Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)

John James MacDonald (May 19, 1906 – February 1, 1991) was a Scottish-American Foley artist, voice actor, musician and conductor. He was the original head of the Disney sound effects department, and was also the 2nd official voice of Mickey Mouse from 1947 to 1976 and again in 1978 and 1987 after Walt Disney stopped playing the character and before Wayne Allwine became the third voice of Mickey in 1977.[1][2][3][4][5]
== Early life[edit] ==
MacDonald was born on May 19, 1906, in Dundee, Scotland.[6] His parents were Richard William MacDonald and Minnie Hall. The family emigrated to America when MacDonald was 1 month old. They travelled via the SS Haverford from Liverpool, England, arriving in Pennsylvania fifteen days later.
== Career[edit] ==
=== Sound effects[edit] ===
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).
The majority 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 Disneyland and Walt Disney World.[6][7]
=== Voice acting[edit] ===
James MacDonald did the first test yodeling for the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) before they brought in professional yodelers[8] as well as doing some sounds for Dopey such as his hiccuping and sobbing.[9]
By 1947, Walt Disney was getting too busy and hoarse from smoking to continue voicing Mickey Mouse, so he offered the job to MacDonald. 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.[1][5] However, MacDonald returned to voice Mickey again for an appearance at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978 and the opening of Star Tours at Disneyland in 1987.[4] 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.[10][6]
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[citation needed] and appeared in Fantasia (1940) as one of the musicians[11]
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[edit] ==
MacDonald married Sarah Roberta Cullen in 1936, they remained married until his death in 1991.[10]
== Death[edit] ==
MacDonald died of heart failure at his home in Glendale, California on February 1, 1991, at the age of 84. He was buried in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.[1]
== Filmography[edit] ==
=== Sound effects work[edit] ===
==== Film[edit] ====
Year	Title 	Position 	Notes
1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1938	Mickey's Trailer 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1940	Pinocchio 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1941	The Reluctant Dragon 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1941	Baggage Buster 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1941	Dumbo 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1942	Bambi 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1942	Saludos Amigos 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1943	Victory Through Air Power 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1944	The Three Caballeros 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1946	Make Mine Music 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1946	Song of the South 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1947	Fun and Fancy Free 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1948	Melody Time 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1948	Inferior Decorator 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1948	Seal Island 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1948	So Dear to My Heart 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1949	Honey Harvester 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1949	The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad	Sound effects	Uncredited
1950	Cinderella 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1950	Beaver Valley 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1951	Nature's Half Acre 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1951	Alice in Wonderland 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1952	The Olympic Elk 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1952	Water Birds 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1953	Peter Pan 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1953	Bear Country 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1953	Powlers of the Evergladers 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1953	The Living Desert 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1954	The Vanishing Prairie 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1954	20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1955	Lady and the Tramp 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1955	The African Lion 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1956	Secret of Life 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1957	Perri 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1958	White Wilderness 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1959	Sleeping Beauty 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1960	Jungle Cat 	Sound effects	Documentary film, uncredited
1961	One Hundred and One Dalmatians 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1963	The Sword in the Stone 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1964	Mary Poppins 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1966	Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1967	The Jungle Book 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1968	Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1968	The Love Bug 	Sound effects	Uncredited[12]
1970	The Aristocats 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1971	Bedknobs and Broomsticks 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1973	Robin Hood 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1974	Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1977	The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	Sound effects	Uncredited
1977	The Rescuers 	Sound effects	Uncredited
1979	The Black Hole 	Sound effects	Special sound effects
=== Music[edit] ===
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 credits[edit] ===
==== Film[edit] ====
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
1940	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 	Bongo, Lumpjaw (voice) 	Uncredited
1947	Chip an' Dale 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1948	Mickey Down Under 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1948	Pluto's Purchase 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1948	Three for Breakfast 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1948	Mickey and the Seal 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1949	Pueblo Pluto 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1949	Winter Storage 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1949	All in a Nutshell 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1949	Toy Tinkers 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1950	Cinderella 	Jaq, Gus, Bruno (voices) 	
1950	Crazy Over Daisy 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1950	Trailer Horn 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1950	Suspense 	Jeff 	Episode: "Wisteria Cottage"
1950	Food for Feudin' 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1950	Out on a Limb 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1951	Chicken in the Rough 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1951	Corn Chips 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1951	Plutopia 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1951	Test Pilot Donald 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1951	Alice in Wonderland 	Dormouse (voice) 	
1951	R'coon Dawg 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1951	Out of Scale 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1952	Donald Applecore 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1952	Lambert the Sheepish Lion 	Wolf (voice) 	Uncredited
1952	Two Chips and a Miss 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1952	Pluto's Party 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1952	Pluto's Christmas Tree 	Mickey Mouse, Chip (voices) 	Uncredited
1953	The Simple Things 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1953	Rugged Bear 	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
1953	Working for Peanuts 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1954	The Lone Chipmunks 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1954	Dragon Around 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1954	Grin and Bear It 	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
1954	Social Lion 	Lion (voice) 	Uncredited
1954	20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 	Ned Lad humming "Whale of a Tale" (voice)	Uncredited
1955	Bearly Asleep 	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
1955	Beezy Bear 	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
1955	Up a Tree 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1956	Chips Ahoy 	Chip (voice) 	Uncredited
1956	Hooked Bear 	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
1956	In the Bag 	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
1959	Noah's Ark 	Animal sounds (voice) 	
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
1967	The Jungle Book 	Shere Khan, Bagheera (voice, roaring) 	Uncredited
1968	The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show 	Mickey Mouse (voice) 	Uncredited
1971	Bedknobs and Broomsticks 	Hyena (voice) 	Uncredited
1977	The Rescuers 	Evinrude, Brutus and Nero (voice) 	
1981	The Fox and the Hound 	The Bear (voice) 	Uncredited
==== Television[edit] ====
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
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"
1989 	Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers	Humphrey the Bear (voice) 	Episode: "Bearing Up Baby"
==== Theme park attractions[edit] ====
Year	Title 	Role
1971	Mickey Mouse Revue	Mickey Mouse (voice)
Category:1906 births
Category:1991 deaths
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Category:Dixieland drummers
Category:Disney Legends
Category:Firehouse Five Plus Two members
Category:Male actors from Dundee
Category:People from Dundee
Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States