Category Archives: Song of the South

News related to Walt Disney’s Song of the South.

New Song of the South YouTube Channel

I have created a new YouTube Channel for Song of the South! No, I won’t be posting the movie (other people have that covered already) — my focus will primarily be posting rare audio recordings and other material that wouldn’t otherwise be available to the public.

My first video features the rare 1946 Radio Transcription Record (South 3), featuring a 15-minute radio show with Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers, Walt Disney, James Baskett (Uncle Remus & Brer Fox), Luana Patten (Ginny), Bobby Driscoll (Johnny), Nick Stewart (Brer Bear), Johnny Lee (Brer Rabbit), and Clarence Nash (Donald Duck):

I’ve had this record in my memorabilia collection for years, but up until now I had never been able to play it. 16″ transcription records were made primarily for radio stations. They’re much bigger than standard 12″ LPs and therefore won’t fit on most standard record players. They’re also fairly rare, because they were often destroyed after use!

Until now, this recording was nowhere to be found on the Internet. So of course it was my duty to fix that! I either needed to locate someone with a transcription turntable, or purchase one for myself. I decided to go the purchase route, and I’m glad I did. The plinth (wood base) is custom built, and the turntable is a vintage 1950’s era Rek-O-Kut model CVS-12 (variable speed 25-100 RPM). The tone arm is model S-120 and the cartridge is a GE VRII with dual heads so I can play both transcription and 78rpm records. Special thanks to Oleg for building it!

This is only the beginning. Look for more rare audio recordings in the future!

Disney Ignored Song of the South Shareholder Proposal

As Disney shareholders may be aware, asking about Song of the South’s release became somewhat of a tradition at the Disney shareholder meetings starting in 2006. Back in 2011, shareholder Matthew Hansen asked Disney CEO Robert Iger about releasing Song of the South. In short, Iger responded, “[J]ust remember it as it was, and don’t expect to see it again for… at least for awhile, if ever.” Full transcript and audio can be found here.

Undeterred, Hansen began to work on a shareholder proposal. In September of 2015, on vintage Song of the South letterhead, he wrote to Disney:

I respectfully submit the enclosed shareholder proposal for inclusion in the 2016 proxy statement pursuant to the 2015 proxy statement of The Walt Disney Company and in accordance with Rule 14a-8 ofthe Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. I intend to present the proposal at the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Disney received the proposal and responded to him, saying that the Disney Board of Directors would review it. A few weeks later, Disney’s legal team WilmerHale responded in a 6-page letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Basically, they asked them to allow Disney to ignore the proposal, “pursuant to Rule 14a-8(i)(7), on the basis that the Shareholder Proposal involves matters that relate to the ordinary business operations of the Company.” Here is an excerpt from Disney’s response:

In addition to interfering with management’s day-to-day operations, the Shareholder Proposal also seeks to “micro-manage” the Company. Specifically, the Shareholder Proposal instructs the Company to release one particular film (Song of the South) from among its approximately 2,900 titles, through a specific medium (Blu-ray) and within a specific timeframe (in connection with its 70th anniversary). Determinations about what, how and when to release a particular title are inherently complex, and shareholders as a group are not in a position to make informed decisions on such matters.

How’s that for arrogance? The SEC concurred, saying that they would “not recommend enforcement action to the Commission if Disney omits the proposal from its proxy materials”, effectively greenlighting Disney to ignore Hansen’s proposal.

The full document containing all correspondence between the parties is available for viewing on the SEC web site: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/14a-8/2015/matthewhansen112315-14a8.pdf

Matthew Hansen kindly provided me with the following backstory, which I will include here in its entirety:

It has been an interesting journey that began when I asked Bob Iger at the 2011 Annual Meeting that took place in SLC, if they would release the film. His stern response (that can be heard in shareholder archives, or I have a copy of it downloaded) prompted me to want to attempt a shareholder proposal that would line up with the 70th anniversary – since we all know Disney obsesses over anniversaries with their home video catalog releases. (But apparently me specifying the 70th they claimed as “micro-managing” the company. Go figure.).

Since I had to hold a certain amount of shares for a year it required some waiting before I could move forward with anything. But once I did it has been interesting. Everyone I showed my proposal to loved it. I even received support from someone I felt was very important to my cause – animator Floyd Norman! I even met him twice this summer. To sum up what I gathered from talking with him – Bob Iger for some reason hates the film, and I fear while he is CEO it won’t see the light of day. I have a UK VHS of the film and watched a converted digital copy of it recently during a flight to CA and I can’t figure out why he would feel that way about it.

Anyways, one of their many reasons in their SIX pages to the SEC is that the film has not been a matter of widespread debate and as they claim only been brought up at a few meetings and requested by a few ardent fans – which I don’t believe. The fact that the then-chairman of the board John Pepper chuckled and said “We almost made it through the meeting” [without someone mentioning Song of the South] when I asked my question in 2011 because it was an almost annual question, which was then followed by the Rose Wagner theater packed full of shareholders cheering and applauding my question – makes it hard for me to believe them when they claim it has been only a “few” meetings and ardent fans requesting it.

Which is why I am hoping that we can maybe get some more discussion about the film to show them it isn’t just a small group of ardent fans that want this film. One friend I showed this to told me it is pretty sad that in a day when a film such as 12 Years a Slave can win Best Picture, they are still withholding Song of the South from being released – yet feel free to use just about everything from it to market their parks. One such instance, aside from the obvious ride, was an ad we received in the mail showing days kids had off from school in the fall as times we could plan to come to Disneyland and it called them “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Days” and had Mr Blue Bird to help advertise.

It seems that Disney is content with ignoring its shareholders and fans who wish to legally own this movie for themselves. But they certainly have no qualms about continuing to exploit and profit off of the film’s legacy via Splash Mountain and the Academy Award winning song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. It’s a sad reality, but one that needs to be shared with the public. A sincere thank you to Matthew Hansen for his efforts, and perhaps someday Disney will stop snubbing some of the very people that help keep them profitable.

Song of the South Turns 70 – And Other News

November 12th marked the 70th anniversary of Song of the South. The movie premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. I’m unaware of any related collectibles being released for the anniversary, so if you come across anything please let me know.

One reader also pointed out that the Song of the South Petition had been closed at Change.org. This is normal (they close petitions after a certain amount of time.) I have since reopened it so additional signatures can be added. We’re up over 2,000 signatures now; please spread the word.

I missed this back in July when it was published, but I’d like to feature this now: an excellent article over at MoviePilot.com written by Kyle Blanchette on why “Song of the South” Should Be Released Now. If you haven’t read it already, I would highly recommend doing so!

You probably noticed that the site isn’t getting updated as often as it used to. It’s hard to believe that I created this site over 15 years ago! Sadly I don’t have as much time as I used to as a young twenty-something, so my attention has shifted to other aspects of my life. That’s not to say I’m not listening though! Please always feel free to contact me with any Song of the South news or release rumors you might have.

That being said, there’s a couple of potentially interesting news items in the works, so please check back in the coming months! I promise I’ll update the site as soon as I have more info.

Today is Song of the South’s 69th Anniversary

Song of the South premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia on November 12, 1946. The last time the movie was released in theaters was for the 40th anniversary in 1986. Since then, Disney has locked the film away and refuses to release it in the U.S. Will they finally release the film for its 70th anniversary? I’ll be honest, I’m not holding my breath. Both 50th and 60th anniversaries came and went with nothing more than a few collectibles. To this day, Disney continues to profit off the movie without ever releasing it in the U.S.

For everyone out there tired of waiting for Disney to just release Song of the South on DVD and be done with it, there are plenty of web sites out there selling [unofficial] copies of the movie. Pick one up for yourself or a loved one this Christmas. Hey, if Disney wants to lose money to bootleggers, more power to the bootleggers! But, if you’re still holding out for an official Disney release, there are several ways you can let Disney know you want it:

Sign the new petition over at Change.org. Since last year, we’ve gotten nearly 1,300 signatures. Our old petitions have unfortunately been lost to time–PetitionOnline.com had over 30,000 signatures before shutting down last year, and the original petition over at UncleRemusPages.com is no longer being maintained; it had reached over 100,000 signatures.
Like Song of the South on Facebook and share this site with friends and family. Educate them about the only Academy Award-winning film that you can’t even buy!
Contact Disney! Bombard them with emails, phone calls, whatever. Some dedicated individuals have even made a tradition out of bringing up Song of the South at shareholder meetings.
Nominate Song of the South to be added to the National Film Registry. You can send an email to Donna Ross, Boards Assistant of the National Film Preservation Board, explaining why you feel that the film is culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. I’d say winning 2 Academy Awards is pretty significant, wouldn’t you? Or how about the fact that James Baskett was the first African American man to win an Academy Award?

Happy 68th Birthday, Song of the South!

On November 12, 1946, Song of the South premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Check out photos from the world premier, courtesy of the Georgia State University Library.

Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign the new petition over at Change.org. The old petition was hosted at PetitionOnline.com, which has since shut down.

And, of course, you can always check out our FAQ on other steps you can take to encourage Disney to release this movie to the American public!

Old Song of the South Petition Host Shutting Down

PetitionOnline.com, the site that has hosted the Song of the South petition since 2005, is shutting down today. Since I began hosting the petition there, we have received 36,543 signatures of people who “support the official release of Walt Disney’s 1946 Classic ‘Song of the South’ on DVD”.

The original Song of the South petition was hosted by James McKimson over at UncleRemusPages.com, and at final tally had 101,780 names.

We have started a brand new petition over at Change.org. Our current goal is to reach 100, so if you haven’t already, please sign your name, and pass this on to friends and family who also support this movie’s release!

Promotional Song of the South US VHS Found in Yard Sale?

A very interesting VHS copy of Song of the South surfaced last year at a yard sale. The following clip was posted on YouTube by MegaRock64 on 8/27/2013, and depicts what appears to be a promotional VHS tape dating to around 1995, including the Disney Masterpiece Collection logo:

The “Song of the South” typeface is identical to that used in the final theatrical release in 1986. It’s entirely plausible that the movie was slated to be released in 1996 for Song of the South‘s 50th anniversary. MegaRock64 has this to say about it:

Well well, you never know what you can find out in the wild, because it goes to show you can find gems like this one. This tape was used for promotional uses only by the distributors of the Walt Disney Company. According to the way it looks, this dates back to 1995, most likely to pair up with the release of “So Dear to my Heart” in 1994. As we all know, Song of the South was never supposed to see the light of day after the very last cinema showing in 1986. Bits of it leaked on various DVD’s such as the “One Hour in Wonderland” segment on the “Alice in Wonderland” DVD, and the short 8 second clip in “The Making of Fun and Fancy Free”. This tape has

1. FBI Warnings
2. Walt Disney Home Video Logo (1986)
3. Buena Vista Logo
4. Film

Nothing appears at the end of this tape except a “END OF TAPE” bit showing the production stuff and all the other distribution info. So was Song of the South going to have an initial release? We will see soon or later. I have no clue about the origins of this tape, so if you know more, let me know!

If anyone has any additional information about this VHS, please contact me. Special thanks to Christian for the news report.

“That Guy With the Glasses” Reviews Song of the South

As you may remember, back in March 2012, Nostalgia Chick over at “That Guy With the Glasses” reviewed Song of the South. Now, Doug Walker has posted his own review of the movie, as part of Disneycember, in which they review the most influential and memorable live action Disney movies:

Doug, like myself, remembers seeing it as a kid in theaters back in 1986. Like Nostalgia Chick, his overall reaction, at least to the live action sequences, is “Meh,” but he urges people to pick up a copy for themselves and “make your own Zip-A-Dee-Conclusion.” Overall the review is entertaining, witty, and honest!

One thing to note: Doug refers to the African-Americans in the film as slaves, when in fact the movie is set in a post-Civil War South. This is a good example of why the film has gotten a bad reputation—some people believe the film depicts slavery. Special thanks to Kyle Blanchette for the news report!

Song of the South Turns 67; Wren’s Nest Celebrates 100 Years

On this day 67 years ago, Song of the South debuted at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Click here to view photos from the worldwide premier.

Also of special note: The Wren’s Nest is celebrating 100 years! The Wren’s Nest was the home of Joel Chandler Harris from 1881-1908. Harris authored the Uncle Remus stories that Walt Disney himself grew up with, and was the basis for Song of the South.

The Wren’s Nest. Photo courtesy of Lain Shakespeare.

The Wren’s Nest has been operating as a museum since 1913, was the Uncle Remus Memorial Carnegie Library until 1930, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. If you want to learn more about Joel Chandler Harris, there’s no better place!

For more information about The Wren’s Nest and Joel Chandler Harris, please visit the Wren’s Nest official web site at www.wrensnest.org.

Disney Legend Floyd Norman Discusses Song of the South

Disney Legend Floyd Norman has posted on his MrFun’s Blog about a recent visit to the Fox Theater, where Walt Disney’s Song of the South debuted on November 12, 1946:

That morning, I strolled through the lobby of the Fox theater and tried to feel what it must have been like on that evening back in [1946]. Though hardly perfect, Walt Disney and his creative team put a lot of love into “Song of the South.” Let’s hope that one day this amazing motion picture can be appreciated for what it is – rather than what some would like it to be.

His full post can be read here:
http://floydnormancom.sqsp.com/blog/2013/10/31/the-fox-theater-in-atlanta-georgia

Mr. Norman was the first African-American animator at Walt Disney Studios. His work began in the late 1950s, and includes such classics as Sleeping Beauty, The Sword and the Stone, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, and later The Little Mermaid, Monsters, Inc., and Toy Story 2. He was named a Disney Legend in 2007, joining the ranks of many animators who created some of my fondest childhood memories.

Last month, Mr. Norman went on tour in Atlanta to promote his new book “Animated Life” and discuss Song of the South. His visit was partly sponsored by the Wren’s Nest, the official museum of Joel Chandler Harris, the author of the Uncle Remus stories from which Song of the South was based.

It’s especially heartening when Disney’s own animators encourage Song of the South to be released. Thank you Mr. Norman! And special thanks goes to Gavin for informing me of his post and to Ralph Ellis for letting me know about the tour.