Remembering Ollie Johnston
Posted on April 20, 2008 at 4:00 pm
The people who created the great Disney animation classics were called the Nine Old Men, and the last of them, Ollie Johnston, died last week at age 95. Johnston and his closest colleague, Frank Thomas, was featured in the wonderful documentary “Frank and Ollie.” They and the other animators were actors who performed with paintbrushes, creating unforgettable performances. Johnston created Thumper in “Bambi,” Mr. Smee in Peter Pan and the trio of fanciful fairies in Sleeping Beauty.
As lifelong friend and fellow animator Frank Thomas recalled, “Ollie was the only one of the Studio animators who was sensitive to character relationships and how they affected story,” explained Frank — “Back then cartoon characters seldom touched unless they hit each other. But one day Ollie said, ‘You know, the act of two people holding hands communicates in a powerful way.’ And he was right. His warmth made a difference in so many of our characters.”
Charlton Heston, who died this morning at age 84, had the screen presence for larger than life, heroic roles, and often appeared in films with religious themes. He will be best remembered for his Oscar-winning performance as 
and for appearing as Moses in 
. He also played John the Baptist in 
. Heston created audio recordings of 
and provided voice talent for a series of animated Bible stories for children. 
as a policeman who lives on the border, literally and metaphorically, and in a rare romantic comedy, “The Private War of Major Benson.” Whether he was leading a circus (
) or a stranded team of astronauts (
) or even trying to survive as the last man on earth (
), his conviction and commitment made him the essence of a movie star.
) and the heist film (
and “Rififi”) and for the marvelous 
, starring his wife, Melina Mercouri, as an earthy prostitute who is “educated” about ancient Greece by an American scholar (Dassin himself).