1961:
The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life" first airs on television.
It features actor Bill Mummy as six-year-old Anthony Fremont who has godlike mental
powers. Rod Serling's introduction to Walt Disney World's Tower of Terror attraction - as
viewed in the library - is taken in part from this very episode. Serling begins the program
with the words, "Tonight's story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of
introduction." Imagineers completed the introduction for the attraction with dialogue by sound-alike actor Mark
Silverman. Ironically, this episode contains the longest opening narration of the entire series! (On your next trip to
Hollywood Studios, look for a small poster dedicated to "Anthony Fremont & and his Orchestra" inside the
Hollywood Tower of Terror.)
2003:
Michael Eisner (chairman and CEO of Disney) appears at the Harris Nesbitt Gerard Playtime Investor Conference. His comments and responses during
the question and answer session are broadcast live via Webcast.
Sara Bishop, Juan Avilés and Christopher Stewart are named the 2004 Walt Disney World Ambassador Team at a ceremony in the Magic Kingdom.
1910:
Disney Legend Irving Ludwig is born in Russia. In 1920 his family immigrated to the United
States and Irving was raised in Brooklyn, New York. During his 40-year career with Disney, he served as
president of Buena Vista Distribution (the motion picture and television feature distribution company owned
by The Walt Disney Company).
1922:
The Laugh-O-Gram silent cartoon Puss in Boots, directed and
co-animated by Walt Disney, is released.
1933:
Actor, dancer, and singer Ken Berry is born in Moline, Illinois. His Disney credits include
The Cat From Outer Space as Dr. Franklin 'Frank' Wilson and Herbie Rides Again as Willoughby Whitfield.
(Fans of classic TV will know Berry as Wilton Parmenter on F Troop and Vinton Harper on Mama's Family.)
1934:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon The Goddess of Spring is released. This short, directed by Wilfred Jackson, is one of Disney's early attempts at human animation.
1950:
Disney's Goofy cartoon Hold That Pose is released.
Directed by Jack Kinney, amateur photographer Goofy attempts to snap a portrait of a grizzly bear!
1954:
The Disneyland television series airs a condensed version
of the 1951 animated film Alice in Wonderland.
1963:
The TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs part 2 of
"The Waltz King."
Brian Henson, puppeteer, director, producer, technician, and the chairman of The Jim Henson Company is born to Jim & Jane Henson in New York City. He supplied the voice of Jack Pumpkinhead in the 1985 Return to Oz, and directed & co-produced both the 1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol & the 1996 Muppet Treasure Island. Henson's was the executive producer for Disney Channel's Bear in the Big Blue House and the family sitcom Dinosaurs.
1977:
Disney's Pete's Dragon is released in the U.S. This musical adventure features Helen Reddy (as Nora), Mickey Rooney (as her father), Red Buttons (as Hoagy), Jim Backus (as The Mayor), Jeff Conaway (as Willie), Charlie Callas (as Elliott) and Sean Marshall (as Pete). Although it is a live-action movie, its title character - a dragon named Elliott - is animated. The song "Candle on the Water" will receive an
Academy Award nomination, and Helen Reddy's recording (with a different arrangement than the one her character sings in the film) will be released as a single by Capitol Records (and reach #27 on the Adult Contemporary charts). It is the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system and the first involving animation in which none of the Nine Old Men were involved. Elliott, a magical and sometimes mischievous dragon, causes chaos in a Maine fishing village when he tries to help a young orphan named Pete escape from his evil foster parents. The cast also includes Shelley Winters, Charles Tyner, Jane Kean, and Walter Barnes.
2001:
Susan Lucci and a cavalcade of soap opera stars appear during the
2-day ABC Super Soap Weekend at the Disney-MGM Studios.
Disney's LuminAria - a new nighttime show at Disney's California Adventure featuring fireworks - has a rehearsal after park operating hours.
1998:
Walt Disney World's newest attraction Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin officially opens at the Magic Kingdom. The popularity of the two Toy Story
films has led to the creation of this Tomorrowland attraction (which is housed in the pavilion formerly home to If You Had Wings, If You Could Fly, Delta Dreamflight, and Take Flight).
The Skyway at Tokyo Disneyland (running since the park debuted in 1983) closes.
The soundtrack to the comedy film The Waterboy is released through Hollywood Records. It includes such well-known songs as "Born on the Bayou" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Lonely Boy" performed by Andrew Gold, and "Tom Sawyer" performed by Rush. (The Adam Sandler film will be released November 6.)
2006:
Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause opens in theaters. Tim Allen
returns as Santa/Scott Calvin along with Martin Short as the mischievous Jack Frost. Christmas
cheer turns into holiday chaos when Scott, invites his in-laws Sylvia and Bud (played by Ann-Margret & Alan Arkin) for a visit and must, simultaneously, contend with Jack Frost's scheme to take over the North Pole. The cast includes Elizabeth Mitchell as Mrs. Claus / Carol Calvin, Judge Reinhold as Neil Miller, Judge Reinhold as Neil Miller, Spencer Breslin as Curtis the Elf, Eric Lloyd as Charlie Calvin, Peter Boyle as Father Time, and Kevin Pollak as Cupid.
Toon Disney presents the world television premiere of Bambi II.
At Disneyland, professional dancer Edyta Sliwinska and actor Joey Lawrence of TV's Dancing With The Stars tape a segment at the Sleeping Beauty Castle Stage. (It will air November 7.)
Down at Epcot, Cast Members Lowell Doringo and Michael Kelley are chosen as the WDW 2007 Ambassador Team!
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce 16 films that are tentatively eligible for the animated feature film category. Among those named is the Disney/Pixar Cars. (The nominations for the 79th Academy Awards will be
announced in January 2007.)
Ruth Patricia Shellhorn, Disneyland's first landscaper, passes away at the age of 97
in California. She served as liaison between the Disney Studios and the hired designers back in 1955. Born in 1909,
it was unique for a woman to have the responsibilities Shellhorn did in that era.
The Hannah Montana episode
"People Who Use People" debuts on Disney Channel.
1952:
Voice actor Jim Cummings is born James Jonah Cummings in Youngstown, Ohio. In 1983, the increasing illness of longtime Winnie the Pooh voice actor Sterling Holloway led to an open call to replace him for the movie Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. Cummings' uncanny audition kick started a successful voice career that includes the voices of Pooh (and later Tigger). His long list of credits include such films and television shows as
DuckTales, The Lion King, Aladdin, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Pocahontas, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, The Jungle Book 2, Brother Bear 2, The Fox and the Hound 2, Wreck-It Ralph, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and the Roadster Racers, and Star Wars Forces of Destiny. In 2018, Cummings became the first voice performer of animation to reprise his role(s) for a live-action Disney film, reprising the roles of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger for the film Christopher Robin.
Tim Allen made his film debut in
1994, playing Santa in Disney's
live-action The Santa Clause -
which earned him a
People's Choice Award!
1896:
Illustrator and painter Gustaf Tenggren is born in Vastergotland, Sweden.
Originally known for his Arthur Rackham-influenced fairy-tale style and use of silhouetted figures with
caricatured faces, Tenggren was a chief illustrator for The Walt Disney Company in the late 1930s.
He worked on the features Snow White, Bambi, and Pinocchio, and the shorts The Ugly Duckling
and The Old Mill. In 1956 he illustrated the November 17 cover of The Saturday Evening Post, which featured the
article "My Dad, Walt Disney" (attributed to Diane Disney Miller). After leaving Disney, Tenggren drastically
changed his style and for 25 years illustrated children's books including the Little Golden Books - The Poky Little
Puppy and Tawny Scrawny Lion. (Working until his death in 1970, his collection of paintings and illustrations were
later donated by his wife to the University of Minnesota.)
2007:
Disney’s newest theatrical stage production The Little Mermaid begins preview performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City.
The official Broadway opening night is scheduled for December 6th.
1955:
Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Circus Day.
1931:
Walt and Lillian Disney are aboard the luxury cruise ship SS California as it
departs Havana, Cuba. They will arrive in Los Angeles November 14.
NOVEMBER 3
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
NOVEMBER 3
N
O
V
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Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin opens
World Premiere of Pete's Dragon
"Tonight's story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as
you may recognize, is a map of the United States, and there's a little town there called Peaksville. On a given
morning not too long ago, the rest of the world disappeared and Peaksville was left all alone. Its inhabitants were
never sure whether the world was destroyed and only Peaksville left untouched or whether the village had
somehow been taken away." -Rod Serling's "It's a Good Life" opening narration
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A hit grossing over $144
million in the United States alone,
The Santa Clause is about a father
who finds himself contractually bound
to become Santa when he unintentionally puts on the previous Santa's suit!
2009:
Disney’s A Christmas Carol has its world premiere in London, England.
The star-studded premiere in Leicester Square includes Jim Carrey, Bob Hoskins, and Colin Firth.
(The film will open Novemebr 6 in U.S. theaters.)
"Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro - The Complete First Season" and "Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro - The Complete Second Season" are both released to DVD.
Disney's third television series (first airing in October 1957), these 6-disc sets star actor Guy Williams as
the masked avenger.
The Walt Disney Company announces that it has made a $7 million investment
in forest conservation projects to decrease carbon dioxide emissions. The
largest share of the money — $4 million — will go to Conservation International for reforestation
projects in the Tayna and Kisimba-Ikobo Community Reserves in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and the Alto Mayo conservation project in Peru.
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SEASON 1 EPISODE 2
1928:
Walt Disney's classified ad - selling his Moon roadster - runs in the Los Angeles
Times. He's asking $525 for the vehicle - although he hates to give it up. But between Steamboat Willie
(currently in production in New York) and the payroll at the Hyperion Studio, the Disney brothers are in need of
funds. (Unfortunately there will be no interest in the Moon roadster and Walt will have to lower his price before a
buyer is found.)
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Today is Sandwich Day
1965:
Walt Disney appears on The Jack Benny Hour (Benny's first TV special after
the demise of his regular series). Featured is a skit with Benny (cheap, petty, vain and self-
congratulatory) visiting Disney's office ... asking Walt for free tickets to Disneyland for 110 guests!
November 3
2017:
The superhero film Thor: Ragnarok, based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, is released in U.S. theaters. The sequel to 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World, the mighty Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying his home world.
2015:
Inside Out is released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray and DVD. Included is Pixar's theatrical short, Lava. A short film set in the world of Inside Out, titled
Riley's First Date?, is included exclusively on the Blu-ray package.
1986:
Actress Antonia Thomas is born in London, England. She portrays Dr. Claire Brown in the ABC series The Good Doctor.
2002:
Actor Jonathan Harris passes away at age 87 in Encino, California. A popular character actor whose career included more than 500 television and movie appearances, as well as voiceovers, he was the voice of Manny in the 1998 A Bug's Life and Geri the Cleaner in the 1999 Toy Story 2. His Disney television credits include Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, Mighty Ducks, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. (Harris will be best remembered for his role of the fussy villain, Dr. Zachary Smith on the 1960s science-fiction series Lost in Space.)
1997:
Queen Rocks, a compilation album by the British rock band Queen, is released in
the U.S. on Disney's Hollywood Records. The compilation is unique to the Queen catalog, as it deliberately does not follow the standard "greatest hits" collection format and focuses on songs from Queen's heavier side. The 18 tracks include a remake of "I Can't Live With You," and such early hits as "We Will Rock You," "Tie Your Mother Down," "I Want It All." and "Fat Bottomed Girls."
2014:
Tom Magliozzi passes away in Massachusetts at age 77. He and his younger brother Ray were the co-hosts of NPR's weekly radio show Car Talk, where they were known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers". Their show was honored with a Peabody Award in 1992. Tom and Ray both lent their voices to the Pixar film Cars (2006). They played the owners of Rust-eze who discovered Lightning McQueen and gave him his first big break. Tom appeared as a 1963 Dodge Dart convertible, a reference to a car that he owned for many years and often mentioned on Car Talk. Ray appeared as a 1964 Dodge A100 van. (They will both return to the roles for Cars 3 in 2017. Tom's role will be accomplished through archival recordings.)
1964:
Marjean Holden, an actress, stuntwoman and martial artist, is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She portrayed Sally in the 2003 George of the Jungle 2.
2021:
Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming feature film Encanto premieres at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, California. An animated musical coming-of-age fantasy comedy, it tells the story of Mirabel Madrigal, a young Colombian girl, who has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers. Encanto is scheduled to be theatrically released in the U.S. on November 24, 2021.
