SongoftheSouth.net
 

The Song of the South Newsletter was sent out via email to subscribers from 2000-2005 for people to be kept up to date on news related to Song of the South. The first issue was sent to 14 subscribers, and there were over 800 subscribers when it was discontinued in 2005, in favor of the (also now-defunct) Yahoo! Song of the South Enthusiasts Group.

Currently, Song of the South related news is now primarily distributed through the Song of the South Facebook Group and this web site's News section, now powered by WordPress. Please note that many of the webpages referenced below are long gone; I have left the URLs in place for posterity.

Jump to Issue:
Issue 1 - August 2000

Hello, and thank you all for joining the Song of the South Mailing List! This list is 14 members strong in a little over a month of being in existence (and that's not too bad!) I must say I'm very excited to be doing this.

Here's three short pieces of news for you all:

****** 1 ******

The mailing list will only be sent out once a month (give or take a few days) for two reasons: 1) to allow me time to work on the site, and 2) to keep from "bugging" you guys with unnecessary email. I hate it just as much as anyone, so I'll keep it to a minimum to avoid abusing this priviledge.

****** 2 ******

As some of you may or may not know, I have a search page on the website that has been sitting vacant for over nine months, mainly because I didn't know how to create a search engine myself. But finally, I now have a little search engine that you can use to search my website for anything from specific pieces of memorabilia to specific words. Check it out:

http://www.probablypanthers.com/SOS/search.html

****** 3 ******

Eventually, when this website is switched over to www.songofthesouth.net, Song of the South Memorabilia will no longer be the main theme of the website; it will merely become a section of the new website. The new site will be divided up into four main sections: Information, Memorabilia, Library, and Archives. More on that as things develop. In the meantime, you can see what the memorabilia section will look like at:

http://www.probablypanthers.com/SOS/memorabilia/

***************

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for your time, and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

This month's trivia: Did you know that James Baskett (the man who played Uncle Remus in Song of the South) was the first actor to ever be hired by Disney?

Christian Willis
Song of the South Memorabilia
http://songofthesouth.cjb.net

Issue 2 - September 2000

It happened on one of those Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah days... Wow! After two months, this mailing list now boasts 35 subscribers! (that's more than doubled since last month's newsletter!) Thank you all for joining.

Here's this month's news in the realm of Song of the South:

Songofthesouth.net Online. I am pleased to announce that http://www.songofthesouth.net is actually online! I was able to find a web hosting company with very reasonable prices. If you visit the page, you will simply see a "coming soon" page of the new website. Grand opening is due November 12, 2000. (The anniversary of the movie.)

Splash Mountain News. After just recently visiting Disneyland over the Labor Day weekend, I went on Splash Mountain four times with my friends. It was then that it hit me: That ride not only makes reference to Song of the South, but is entirely based upon the Uncle Remus tales! Now, before all of you hit me on the head and say "Duh, Brer Bear!" I can honestly say it never hit me how much blatant relevance there is in that ride. Everything from the Briar Patch and Chickapin Hill to the animatronic scenes inside the ride (Brer Rabbit Runs Away, Brer Rabbit's Laughing Place, and Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby) and even the storyline written on the wall as you wait in line. It's all there. And it is with this realization of its relevance to the movie that I am creating a section dedicated entirely to the ride.

Disneyland News. Furthermore, I checked out the Briar Patch (the store that used to sell all Song of the South related items); it's now filled with nothing but Winnie the Pooh stuff!!! I was IRATE to say the least, considering they already HAVE a store in Critter Country right across the way! Lastly, I checked in with the Disney Music Company Store on Main Street. They are still selling Volume 2 of the Disney Sing-Along Songs videotape which features the song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah and contains the original film footage from the movie. This is still the only VHS portion available in the United States today. I talked with numerous employees; no more rumors to report regarding Song of the South's release.

New Site Design (3.0). Since I am by profession a graphic and web designer, you can bet I can talk my head off about site design improvements. And I will, too. Please forgive me. For those of you who don't care, skip this. But I do put my heart into this website so that everyone can enjoy it.

After much (and I do mean MUCH) thought to the design of the website, I have all but trashed version 2.0. (Version 2.0 is the site design you see implemented on the current Song of the South Memorabilia site [http://songofthesouth.cjb.net]). (Don't even ask about version 1.0). Version 3.0 is the new and improved design. It makes use of 100% of the browser area, and not just a small middle portion like 2.0 does. It incorporates a true Song of the South theme in the top of every page and I must say I am completely satisfied with the design.

--> View a teaser of the new site's design and contents at:
--> http://www.songofthesouth.net/designteaser.html
--> And send me your feedback!!!

This Month's Trivia. Almost everyone knows that Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah won an Academy Award for best song of 1946. Did you know James Baskett (who portrayed Uncle Remus) also won an honorary Academy Award for his role?

*****************

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for your time, and I hope you all have a wonderful month!

Sincerely,

Christian Willis
Song of the South Memorabilia
http://songofthesouth.cjb.net

Issue 3 - January 2001

Brought to you by SongoftheSouth.net...
Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

In This Issue:
1. Newsletter Now Bi-Monthly
2. SongoftheSouth.net Updated!
3. Nick Stewart Passes Away
4. Song of the South Memorabilia Store Now Online
5. Song of the South FOR SALE

Newsletter Now Bi-Monthly
As much as I hate to admit it, folks, I just can't come up with enough stuff to put in a monthly newsletter. So I have changed this newsletter to bi-monthly, meaning you will only receive this newsletter every other month. I'm sure you won't find that too awful, since it's just one less email you have to worry about! I can guarantee you, though, every newsletter will be worth your time to read.

SongoftheSouth.net Updated!
More links have been added.
Now more sites related to Song of the South available for your browsing pleasure!
http://www.songofthesouth.net/links/index.html
Memorabilia section has been updated.
More cool memorabilia items have been posted. Take a look!
http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/index.html

Nick Stewart Passes Away
Well known as the voice of Brer Bear and surviving cast member of the Amos 'N' Andy radio program, Nick Stewart passed away at age 90 on December 18, 2000. Nick Stewart was the founder of the Ebony Showcase Theater, founded in 1950 in Los Angeles, CA. He will be missed.
See http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/stewart.html for more information.

Song of the South Memorabilia Store Now Online
After quite a while of putting it off and getting a few items collected for the store, it's now officially open. Thanks to PayPal.com, you can instantly purchase the items online. PayPal is secure and simple and I've trusted them for over a year. If you've ever wanted to have some memorabilia of your own, here you go:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/store/index.html

Song of the South For Sale
Yes, that's right! If you don't own a copy, now is your chance! For £44.99, you'll receive both a sealed copy of the official PAL version video tape PLUS a FREE NTSC conversion copy that will play in U.S. VCR's! This is an incredible deal and you won't find a better one on the internet. Order your copies today at:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/faq/video.html

Well folks, that about does it for this newsletter. Thank you all for supporting SongoftheSouth.net and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster
http://www.songofthesouth.net

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 4 - October 2001

In This Issue:
- Introduction
- An Interview with Alice Davis
- Memorabilia at 200 and Counting
- New Ways to Get the Word Out
- SongoftheSouth.info Purchased

Introduction
First of all, I'd like to thank all 189 of our faithful subscribers! It's been so long since the last newsletter, and a lot has happened that is worthy of note, including more documented memorabilia, new ways to get the word out on Song of the South, an interview with renowned Disney costume designer Alice Davis, and more. I hope you enjoy this issue!

An Interview with Alice Davis
This Saturday, I was honored to meet and interview Alice Davis, wife of the late legendary Disney animator Marc Davis. Alice is very well-known in the world of Disney herself, having created costumes for such Disneyland attractions as Pirates of the Carribean, It's A Small World, Carousel of Progress, and Flight to the Moon. Her Disney film work includes costumes for Sleeping Beauty and Toby Tyler. For the complete interview, visit:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/davis.html

Memorabilia at 200 and Counting
As more and more memorabilia items surface, I'm spending more time cataloging and posting them. The count is now well over 200 confirmed items, and that's a conservative number of simply the items I own; there are many more items that have yet to be confirmed. Check out the latest collection of memorabilia at:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/index.html

New Ways to Get the Word Out
Thanks to the research of fellow Song of the South enthusiasts, more ways have surfaced to help Song of the South get the recognition it deserves! Some new methods include contacting Disney's Movie Finder and even suggesting that the film be added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Perhaps the most important way, though, is word of mouth and contacting any local news groups or journalists who might be interested in taking up the story. For more information on new methods to get the word out, check out:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/faq/index.html#4

SongoftheSouth.info Purchased
Since the new .info domains have become available and SongoftheSouth.net is full of information on Walt Disney's Song of the South, I thought it would be no less appropriate to own SongoftheSouth.info as a secondary domain name. Although SongoftheSouth.net will still remain the official address and name of the site, now both addresses will point to the same site.

Well, that's about all for now! Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and I'll see you all again in 2002.

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 5 - February 2002

In This Issue:
- Introduction
- Song of the South Nearing Release?
- Vote for Song of the South on Disney.com
- Do Your Part to Show Disney You Care
- Alabama's Mobile Register Posts Song of the South Article
- SongoftheSouth.net Updates

Introduction

Wow! A lot has happened since the last issue (October 2001). I'm pleased to say that our subscriber list has jumped from 189 to 344 in just four short months! I'd like to take this moment and thank each and every one of you for your interest and support.

Song of the South Nearing Release?

A lot of very interesting facts have been adding up lately that
gives us a hint that Disney might not be too far away from finally releasing Song of the South to the United States! Here is a summary of recent discoveries and observations:

1. Disney has stopped selling Song of the South in Great Britain as of December 2001. Could Disney have finally admitted that their biggest interest is in the U.S.?

2. Disney.com's Movie Finder has a page for Song of the South on VHS, but states that it is currently not available. However, it shows that Song of the South has been assigned UPC and ISBN numbers.

3. Amazon.com has a DVD page for Song of the South. In the Technical Information for the film, Amazon.com claims "Coming Soon--Preorder Today"! Can Amazon.com claim such a thing if it weren't true?

All these details have added up to very interesting possibilities! For more detailed information, visit the News section at:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/index.html

Vote for Song of the South on Disney.com

Several readers have also noted that you can vote for Song of the South on Disney.com!
You can vote for Song of the South as Favorite Animated Movie, Favorite Musical, Favorite Movie of the 1930's/1940's, and you can vote for Brer Rabbit as Favorite Classic Animated Character. Here are the links:
http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/moviefinder/html/100years/voting_results/animated.html
http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/moviefinder/html/100years/voting_results/musicals.html
http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/moviefinder/html/100years/voting_results/30s_40s.html
http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/moviefinder/html/100years/voting/animatedclassic.html

Song of the South currently ranks #1 in most of these categories! Make sure it stays at the top, and maybe Disney will pay attention!

Do Your Part to Show Disney You Care

There are several steps you can take, including a couple new ones. If you haven't already done so, make sure you've added your name to the Song of the South Petition, sent an email to Disney's Movie Finder, and nominated Song of the South to be added to the National Film Registry. For more information on how to do these things, visit:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/faq/index.html#5

Alabama's Mobile Register Posts Song of the South Article

Mike Brantley of Alabama's Mobile Register posted an excellent article urging Disney to release Song of the South on DVD. In the article he mentioned several sources, including SongoftheSouth.net and even quoted me in his article. It was quite an honor! To read the article, visit:
http://www.al.com/tv/mobileregister/mbrantley.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/
html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/10103121341498261.xml

SongoftheSouth.net Updates

A lot of new stuff has been added to the web site, including a new search engine, new Splash Mountain sections, about 50 more memorabilia items, and a new store where you can purchase memorabilia, t-shirts, Joel Chandler Harris books, and more. The profit from these items go directly towards helping me to pay for the web site's monthly hosting fee. Thanks for your support!
http://www.songofthesouth.net/store/index.html

Did you know? You can always view the site updates here:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/updates.html


Well, that about does it for this newsletter. Hope you all have a great next few months!

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 6 - July 2002

In This Issue:
- Introduction
- Song of the South Continues To Make The News
- Memorabilia Section Revamped, Collectibles Added
- Song of the South Petition Hits 10,000 (And Beyond)

Introduction

Greetings, fellow Song of the South Enthusiasts! I hope all of you are enjoying your summer. Since the last issue in February, subscriptions to this newsletter has almost doubled, rising to 626! Also, site traffic is up. About a year ago, SongoftheSouth.net averaged around 120 hits per day. Today, it has risen to an average of 215 unique visitors per day! This is great news, as it proves that the word is indeed getting spread. Which brings us to our next item of interest...

Song of the South Continues To Make The News

Between February and July, Song of the South (and, consequently, SongoftheSouth.net) has been mentioned several times in print, radio, and online! A few of these include:

February, 2002 - Song of the South Article in CinemaEditor Magazine
February 20, 2002 - Radio Interview with Geoff Metcalf
March 8, 2002 - Song of the South Discussed on Mike Gallagher Show
July 15, 2002 - Epinions.com Author Posts Song of the South Article

For more information on some of these events, visit:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/index.html

Memorabilia Section Revamped, Collectibles Added

As some of you may know, when I started my web site back in 1998 as "Brer Fox's Chickapin Hill" my only goal was to show the online community a collection of memorabilia. From there it snowballed into what Song of the South.net is today. As of recently, more and more collectibles have been produced by Disney celebrating Song of the South. Since these items technically aren't memorabilia, but I wish to include them into the web site, I have expanded the Memorabilia section to include Collectibles as well! This includes Splash Mountain merchandise. I have also added several new items. You can visit the revamped section here:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/index.html

Song of the South Petition Hits 10,000 (And Beyond)

In supplement to SongoftheSouth.net's increased daily site traffic, another site which has seen increased activity is UncleRemusPages.com, hosted by my friend James, who pioneered internet support for this neglected Disney Classic with the Song of the South Petition. His site has been mentioned hand-in-hand with mine in most of the news articles mentioning Song of the South's large online fan community, and as a result the petition has seen a major growth of supporters, just recently topping 10,000! Remember to tell your friends and family to add their names!

http://www.uncleremuspages.com/dpp.html

Also, in support of this film, I encourage you all to re-vote for Song of the South over at Disney.com! Song of the South has slipped in several of its positions, and of course we want to make sure it stays at #1! Please see the first question of the FAQ section for links to each of the voting places:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/faq/index.html#1

Well folks, I think that about does it for this issue. Once again, my sincere thanks goes out to all of you for your continued interest and support in Song of the South!

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 7 - November 2002

In This Issue:
- Song of the South Gift Ideas
- Song of the South Enthusiasts Yahoo Group
- New Disney Brer Pins
- Other Quick Items of Interest

Song of the South Gift Ideas

Greetings from SongoftheSouth.net! As we near the holiday season, I've compiled a few Song of the South-related items you may find to make good gift ideas for your loved ones, family or friends. Books, memorabilia, music, videos, t-shirts, and more. Just check out:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/store/index.html

Song of the South Enthusiasts Yahoo Group

I founded this group in February 2001, but I haven't really publicized it that much until now. The Song of the South Yahoo Group is a group I created for Song of the South Enthusiasts as a moderated place of discussion for Song of the South, Uncle Remus, the Brers, and Splash Mountain. Periodically I'll create polls for members to participate in, and generally interact with an online community of other fans. I encourage you all to visit and join in!:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/songofthesouth/

New Disney Brer Pins

In the past few months, Disney has released three new pins depicting the Brer characters. The first two are part of a series of pins depicting all 50 states. Brer Rabbit represents Louisiana, and Brer Bear appropriately represents Georgia. Both pins were released on August 4 at the Disneyland Resort and on September 24 at Walt Disney World Resort, and retailed for $8.50. The third pin was released on November 2, and depicts Brer Rabbit sitting atop the Critter Country logo. It retails for $6.50. For more information on these pins, see:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/collectibles/pins/

Other Quick Items of Interest

Song of the South celebrated its 56th anniversary on November 12, 2002. Also on November 12 two years ago, SongoftheSouth.net made its debut, providing the internet with information that was not previously available to the general public. The Song of the South Petition has nearly DOUBLED since our last newsletter in July, now touting over 18,500 names. SongoftheSouth.net was featured as LaughingPlace.com's Site of the Week for September 30 through October 6. As always, you can read up on the most recent Song of the South news at:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/index.html

Thanks once again to all of you for your support and interest! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, and we'll see you all again in 2003!

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 8 - March 2003

In This Issue:
- Who Framed Brer Rabbit?
- More New Disney Song of the South Pins
- New Song of the South T-Shirts and More
- Web Site Changes
- Other Brief News Items


Who Framed Brer Rabbit?

Chris Haire, editor of MetroBEAT magazine, wrote an excellent article on February 19th that discusses "the truth about Disney's classic & controversial Song of the South." Indeed, Chris pulled out all the stops for this article, interviewing several individuals including myself and James McKimson of UncleRemusPages.com. This article is the most impressive effort I have seen to date that gives voice to the supporters of this movie's release, and I highly recommend reading it:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/archives/metrobeat.html


More New Disney Song of the South Pins

As some of you may remember in the last newsletter, I reported on three new Disney pins depicting the Brer characters. Well, since then, another three new pins (actually, SIX if you count all the variants!) depicting the Brer characters have been released since December:

1) The Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Magical Musical Moments pin depicts all three Brers and actually plays the song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"! It retailed for $8.50, was available exclusively at Disney Stores, and was available in four different colors:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/collectibles/pins/zip02.html

2) A new Splash Mountain pin was released exclusively at Walt Disney World as part of the "Four Parks, One World" pin series, priced at $6.50:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/splashmtn/pins/index.html#2003

3) An elegant framed pin depicting all three Brers was available exclusively at Mickey's Parti Gras held at Disney's Animal Kingdom on February 1st. It was limited to an edition of 50 and retailed for $125.00:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/collectibles/pins/partigras03.html


New Song of the South T-Shirts and More

Two new Song of the South t-shirts have been added to the store. The first design declares "Brer Rabbit misses Song of the South and so do I." The second design states that "Brer Bear misses Song of the South. Join the club!" Also, under the memorabilia section of the store, I've included links to Amazon.com for several out-of-print Disney titles, including the highly popular Uncle Remus Stories Giant Golden Book, The Uncle Remus Little Golden Book, Disney's Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, and more. See it all here:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/store/index.html


Web Site Changes

I've added a new Community section to the web site, aimed at providing the public with links to voice their opinions on this movie, vote for it on various web sites, and discuss this movie with other fans. I encourage everyone to visit it if you haven't already!

http://www.songofthesouth.net/community/index.html

Also, I have given the Song of the South Newsletter its own subsection under the News section. This new section is a centralized area for this newsletter where you can manage your subscription, view how many are currently subscribed, and read the current and all archived issues:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/newsletter/index.html


Other Brief News Items

I'll wrap up this issue with a few quick items. First, the Song of the South Petition is up to over 29,000 supporters! SongoftheSouth.net's hit counter recently rolled over to 200,000, doubling in just under a year. James' UncleRemusPages.com is currently celebrating 6 years of web presence. Also, a Los Angeles Times article on Song of the South is currently in the works. Stay tuned! Keep updated on Song of the South related news at:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/index.html

Thanks to you all for your continued support. Take care.

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 9 - July 2003

In This Issue:
- Song of the South Fan Art
- Articles and References Abound
- SongoftheSouth.net Complies With MPAA
- Studio Chapter NFFC Event Report
- New T-Shirt Types and Sizes Introduced


Song of the South Fan Art

Hope you all are having a great summer! First off, I'm pleased to announce that in just four short days, the new Song of the South Fan Art section has already received several fan art pictures from three teenage fans: John McKenna, Zach Moreno, and Cody Henry. It's encouraging to see a younger generation who still knows what Song of the South is. It is my hope that this new section will open it up to even more people who want to share their love for this film through art. People of all ages are encouraged to participate! Check it out:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/community/fanart/index.html


Articles and References Abound

Either I've gotten more sensitive to Song of the South references, or they're on the rise. In April, we saw a Jeopardy question whose answer was "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! Uncle Remus tells his tales in this 1946 classic." Then, just recently, in the new Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo, I noticed one of the boats was named the "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!" Also, in the past few months, we've seen a couple of great Song of the South articles published in the L.A. Times and Scotland's The Herald. The articles have been archived, in case you wish to read them:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/archives/index.html


SongoftheSouth.net Complies With MPAA

Well, the Motion Picture Association of America contacted me again, and they still believed I was involved with "unauthorized distribution of copyrighted motion pictures," even though I was only linking to another web site whom I knew offered the service. I almost lost hosting for my web site, but thankfully, after talking with both my web host and the MPAA, the issue was resolved by me removing my Video page:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/video/index.html


Studio Chapter NFFC Event Report

As some of you may have read back in May, the Studio Chapter NFFC held a special event celebrating and discussing Song of the South. It was great fun! James McKimson of UncleRemusPages.com and I both spoke to the group about the film, and all who attended were able to view a private screening of the movie itself. I also brought along a few of my memorabilia items for a show-and-tell, and another collector brought along a series of original Brer Rabbit drawings from the film. Pictures from the event are available on the Studio Chapter NFFC's web site:

http://www.geocities.com/studiochapter/m/200304.html


New T-Shirt Types and Sizes Introduced

In an effort to branch out beyond the basic T-Shirt I offer in my online Song of the South Store, I have introduced several new products, including an Ash Grey T-Shirt, Long-Sleeve T-Shirt, Women's T-Shirt, Jr. Baby Doll T-Shirt, Sweatshirt, Mouse Pad, and Tote Bag. The "Brer Rabbit Misses Song of the South and So Do I" design has proven to be the most popular so far. To see the new products, visit:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/store/index.html


Once again, thanks to all of you for your continued support, and I hope you all continue to have a happy and safe summer!

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic
Issue 10 - November 2003

In This Issue:
- Song of the South Turns 57
- Disney.com Search Engine Features Bootlegs
- New Splash Mountain Musical Snowglobe Released
- Fake Memorabilia Alert: "De Tar Baby" Alarm Clock
- More Song of the South News


Song of the South Turns 57

November 12th marked the 57th birthday for Song of the South and the 3rd birthday for SongoftheSouth.net! James over at UncleRemusPages.com also updated his Song of the South Petition, which is now over 45,000 supporters strong! Song of the South made its worldwide debut on November 12, 1946 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.


Disney.com Search Engine Features Bootlegs

Well folks, the most ironic thing ever was discovered by one of our readers a couple of months back: Disney.com's very own search engine features links to web sites selling illegal copies of Song of the South! And this is after the MPAA threatened to take down my web site for linking to a reputable supplier! Maybe they should threaten to take down themselves? As it turns out, Disney.com's search engine uses Google.com's Featured Links, which has long been a popular choice for promoting web sites that sell illegal copies of Song of the South.


New Splash Mountain Musical Snowglobe Released

August saw the release of a new Splash Mountain collectible at Disney theme parks: The Splash Mountain Musical Snowglobe, featuring Brer Rabbit atop Splash Mountain. When a button on the bottom of the snowglobe is pressed, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" is played. The item retails for $12.00. Just as an interesting bit of trivia, the only other time a Brer character has had his own snowglobe was back in 1961, in a Marx snowglobe entitled "Brer Fox".

http://songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/splashmtn/general/splashglobe.html


Fake Memorabilia Alert: "De Tar Baby" Alarm Clock

Like all hobbies, collecting Song of the South memorabilia includes some risk sometimes, and I was one of the ones who fell for this: The Tar Baby Alarm Clock. It's a traditional alarm clock with Disney's Tar Baby on the clock face. I assumed it was legitimate until I saw more and more clock models with the same clock face that were clearly not from the 40's. As it turns out, my clock model was produced c.1971, long after I believe Disney would have produced such a clock face. Alarm clock collectors have confirmed this is a fake, so you should all beware. For more information, see:

http://songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/miscellany/general/tarbabyclock.html


More Song of the South News

Song of the South is still showing up periodically in news and editorial columns. In July, we saw the release of the Chicago Tribune article "'South Still Silent'" and in September, Russell Davies of BBC Radio 2 interviewed Disney Archivist Robert Tieman on Song of the South, and author Phil Hall of Film Threat chose Song of the South to be the topic of discussion for his new "Bootleg Files" column. As always, you can read more about these articles in the news section:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/


Well, that about does it for this issue. As the holidays near, remember to check out the Song of the South Store for that Song of the South fan in your family! http://www.songofthesouth.net/store/

I wish you all the best for the upcoming holiday season and New Year.
See you again in 2004!

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 11 - June 2004

In This Issue:
- Roy Disney Supports Song of the South's Release
- South Carolina Man Arraigned for Pirating SOTS
- Song of the South's Three "Missing" Minutes Explained
- Glenn Leedy (Toby) and Peggy DeCastro (Vocals) Pass Away
- Song of the South Rumor Roundup
- Honoring SongoftheSouth.net Donators


Roy Disney Supports Song of the South's Release

After hearing that Roy Disney and Stanley Gold resigned from Disney and called for Michael Eisner to do the same, I contacted Roy Disney to give him my support and ask him if he could shed any light on Song of the South's status. He replied to me, confirming that Eisner is completely against the release of Song of the South. Roy then went on to say that he personally supports Song of the South's release, and that if he were to return to the company, releasing the film would be one of his first acts! Needless to say, he has my "vote"!

Since then, Roy Disney and Stanley Gold's website, SaveDisney.com, has grown by leaps and bounds and I have pledged by strong support for their efforts, including a link to their website prominently on SongoftheSouth.net's home page. SaveDisney.com was kind enough to also include a link to SongoftheSouth.net in their links section as well. SaveDisney.com also recently featured articles on Song of the South and hosted a poll asking how people felt about Song of the South. Of the 1,367 votes, 90.1% of the voters would by or rent Song of the South on video, and an overwhelming 96.2% believed that this movie should be released by Disney, whether they would buy/rent it or not.

I encourage all of you to visit www.savedisney.com to see how you can help Roy Disney and Stanley Gold in their efforts!


South Carolina Man Arraigned for Pirating Song of the South

In April, it was reported that Richard Montague Powell, 66, was arraigned in a federal court in Charleston on charges that he made up to $250,000 by pirating copies of Song of the South. If convicted of violating federal copyright laws, Powell faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A search of Powell's residence turned up hundreds of unauthorized copies of the motion picture on DVD and VHS, according to U.S. Attorney Strom Thurmond Jr. Numerous firearms also were seized. Powell may have netted a small fortune, as much as $250,000, from sales of the movie over a three-year period, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. This is the first such instance I know of in which a Song of the South bootlegger had been arraigned for pirating the movie.


Song of the South's Three "Missing" Minutes Explained

Over the years, several people have contacted me asking me why the British VHS PAL video of Song of the South was only 91 minutes, when Song of the South's theatrical release was over 94 minutes. An article was even published by someone saying that there were missing and cut scenes from the British VHS PAL version. So finally, I decided to do some research on my own to find out if there was any truth behind it. I timed the PAL version, and sure enough, it clocked in at 91 minutes. But then I compared the scenes that were allegedly "missing" and found them to be all present and accounted for. I was able to determine that the PAL version was three minutes shorter not because of missing footage, but because it was running faster! This was confirmed by several people, who said that this is a common occurrence in almost all PAL tapes, known as "PAL speedup". So everyone can rest at ease... the PAL version of Song of the South is not missing any scenes!


Glenn Leedy (Toby) and Peggy DeCastro (Vocals) Pass Away

Sadly, we recently lost two individuals who were involved in Song of the South: Glenn Leedy, who played Toby, Johnny's black friend, passed away at the age of 68; and Peggy DeCastro, one of the DeCastro sisters who sung and performed various animal vocal roles in the animated sequences. Glenn Leedy was one of the only ones known to still be alive. Now, it appears that the only surviving actor in Song of the South is Ruth Warrick. Glenn Leedy's alleged granddaughter contacted me about two years ago, and I had asked her to pass on several interview questions to her grandfather, which she appeared happy to do, but I never heard from her again, despite several attempts to contact her over the years.


Song of the South Rumor Roundup

Lastly, it's that time again for more Song of the South rumor and speculation! I've received three interesting rumors lately:

Rumor #1: Wayne Brady Possibly Involved in a Song of the South Sequel. Three separate individuals contacted me and said that Wayne Brady mentioned on his show that he was providing one of the voices for the Brers in a Song of the South sequel. The unusual part about this is that he mentioned very specific details, such as how he liked his character always saying "please", and if he could "please bite someone".

Rumor #2: Song of the South has not been released because "the family of the composer of the musical score will not release the score." This was allegedly told to people who were taken on a 2003 Walt Disney World behind-the-scenes tour by the tour guide.

Rumor #3: According to one reader, Song of the South "may be re-released in Summer 2005 in theaters around the globe, the first time in america in 19 years. Also rumored is following the re-release, the film would be released on DVD for the first time ever that Winter, via the Walt Disney Platinum DVD series."


Honoring SongoftheSouth.net Donators

And lastly, but certainly not least, I'd like to personally thank Diana Kitch and Mike McKiernan for their generous donations to SongoftheSouth.net! These are the first two individuals to donate.

If you'd like to donate any amount (even $1!) to SongoftheSouth.net, please see my FAQ at http://songofthesouth.net/faq/index.html#15 . I will always honor those who have contributed in the following newsletter, which currently has over 700 subscribers.

Well, this issue has had some of interesting news, and I hope you've all enjoyed it! Be sure to check out SongoftheSouth.net from time to time to keep updated on the latest. Take care, and hope you all have a great summer!

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic

Issue 12 - January 2005

In This Issue:
- Introduction
- Song of the South Fan Art Contest Results
- More Hope for a DVD Release?
- Guess! What's Amazon's 2nd Most Requested DVD?
- Splash Mountain's 15th Anniversary
- Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Makes AFI's Top 100 Songs
- Honoring SongoftheSouth.net Donators

Introduction

Happy New Year to everyone! I apologize it's been so long since the last issue; one of my New Year's Resolutions is to stay on top of updates more, which I will admit has been slipping as of late. To help get me back into the swing of things, I recently hosted my first Song of the South Fan Art Contest, which turned out to be a great success! Read the next article below for more details.


Song of the South Fan Art Contest Results

In honor of Song of the South's 58th birthday on November 12, 2004, I hosted a Song of the South Fan Art Contest, in which I encouraged fans of all ages to send in drawings of one or more of the Brer characters. I encouraged them to draw the Brers in new and creative scenes. There ended up being 11 submissions from 6 participants: Heather Little, age 17; Robert Bergman, Age 9; Kat Garcia, Age 23; Kyle Binette, Age 12; Evan Garrett, Age 20; and Patric Gaudino, Age 12. While I was impressed by all of the submissions, I felt the most original and creative submissions was Heather Little's "Bring Back the Briar Patch." The scene depicts Brer Bear, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit on the side of the road, holding up signs in support of Song of the South's release, with a car honking in support as it drives by.

Originally, I was only going to give the winner a t-shirt of their choice and a $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com, but afterwards I was so impressed with the participation that I decided to give everyone who participated a $10 gift certificate and raise the winner's prize to $20. Visitors to SongoftheSouth.net were especially generous this holiday season, and so I wanted to give some of that back to the fans. Thanks to everyone who participated! Be sure to check out all of the artwork here:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/fanartcontest04.html


More Hope for a DVD Release?

A recent thread over at the Home Theater Forum has brought out some very interesting news. Dick Cook, Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, spoke at the Summer 2004 Annual Convention of the NFFC. The September/October 2004 issue of the FantasyLine Express (the club's newsletter) reported part of his talk: "After the formal part of his presentation, Cook took questions from Conventioneers. Among the issues on Conventioneers' minds: Will Song of the South ever be released on DVD?

"Yes. Cook said that the public has requested a DVD release of Song of the South more than it has requested any other film. That said, Disney also is aware that some elements of the film reflect the time in which it was made and don't reflect current attitudes. He said that the Studio has encountered similar issues with other older material. In some cases, such as some of the World War II material in the Walt Disney Treasures DVD series, they've addressed the issue through introductions that place the material in context. He said that Disney hasn't yet found the ideal solution for Song of the South, but he was confident that they would."

Coming from the Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, this sounds very hopeful. We now have confirmation that the studio recognizes it is the single most requested movie and that the studio is exploring ways that it can appropriately present this film to today's audience. We just hope they leave the original film unaltered.


Guess! What's Amazon's 2nd Most Requested DVD?

Well, it's gotta be Song of the South, or else it wouldn't be in this newsletter. :) That's right, Song of the South is the 2nd most requested DVD on Amazon.com that hasn't been released yet. Over the past year we watched it drop from 5th place overall to 2nd place. Currently it is only surpassed by "Twin Peaks - The Second Season", a TV show, which is guaranteed to be released. Be sure to go to Amazon's Song of the South DVD page and enter your email address so that you can let Amazon (and ultimately Disney) know how many people want this movie!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003CX5G/songofthesout-20


Splash Mountain's 15th Anniversary

In July we celebrated Splash Mountain's 15th Anniversary. Splash Mountain first opened in Disneyland on July 17, 1989. In commemoration, Disneyland Resort released several limited edition items, including three Splash Mountain 15th Anniversary pins and a watch, all of which depict the Brer characters. These items and others can be seen in the updated Splash Mountain Collectibles section:

http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/splashmtn/index.html


Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Makes AFI's Top 100 Songs

In June, the American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the top movie songs of all time in "100 Years... 100 Songs", a three-hour television special aired on CBS on June 22. 400 candidates were nominated, and jurors narrowed the list down to 100 songs. Song of the South's Academy Award-winning song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" made the charts at a strong #47. The fact that "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" made not only the top 100 movie songs of all time, but the top 50, speaks volumes! Disney has long exploited this song because of its enduring popularity.


Honoring SongoftheSouth.net Donators

And now I would like to personally thank Scott Jensen and Mickey Powner for the generous donations to SongoftheSouth.net! I greatly appreciate it! If you'd like to donate any amount (even $1!) to SongoftheSouth.net, please see my FAQ at http://songofthesouth.net/faq/index.html#15 . I will always honor those who have contributed in the following newsletter, which now has over 800 subscribers. The donations go towards my web site's hosting cost and memorabilia research.


I hope all of you have a wonderful 2005! Until the next issue...

Sincerely,
Christian Willis
SongoftheSouth.net Webmaster

Dedicated to Celebrating and Preserving This Walt Disney Classic