Frank Churchill

Sound

Frank Churchill

Born 1901-10-20 · Rumford, Maine, USA

“I was born in New England, but somehow escaped a Puritanical conscience. Came to Los Angeles at the tender age of four and am still hanging around. Started as a plumber at the age of twelve until I read in a magazine where some one guaranteed piano playing in twenty lessons. After receiving my diploma from the post office I immediately went to work at $16 a week in a Main Street picture palace. I’m still up in the dough. At present I’m trying to write musical scores for cartoons.” -published in the June 20, 1931 edition of The Motion Picture Daily Churchill began his career playing piano in silent cinemas at the age of 15 before becoming an accompanist at KNX in 1924. Churchill then joined Walt Disney Studios in 1930, where he became a staple composer, penning "The Three Little Pigs" as well as "Hi-Ho". Churchill was found dead at his piano with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1942.

Acting credits

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6 poster
8.8

Two classic animated shorts from the Disney studios. In 'The Reluctant Dragon' (1941), a young boy and a famous dragon fighter team up to teach a docile dragon the art of being a force to be reckoned with. In 'Mickey and the Beanstalk' (1947), Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck confront the fearsome Willie the Giant to try to retrieve the magical singing harp to Happy Valley.

Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6

2004

Walt Disney's A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios poster
8.5

This 1937 short film was made at the request of Walt's distributor RKO Radio Pictures to show executives and theater managers who were interested in seeing how Walt Disney made his films. The footage was shot in early July of 1937 and features a plethora of notable Walt Disney Legends at work on some of Walt's most beloved films. While this film was never intended to be viewed by the general public, during the following year another documentary film was produced for general release titled How Walt Disney Cartoons Are Made that included some footage from this short.

Walt Disney's A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios

1937

How Walt Disney Cartoons Are Made poster
NR

Behind the scenes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, as well as a general look at the different departments involved in making a cartoon. This short is a re-edit of A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios. That short was intended for RKO executives, whereas this new expanded version was for the general public.

How Walt Disney Cartoons Are Made

1939

The Making of Bambi: A Prince is Born poster
7.0

The making of this classic Disney masterpiece about the life of a young faun. Includes archive footage of Walt Disney and his team of animators.

The Making of Bambi: A Prince is Born

1994