We conclude our interview with Alan
Young (born 1918) as he reminisces about his dealing with Disney, and the
creation of Scrooge McDuck.
Let's go to Disney for
a moment and your voice work for Scrooge McDuck, for Mickey's Christmas Carol.
I wrote Mickey's Christmas Carol in the 1970s
as a recording for children. I did it for Disney. I played Mickey, and Goofy,
and, of course, Scrooge, because that was my old accent. Then it became a
movie, and then it became Duck Tales.
So I stayed with it.
Are you happy with the
association?
I'd rather
let that pass. I had a lawsuit with them, because they weren't supposed to make
a movie without my permission, and I didn't realize that in my contract. And my
partner, on his deathbed, said to his girlfriend, "Tell Alan that Disney
should not have made that movie without his permission!" So I got a lawyer
and we sued, but the statute of limitations had just run out, it was just seven
years!
I'm so sorry!
I talked to
Peggy Lee, and she said: "Al,
it's not worth it. They fight you to the bitter end. I ended up getting $2
million, and the lawyers got all of it." I was very happy to settle out of
court.
You were also the
voice of Faversham, the toy maker, in The Great Mouse Detective. Any memories
of working with Vincent Price?
Why, I
didn't work with him! As a matter of fact, here we go again with an operation
that's kind of confusing. I went in to audition for it, and I did all the
lines, and left thinking it was a nice audition -- I'd never had a longer
audition in my life. It went on and on! And they used that for the part in the
picture! I wish I had known, I would've done it a little louder. (Laugh.) It was quite amazing! So I never met
anyone, it was just myself, working alone.
So, it was just an
audition! Did they use any of your performance or body language when drawing
the character?
They may
have. There were a lot of artists there, and they may have been making
sketches, which is the right way to do it. But I knew Vincent from other things
we had worked on together. In the late
50s, when we were all out of work, just playing guests spots wherever we could,
Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, and
myself were supporting a Western star, who will remain nameless, who was doing a
real classic. He was very hot at the time, but he couldn't act! And we were all
sitting there, watching him, and talking about what it was like to support
somebody who was telling you what to do, but doesn't know what he's doing
himself! But I figured I was in good company with Peter Lorre and Vincent
Price. If they have to play second fiddle, I figured it was fine to play third
fiddle with that company. Peter Lorre gave me lessons in eye contact -- he was
so marvelous, such a great performer. So, there I was, taking lessons from
Peter Lorre and having marvelous conversations with Vincent Price... we had a
great time.
I find it impossible
to picture you, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre in the Old West.
Oh, it
wasn't a Western! It was King Arthur's Court! It was a very funny court, with
Vincent playing so grand, and me playing a sort of cockney villain. So, it was
quite a mixture. Didn't go over too well, as I recall.
Are you happy doing
the voice-over work now?
I love it.
Love it. It's like going back to radio.
Do you miss radio?
No, I still
do radio. I do two or three shows a month. It's called Focus on the Family. I
do it for the fun of it, keeps your muscles working. It's like Carleton Morse's
One Man's Family. It's a nice family program.
What are your future
plans?
To keep on
working! We're working on an Irish musical now, and it's going to take some
time to get it in shape.
Any final thoughts for
our readers?
No, just
that people all the time ask me if I'm tired talking about Mr. Ed. I'm not. He
was the greatest actor I ever supported in my life! He was also the only actor
I ever rode, so I'm very grateful to him.
I learned to ride on Ed, and I learned to listen to him, and met some
lovely Western people, basic American people, and it was great. Those memories
will never leave.
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