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Bambi Special Edition:Donnie Dunagan turned 71 years old last Augustand in his adult life became a Marine and served in Vietnam, but he startedoff as a child actor, performing a string of roles including the voice ofthe young Bambi in the classic Disney animation for all the family, which wasre-released on a remastered double-disc DVD on February 14th 2005(see the Sendit.com link above for more details).
- When I was a young boy my folks and I were dirt-poor and in early 1937we left San Antonio, Texas for Memphis, Tennessee when the Depression got toobad.
One of my very first memories was of a man who lived across the street from us -a man who was then famous and later became even more famous: a dancer called”Peg Leg” Bates. This nice man across the street taught me, with my mother’sawareness and permission, to dance.
When I was three and a half there was a talent show at the Orpheum Theatre onSouth Main in Memphis with a prize of $100. A hundred dollars then, to folksliving like most folks were doing, was a lot of money!
So I entered the compeitions – the neighborhood folks helped my mom fashion,from scraps, a little outfit for me with a painted paper bag as a top hat.I was just a little kid and they threw me up on the stage and I did a danceto a song called ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ and well, I won the thing! Inthe audience was a young fellow from RKO Studios who spotted me and withinfour or five days, we had packed in two suitcases everything we owned andwe were on the train. That was the start of my career which lasted eightfilms before the age of six!
- Well I was initially hired as the eye and facial expression model byMr Disney. I can remember posing for the artist at Disney, who wassketching furiously, very fast sketching. They were telling me to turn myhead this way, turn my had that way.
The voice part evolved from that, I was then auditioned to be the voice ofBambi for part of his youth – Mr Disney wanted real children to do thespeaking parts for the young animals in the film… I signed the contract in1940.
- You were having too much fun for it to be challenging! The whole experiencewas marvellous. I had so much fun with all those wonderful people – when Ihad to perform with my voice they would have to remind me that this was workand not play!
- I talked to Mr Disney on several occasions, I had the impression that hewas very well respected by the people around him. He was a real gentle person.
Working at Disney Studios was a very happy place and I remember that the icecream was swell! I also remember the trip to the Studios was so long and Igot bored but when I got to the studios I thought – I’m at the place wheremagic is made.
Even though I’m aged 71 now, I have a good memory of the happy times I had asthe voice of Bambi. I remember vividly sitting on a stool – I had never saton a stool before – they had boards and paper and lots of pencils. I calledthem the drawing men because all these men were doing was drawing, drawing,drawing. I’d sit on my stool and they would ask me to look afraid.
- My memories of Bambi are of a very happy time, I’m very proud to have workedon such a great story – that children of every age enjoy. I often say thatBambi is a ‘heart massage’, the world nowadays could do with a little heartmassage and 65 years on with this great DVD – we’re still talking about it,it’s wonderful.
To answer your second questions, I’d love to have the chance to play acharacter again, I’m so honoured to have worked on the films in my childhood.You never know, there might be things in the pipeline.
- Well that would have to be Brigadoon. It’s a good ole corny musical, Ithink the best musical story of all time. It’s the most marvellous thing – Iown 11 copies of the film on video and when I’m visiting children in hospitalsor orphanages, I always make sure I take a copy to show them!
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.