John James (MacDonald) McDonald (1906 - 1991)

Born 19 May 1906 in Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Roberta (Cullen) MacDonald — married 17 May 1940 in Yuma, Arizona, United States

Died 1 Feb 1991 at age 84 in Glendale, Los Angeles, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Karen MacDonald [send private message]

Biography

Jimmy (MacDonald) McDonald is Notable.

Jimmy was a sound effects artist, voice actor, and musician. He was the original head of the sound effects department at Walt Disney Studios and was also the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1948 to 1977.

Jimmy MacDonald was born 19 May 1906, in Dundee, Scotland, UK. Family photo taken The Overgate early 1900's with Williamina, Jimmy & family members (in Dundee). (see scar on face)

Minnie MacDonald (Hall) married to Joseph Beecher Hall. Gailic speaking family.

--- Source for following to be added by informant.....Confirm parentage....and following story sources to confirm same Jimmy/parentage, birth etc.....

While still just an infant, Jimmy's mother brought him to America, travelling aboard the SS Haverford from Liverpool, England and arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 22 Nov 1906. His fathar had come to America the previous year, apparently prior to Jimmy's birth. On 6 Jul 1925, at age 19, he declared his intention to become a U.S. citizen at the District Court in Los Angeles, California, and received his citizenship there on 13 Jul 1928.^[1]

In 1910, four-year-old Jimmy was residing with his parents in Philadelphia, where his father worked as an insurance salesman.^[2] Jimmy's father died the following year, just two months before the birth of Jimmy's younger brother, Richard.

By 1920, Jimy's mother had married Thomas Brook. That year, the family was still residing in Philadelphia, where Thomas Brook worked as a commercial printer.^[3]

By 1930, the family had moved to California. There, Jimmy resided with his mother, step-father, and teenage brother in Burbak, California, where he worked as a drummer with a band.^[4] Jimmy soon landed a job as a musician on the Dollar Steam Ship Lines, which led to an opportunity to record music for a Disney cartoon in 1934. He went on to secure a permanent contract with Disney, eventually becoming head of the sound department.

Jimmy developed many original inventions and contraptions to achieve expressive sounds for characters, like Dopey's hiccups and sobbing in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937); Casey Jr. the circus train engine in Dumbo (1941); the "tick tock" sound effects of the crocodile in Peter Pan (1953); Spike the bee who gets the best of Donald Duck in the 1950s cartoon shorts; the dragon in Sleeping Beauty (1959); the honeybees in Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966); Evinrude the dragonfly in The Rescuers (1977); and the chipmunk chatter in various Chip and Dale cartoons

In 1947, Jimmy replaced Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse, after Disney had become too busy and too hoarse from smoking to continue in the role. Jimmy provided the voice of Mickey Mouse regularly until 1953 and recurringly until 1977 (Disney briefly took back the role for The Mickey Mouse Club). He also provided the vocals for Humphre the Bear, Lumpjaw in Fun and Fancy Free; the voices of Jaq and Gus the mice and Bruno the dog in Cinderella (1950); the Dormouse and Flamingos in Alice in Wonderland (1951); the howling dogs at the pound (along with Thurl Ravenscroft) in Lady and the Tramp (1955), the Wolf in The Sword in the Stone (1963), and the hyena in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).

Jimmy also had a live action appearance in the film Toby Tyler (1960) as the Circus Band Drummer. Outside of work, Jimmy played drums in the Firehouse Five Plus Two jazz band on and off from its inception until it disbanded in the early 1970s.

Jimmy married Roberta Cullen 17 Feb 1940, in Yuma, Arizona. They settled initially at 4529 Strohm Ave. in the Toluca Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles,^[5] before moving to Glendale, California, where he registered for the World War II draft in October 1940. He then listed Walt Disney Studios as his employer.

Jimmy died 1 Feb 1991, at Glendale, California.^[6] He was 84 years old. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.^[7]

In 1993, Jimmy MacDonald was posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend.

Research Notes

Source for following stories and confirmation of parentage to be added by informant to confirm Jimmy/parentage, birth etc.....

While still just an infant, Jimmy's mother brought him to America, travelling aboard the SS Haverford from Liverpool, England and arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 22 Nov 1906. His fathar had come to America the previous year, apparently prior to Jimmy's birth. On 6 Jul 1925, at age 19, he declared his intention to become a U.S. citizen at the District Court in Los Angeles, California, and received his citizenship there on 13 Jul 1928.^[8]

In 1910, four-year-old Jimmy was residing with his parents in Philadelphia, where his father worked as an insurance salesman.^[9] Jimmy's father died the following year, just two months before the birth of Jimmy's younger brother, Richard.

By 1920, Jimy's mother had married Thomas Brook. That year, the family was still residing in Philadelphia, where Thomas Brook worked as a commercial printer.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ U.S. Naturalization Records, 1840-1957, Ancestry,.com (database online with images) California, District Court, Roll 128, Petition for Naturalization #34232, John James MacDonald,
2. ↑ 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online with images), Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, City of Philadelphia, ED 1104, sheet 13B, dwelling 375, family 357, household of Richard W. MacDonald [image 26].
3. ↑ 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online with images). Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, City of Philadelphia, Ward 42, ED 1581, sheet 13B, dwelling 46, family (4), household of Thomas W. Brook [image 23].
4. ↑ 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online with images). California, Los Angeles County, City of Burbank, ED 851, sheet 2B, dwelling 45, family 45, household of Thomas W. Brook [image 4].
5. ↑ 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online with images). California, Los Angeles County, City of Los Angeles, ED 6-1313, sheet 61A, visitation #13, household of John J. MacDonald [image 29].
6. ↑ California Death Index, 1940-1997, Ancestry.com (database online) Los Angeles County, John James MacDonald (1991).
7. ↑ *Find A Grave: Memorial #18298 accessed 11 March 2022), memorial page for James MacDonald (19 May 1906–1 Feb 1991), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18298, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
8. ↑ U.S. Naturalization Records, 1840-1957, Ancestry,.com (database online with images) California, District Court, Roll 128, Petition for Naturalization #34232, John James MacDonald,
9. ↑ 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online with images), Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, City of Philadelphia, ED 1104, sheet 13B, dwelling 375, family 357, household of Richard W. MacDonald [image 26].
10. ↑ 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online with images). Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, City of Philadelphia, Ward 42, ED 1581, sheet 13B, dwelling 46, family (4), household of Thomas W. Brook [image 23].

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18298/james-macdonald

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18298/james-macdonald: accessed June 8, 2024), memorial page for James MacDonald (19 May 1906–1 Feb 1991), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18298, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

James MacDonald Famous memorial BIRTH - 19 May 1906 Dundee, Dundee City, Scotland DEATH - 1 Feb 1991 (aged 84) Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA BURIAL @ Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA Show MapGPS-Latitude: 34.122082, Longitude: -118.2444 PLOT: Victory section, Map #01, Lot 459, Single Ground Interment Space 9 MEMORIAL ID 18298 Voice actor and sound effects artist. He was the voice of Mickey Mouse for Disney from 1946 to 1977. Died of cardiac arrest in 1991.

Inscription: Musician, actor, teacher, friend Disney's sound effects wizard & 2nd voice of Mickey Mouse from 1946 – 1977 "Thank you Jimmy" Wayne

Family Members Parents: Minnie Hall Brook 1880–1946

Spouse Sarah Roberta C MacDonald unknown–1994

See also:

• Wikipedia: Jimmy MacDonald
• Wikidata: Item Q2739967
• IMDB: James MacDonald
• Disney Wiki: Jimmy MacDonald
• WikiTree: Classic Disney Project