Today In Disney History ~ July 13th
“Lillian Marie Bounds was born on February 15, 1899 in Spalding, Ohio. The youngest of ten, Lilly grew up in a close-knit family that loved to laugh together. When her father passed away, Lilly—then a young woman living on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation where her father had been a federal marshal—moved to Los Angeles to be with her sister. Coincidently, this was the same time that the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studios was expanding and needed a bigger workforce. Walt learned that a young woman was living within walking distance to the studio and he invited her to come down. Walt, a true romantic, was smitten with Lilly almost immediately and their daughter, Diane Disney Miller described the “feeling was probably mutual.” Often, the women at the studio would work late and Walt would drive them home. Initially, Walt dropped Lilly off first as she lived the closest, but as time went on and Walt’s affection grew, she was dropped off last so he could spend more time with her. Walt and Lilly were married on July 13, 1925 in Nez Perce County, Idaho, and honeymooned in Mt. Rainer National Park.
Soon after they bought their first home in Los Angeles, Walt wanted a dog. Lilly, however, was not sold on the idea. Walt was determined. He bought a book on dogs and while reading it to Lilly, the Chow Chow caught her attention. She decided that if she had to have a dog, she would be fine with a Chow. The next day, Walt went out and bought a Chow puppy but kept it a secret until Christmas. While Walt and Lilly celebrated Christmas Eve with family at their home, Walt snuck the puppy into a hatbox, topped it with a large bow, and slipped it under the tree. Lilly was given the box and was, at first, rather disappointed: she loved to buy her own hats. Suddenly, the box moved and Lilly let out a scream as a little puppy poked its head out! From that moment on, Lilly was smitten with the dog they named Sunnee, never letting him leave her sight. Walt shared that he “never saw anyone so crazy about an animal.” This story later became the inspiration for Walt’s film Lady and the Tramp when Lady pops out of the hatbox on Christmas.”
TMSM Today in Graphic by Sherry Rinaldi DeHart; www.waltdisney.org
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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