Month: January 2017

At 105 years old, the French cyclist Robert Marchand is already a world record holder—several times over. In 2012, at age 100, he set the world record for most kilometers ridden in an hour by someone aged 100 or over, completing 24.251 kilometers (about 15 miles). In 2014, he broke his own record by 2.5 kilometers (another mile and a half). Now, he’s at it again. On Facebook Live (in view of an enthusiastic velodrome crowd), he’s trying for a third time to break his own record. The longtime cyclist is the reason the over-100 record category exists in the first place. 

[h/t Time]

You may not know Disney’s compilation movie package Fun and Fancy Free by name, but there’s a good chance you’re familiar with at least half of it. Released on September 27, 1947, Fun and Fancy Free was made up of two separate stories: “Mickey and the Beanstalk” and “Bongo.” The former is the one everyone seems to remember, in part because of Willie, the memorable giant:

If you’re not familiar with “Bongo,” the other half of the movie, well, you’re probably not alone. Here are a few other things you might not have known about Fun and Fancy Free.

1. BOTH SHORTS WERE SLATED TO BE FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS.

After WWII, Disney Studios was running low on funds. Walt assessed the array of half-completed movies he had in his lineup and decided to splice some of them into package films as a fairly quick way to get movies out that would generate some money for the studio. Fun and Fancy Free was the result of those mashups; 1946’s Make Mine Music was another.

2. THE PROJECTS WERE PUT ON HOLD SO DISNEY COULD PRODUCE WAR MATERIALS FOR THE U.S.

A partially completed script for “Bongo” was turned in on December 8, 1941—the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. Predictably, everything changed quickly, and the movies were shelved for a while so that Disney employees could produce war-related films for the U.S. “Bongo,” specifically, was delayed so that Disney could make a short for the Treasury Department called The New Spirit.

3. FUN AND FANCY FREE HELPED FINANCE CINDERELLA.

Disney’s scheme to get more money into the studio’s pipeline worked. Because of the success of Fun and Fancy Free, the studio was able to scrape together enough money to make Cinderella—but there was a lot riding on that glass slipper. “Boys, if Cinderella doesn’t make it, we’re through!” Walt told his employees.

4. “BONGO” IS BASED ON A STORY BY SINCLAIR LEWIS.

Despite the fact that it’s the lesser-known part of the story now, “Bongo” was a big deal at the time of its release because it was based on a short story by Sinclair Lewis. The author, known for his more serious fare such as the political novel It Can’t Happen Here, wrote the lighthearted piece “Little Bear Bongo” for Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1930.

5. ”MICKEY AND THE BEANSTALK” ORIGINALLY HAD A DIFFERENT TITLE.

The working title for “Mickey and the Beanstalk” was “The Legend of Happy Valley.” Presumably, the title was changed to make it clear that Disney’s big star was part of the production.

6. THERE WERE SEVERAL DELETED SCENES.

When the feature-length films were chopped down so that both could fit into the span of a single movie, some of the original scenes had to go. That included a scene where our trio of heroes accidentally awaken Willie the Giant’s toddler son, who thinks that Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are the perfect little toys. Additionally, the “Fi-Fie-Fo-Fum” song was longer, featuring Willie changing into a three-headed dragon and walrus, among other things.

7. IT WAS THE LAST FILM IN WHICH WALT VOICED MICKEY.

Disney himself was the first voice of Mickey, and he recorded the script for “Mickey and the Beanstalk” during the spring and summer of 1941. Eventually, his other duties with the company became so great that he couldn’t dedicate time to regularly voice his most famous character. He asked his sound effects guy, Jimmy MacDonald, to take over the role; MacDonald agreed, and voiced Mickey for three decades.

Though it was the last film in which Walt provided Mickey’s voice, it wasn’t the last time he spoke for Mickey; he reprised the role on his TV show on occasion.

8. OTHER FAMILIAR FACES WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE CAMEOS.

The tricksters from Pinocchio, Honest John and Gideon Foulfellow, were going to be the con artists who traded Mickey the beans for his cow. Another version, which was even storyboarded, had Queen Minnie present Mickey with a gift of the magic beans.

9. ONE OF THE SONGS WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR PINOCCHIO.

“I’m a Happy Go Lucky Fellow,” the ditty Jiminy Cricket sings at the beginning of the movie, was a discarded song from Pinocchio.

10. THE VOICE OF THE GIANT ALSO VOICED ANOTHER FAMOUS DISNEY CHARACTER.

Billy Gilbert, the voice of Willie the Giant, was a well-known comedian whose famous schtick was a comic sneeze—which is why he was cast in the role of Sneezy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In fact, it’s said that Gilbert got the part by simply walking into Disney’s office and sneezing five times.

11. CANDICE BERGEN HELPED CELEBRATE THE RELEASE.

As part of the promotional blitz surrounding the movie’s release, birthday parties for Mickey Mouse, who was turning 20, were held across the nation. One of them, held at Disney Studios, was attended by Candice Bergen—the daughter of narrator Edgar Bergen.

12. IF YOU REMEMBER A DIFFERENT NARRATOR, YOU’RE NOT WRONG.

Although Edgar Bergen originally narrated the “Mickey and the Beanstalk” half, telling it to child actress Luana Patten at her “birthday party,” he wasn’t the only one to tell the tale. When the movie aired on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color TV program in 1963, Bergen was replaced with an animated character named Ludwig Von Drake.

Another version had Sterling Holloway—the voice of Winnie the Pooh, among others—as narrator. And in the early 1970s, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop took over storytelling duties.

Hollywood lost two of its most enduring icons last week when actress/author/activist Carrie Fisher and her mother, Singin’ in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds, passed away within 24 hours of each other. Like any mother and daughter, Fisher and Reynolds had their disagreements over the years. Unlike for most other mothers and daughters, those disagreements made for public fodder. There was even a 10-year period where they did not speak—but their bond grew even stronger once they were reunited, and the two eventually became neighbors. It’s that fascinating relationship that is at the center of Bright Lights, Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens’s new documentary, which offers an inside glimpse at the duo’s ups and downs over the years.

While the film, which made its debut at Cannes last year, was originally set to air on HBO in March, the network moved up its premiere date to Saturday, January 7 at 8 p.m. You can get a sneak peek via the trailer below.

Since Dippin’ Dots hit the scene in 1988, the unusual ice cream has become a staple in theme parks, malls, and movie theaters. One place you won’t find the futuristic treat (besides space) is at your local grocery store. This isn’t because it lacks a consumer base—most supermarkets just aren’t equipped to store it at such extreme temperatures, Thrillist reports.

The iconic beads of freeze-dried ice cream in every cup of Dippin’ Dots are cryogenically frozen at -320°F. Once the dots are formed, they need to be kept at -40°F in order to maintain their individual shapes. Most standard freezers don’t reach lower than 0°F. At that temperature, the ice cream spheres start to clump together, losing their novelty factor.

Even if a supermarket did have a super-cold freezer that measured up to Dippin’ Dots’s standards, most of their customers probably would not. That’s why Dippin’ Dots are designed to be eaten as soon as they’re purchased—unless, of course, you’re willing to shell out the money for dry ice when you order in bulk.

[h/t Thrillist]

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Here’s a little-known fact: January 4th is National Trivia Day! Celebrate by working some of these amazing facts from our Instagram account into conversation.

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Shelters have a hard time finding adoptive families for elderly pets, animals with disabilities or chronic medical conditions, large animals that need special facilities, and working animals who have outlived their usefulness. Some people have stepped up to provide permanent care for these animals, so that they can live out their lives in comfort and security.    

1. OLD FRIENDS FARM

Many thoroughbreds are born each year, but only a few can be champion racehorses. Of the rest, some become pets and a few will be used for breeding stock, but even they become old eventually. In 2002, the public was shocked to hear that 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand was sent to a slaughterhouse. The Boston Globe film critic Michael Blowen was already trying to raise money to start a thoroughbred retirement farm, and the response to Ferdinand’s fate brought in enough donations to open Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky. That’s where former champion racehorses live out their retirement years alongside thoroughbreds that never raced—160 horses in all. The farm in Georgetown and its other locations in Franklin, Kentucky, and Greenfield Center, New York, are open to the public daily. Pictured above is 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm, who is now a resident of Old Friends.   

2. CHIMP HAVEN

For decades, the U.S. produced medical breakthroughs with the help of experimental lab animals, including hundreds of chimpanzees. When animal testing began declining, research centers found themselves with a surplus of elderly chimps. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) founded chimpanzee retirement farms, funded through the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection (CHIMP) Act.

Chimp Haven in Keithville, Louisiana, is the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, home to more than 200 retired research chimpanzees on 200 acres of forest land. The chimps are free to roam, build their own nests, and associate with each other as they please. The staff at Chimp Haven interacts with the chimps to ensure they have veterinary care, complete nutrition, and enrichment.

3. HEARTS THAT PURR

Elderly people worry about what will happen to their cats if something happens to them. In Tucson, Arizona, they know that their pets can be taken in by Hearts that Purr Feline Guardians. The cats that come into their care live in a family environment, but the demand is more than the home can provide. Founder Jeanmarie Schiller-McGinnis began a foster care program to help alleviate overcrowding by placing cats with other elderly people who could use a companion pet. The foster cats remain under the guardianship of Hearts That Purr in case something happens. Some of the cats are available for permanent adoption.     

4. HOUSE WITH A HEART

Dogs of advanced age and dogs with disabilities have a hard time finding homes because they present unique challenges and potential expenses not usually associated with the many younger dogs available for adoption. In 2006, Joe and Sher Polvinale turned their Gaithersburg, Maryland, home into a pet sanctuary for such hard-to-place canines. Joe has since passed away, but Sher continues to run House with a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary, a retirement home for elderly and special needs dogs. With the help of a team of volunteers, the dogs get proper care and lots of affection.  

5. SHEBA’S HAVEN RESCUE

Sheba’s Haven Rescue in Inverary, Ontario, Canada, is both a retirement home and a hospice for dogs. It takes in shelter dogs with incurable illnesses, disabilities, or limited lifespans and offers a loving family environment and palliative care. The resident dogs have three acres to explore, and orthotics, such as wheels, for those who need them. Dogs that are able can visit a local nursing home to spend time with human residents on Wednesdays. Dogs that were considered unadoptable have a permanent home at Sheba’s Haven.       

6. THE SHANNON FOUNDATION

The Shannon Foundation is a farm in St. Clair, Missouri, where all kinds of retired pets and farm animals can live out their lives. Current residents of the 100-acre farm include dogs, cats, horses, llamas, pigs, goats, chickens and other poultry, deer, a Fennec fox, and exotic pet birds. Some are special needs pets from shelters, others came when their owners died, and some were rescued from abusive situations. A few of the younger animals—including sugar gliders, emus, and horses, as well as cats and dogs—are available for adoption.  

7. THE CENTER FOR ELEPHANT CONSERVATION

In May of 2016, Ringling Bros. Circus officially retired their last 11 circus elephants to a sanctuary in Florida. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation sits on 200 acres of land between Tampa and Orlando. The facility holds 40 Asian elephants who have either retired from the circus since 1995, or are offspring of retirees.

8. THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN TENNESSEE

Ringling’s Florida facility is not the first elephant retirement village in the U.S., nor the largest. The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has 13 elephants who retired from zoos and circuses and live on more than 2700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee.

9. ELEPHANT NATURE PARK

Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand is a retirement home for elephants that have spent their lives working in transportation and heavy lifting, or were rescued from abusive owners. Elephant Nature Park is supported by tourism, and runs various elephant care projects in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

10. BIG CAT RESCUE

People are enamored with the idea of an exotic pet, like a wildcat, but then find that a full-grown wild animal is too much: too expensive to feed, too strong to live with, and in need of too much time and space. Exotic wildcats raised in captivity can’t go to a normal shelter and can never be returned to their native habitats.

Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, provides a permanent shelter for big cats and exotic wildcats that began their lives in captivity. In addition to abandoned pets, they take in cats rescued from roadside zoos, circuses, and other stressful situations. The current population includes lions, tigers, leopards, lynxes, cougars, bobcats, servals, ocelots, and more. Their mission is to give big cats as wonderful a home as possible, but Big Cat Rescue also lobbies against the exotic pet trade and works to educate the public about wildlife issues. They also have a great YouTube channel.