Laugh-O-Gram Studio
Encyclopedia
Laugh-O-Gram Studio was a film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building
at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri
.
The studio played a role in the early years of animation
: it was home to many of the pioneers of animation, brought there by Walt Disney
, and is said to be the place to have provided Disney with the inspiration to create Mickey Mouse
.
, Hugh Harman, Rudolph Ising, Carmen Maxwell
, and Friz Freleng
.
The company had problems making ends meet: by the end of 1922, Disney was living in the office, taking baths once a week at Union Station.
Thomas McCrum, a Kansas City dentist saved him from total failure when he commissioned Disney for $500 for Tommy Tucker's Tooth
, a short subject showing the merits of brushing your teeth.
After creating one last short, the live-action/animation Alice's Wonderland
, the studio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
in July 1923. Disney then moved to Hollywood, California
. Disney sold his movie camera
, earning enough money for a one-way train ticket; he brought along an unfinished reel of Alice's Wonderland.
The studio building had fallen to ruin by 2004 at the time the photo was taken and efforts were being made to restore it. The Disney family had promised $450,000 in matching funds for the restoration. By 2009, the exterior of the building had been restored, with all the buttresses removed, etc., but it was left looking like an abandoned, boarded up warehouse. An almost illegible sign adorned the exterior wall saying, "Thank you, Walt Disney, Inc."
.
In 1928 during a train trip to New York he showed the drawing to his wife Lillian Marie Bounds
and said he was going to call it "Mortimer Mouse." She replied that the name sounded "too sissified" and suggested Mickey Mouse
instead.
(1922), The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922), Puss in Boots
(1922), and Cinderella (1922). These shorts later became available on Blu-Ray Disc
as bonus features for Disney's Beauty and the Beast
. Tommy Tucker's Tooth
(1922), and Alice's Wonderland
(1923) are also available on DVD, and Alice's Wonderland eventually became a bonus feature for the 60th Anniversary Blu-Ray Edition of Alice in Wonderland
. The original piece of filming/animation known as Newman Laugh-O-Grams (originally released theatrically on March 20, 1921) is available on some DVDs too. Due to their date of publication, all 10 shorts produced by the studio have fallen in the public domain
.
The missing fairy tale cartoons were Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Killer, and Goldie Locks and the Three Bears (all 1922). On October 14, 2010, animation historian David Gerstein announced that copies of all three had been found. For many years the two Jack cartoons were believed to be one, until researcher John Kenworthy located old studio assets sheets confirming that they were separate shorts.
McConahay Building
The McConahay Building in Kansas City, Missouri is a two-story Tapestry Brick building designed by prominent Kansas City architect Nelle E. Peters in 1922....
at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
The studio played a role in the early years of animation
Animation in the United States during the silent era
Animated films in the United States date back to at least 1906 when Vitagraph released Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. Although early animations were rudimentary they rapidly became more sophisticated with such classics as Gertie the Dinosaur in 1914, Felix the Cat, and Koko the Clown.Originally a...
: it was home to many of the pioneers of animation, brought there by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, and is said to be the place to have provided Disney with the inspiration to create Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
.
History
In May 1922, Disney founded Laugh-O-Gram Films with $15,000. The company got an $11,000 contract to produce six fairy tale cartoons for Pictorial Clubs, Inc., which went bankrupt; a seventh fairy tale was sold to them separately. Among Disney's employees on the series were several pioneers of animation: Ub IwerksUb Iwerks
Ub Iwerks, A.S.C. was a two-time Academy Award winning American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, creator of Mickey Mouse, and special effects technician, who was famous for his work for Walt Disney....
, Hugh Harman, Rudolph Ising, Carmen Maxwell
Carmen Maxwell
Carman Griffin "Max" Maxwell was an American animator and voice actor.Maxwell was born in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and later moved to Kansas City, Missouri...
, and Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
.
The company had problems making ends meet: by the end of 1922, Disney was living in the office, taking baths once a week at Union Station.
Thomas McCrum, a Kansas City dentist saved him from total failure when he commissioned Disney for $500 for Tommy Tucker's Tooth
Tommy Tucker's tooth
Tommy Tucker's Tooth is an animated short film from 1922. It was produced and directed by Walt Disney at his short-lived Laugh-O-Grams studio in Kansas City. The format was black and white, and without sound....
, a short subject showing the merits of brushing your teeth.
After creating one last short, the live-action/animation Alice's Wonderland
Alice's Wonderland
Alice's Wonderland is a Walt Disney short silent film, in black and white, produced in Kansas City, Missouri. This short was the first of Walt Disney's famous Alice Comedies and had a working title of Alice in Slumberland...
, the studio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
in July 1923. Disney then moved to Hollywood, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
. Disney sold his movie camera
Movie camera
The movie camera is a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of photographs on strips of film which was very popular for private use in the last century until its successor, the video camera, replaced it...
, earning enough money for a one-way train ticket; he brought along an unfinished reel of Alice's Wonderland.
Fate of the building
Inspiration for Mickey Mouse
Disney told interviewers later that he was inspired to draw Mickey by a tame mouse at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
- They used to fight for crumbs in my waste-basket when I worked alone late at night. I lifted them out and kept them in wire cages on my desk. I grew particularly fond of one brown house mouse. He was a timid little guy. By tapping him on the nose with my pencil, I trained him to run inside a black circle I drew on my drawing board. When I left Kansas to try my luck at Hollywood, I hated to leave him behind. So I carefully carried him to a backyard, making sure it was a nice neighborhood, and the tame little fellow scampered to freedom.
In 1928 during a train trip to New York he showed the drawing to his wife Lillian Marie Bounds
Lillian Disney
Lillian Disney was the wife of Walt Disney. She was married to him from 1925 until his death in 1966.-Early years:...
and said he was going to call it "Mortimer Mouse." She replied that the name sounded "too sissified" and suggested Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
instead.
Filmography
Of the original seven Laugh-O-Grams fairy tales, four were long known to have survived, and have been restored for DVD: Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood (1922 film)
Little Red Riding Hood is a Walt Disney short cartoon, and is a rendition of the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood.-Production background:The film is part of the Laugh-O-Grams series that was released in 1922...
(1922), The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922), Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots (1922 film)
Puss in Boots was a 1922 film directed by Walt Disney. The film was based on the book by the Brothers Grimm.-External links:*...
(1922), and Cinderella (1922). These shorts later became available on Blu-Ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
as bonus features for Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
. Tommy Tucker's Tooth
Tommy Tucker's tooth
Tommy Tucker's Tooth is an animated short film from 1922. It was produced and directed by Walt Disney at his short-lived Laugh-O-Grams studio in Kansas City. The format was black and white, and without sound....
(1922), and Alice's Wonderland
Alice's Wonderland
Alice's Wonderland is a Walt Disney short silent film, in black and white, produced in Kansas City, Missouri. This short was the first of Walt Disney's famous Alice Comedies and had a working title of Alice in Slumberland...
(1923) are also available on DVD, and Alice's Wonderland eventually became a bonus feature for the 60th Anniversary Blu-Ray Edition of Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
. The original piece of filming/animation known as Newman Laugh-O-Grams (originally released theatrically on March 20, 1921) is available on some DVDs too. Due to their date of publication, all 10 shorts produced by the studio have fallen in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
The missing fairy tale cartoons were Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Killer, and Goldie Locks and the Three Bears (all 1922). On October 14, 2010, animation historian David Gerstein announced that copies of all three had been found. For many years the two Jack cartoons were believed to be one, until researcher John Kenworthy located old studio assets sheets confirming that they were separate shorts.
| Year | Film | Surviving | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Newman Laugh-O-Grams | Yes | |
| 1922 | Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood (1922 film) Little Red Riding Hood is a Walt Disney short cartoon, and is a rendition of the traditional story of Little Red Riding Hood.-Production background:The film is part of the Laugh-O-Grams series that was released in 1922... |
Yes | |
| 1922 | The Four Musicians of Bremen | Yes | |
| 1922 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Yes | |
| 1922 | Jack the Giant Killer | Yes | |
| 1922 | Goldie Locks and the Three Bears | Yes | |
| 1922 | Puss in Boots Puss in Boots (1922 film) Puss in Boots was a 1922 film directed by Walt Disney. The film was based on the book by the Brothers Grimm.-External links:*... |
Yes | |
| 1922 | Cinderella | Yes | |
| 1922 | Tommy Tucker's Tooth Tommy Tucker's tooth Tommy Tucker's Tooth is an animated short film from 1922. It was produced and directed by Walt Disney at his short-lived Laugh-O-Grams studio in Kansas City. The format was black and white, and without sound.... |
Yes | Mostly live-action |
| 1923 | Alice's Wonderland Alice's Wonderland Alice's Wonderland is a Walt Disney short silent film, in black and white, produced in Kansas City, Missouri. This short was the first of Walt Disney's famous Alice Comedies and had a working title of Alice in Slumberland... |
Yes | Pilot film in Alice Comedies Alice Comedies The "Alice Comedies" are a series of animated cartoonscreated by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live action little girl named Alice and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape.... |
External links
- thankyouwaltdisney.org Thank you Walt Disney - Restoring Laugh-O-Gram Studios