Blue Fairy (1940)
The beautiful heroins of Walt Disney’s cartoons always tried to personate the actually woman ideal. The beautiful, tall, slim, delicate doodlings are real at the same time. Namely all of the mockup star was figured after living actress.
The first fairy is Pinoccio’s helper among the woman figures. Evelyn Venable American actress (1913-1993) was more than a pretty blonde.

Evelyn Venable was born in Cincinnati. The Venables were a very close family, and Evelyn would later remember her childhood in great detail – how she went to the movies with her mother (Percy Marmont was Mrs. Venable’s favorite actor) and how her father once stayed up all night to nurse Evelyn’s sick mouse.
She graduated from that High School where both her father and grandfather William Henry Venable also was an English teacher.
She became interested in theater as a little girl and performed in several plays as a teenager. She attended Vassar College for a short time then she learned in the University of Cincinnati.
Her actress career started in Los Angeles and shortly she had more movie offers. She signed a contract with Paramount in 1932 what inculded she would not have to cut her hair. But that is just an urban legend, that every kissing scenes in her films were forbidden by her father’ harshness.

As the leader moviestar in the 1930s, the gentle, soft-spoken lady was worthy as the voice and model for the Blue Fairy in the Pinocchio movie.
Walt Disney’s wish for the Blue Fairy was to make her probably the loveliest and most perfect character ever seen in an animated picture. Who is the embodiment of magic, who is lovely – because she is the first fairy creature of the Walt Disney studio.

In the original Collodi telling the Blue Fairy is portrayed as having blue hair. Disney felt blue hair was a bit too jarring for audiences, so the character would be platinum blond. The special effects department went to work on crafting her inner light, giving her an unearthly glow.

Though her onscreen time is minimal, Disney clearly understood the importance of this character, as the Blue Fairy’s unearthly presence and heavenly appeal provide the underlying magic of this entire film.

On the final screen test many male audience cries to Disney asking for her telephone number.

Evelyn married cinematographer Hal Mohr in 1934 and they had two daughters. She retired from acting from 1943 so that she could spend time with her family.
“I’ve seen so many Hollywood families come apart because of the mother’s career. I never regretted leaving films. If I have any regrets at all it is in leaving the stage.”
Her fans always regreted that she didn’t become a really suerstar, but Evelyn admitted, “I really got tired of playing those ingenue roles.”

She returned to college (UCLA) where she studied Greek and Latin and attained a Master’s degree.
For her work she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Blue Fairy died of cancer aged 80.

Did you know?
During World War II she worked for the Red Cross.
She and her husband were strict vegetarians. Supposedly Evelyn never tasted meat or fish during her lifetime.
Lovely and ethereal in looks, and quite unassuming in nature – Evelyn’s frends always remembered her that way.

Katalin Csenki

This entry was posted by Ghoulina on Monday, February 7th, 2011 at 9:36 am and is filed under Curiosities, Pin-up. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.