Every so often, someone comes along who embodies the spirit of an era with enough charisma to give a film something extra. Tommy Kirk was one of those people who helped define the look and feel of Disney movies during the late 1950s and 1960s.
A career that included screen time with the likes of Annette Funicello and Fred MacMurray, the famed Disney legend passed away earlier this week at the age of 79.
Paul Petersen, a fellow child actor and friend of Kirk, announced his death on Facebook early Wednesday. “My friend of many decades, Tommy Kirk, was found dead last night,” wrote Peterson. “You will surely recall his string of Disney movies; “Shaggy Dog. Ol’ Yeller,” etc. Tommy was intensely private. He lived alone in Las Vegas, close to his friend…and “Ol Yeller” co-star, Bev Washburn…and it was she who called me this morning.”
A Star Rises in Hollywood
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941, Kirk’s family moved to Los Angeles where he grew up and began pursuing acting roles. During his teen years, he struck gold and became one of Disney’s brightest stars.
Kirk said he recalled bumping into Walt Disney at a Beverly Hills hotel. “He was with Hedda Hopper, the legendary columnist,” he said. “He put his arm around me, and he said, ‘This is my good-luck piece here,’ to Hedda Hopper. I never forgot that. That’s the nicest compliment he ever gave me.”
Before getting his first contract with Disney, Kirk was already signed by an agent, and had appeared in many filmed and TV productions, including 1956’s “The Peacemaker” and on TV in “The Loretta Young Show,” “Gunsmoke,” and over 30 episodes of “Matinee Theatre.”
The Mickey Mouse Club and The Hardy Boys
In April 1956, Kirk auditioned for and won the part of Joe Hardy alongside Tim Considine for “The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure” and “The Mystery of the Ghost Farm,” which aired as a serial on “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
Kirk also did voice-over narration for “The Eagle Hunters,” and then co-hosted two more travelogues with teen sensation Annette Funicello. Tommy also did voice-dubbing work for the Danish-made film “Vesterhavsdrenge,” which aired on the Mickey Mouse Club as the serial “Boys of the Western Sea”.
Television, I Presume?
Kirk also had a noteworthy career outside the Walt Disney Studios. He appeared in many television productions during the same time he was under contract with Disney, such as “The Californians,” “Bachelor Father,” and “The Streets of San Francisco.” He also appeared in episodes of “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
In 2006, Kirk was named a Disney Legend for his contributions to The Walt Disney Company.
Let’s take a look at the theatrical films of Tommy Kirk that made him a film star and cemented his legacy as a Disney legend.
Old Yeller (1957)
In Kirk’s first film for the Walt Disney Studios, “Old Yeller” went on to become an important cultural film for baby boomers, and featured one of the most tearful scenes in cinematic history that is still discussed in popular culture. The tear jerker also stars Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire, Kevin Corcoran, and Beverly Washburn.
The film is based on the 1956 Newbery Honor-winning novel of the same name by Fred Gipson. The success of “Old Yeller” at the box office led to a 1963 sequel, “Savage Sam,” which also starred Kirk, and was based on a 1962 book by Gipson.
In 2019, the film was selected for preservation into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
After the success of “Old Yeller,” Kirk jumped from drama to comedy and showcased his comedic talents as a shaggy Old English Sheepdog in his second film, “The Shaggy Dog.” Directed by Charles Barton from a screenplay by Lillie Hayward and Bill Walsh, the film also stars Fred MacMurray, Jean Hagen, Roberta Shore, and in her first appearance in a Disney feature film, Annette Funicello. The film also reunited Kirk with Kevin Corcoran and Tim Considine.
“The Shaggy Dog” was the second-highest-grossing film of 1959 and has the distinction of being Disney’s most financially successful film of the 1950s. During its original theatrical release, the film had a budget of less than $1 million and grossed $9.6 million in domestic theatrical rentals, which made it more profitable than that year’s most celebrated and highest-grossing film, “Ben-Hur.”
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Kirk’s third outing in a Disney feature film would reunite him with Kevin Corcoran for a third time. The action adventure film “Swiss Family Robinson” starred John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Sebastian Cabot, and Janet Munro, in a tale of a shipwrecked family living on a tropical island.
The film premiered in New York City on December 10, 1960 and was released in the United States on December 21, 1960. It earned $8.1 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1960 (based on domestic rentals), right behind “Spartacus,” “Psycho,” and “Exodus.”
“Swiss Family Robinson” would be the second time Dorothy McGuire played Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran’s mother, the first being “Old Yeller.”
The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
Kirk’s fourth film would place him in an ensemble cast. Based on the short story “A Situation of Gravity” by Samuel W. Taylor, the film stars Fred MacMurray as Professor Brainard, an absent-minded professor who invents a substance that gains energy when it strikes a hard surface. The comedy also stars Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Leon Ames, Elliott Reid, Kurt Russell, Belle Montrose, and Edward Andrews. The film was a huge success in it’s original run at the box office.
“The Absent-Minded Professor” was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography. The film’s “Medfield Fight Song” was written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, their first song for a Disney feature.
Babes in Toyland (1961)
Kirk’s first musical fantasy puts him in the film based on Victor Herbert’s popular 1903 operetta “Babes in Toyland.” The film stars Tommy Sands as Tom Piper, Ray Bolger (cast as a villain for the first time in his career) as Barnaby, Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker.
In conjunction with the film’s release, “Babes in Toyland” was prominently featured on NBC’s “The Wonderful World of Color,” with an episode titled “Backstage Party” airing on December 17, 1961.
Moon Pilot (1962)
Based on the 1960 novel “Starfire” by Robert Buckner, the science fiction satire reflected Walt Disney’s interest in the American space program of the 1960s. In the film, an astronaut dodges secret agents and a beautiful and mysterious “foreign” girl before his first moon trip.
Kirk co-stars with Tom Tryon, Brian Keith, Edmond O’Brien, and Dany Saval. The film is directed by James Neilson. Future two-time Oscar winner Sally Field makes her film debut as one of the beatnik girls in the lineup.
Bon Voyage! (1962)
In the comedy that places Kirk in an unending series of humorous adventures, “Bon Voyage!” stars Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, Deborah Walley, and Kirk’s longtime screen co-star Kevin Corcoran as the Willard family on a European holiday. In the Disney comedy, the Willard family sets sail on a long-awaited “dream” vacation to romantic France. However, their trip includes some unforeseen misadventures.
During production, Kirk said Fred MacMurray gave him a verbal dressing-down for some unprofessional behavior, which he later admitted he deserved.
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Costume Design (color) and Sound. The film’s title song was written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman.
Son of Flubber (1963)
In the sequel to “The Absent-Minded Professor,” Kirk and other cast members were reunited to reprise their roles in the follow-up to the original film. Professor Ned Brainard (Fred MacMurray) creates a game-winning modification to a football uniform with a substance he calls “Flubbergas,” which helps Medfield College’s football team win an important game, and also creates a series of mishaps.
The film also stars Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Ed Wynn, and Elliott Reid. “Son of Flubber” is the only film in which Ed Wynn and his son Keenan Wynn appear together.
Savage Sam (1963)
In the sequel to the iconic “Old Yeller,” Kirk reprises his role as Travis Coates and reunites him with Kevin Corcoran as his younger brother Arliss. In the film, Travis, Arliss, and Lisbeth are captured while Old Yeller’s son, Sam, tracks their trail and faces even greater dangers than Yeller.
“Savage Sam” stars Brian Keith, Dewey Martin, Jeff York, Marta Kristen, Rafael Campos, Slim Pickens, Rodolfo Acosta, and Pat Hogan. The film is the first feature outing for director Norman Tokar, who would go on to direct some of Disney’s most popular films.
The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
In the fantasy comedy, Tommy Kirk plays college student Merlin Jones who experiments with hypnosis and creates a mind-reading machine, which gets him in deep trouble with the law. The film became a surprise hit and grossed over $4 million in North America.
The film also stars Leon Ames, Stuart Erwin, Alan Hewitt, Connie Gilchrist, and Norman Grabowski.
Annette Funicello, who plays Kirk’s girlfriend Jennifer, sings the film’s title song with The Yachtsmen, Disneyland’s harmony quartet. The song was written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman.
The Monkey’s Uncle (1965)
The sequel to 1964’s “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones,” Kirk reprises his role as Merlin Jones who invents a man-powered airplane and a sleep-learning system, and Annette Funicello also returns as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The film would be the final Disney theatrical film for both Kirk and Funicello.
Rest in peace Tommy Kirk, you’ve earned your star in heaven.
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