Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)
John James MacDonald (May 19, 1906 – February 1, 1991) was a British-American foley artist, voice actor, musician, and conductor. He was the original head of the Disney sound effects department and was also the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1947 to 1976.[1][2]
Jimmy MacDonald | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | John James MacDonald May 19, 1906 |
| Died | February 1, 1991 (aged 84) Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Citizenship | |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1934–1989 |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Roberta Cullen
(m. 1936) |
Early life
He was born on May 19, 1906. Several sources have claimed that he was born in Dundee, Scotland.[3] His parents were Richard William MacDonald and Minnie Hall. The family emigrated to America when MacDonald was one month old. They travelled via the SS Haverford from Liverpool, England, arriving in Pennsylvania fifteen days later.
Career
Sound effects
As a young man, MacDonald landed a job as a musician on the Dollar Steam Ship Lines, which in 1934 led to an opportunity to record music for a Disney cartoon. He went on to secure a permanent contract with Disney, becoming head of the sound department.
In addition to directing sounds for animated shorts as aurally complicated as Mickey's Trailer (1938), he developed many original inventions and contraptions to achieve expressive sounds for characters like Casey Jr., the circus train engine from Dumbo (1941); Evinrude the dragonfly from The Rescuers (1977); the bees in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966); and Buzz-buzz (later called "Spike"), the bee who gets the best of Donald Duck in his 1950s short films. He also made the sound effects of Tick Tock the crocodile from Peter Pan (1953) and Dragon Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959) by using castanets.
MacDonald also added voice effects, like on-screen humming for Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
Many of his effects are available on Cartoon Trax Volume 1, from The Hollywood Edge, which was released in 1992. A few of his other effects showed up on other non-Disney sound libraries, such as the International Sound Effects Library and the Hanna-Barbera Sound Effects Library, both from Sound Ideas. Some other releases containing MacDonald's sound effects include a few specialty sound effect record releases from Disneyland Records, most notably Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House.
By the time of his death, he was preparing to work on the sounds for the Splash Mountain attraction in Tokyo and Walt Disney World.[3][4]
Voice acting
James MacDonald did the first test yodeling for the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) before they brought in professional yodelers[5] as well as doing some sounds for Dopey such as his hiccuping and sobbing.[6]
By 1947, Walt Disney was getting too busy and hoarse from smoking to continue voicing Mickey Mouse, so he offered the job to MacDonald in 1946. MacDonald voiced Mickey Mouse until his retirement in 1976, at which point he was replaced by his sound effects protégée, Wayne Allwine, for The New Mickey Mouse Club. Despite formally retiring, MacDonald remained involved with several Disney productions; he voiced Evinrude from The Rescuers (1977) and was often consulted for sound-effects projects.[7][3]
MacDonald was the original voice actor for Chip, one half of the duo Chip and Dale. He provided the voice of Lumpjaw in Fun and Fancy Free, Jaq and Gus the mice and Bruno the dog in Cinderella (1950), the Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland (1951), Humphrey the Bear, the howling of the dogs at the pound (along with Thurl Ravenscroft) in Lady and the Tramp (1955), the Wolf in The Sword in the Stone (1963), and the hyena in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He appeared in the film Toby Tyler (1960) as the Circus Band Drummer, but was uncredited and appeared in Fantasia (1940) as one of the musicians.
MacDonald played drums in the Firehouse Five Plus Two jazz band. He played with the band on and off from its inception until it disbanded in the early 1970s.
Personal life
MacDonald married Sarah Roberta Cullen in 1936, they were married until his death in 1991.[7]
Death
MacDonald died of heart failure at his home on February 1, 1991 at the age of 84, he was buried in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.[8]
Filmography
Crew work
| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Sound effects | Uncredited |
| 1938 | Mickey's Trailer | Uncredited | |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Uncredited | |
| 1941 | The Reluctant Dragon | Uncredited | |
| Baggage Buster | Uncredited | ||
| Dumbo | Uncredited | ||
| 1942 | Bambi | Uncredited | |
| Saludos Amigos | Uncredited | ||
| 1943 | Victory Through Air Power | Uncredited | |
| 1944 | The Three Caballeros | Uncredited | |
| 1946 | Make Mine Music | Uncredited | |
| Song of the South | Uncredited | ||
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Uncredited | |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Uncredited | |
| Inferior Decorator | Uncredited | ||
| Seal Island | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| So Dear to My Heart | Uncredited | ||
| 1949 | Honey Harvester | Uncredited | |
| The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Uncredited | ||
| 1950 | Cinderella | Uncredited | |
| Beaver Valley | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| 1951 | Nature's Half Acre | Documentary film, uncredited | |
| Alice in Wonderland | Uncredited | ||
| 1952 | The Olympic Elk | Documentary film, uncredited | |
| Water Birds | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Uncredited | |
| Bear Country | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| Powlers of the Evergladers | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| The Living Desert | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| 1954 | The Vanishing Prairie | Documentary film, uncredited | |
| 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Uncredited | ||
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Uncredited | |
| The African Lion | Documentary film, uncredited | ||
| 1956 | Secret of Life | Documentary film, uncredited | |
| 1957 | Perri | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | White Wilderness | Documentary film, uncredited | |
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Uncredited | |
| 1960 | Jungle Cat | Documentary film, uncredited | |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Uncredited | |
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Uncredited | |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Uncredited | |
| 1966 | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree | Uncredited | |
| 1967 | The Jungle Book | Uncredited | |
| 1968 | Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day | Uncredited | |
| The Love Bug | Uncredited[9] | ||
| 1970 | The Aristocats | Uncredited | |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Uncredited | |
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Uncredited | |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too | Uncredited | |
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Uncredited | |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Uncredited | |
| 1979 | The Black Hole | Special sound effects |
Music
| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Assistant conductor | Credited as James MacDonald |
| 1968 | The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band | Assistant conductor | Credited as James MacDonald |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Assistant conductor | Credited as James MacDonald |
Acting
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | The Cowboy Star | Still Photographer | Uncredited |
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Dopey (voice, hiccuping and crying) | Uncredited |
| 1940 | Donald's Vacation | Various voices | Uncredited |
| Fantasia | Percussionist | Uncredited | |
| 1941 | The Reluctant Dragon | Sound effects man | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Out of the Frying Pan Into the Firing Line | Butcher (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Private Pluto | Chip (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Squatter's Rights | Chip (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Lumpjaw (voice) | Uncredited |
| Chip an' Dale | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1948 | Mickey Down Under | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited |
| Pluto's Purchase | Uncredited | ||
| Three for Breakfast | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Mickey and the Seal | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1949 | Pueblo Pluto | Uncredited | |
| Winter Storage | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| All in a Nutshell | Uncredited | ||
| Toy Tinkers | Uncredited | ||
| 1950 | Cinderella | Jaq, Gus, Bruno (voices) | |
| Crazy Over Daisy | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Trailer Horn | Uncredited | ||
| Suspense | Jeff | Episode: "Wisteria Cottage" | |
| Food for Feudin' | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Out on a Limb | Uncredited | ||
| 1951 | Chicken in the Rough | Uncredited | |
| Corn Chips | Uncredited | ||
| Plutopia | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Test Pilot Donald | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Alice in Wonderland | Dormouse (voice) | ||
| R'coon Dawg | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Out of Scale | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1952 | Donald Applecore | Uncredited | |
| Lambert the Sheepish Lion | Wolf (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Two Chips and a Miss | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Pluto's Party | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Pluto's Christmas Tree | Mickey Mouse, Chip (voices) | Uncredited | |
| 1953 | The Simple Things | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited |
| Rugged Bear | Humphrey the Bear (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Working for Peanuts | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1954 | The Lone Chipmunks | Uncredited | |
| Dragon Around | Uncredited | ||
| Grin and Bear It | Humphrey the Bear (voice) | Uncredited | |
| Social Lion | Lion (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Ned Lad humming "Whale of a Tale" (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1955 | Bearly Asleep | Humphrey the Bear (voice) | Uncredited |
| Beezy Bear | Uncredited | ||
| Up a Tree | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1955–1968 | The Magical World of Disney | Mickey Mouse, Chip, Lumpjaw (voices) | Episodes: "The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show", "This Is Your Life", "Pluto's Day", "Adventures of Mickey Mouse", "Jiminy Cricket Presents Bongo" |
| 1956 | Chips Ahoy | Chip (voice) | Ucredited |
| Hooked Bear | Humphrey the Bear (voice) | Uncredited | |
| In the Bag | Chip (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1959 | Noah's Ark | Animal sounds (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1960 | Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus | Drummer | Uncredited |
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Wolf (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree | Bees (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1967 | The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin | Saloon Percussionist | Uncredited |
| The Jungle Book | Mowgli's brothers (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1968 | The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show | Mickey Mouse (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Hyena (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Evinrude (voice) | |
| 1989 | Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers | Humphrey the Bear (voice) | Episode: "Bearing Up Baby" |
References
- Obituary Variety, February 18, 1991.
- Birth certificate
- "Interview: Jimmy MacDonald - The Dundee voice of Disney". scotsman.com. 2009-12-23. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- James MacDonald – Variety
- Thomas, Frank; Johnston, Ollie (1995). The illusion of life : Disney animation (1st Hyperion ed.). New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0786860707. OCLC 32509417.
- YouTube. "Disney Family Album #4-Jimmy MacDonald". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- AP (February 8, 1991). "James MacDonald, 84, Mickey Mouse's Voice". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- MacDonald, Jimmy. "Obituaries: James MacDonald, 84, Mickey Mouse's Voice". LA Times. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- Segaloff, Nat (2017). Screen Saver Too: Hollywood Strikes Back. BearManor Media. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
External links
- James MacDonald at IMDb
- Biography at Disney Legends website
- Jimmy MacDonald at Find a Grave
- The Voice of Mickey Mouse at The Scotsman website
- The Voice of Mickey Mouse at BBC Radio Scotland
| Preceded by original voice |
Voice of Chip 1943–1977 |
Succeeded by Tress MacNeille |
| Preceded by Walt Disney |
Voice of Mickey Mouse 1948–1976 |
Succeeded by Wayne Allwine |
Authority control  |
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