Chuck Jones:
At Warner Brothers, we were very fortunate in that we had terrible men we worked for… Leon Schlesinger and Eddie Selzer were two of the most abysmal human beings that I could possibly get, outside of a decadent zoo. We had an advantage of Leon because Leon… he was lazy. And that’s really what got us starting doing good pictures.
For on-line listening or MP3 downloading:
Interviews not only with with Chuck Jones, but also Brad Bird, Buck Henry, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, Michael Powell, Marty Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker and quite a few others.
The latest – with Laura Linney, Tamara Jenkins, and Philip Bosco – was taped a few weeks ago. The earliest – with Sidney Poitier – dates from March of 1989.
Link.
Klaus Kinski ultimately portrayed the title character in Werner Herzog’s masterpiece Fitzcarraldo.
Kinski was not the director’s first choice, however. Neither was Jason Robards, who had signed on to play Fitzcarraldo and was fully four months into shooting when he contracted amoebic dysentery and left the Ecuadorian rain forest to return to the U.S. for medical care. His doctors forbade his return.
Herzog eventually gave the role to Kinski, but not before he renewed his knock-down, 
dragged-out fight with The Walt Disney Company, which refused to loan out Donald Duck for the role. (The duck’s success in The Three Caballeros and Saludos Amigos made him an obvious choice).
The still above is all that remains of the nearly two months the duck spent at the jungle location. Herzog was so enamored with the idea of an unintelligibly-voiced main character that when the duck bowed out, the decision was made to shoot the film entirely in German.
For your listening and downloading pleasure:
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf – Harry Reser and his Eskimos
What, No Mickey Mouse? – Ben Bernie and his Orchestra
Mickey Mouse and Minnie’s In Town – Don Bestor and his Orchestra
Mickey Mouse’s Birthday Party – International Novelty Orchestra
Whistle While You Work – Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down – Russ Morgan and his Orchestra
Powerhouse – The Raymond Scott Quintette
It’s A Hap-Hap-Happy Day – Bob Zurke and his Delta Rhythm Band
and, in honor of this week’s stunning new Popeye DVD Box set (Thanks, Jerry!)…
Popeye Medley (Extended-play featuring Floyd Buckley, “Radio’s Popeye,” singing ‘I’m Popeye The Sailor Man,’ ‘Let’s Build a Bridge Today,’ ‘Hamburger Mine,’ ‘Popeye on Parade,’ ‘Won’t You Come and Climb A Mountain with Me,’ ‘Clean Shaven Man,’ and ‘Brotherly Love’)
For on-line listening or MP3 downloading:
