Script/Research/Reference Links
Well, hello! My name is Nicole Cherry, and today I’m thrilled to share my interviews with two distinguished Walt Disney employees: Clarence Nash and Ben Sharpsteen. But let’s kick things off by diving into the world of Clarence Nash.
Most people know Donald Duck—thanks to that one-of-a-kind voice! This iconic character has been quacking us up for over 50 years with his hilarious outbursts and unforgettable dialogue in countless short films. But have you ever wondered who’s behind that feathery voice? Meet Clarence Nash, affectionately known as “Ducky.”
Born on December 7, 1904, in Watauga, Oklahoma, Clarence grew up on a farm, where he amused himself by mimicking barnyard animals. At age 10, his family packed up and moved to a town that’s now part of Independence, Missouri.
By the time he was 12, Nash could already imitate dogs, cats, baby chicks, horses, pigs, raccoons, frogs, baby coyotes, and a whole flock of birds.
As a young boy, he worked at a grocery store and delivered newspapers for the Kansas City Star and City Journal—passing right by Walt Disney’s own paper route. Talk about a small world!
Nash dropped out of school as a teenager and launched his career by joining the vaudeville circuits of Chautauqua and Lyceum as a mandolin player and animal impressionist. Married at 18, he and his wife, Margie Seamans, moved to Los Angeles in search of opportunity.
Clarence’s career really took off in radio. He wowed audiences with his animal impressions on the popular Los Angeles radio program The Merrymakers in the late 1920s. That’s when the Adora Milk Company spotted his talent and hired him to boost their image. Nash became “Whistling Clarence, the Adora Birdman,” charming children with candy and his quirky character voices as he drove a miniature horse-drawn milk wagon through the streets.
His radio fame continued with appearances on shows like Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Then, fate stepped in: while out on his daily route, Clarence passed by the Disney Studio and decided to drop off a flyer showcasing his talents at the front desk. As luck would have it, Walt Disney himself had recently heard Clarence’s radio performance and was so impressed that he invited him in for an audition. And just like that, Clarence landed the role of a lifetime, bringing Donald Duck to life for all of us.
In 1934, Walt Disney introduced Donald Duck in the Silly Symphony short Wise Little Hen, based on the fable of the Little Red Hen. Here, Donald Duck dances the sailor’s hornpipe and teams up with his pal Peter Pig to avoid doing any real work—faking a stomachache to dodge planting and harvesting corn. But karma’s no quack: they miss out on the hen’s delicious breads, cakes, and fritters, learning a tasty lesson about hard work and dedication.
In the mid-1940s, a Donald Duck puppet was created and performed by Nash for a promotional campaign during the re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Roy and Walt Disney wanted Nash’s live performances to help boost the film’s box office success, so Donald Duck took center stage in the campaign.
Nash’s vaudeville roots also came in handy—he could manipulate his hands to play “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” This delighted Walt Disney so much that they turned it into a TV special.
But Clarence wasn’t just the voice of Donald. He also voiced Huey, Dewey, Louie, Daisy Duck, a bullfrog in Bambi, dogs in 101 Dalmatians, and some birds in Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room, among others.
From 1934 to 1983, Nash voiced Donald Duck in over 150 shorts and five feature films. His final film was 1983’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol, but he continued to quack up audiences in commercials and other materials until his passing. Mickey’s Christmas Carol, directed and produced by Bernie Mattinson, was based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel and starred Donald Duck as Scrooge McDuck—talk about a Dickensian twist!
One film I can’t help but mention—is Der Fuehrer’s Face (originally titled Donald Duck in Nutziland or A Nightmare in Nutziland). This 1942 anti-Nazi propaganda short features Donald Duck in a nightmare factory setting in Nazi Germany. It was created to help sell war bonds and is a prime example of World War II American propaganda. Directed by Jack Kinney and written by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, the film’s theme song was released by Spike Jones before the film even hit theaters. Der Fuehrer’s Face won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 15th Academy Awards—the only Donald Duck film to receive that honor, though eight others have been nominated1.
Clarence Nash was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend in 1993. So, what’s the secret behind Donald’s famous quack? It’s called buccal speech, which involves creating an air bubble between the upper jaw and cheek, then using muscular action to drive the air through a small gap behind the teeth. The result? A sound that’s high, rough, and—if you’re lucky—duck-like. Clarence never claimed this was his exact technique, but whatever he did, it worked!
Clarence once joked, “Actually, I wanted to be a doctor, but instead I became the biggest quack in the world.” Even his wife had doubts at first, saying, “That’s nice, but it probably won’t last.”
The current official voice of Donald is Tony Anselmo, who was personally trained by Nash. Anselmo described Clarence as “such a great guy—sweet, down to earth, and generous with his time.” It wasn’t until Donald’s 50th anniversary, when Clarence was 80, that he finally got the recognition he deserved: appearances on The Tonight Show and the Academy Awards, plus his handprints at the Chinese Theatre and a national tour.
Clarence said his greatest challenge was dubbing cartoons into foreign languages. Scripts were written phonetically for “Ducky,” who recalled, “I learned to quack in French (‘couac’), Chinese (yes, Peking Duck!), and German. For some reason, German was the hardest.”
So, why did I want to interview Clarence Nash? Because he’s a legend in animation history! His iconic voice for Donald Duck—a character beloved worldwide—is simply fascinating. Clarence’s story is full of surprises and connections: he knew Harry Truman and Walt Disney as a kid, and his journey from vaudeville to Disney is both inspiring and entertaining. He dedicated himself to bringing joy to kids and adults alike, often performing at schools and hospitals, not for fame or fortune, but simply to make people smile.
Growing up, I loved Donald Duck. I was drawn to his voice and wild outbursts—he was so different from the other characters. So, it was a real treat to learn about the man behind the character—a man with a zest for life who loved to entertain anyone, anywhere. He’d visit hospitals, perform his Donald Duck ventriloquist act with a puppet, and sometimes even perform for free, just to spread a little joy.
Ben
If Clarence is the man behind the voice, then Ben is the man behind bringing the magic to the screen. Ben Sharpsteen, a name you might not hear as often, but whose fingerprints are all over some of Disney’s best-loved classics.
Farm to Film
Ben Sharpsteen was born in Tacoma, Washington, on November 4, 1895—a long time ago! Back then, cartoons were just what school kids were scratching into the margins of their notebooks. After graduating from the University Farm (now UC Davis) in 1916, Ben hung up his overalls and went on to serve his country, entering the Marine Corps during World War I.
The Big Apple
After his service, Ben moved to New York City to start his animation career. He worked at several major studios, including Hearst International, Paramount, Jefferson Films, and Max Fleischer Studio. Like many newcomers, he started with the basics—erasing pencil marks, filling in black spaces, and inking drawings. Over time, he gained more responsibility and, within about six months, became a full animator, though he admitted he still had a lot to learn.
Ben moved between studios in New York for a few years, but he started to feel that the animation field didn’t take itself seriously enough. He wanted to do more than just make kids laugh—he wanted to create something lasting. He even left animation for a while to work at the Oakland Tribune, doing a variety of art jobs for the newspaper.
Eventually, a letter from Max Fleischer brought Ben back to animation in New York, but he still found the standards lacking. Feeling discouraged, he tried freelancing in San Francisco, but work was hard to come by.
That’s when a letter from Walt Disney arrived. Walt was starting to make sound cartoons and invited Ben to come to Los Angeles. Ben hadn’t seen much of Disney’s work, but he decided to take a chance, hopped a train to Los Angeles, and trekked through a neighborhood so overgrown he thought he’d wandered onto the Jungle Book set. Eventually, he found the small Disney Studio next to a service station.
Ben met Walt Disney and was immediately impressed by Walt’s focus on quality and his ambitious vision. Walt believed that if you made your product good enough, people couldn’t ignore it. Ben watched some of the Disney cartoons and realized they were a step above what he’d seen elsewhere. He was a little nervous about whether he could meet Walt’s standards, but he decided to give it his best.
Making Disney Magic
Ben started at Disney in 1929 as the first animator hired from New York. His salary was even higher than Walt’s, Roy’s, and Ub Iwerks’, which shows how much Disney valued his experience. Ben worked on ninety-seven shorts, including When the Cat’s Away, The Wise Little Hen, Mickey’s Follies, and The Chain Gang. He later set up a training program for new animators before moving into directing.
As a director, Ben worked on twenty-one shorts, including Two-Gun Mickey, Clock Cleaners, and Mickey’s Trailer. He also contributed to Disney’s first feature-length films, serving as a sequence director on Snow White, a supervising co-director on Pinocchio, and a supervising director on Dumbo. Later, he supervised production on Fantasia, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland. His style was a mix of fast action, slapstick, heart, and genuine emotion.
Exploring New Frontiers
In the late 1940s, Ben shifted gears and produced Seal Island, the first of Disney’s True-Life Adventure documentaries. The True-Life Adventures series, produced between 1948 and 1960, won numerous Academy Awards for the studio, including five for Best Two Reel Live Action Short. The series even inspired a daily panel comic strip that ran from 1955 to 1971. Ben also produced White Wilderness, an Academy Award-winning nature documentary from 1958, noted for its impressive visuals (and, yes, for spreading the myth of lemming suicide). It was filmed on location in Canada and Alaska over three years and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Ben went on to produce twelve of the thirteen films in the True-Life Adventures series—eight of which won Academy Awards. He also produced fifteen People and Places films, with three more Oscars among them.
Beyond Animation
Ben even appeared on the very first Disneyland television show—“The Disneyland Story,” first broadcast in the USA on October 27, 1954. This episode kicked off Disney’s long-running anthology series, with Ben discussing plans for Adventureland, Ward Kimball for Tomorrowland, and Walt himself for Fantasyland.
He retired from Disney in 1962 but stayed active, helping to create an Antique Tractor Restoration Facility at UC Davis and founding the Sharpsteen Museum in Calistoga, California. The museum honors the town’s history, the story of California’s first millionaire, Sam Brannan, and the history of the Upper Napa Valley, as well as more about Sharpsteen’s own life and work.
Lasting Legacy
Ben Sharpsteen passed away in 1980 and was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend in 1998—a fitting tribute for a man who helped shape so many Disney classics. His memoirs and interviews have become valuable resources for animation historians and fans alike, offering a firsthand look at the early days of Disney and the animation industry.
Ben is remembered for his straightforward approach, his commitment to quality, and his willingness to mentor others. Whether working on slapstick shorts or groundbreaking documentaries, Ben’s steady hand and dedication helped shape some of Disney’s most memorable films and set high standards for those who followed.
Why Ben Sharpsteen Matters
Ben may not have been the face of Disney, but his work is everywhere in Disney’s history. He was a mentor, a pioneer, and a creative force who made Disney magic possible.. So next time you watch Dumbo soar or laugh at Mickey’s slapstick, tip your hat to Ben Sharpsteen—the man who helped make the magic happen.
I especially enjoyed hearing Ben say, “My whole career there was primarily based on striving to put in a performance that fit in with the Disney scheme of excellence. I never had a possessive attitude toward something I felt was all my own, because, in truth, everything done was participated in by many other people.” It’s a great reminder that animation is always a team effort, and the magic comes from everyone working together
References
Working with Walt in ProQuest through library loginLinks to an external site
https://www.sharpsteenmuseum.org/shop-5
https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/ben-sharpsteen
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789313
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Sharpsteen