards, both presented by Academy president and 20th Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck. The first went to Walt and the developers of Fantasound for “outstanding contribution to the advancement for the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia.” The second was presented to Stokowski “and his associates for their unique achievement in the creation of a new form of visualized music in Walt Disney’s production of Fantasia, thereby widening the scope of the motion picture as an art form.” That same evening Walt became the fourth producer ever to receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, occasionally given for consistent creativity and excellence in production. The previous Thalberg honoree, David O. Selznick presented the award, and while it was for Walt’s body of work and not Fantasia specifically, he praised the groundbreaking Disney feature “in which established music was used as the complete basis for the creation of the picture” which “contributed to the musical education of the public.”
The Fantasia 3-LP album set was housed in this distinctive box with an abstract impressionistic design, complete with Fantasia characters subtly etched over the splashes of paint. Released in 1957, this version of the Fantasia soundtrack was a bestseller for many years.
10. The Fantasia LP Album Set Stereos Spinning
A Fantasia soundtrack recording was not released until 1957, after the formation of Disneyland Records (now known as Walt Disney Records) in 1956. A deluxe three-LP record set with a 24 page insert book with text by Deems Taylor and illustrations adapted from the film by Disney animation artists Al Dempster, Dick Kelsey and Art Riley, all of whom worked on the film. In penning an introduction to this unique album set, Walt Disney noted that many fans had requested the Fantasia music be released as a recording. “To those who thrilled to… Fantasia, this album will recall many thrilling and delightful moments. We recommend that the volume control on your phonograph be kept at a moderate room level for the fullest enjoyment. The quality and dynamic range of the original recording has been preserved as carefully as possible so that the thunderous vigor of “Bald Mountain” and the delicate beauty of the “Nutcracker Suite” will be heard in their proper perspective. It will be immediately apparent to critical stereophonic enthusiasts that this by no means represents modern stereophonic recording, and no such claim is made. Nevertheless, we feel that this album will provide rich musical enjoyment to countless listener…” Indeed, many owners of stereophonic equipment were thrilled with the Fantasia LPs, for in emulating the Fantasound experience, the sound effectively bounced back and forth between the two speakers, thus assuring listeners their stereos actually worked. In 1991, Stokowski’s Fantasia soundtrack was released on compact disk, selling about 100,000 copies that year alone. (Classical recordings selling one-tenth that amount are considered runaway successes). That CD set was reissued in 2001, and today, in keeping with Fantasia‘s tradition of innovation and cutting-edge technology, the film’s revered soundtrack album is available on iTunes.
11. Walt Disney Showcased Fantasia on Television
Because of World War II and the impossibility to obtain the now-government rationed electronic equipment for Fantasound, Fantasia failed to recoup its high costs at the box office. “I don’t regret making it,” stated Walt in 1951. “It’s what we should have been doing with our medium at that time.” It was in the 1950s that Walt — ever aware of Fantasia‘s artistic merit — found a new showcase for the extraordinary film: television. To this day, Fantasia has never been shown on television in its entirety, but Walt used various segments of the spectacular film to good effect. In the very first episode of his weekly TV hour, The Disneyland Story (originally broadcast on October 27, 1954), Walt presented “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” as a tribute to Mickey Mouse. Other examples include “Tricks of Our Trade” (February 13, 1957) in which Walt used “Night on Bald Mountain” to demonstrate the power of great music, and “Magic and Music” (March 19, 1958), which featured the “Pastoral Symphony.” Even though these early TV episodes were telecast in black-and-white, the colorful artistry of Fantasia shone through.
Billed as “The Ultimate Experience,” Fantasia was successfully promoted with this 1969 psychedelic poster to teenagers and college students who had turned on to films such as the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine (1968).
12. Fantasia was a Psychedelic Hit in the 1960s
Long before Blu-ray and instantly streaming movies, segments of Fantasia were available to schools in the 1960s as 16mm rentals, and university students rediscovered the film, finding the animated feature’s overwhelming imagination and endless creativity mind-blowing. Catering to the hip kids who turned on to the artistry of Fantasia, Disney re-released the film for the fifth time in 1969, complete with a psychedelic ad campaign. Fantasia at long last turned a box office profit as audiences flocked to the theaters. In 1980, Disney Legend Irving Ludwig, who had managed Fantasia‘s 1940 roadshow engagements and returned to Disney to become President of Buena Vista Distribution in 1959, remarked: “Walt was at least 25 years ahead of his time and the public wasn’t ready for Fantasia just yet. In 1969, however, the 18- to 30-year-olds finally discovered it — the very audience we had been wooing all the time. Since then it has been in continuous release in selected theaters across the country. Fantasia will always be my all time favorite picture.”
13. Walt Wanted Fantasia to Continue
Walt’s dream was to turn Fantasia into an ongoing event, stating in 1941, “it is our intention to make a version of Fantasia every year.” Several months earlier in a letter to Stokowski Walt wrote: “From all the talk I hear in and around New York about Fantasia, I think if we put in one new number, almost everyone would go to hear the whole picture again. Then a few months later if we put in another new number, most of them will go again.” From January through August 1941, Walt and his team developed story material based on eight additional pieces including Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries,” von Weber’s “Invitation to the Dance” and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Walt’s dream of a Fantasia with new segments was finally realized in 1999 with Fantasia/2000, a spectacular follow-up spearheaded by Walt’s nephew, Disney Legend Roy E. Disney.
14. Fantasia Played at the Carthay Circle Theatre
In 1940, Fantasia played exclusively at 13 select theaters, most of which were legitimate theaters rather than movie houses, including the Majestic in Boston and the Geary (now the American Conservatory Theater) in San Francisco. The two movie theaters were New York’s Broadway and the prestigious Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. The Carthay Circle was celebrated as the site of some of Hollywood’s most glittering premieres, not the least of which was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on December 21, 1937. A replica of the illustrious Carthay Circle will be the shining new centerpiece of the Disney California Adventure Park’s in-progress renovation, a symbol of Walt’s Hollywood triumphs, including Fantasia.
15. Fantasia Premiered in the Same Theatre as Steamboat Willie
As if to highlight the artistic peak to which Mickey had ascended, Fantasia‘s gala premiere was held at the theatre formally known as the Colony where, 12 years ago almost to the day, the Mouse had made his debut in Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928. Describing it as “the greatest thrill of [Mickey’s] acting career,” Walt explained that Fantasia‘s debut “happened on the night of November 13, 1940 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City, the same theatre where he had made his first appearance as a ragged shoeless Mouse [more than] 10 years before.” In just 12 short years, Mickey went from a primitive black-and-white steamboat to the dazzling heights of Mt. Olympus. Decades ahead of its time, Fantasia remains the art of Disney animation’s pinnacle. With typical humility, Walt summed up amazing Fantasia more simply: “Perhaps Bach and Beethoven are strange bedfellows for Mickey Mouse, but it’s all been a lot of fun.”
Donald Duck turns over a new leaf of history on the first issue of Walt Disney
Disney became the proud owner of Marvel Comics in 2009, but the House that the Mouse Built has actually been a comic book powerhouse for quite some time. Witness the long-standing comic magazine that has been accurately billed as
“The Best-Selling Comic Book of All Time,” Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories.
First published in October 1940, this unbeatable cavalcade of Disney comic art has been dancing off newsstands and into the hands of eager readers for seven decades. Bursting from behind an eye-catching covers that are often works of art themselves, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories is chockful of hilarious antics and captivating derring-do, celebrating and spotlighting the whole Disney gang — headlined by Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. In honor of its 70th anniversary, here’s a look through the artful annals of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories.
It all started with a Mouse
— Mickey Mouse Magazine, that is, Walt Disney’s enormously popular periodical of the 1930s.
Comic books, meanwhile, exploded onto the publishing scene in 1934, taking a super-powered leap in popularity with the introduction of Superman in 1938. To feed the ever-growing comic craze, Mickey Mouse Magazine increasingly featured more and more comics until it finally evolved into a full-fledged funny book in 1940. Entitled Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories — tantalizingly indicating the kaleidoscope of graphic novelettes that would fill its vibrant pages — this jaunty new journal was an anthology created in the wake of the popular Detective Comics (launched in 1937) and Action Comics (launched in 1938) and which introduced Batman and Superman respectively. A few Disney comic books had already been devoured by an insatiable public but Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories was the first modern-style Disney comics title.
Each month Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories would be, as the editors promised,
“a new, colorful, exciting magazine filled with funny, thrilling adventures of Mickey, Donald and all the rest.”
At first, its 64 pages (those were the good old days) overflowed with reprints of the Disney newspaper comic strips, but this backlog was nearly exhausted within a couple of years. Besides, the clamor then was for original comic book stories, such as those featuring super heroes. So in the December 1942 issue, #27, boasted the first all-new story, titled “The Carnival King,” which starred Joe Carioca, the freshly minted movie star of Saludos Amigos (1942).
Joe was followed by a flurry other rarely spotlighted Disney celebrities, including Clara Cluck, Gremlin Gus and Tillie Tiger. Even Friend Owl from Bambi (1942) was highlighted in his own story, and that barnyard glamour gal Clarabelle Cow made the cover! Over the years, while also showcasing such Disney stalwarts as Chip ‘n’ Dale, Jiminy Cricket, and Winnie the Pooh, the “character actors” of the Disney oeuvre, such as Brer Rabbit, Ludwig Von Drake and the marvelous Mad Madam Mim, flourished in the character-friendly pages of Walt Disney’s Comics.
Former Disney animator and future creator of the famed Pogo comic strip, Walt Kelly drew many of the Walt Disney’s Comics covers, including this rib-tickling example from issue #94, July 1948.
The Disney comic artists and writers also created characters expressly for the comics medium. Bucky Bug, who first bounded into the world of comics in the Silly Symphony Sunday newspaper page, was an early favorite, appearing in brand-new stories, often drawn by Carl Buettner, in which Bucky and his cute-as-a-bug pals June and Bo spoke in sprightly verse. While Scamp, the impish puppy of Lady and Tramp, Grandma Duck, and comic book superstar Uncle Scrooge, were all Walt Disney’s Comics luminaries, there was also Li’l Bad Wolf. Inspired by the three silly-but-sinister sons of the Big Bad Wolf, who first appeared in Three Little Wolves (1936), Li’l Bad Wolf was, in the pages of many issues of Walt Disney’s Comics, actually the very good singular offspring of the classic piggy-chasing wolf. Good-natured Li’l Wolf had his paws full trying to placate his “Pop,” who, of course, is drastically frustrated his son isn’t as big and bad as he is. To comically complicate matters even more Li’l Wolf’s best friends are the Three Little Pigs. (Let’s face it — no matter how knotty your relationship with your father might be, at least he’s not trying to eat your friends.)
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories really hit the big time with the introduction of original 10-page comic scenarios starring leading man Donald Duck, starting in the April 1943 issue with the first story written and drawn by Disney Legend Carl Barks. With Carl’s mini-masterpieces as the lead story in most every issue from 1943 through 1966, Walt Disney’s Comics became an unparalleled hit, selling at its peak more than three million copies an issue (that’s approximately two million copies per issue more than the nearest best-selling comic book). Also boosting this comic book champ’s popularity were the monthly Mickey Mouse serials. At first, as with Mickey Mouse Magazine, these spine-tingling adventures were serialized reprints of Floyd Gottfredson’s classic newspaper comic strip, but in 1953 these too became newly written-and-drawn originals, most famously illustrated by Mickey Mouse maestro Paul Murry. A former Disney animator who had worked on Pinocchio (1940) and Dumbo (1941), Paul had been trained by the Mouse’s master animator Fred Moore and he delightfully delineated Mickey and Goofy’s exploits in nearly every issue, an unsurpassed Comics and Stories run that lasted through 1983. These page-turning Mickey mysteries had a place of honor at the back-of-the-book, mirroring the leading Donald Duck story at each issue’s start.
That covers the titular “Comics,” but what of the enshrined “Stories”? This miraculous little magazine has always delivered text pieces, including for a time in the 1940s, “Hollywood Chatter.” Reported by Minnie Mouse, this feature was a light-hearted gossip column, in which Miss Mouse chronicled stories about real-life movie stars like Bette Davis, Don Ameche, Lassie (sorry, Pluto), and Mickey (Rooney, not Mouse). The comic magazine also featured playful prose — sometimes adaptations of Disney cartoons — with illustrations by such comic-book veterans as Paul Murry and Tony Strobl.
One of the longest running comic books — or any other kind of periodical ever — Walt Disney Comics and Stories is still published today. For the first 44 years of its run this storied comic book was published by Western Publishing (variously under the Dell, Gold Key and Whitman imprints). Since then, the venerable funny book has been printed by, among other publishers, Gladstone, a comics company run by comics fans and collectors, named in honor of Gladstone Gander, Donald Duck’s cousin introduced in Walt Disney’s Comics in January 1948, issue #88). In September 2009, BOOM! Comics became the new publisher of Walt Disney Comics and Stories. Taking a fresh approach, the BOOM! Version has showcased epic Mickey Mouse adventures, including “Ultraheroes” and “Mickey Mouse and the World to Come.” “Between Iron Man, Spider-Man, and all these superhero movies grade-school kids are totally taken with the genre,” notes BOOM! publisher Ross Richie. “What better way to engage those that haven’t read Mickey or Donald stories, than to publish comics featuring the superhero version of them?” After that exhilarating start, BOOM! has announced that Walt Disney’s Comics will return to its traditional anthology format with the January 2011 issue, #715: a special 70th anniversary edition featuring delectable comic tales by Carl Barks, Gil Turner and modern-day Duck master Don Rosa. This oversized album will be available with two specially created collectable covers: a Disney character mash-up by modern-day comics ace Daan Jippes; and a parody of the famous issue # 1 Donald Duck cover by comics-fan favorite William Van Horn, showcasing the Big Bad Wolf! “We’re having a blast and can’t believe that we’ve come so far in such a short amount of time,” Ross said. “Simply put, Disney has the greatest characters in the world. [Publishing Walt Disney’s Comics is] a huge honor and a monster opportunity.”
70 years on, the latest issue of Walt Disney’s Comics, #711, features a cover illustrating “Mickey Mouse and the Orbiting Nightmare” drawn by European Mickey master Casty.
Now that we’ve looked ahead to a fabulous future, let’s take another peek back to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this supreme journal of Disney cartoon art in style: In the 25th anniversary issue, #300, September 1965, loyal readers were surprised with a special birthday message: “Ever since October 1940, Walt Disney Comics and Stories has been published continuously every month — an all-time record for a comic magazine. In addition, the stories have been translated into almost every language and published in nearly every country. Thus, through the years, millions upon millions of copies have brought good entertainment to young and old, all around the world.” Here’s to another 70 years of humorous escapades, adventures near and far and colorful hi-jinks that tickle both the funny bone and the thirsty noggin, all waiting within the covers of Disney’s flagship comic book, the unstoppable Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories.
Alice says that for years, Marc would never eat grapefruit because he’d gotten sick from grapefruit gin during prohibition. But this simple concoction is a treat they enjoyed regularly. Alice learned to make it from Mrs. Nelbert Murphy Chouinard, founder of the prestigious Chouinard Arts Institute (where Alice met her husband).
“She invited me to her house for lunch and she served it.
I think it’s just very refreshing and healthy,” Alice says.
Preparation
Just French cut a grapefruit (take out the sections and cut off the membrane).
Pour a can of Oregon blueberries over the fruit and chill for at least an hour. “Oregon blueberries are big and juicy, as opposed to others which can be bullet-like and hard,” she says.
Serve for breakfast, over ice cream, or add fresh avocado and mixed greens for a salad.
Since 1992, Christophe Coutanson has served as executive chef for Disneyland Paris and its sister, Walt Disney Studios Park, as well as at Disney Village, developing restaurant menus and buffets.
“Disney is all about creating magical moments for our guests throughout their stay,
. . . and my role and culinary philosophy is to bring the continuity of that magic into the dishes,” he explains. “I also believe a lot in our young apprentices and how important it is to pass on our culinary knowledge.” After sampling the recipe for the dish below, we know exactly what he means!
Ingredients
1⁄4 pound sugar snap peas, tough stems removed 3⁄4 pound carrots (about 4 to 5 medium carrots) 1⁄2 pound zucchini 1⁄2 large sweet red pepper 1⁄2 large sweet yellow pepper
2 oranges
1 grapefruit
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1⁄2 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
3 tablespoons sesame oil
12 prawns or jumbo shrimp
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Thinly slice sugar snap peas lengthwise.
Slice carrots, zucchini, and peppers lengthwise using the julienne blade on a mandolin. Alternatively, very thinly slice all of the vegetables into long pieces the width of a matchstick.
Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water; set aside.
Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil.
Carefully place sliced vegetables into boiling water; boil for 11⁄2 minutes. Remove, and immediately transfer to prepared ice-water bath.
Drain vegetables thoroughly in a sieve. Pat with paper towels to dry. Place in a large bowl; set aside.
Cut peel, including the white pith, from oranges and grapefruit. Working over a small saucepan, carefully cut segments free from membranes.
Cut segments into 1⁄2-inch pieces and place in a small bowl; set aside. Squeeze remaining juice from membranes into the saucepan.
Place saucepan over high heat. Boil until juice is reduced and mixture is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside to cool.
When cool, whisk in lemon juice, sherry vinegar, and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt.
Add sesame oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking to combine.
Add dressing to vegetables in bowl, tossing to combine.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 4 hours.
Sprinkle prawns with remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt.
Heat peanut oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Sear prawns 2 minutes per side, or until firm and pink.
To Serve
Stir cilantro into vegetables. Evenly divide vegetables among 4 serving plates. Top with reserved citrus segments and 3 prawns each; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Serves 4 as a first course.
This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version. All recipes are the property of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc., and may not be reproduced without express permission.
Braised Pineapple Panna Cotta 1 (8-ounce) can sliced pineapple in juice 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup pineapple juice 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin 1 cup heavy cream 1⁄2 cup sugar
Drain juice from pineapple; cut pineapple into small pieces.
Combine pineapple pieces and brown sugar in a small sauté pan over medium heat.
Sauté until sugar caramelizes and mixture is syrupy.
Divide mixture among 6 (71⁄2-ounce) martini glasses.
Place pineapple juice and lemon juice in a medium bowl; sprinkle gelatin over.
Let stand 10 minutes or until gelatin is softened. Combine cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a low simmer (do not boil). Stir until sugar dissolves.
Add gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved and mixture is smooth.
Ladle mixture into prepared martini glasses. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
Strawberry Compote
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Cook until sugar dissolves.
Add strawberries, stirring to combine.
Cook until berries are slightly softened, about 4 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
To Serve Spoon strawberry compote over each panna cotta. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
3⁄4 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1⁄4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch, divided
21⁄2 teaspoons sugar
11⁄2 teaspoons soy sauce, plus additional for serving
11⁄2 pounds sole fillets (may substitute flounder)
Pinch coarse salt
Pinch ground white pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided, plus additional oil for frying 1⁄4 cup diced red bell pepper 1⁄4 cup diced green bell pepper 1⁄4 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic 1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated mandarin or orange zest
1 tablespoon black bean paste
Preparation
Combine chicken broth, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, sugar, and soy sauce in a small bowl, stirring. Set aside.
Cut sole into thin strips, approximately 21⁄2 inches long by 3⁄4 inch wide.
Season lightly with salt and white pepper; drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat well.
Place remaining 1⁄4 cup cornstarch in a zip-top plastic bag; add fish and gently shake to coat completely.
Remove fish from bag, shaking off excess cornstarch.
Pour vegetable oil into a deep-sided sauté pan to a depth of 1⁄4 inch. Heat oil over medium-high heat until simmering.
Working in 2 batches, cook fish in hot oil, tossing frequently, about 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp and firm. (Note: fish will not turn golden or brown when cooked.)
Transfer cooked fish to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
Pour oil out of sauté pan; discard oil.
Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan; return to stove over medium-high heat.
Add peppers and onion.
Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Transfer cooked vegetables to plate with fish.
Lower heat to low; add 2 teaspoons oil, ginger, garlic, mandarin zest, and black bean paste to the sauté pan.
Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is combined and fragrant.
Add reserved broth-cornstarch mixture.
Increase heat to high; bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened.
Add vegetables and fish; toss gently to combine.
Taste, and add additional soy sauce, if desired.
Serve immediately over your favorite noodles and with vegetables (shown with asparagus). Serves 4.
Cook’s Notes
Black bean paste is a salty sauce made from mashed fermented beans, garlic, and other spices. It’s available in Asian markets and specialty stores.
New York Steak 11⁄2 to 2 pounds New York steak (1 or 2 steaks), each at least 11⁄2 inches thick 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided 1⁄2 teaspoon coarse salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 sprigs fresh thyme 4 garlic cloves, slightly smashed 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Gorgonzola-Spinach Bruschetta 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for brushing 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 5 cups baby spinach, stems removed and discarded 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2⁄3 cup heavy cream 1⁄3 cup Gorgonzola cheese 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese Pinch nutmeg 4 (1⁄2-inch-thick) slices ciabatta bread
Shiitake Mushroom Ragout 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 large shallots, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, cut into thin strips 3⁄4 cup Marsala wine 3⁄4 cup low-sodium chicken stock 2 cups veal or beef stock 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 bay leaves Coarse salt, to taste 3 teaspoons chopped thyme
Preparation
New York Steak Let steaks stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until they are no longer cold. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Coat the steaks lightly with 1 teaspoon olive oil each and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is almost smoking, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, swirling to coat the pan. Add steaks and sear, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a baking sheet; place thyme sprigs and garlic atop each steak. Place 2 pieces of butter on each, and sprinkle lightly with Worcestershire sauce. Roast the meat until it is cooked to your preference, about 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare (steak should register 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for medium rare). Loosely cover steaks with foil and set aside to rest.
Shiitake Mushroom Ragout Place oil, shallots, and garlic in a large sauté pan. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sauté until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat, and add Marsala. Return pan to stove; bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the pan is nearly dry, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, veal or beef stock, soy sauce, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes or until reduced by half. Taste, and add salt, if desired. Remove and discard bay leaves; stir in thyme. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Gorgonzola-Spinach Bruschetta Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, tossing until fragrant and lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add spinach, salt, and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until slightly wilted. If needed, drain any excess liquid from the pan. Add cream, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened. Keep warm until ready to serve. Brush ciabatta slices with olive oil. Toast until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
To Serve Cut the steak into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices on a bias. Place a piece of toasted ciabatta in the center of each serving plate. Evenly spoon spinach mixture atop bread slices. Top bruschetta with sliced steak. Spoon shiitake mushroom ragout around plate. Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired. Serves 4.
