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Marge Champion - the real-life Snow White
To celebrate the Diamond Edition DVD and Blu-Ray release from the Disney vault of the classic fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Saga spoke to Disney legend Marge Champion, one of the great dancers and choreographers from Hollywood's golden age, who as a teenager was picked as the dance model for Snow White for the original 1939 film:
How did you become the dance model for Snow White?
Marge Champion: I was in my father's dance class and myself and two other girls were chosen by the people from Disney. My father was first dance director in motion pictures: the Cecil B. DeMille era. The auditions for Snow White went on for a period of three months, as I recall. They were great days.
You also modelled for the part of the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio and as the Dancing Hippo in Fantasia. Can you share with us your memories of those much-loved movies?
MC: I really enjoyed the Blue Fairy although it was a tiny part. At the time I was still in high school, but I loved going to the studio and I learned a great deal. On one occasion they asked me to pose as Dopey! They were groundbreaking times: what Walt Disney was doing with animation had never been done before. Uncle Walt was a perfectionist.
What are your personal favourite Disney films?
MC: I have always loved Bambi and, as a rule, I still don't eat Bambi or Thumper but I sometimes have a problem with Babe!
I believe you are still dancing to this day. What is your exercise regime and what advice would you give to older people who want to stay fit and healthy?
MC: I don't have a regime as such, although I do try to stretch every day. I believe it's important to keep your passion alive. You should celebrate every decade for what it gives you, not what it takes away.
Ballroom dancing, and dancing in general, is undergoing a massive revival at the moment in the UK - and the USA too - thanks to TV shows like 'Strictly Come Dancing'. What do you think of them?
MC: It's an interesting phenomenon - but really I think of what we see on the television these days as 'dance sport'. It lacks the grace of an earlier era and in that way it fits this decade very well. I don't think what we see on the screen is representative of grace or beauty, nor does it tell a story. I'm a bit torn about it. I don't like the way the judges act. But it's just entertainment.
'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' is being reissued on DVD and Blu-Ray from the Disney vault, bringing the film alive again for a whole new generation. What can people expect from the new package?
Disney historian Brian Sibley adds: There are lots of extras, special features, rare archive material and fascinating footage, such as the history of Disney through the decades and the history of Hyperion Studios, where you can take an interactive tour as if you are actually walking in the footsteps of Disney animators.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray.
