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Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 10:00AM We want to thank Disney historian Jeff Kurtti for penning this tribute to James MacArthur for us:
One of Walt Disney’s many talents was a flair for casting, and a genius for recognizing unusual talent. Although the application of this gift within the Animation trade is well-known, as is the roster of live-action stars who came to be associated with Walt, both professionally and culturally—Annette Funicello, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Fred Mac Murray, and Dean Jones to name a few—there is one actor whose relationship with Walt Disney is frequently forgotten: James MacArthur.
Upon the passing of the 72-year-old actor last week, obituaries inevitably led with MacArthur’s 11-year role on the popular TV series Hawaii Five-O. His film and television career, however, owes much of its momentum to his casting, at the suggestion of Walt himself, in a series of feature films early in his career.
James MacArthur, Helen Hayes and Walt Disney
MacArthur was born in Los Angeles in 1937, and was adopted in infancy by playwright Charles MacArthur and his wife, actress Helen Hayes. Although it would be easy to assume that James got a free pass into an acting career just for being the son of such a powerhouse show business couple, quite the opposite is the case. Instead, he received his training in summer stock, where he not only acted, but also worked as a set painter, lighting director—and even chief of the parking lot.
In 1955, at the age of 18, he was cast in a TV play (directed by John Frankenheimer) as a misunderstood teenager on the brink of delinquency. His performance was praised by critics, and when Frankenheimer directed the movie version of the play the following year (as The Young Stranger), MacArthur was again chosen for the starring role. Once again, his performance was critically acclaimed, and in the appreciative audience was Walt Disney.
Twentieth Century-Fox and other major studios were not unaware of young MacArthur, either, but it was Walt who won an exclusive contract with the young actor. “I had a loose picture deal contract with him,” MacArthur recalled, “whereby if he wanted to use me he did—but I had script approval.”
Walt had been looking for the better part of two years to find the right performer to play “True Son/Johnny Butler” in his adaptation of Conrad Richter’s thought-provoking novel, The Light in the Forest. The difficult role is that of a white boy who has been brought up by the Delaware Indians and faces prejudice and violence when he is returned to life among the whites.
(For those who insist on the legend of homogenized simplicity in the stories Walt chose to adapt, this novel is nothing less than an allegory using the colonization of the American wilderness in the 1750s as an exemplar of U.S. domination of third world countries in the 1950s.)
The role required a rare combination of appealing naiveté and intelligent strength—and the performance of a precarious conversion between cultures, as well as from youth to adulthood. MacArthur performed the role with a confidence well beyond his teen status, and his professionalism impressed the rest of the esteemed cast, which included Fess Parker, Wendell Corey, Joanne Dru, Jessica Tandy, and Carol Lynley (in her feature film debut). Walt was likewise impressed, and gave MacArthur star billing.
MacArthur remained stoic about his own work on the film; instead, he immediately remembered the fun he had in the filmmaking. “When we were making The Light in the Forest,” the actor recalled, “Fess Parker gave me a lot of water-skiing pointers—and so whenever I want to relax, I go flying across the water.”
MacArthur had made The Light in the Forest over his summer break from Harvard University, where he was studying history, and the following year he embarked on his second Disney feature, Third Man on the Mountain, based upon James Ramsey Ullman’s 1955 Newbery Honor Book Banner in the Sky.
MacArthur played Rudi Matt, a young kitchen worker who is determined to conquer The Citadel—the looming, snowcapped peak that claimed his father’s life. Encouraged by both a famed English climber and the youth’s devoted girlfriend, Rudi endures a grueling training period before he is ready to face the dangers of the killer mountain.
Producer Bill Anderson had read the Ullman book, and simultaneously saw some impressive mountaineering film by French guide Gaston Rebuffat. Disney bought both climbing footage and the film rights to the book, and Walt suggested that Bill go to England and set up a unit to make the film.
The ambitious feature was made on location in Switzerland over several months, and involved meticulous authenticity and attention to detail. This was not a film that used photographic processes and camera trickery for its effect, much of the great richness of the film comes from the legitimacy of it locale and action. Director Ken Annakin recalled that the cast, including MacArthur (but excluding Herbert Lom), did most of their own climbing. In fact, the young actor went off with his guide on the first weekend of location shooting, and climbed the Matterhorn himself! “I only discovered it Monday morning,” the director recalled, “when we started to work again and he was absolutely shagged, and he admitted to me that he had climbed it.”
Walt visited the location for a few weeks during production, and Studio publicist Leonard Shannon recalled the boss strolling through the village of Zermatt, wearing a smart Tyrolean fedora, and simply standing and contemplating the majestic mountain. “He would stand and literally look at that thing for an hour or so,” Shannon remembered.
The finished film is one of the finest adventure dramas of its era. The show business daily Variety said “It has the sort of altitude thrills to send the viewer cowering deep in his seat and the sort of moving drama to put him on the edge of it.” Time magazine felt that the film might “well become a children’s classic of the screen, a sort of ‘Tom Sawyer of the Alps’.” But the film was a financial disappointment, and audiences were enthusiastic, but small.
In fact, film writer Karl Holzheimer succinctly stated, “Third Man on the Mountain may be the best Disney live-action feature that you’ve never seen.”
At this point, MacArthur gave up his studies to make acting his full time career. He dropped out of Harvard in his sophomore year, and began work on his next Disney film, an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Kidnapped.
MacArthur plays the virtuous David Balfour, a sturdy young man in eighteenth-century Scotland who is betrayed for his inheritance by a greedy uncle, then shanghaied by a devious sea captain, and finally rescued by a swashbuckling soldier of fortune.
Directed by Disney stalwart Robert Stevenson, Kidnapped is a solid adaptation with handsome production values, including breathtaking location footage from Scotland, and an excellent cast including Peter Finch, Finlay Currie, and the film debut of Peter O’Toole.
But sadly, even though the film was praised for its fidelity to the book and the excellence of its making, Kidnapped fared poorly at the box office. Many of the same critics who complained that Disney’s adaptation of Treasure Island ten years before was too broad and flamboyant now complained that the adventure in Kidnapped was too tame and understated.
In his final role under his Disney contract, MacArthur was cast as the eldest son, Fritz, of the Swiss Family Robinson.
The idea for this film had actually come about during the location shooting of Third Man on the Mountain. Director Annakin and producer Walsh discussed Walt’s interest in what they felt was a rather creaky old warhorse, but once they found out that Walt was interested in a no-holds-barred adventure with little reliance on the original book, they both saw the potential for a spectacular and imaginative family epic, with elements of fantasy and fun that had become expected of anything that bore the Disney name.
As such, the performances of MacArthur and his talented co-stars (John Mills, Dorothy McGuire and Tommy Kirk) are frequently relegated to supporting status, passengers in a large, loud, fast-moving vehicle. There is little opportunity for outstanding acting, but all of the performers do well and create the characters necessary, even if they often are simply credible archetypes.
Although beset by production problems, delays, and a million dollar budget overrun, the final film was a huge hit with the public worldwide, and has since become one of the rare Disney live-action features to attain a “classic” status with generations of audiences.
Looking back on these films, what is most unfortunate is that the body of work MacArthur did with Walt during his brief time under contract is not well known today. The first three films, perhaps, suffer from the fact that they are strong and serious dramas, without the elements of fantasy and humor that tend to be associated with Disney live-action films. (Walt himself was frustrated that his dramatic films were not more seriously regarded or widely successful. Once, after screening To Kill a Mockingbird, Walt remarked, “That’s the kind of film I’d like to make, but I can’t.”)
Although well received overall, none but Swiss Family Robinson achieved box-office success—and the resulting ritual conveyance by one generation of filmgoers to subsequent ones.
Sadly, even MacArthur himself was dismissive of his excellent early work with Walt, saying, “The parts I had in the four films I made for Walt Disney have all been good parts in their way. I mean none of them was a great acting role, but in very different ways they have all been extremely interesting.”
In this loss of legacy, the earnest and remarkable performances of a young James MacArthur are inexcusably forgotten—as is the primary connection of this fine actor with the visionary who saw such potential in his nascent talent, Walt Disney.
James MacArthur (1937-2010)
All photos courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
Reader Comments (19)
What a fantastic article!
I really enjoyed the history of the films, as presented, and the story Walt's interaction with one of his major stars of the day. I loved reading about Walt cultivating talent and keeping them on contract.
More, please!
I really enjoyed this blog. What great info!
What a lovely tribute to a relatively unsung but truly important contributor to Walt's live-action film legacy.
Walt Disney consistently provided a singular working environment for talented young actors, allowing them to grow and mature, without patronizing their fans in the process. James MacArthur is a prime example of Walt's eye for talent. Excellent bio, and great website!
You might also point out that the 2 disc dvd version of Swiss Family Robinson has James MacArthur ( along with his two "brothers" and the director) doing a commentary tract. It really gives you a lot of behind-the-scenes feel to the making of this Classic. You know, we're at the point where the stars of our beloved childhood films are starting to leave us. Thank godness, with the new technology, we have so much of their best work preserved for future generations of kids to become enthralled..........as they watch, wide-eyed, as a family swings on vines over their own little waterfall........or race around on Ostriches and Elephants! Thanks for the memories...
A very well written and informative piece. Thanks to the author for giving this actor his due recognition. I'd love to see more pieces like this one.
What a lovely and well-desrved tribute. It bothered me a bit that the obituaries focused so heavily on HAWAII FIVE-O, understandably, but skimmed over his crucial years with Walt Disney. I hope this site is home to more such tributes.
A beautiful tribute to an actor who has meant so much to Disney audiences from the 50's and 60's and on to today. I remember seeing him and director Ken Annakin at a showing of Swiss Family Robinson and feeling the warmth that James had. It is always wonderful to hear about the smaller, under-appreciated works from Walt Disney - the man, not the company. I hope to see more blog entries like this one!
Lovely piece, Jeff! It's such a shame that these "gems" weren't appreciated at their initial release. Your piece makes me want to order copies of all of these films ASAP!
great piece. My wife LOVES "Third Man on the Mountain" and now we're curious about "The Light in the Forest." Great job, Mr. Kurtti.
What a fascinating story. Thanks for posting this. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would love to see a book about the unsung personalities who've come through Disney!
Am saddened by the passing of James Macarthur, not as just the actor but as the real person.
What a great article and website. James MacAuthur had such a magnificent acting career and it was so refreshing to read and learn more about his earlier years with Walt Disney. Makes me want to go out and find those early films and sit back and enjoy a time gone by! Thanks for the good read!!
Very satisfying article! "Third Man on the Mountain" is probably the most unforgettable movie of my childhood. It's great to see it recognized. James MacArthur was excellent. It would have failed if he hadn't been so likeable & empathetic.
He was always a class act -- in public & on screen. I hardly ever saw "Hawaii Five-O," so memories of him were very distant, but I felt a surprising sense of loss upon hearing of his death.
Wonderful piece!
I agree with Leonard Maltin that it's a shame that the obituaries dwelt almost exclusively on Hawaii Five-O when to generations of young fans MacArthur's work in these Disney films was iconic. His role in Swiss Family Robinson alone cemented his status as an "older brother" for those of us who identified with either Tommy Kirk or Moochie. I grew up a generation after these films were made, but they were just as much a part of my upbringing as Star Wars et al. Mercifully, a local syndicated station aired "The Wonderful World of Disney" every afternoon at five so it provided a steady diet of these classics. I fear "the kids today" will miss out on that.
As for James MacArthur, I had no idea that his personal backstory was almost as fascinating as his onscreen work. His interviews make him out to be a nice guy, and it's always good to see people from the Disney onscreen family do well for themselves. I'll never not be amazed at Walt's ability to find talent in the strangest places and select them for the perfect role - whether onscreen or for creative and artistic positions. That may have actually been his greatest talent.
I love the poster art for these films. As for the films themselves, well... they don't make 'em like that anymore, do they?
Thanks for the great article. One of the best things about what the WDFF is doing is that the long-overlooked creative contributors to the Disney legacy are finally getting the attention they deserve. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for writing such a great article! I was also curious as to why the various obituaries focused so little on his great work for Disney. He will be missed.
A great article. I'm always glad to see an image (in this case, The Light In The Forest poster) that I haven't stumbled across in the last 20 years! I hope you host more articles like this, and not only when we've lost one of what I see as the extended Disney family.
It's has been many years , It's been a history to everyone. a LEGACY. That's how they are really great!
Thanks for sharing!
I loved MacArthur as well. He should be a Disney legend. I'll nominate him right now if he isn't already. I'd toss in Janet Munro too. Ever since 3rd Man, the Matterhorn has always been "Old Frostytop" to me. Nice job Kurtti!