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Hard to believe, but it's been 14 years, and we're still rolling along. Again, thanks to all you Forgottenistas out there for coming along for the ride! And on this one, go ahead and stick your hands, feet, legs, and arms any damn place you please, and your kids are on their own.
As you know, we ALWAYS have a treat included in these Anny posts, and today it's a doozy. Full credit for this discovery goes to Eddie Sotto, who posted the pertinent information on X.
According to Eddie, Walt Disney had a personal collection of the artwork of German illustrator Heinrich Kley (1863—1945). In fact, when Club 33 first opened in 1967 some of this collection was put on display, including this one:
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| Eddie Sotto |
As it happens, this particular piece was iconic enough to grace the cover of a modern book on Kley:
So it's rather amazing that no one seems to have noticed this one before. Marc Davis must have seen this artwork earlier, either independently or perhaps shown to him by Walt from his private collection. In any event, there is little doubt in my mind that this served as an inspiration when Davis came up with the Tightrope Gal stretching portrait in 1964. The combination of elements is just too coincidental.
People often ask how Club 33 got its name. Well, club 34 is too heavy, and with club 32 you sometimes have to hit them three or four times in order to finish the job. Club 33 seems to be just about right.
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