Charles Fleischer

[captain_slinky]

Charles Fleisher. Y'know... Actor, Comedian, Voice-Over Actor (best known as the voice of Roger Rabbit), World Renown Gamma Radiation Scientist...

Charles Fleisher is my newest pop-cultural White Whale.

Here is my personal remembrance/recollection of events, which may be corrected as new actual information is unearthed (aka "This is what I think happened, did it really happen that way?")

Starting with the 1988 Disney/Warner Brothers collaboration on the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", after the film was a success Disney finally decided that they *really* wanted to own the character and the idea and everything, so they bought it. They built "Toon Town" in Disneyland, and most importantly, bought Charles Fleischer.

Coming off as a slightly creepier version of Robin Williams, Disney felt that they could groom him to be a sort of New Wally Boag for the Eisener-era Disney Corporation.

(Wally Boag, btw, for you non-Dinserds, "The Clown Prince Of Disneyland" was THE comedic face of the Disney Corporation for DECADES. Known best for performing "Pecos Bill" at the Golden Horseshoe Review in Disneyland, he was on pretty much every major television special they put on TV).

From 1988 till some time in the early 90's, Charles Fleisher starred in about a dozen made-for-TV specials produced by the Disney Company, including the 1990 "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special" (embeded here for your approval).

He did MC duties for several Disney events as well - stockholder meetings, awards banquets, that type of stuff. And then, at around 1993, he... he just wasn't doing it any more. Done.

Why?

Why would Disney invest that much time and energy in to grooming a person like that, only to abruptly dump the whole plan?

I had heard rumors about a drunken, off-color tirade against Disney in front of a somewhat large audience that may have been what spelled his doom, but... well, that's my new White Wale quest. Did it actually happen?

Comments

[lynna12000.livejournal.com]

I looked him up on IMDB. He has done some stuff since the mid 90's; including stand up and some stuff with Blues Traveler. Which isn't all that controversial or strange.

What IS strange is some of the scientific theories he has been publishing. To me, Disney has always seemed to be on the 'creationist' end of the scientific spectrum. (no judgment on my part, I LOVE most of the Disney movies) But Fleischer's scientific theories would seem to be contrary to the Disney viewpoint.

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

Well sure he's still had a career after Disney... it's not as if something happened that made the Disney corporation arrange for his body to be found in a ditch somewhere, just a situation or event that made them agree to no longer be associated in any way/shape/form.

He didn't work with *Disney* after some point, after years of being groomed. It may have been as simple as his contract expiring, I dunno - that's what I'm looking for. Trying to confirm/deny the rumors I had always heard but never verified.

[aurora77]

Interesting. Now I'm curious, too.

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

So far, no word... Charles Fleisher does conventions occasionally, just need to keep my ear to the ground. He doesn't seem to be the type of guy that would keep quiet about such a thing...