Pinocchio Premier 1940

 February 23, 1940

Little people have been a part of the motion picture business since the earliest days.  Often feeling undervalued and dehumanized, little people actors developed a reputation for rebellion and rowdiness that made Barrymore look like a boy scout.

For the 1937 premier of Snow White, Disney hired little people to dress as characters in the film, which began the company's long history of costumed actors playing their animated characters for live performances.  For the 1940 New York premiere of Pinnochio, Disney executives thought they could use the same gimmick, so they hired eleven little people actors and provided them with costumes and porcelain heads to match the look of the animated Pinocchio to stand on the theatre marquee waving to the assembling crowd of children, awaiting the opening of the film.     

Being entertainment veterans, the actors negotiated to have food, toilets, and drinks available for them during the long day standing on the marquee waving to the crowd, including gin and wine.  By noon, the actors were visibly drunk and began fighting with each other.  One found his wool costume so uncomfortable that he took it off, which amused the others so much that they followed suit.  One actor accidentally dropped his puppet head over the side of the marquee, where it made a loud explosion hitting the ground below.  Soon the others were tossing their heads overboard as well to enjoy the spectacle of them hitting the ground.  

Soon, parents concerned about what their children were witnessing called the police.  Since the only access to the marquee was by ladder, New York police had to awkwardly climb up to try and calm the ruckus, only to find eleven drunk, naked, little people actors playing craps and swearing at the crowd below.  Wanting to cover their nakedness and unable to find the costumes they had thrown over the edge, police used pillowcases as togas to both cover and help restrain the rowdy actors.

Despite this experience, Disney continued to use and develop costumes and actors to portray their animated characters, which now has become standard practice among companies holding animated characters as an active franchise.