Luke Perkins

@ncluke1024

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Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· 21d

You just reminded me, there was one musical Menken/Ashman really wanted to do, which was an adaptation of the Damon Runyon story, “Little Pinks”. Alan Menken talked about it in an interview many years ago.

“Before Howard became too ill to work, he and I had started work on a musical based on the Damon Runyon story Little Pinks specifically the movie, based on that story, Big Street. But we never even wrote one song, because another writer held the rights. And we would have had to wait a few years before they would become available. I was mystified when Howard just gave up on trying. Later I realized that he was running out of time in his fight against AIDS. And he assumed - correctly - that he wouldn't be around when those rights would be available.

Years later, 1 acquired the rights and worked on not one, but two adaptations of that story with other collaborators. I couldn't solve the tonal issues. But I just know Howard would have figured it out. It was the story of a showgirl, Your Highness, and the busboy, Little Pinks, who worshiped the very ground she walked on. When she is crippled by being thrown down a flight of stairs, Pinks gradually becomes her knight in shining armor; even pushing her wheelchair all the way, from New York to Miami beach. Only when she dies in his arms does she acknowledge her unlikely hero.

In my mind, this was a story that was an analogue for the illness Howard was dealing with privately.
We will never know what our version of this musical would have been.”

https://www.howardashman.com/blog/interview-with-alan-menken-part-two

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· 21d

I can’t help but think about how Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg (“The Wizard of Oz”) were going to do a movie musical about Nellie Bly in the 50’s (with a script by Arthur Freed). But was cancelled because Yip was still dealing with being blacklisted from working on any Hollywood projects.

Arthur Freed had a whole script written on Nellie Bly, the first woman journalist, who went around the world. They wanted Harold Arlen and myself to do the picture. Of course, Arthur Freed knew that would be a subject that interested me. And they sent for me, paid my fare, and we had started work on it....
And Roy Brewer, who was head of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees unions and also a huge muckamuck in the legion of honor in the American Legion... now you notice how they worked it both ways... the head of the union, and the head of the legion, you see. So, with that kind of power, he held a sceptre and a club over the studios; they couldn't move. Now here was a man who was always in the ignominious position of having to fight for a two dollar raise for a man, you know, calling out strikes, being beaten the hell out of by the studio, and now he becomes head of all the studios. What a joyous, dramatic turn of events this was! The man who had to crawl, now was getting Louis B.
Mayer and Jack Warner to crawl to him and say, "Please, can we use so-and-so, can we use Trumbo to write two scenes or a paragraph? Can we use Yip Harburg for just one lyric, please?" What a joyous position he had now. He was taking it all out on the studios. So when he found out I was on the picture Nellie Bly, he said, "Nothing doing. This picture will be boycotted." Arthur Freed got me in the office to apologize. "We can't help it, we're in a terrible spot. Will you please go see Roy Brewer and talk to him? We talked to him and he said you can clear things up if you just go over there."”

From “Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz?: Yip Harburg, Lyricist” by Harold Meyerson and Ernie Harburg.

“So I went to see Roy Brewer one day. I wish I had a tape of that meeting. Number one, he called in a fellow by the name of, I think, Cardigan. Cardigan was an ex-Communist. He came in with a file of papers on me that was thicker than all my works. He had everything. I said, "What did I do in pictures that was subversive? Can you tell me?"
"We know all the tricks," he says.
"First of all," I said, "you say that I have ever been a Communist?" He looked at me and he finally said, "Well, we must say this. We don't have anybody who has ever directly mentioned your name, who said you were in a cell or said you were a Communist."
I said, "All right. Number one, I am not a Communist. Now what the hell do you want of me?"
He said, "But you did things." I said, "Like what?"”

From “Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz?: Yip Harburg, Lyricist” by Harold Meyerson and Ernie Harburg.

"Well, did you write a song called 'Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe'?"
I said, "Yes, for Cabin in the Sky. A big hit."
He said, "Which Joe were you talking about? Was it Joe Stalin?" Now, this is what I had to contend with. Either you bust out laughing or you throw the desk at him. I just broke into laughter. This got them mad.
"You gave money to China."-"Yes, I gave money to China." —"Did you give money to the Spanish Loyalists?" — "Yes, I gave money to the Spanish Loyalists."— —"Why did you give money to the Spanish Loyalists?"-
"They were fighting for my freedom. Did you want Nazi Germany to win?" Silly things like that. Finally they couldn't get anything on me, really, except in these idiotic things where I had given my money to....
"Are you a member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee?"- "Not only am I a member, I helped start it."

From “Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz?: Yip Harburg, Lyricist” by Harold Meyerson and Ernie Harburg.

“I said, "All right, why don't you want me to write Nellie Bly? I can get you a great score out of that; maybe we'll have some hit songs and it'll make you happy too. And then you wouldn't have to sit around here with all these grim faces. I could write some funny songs for you. You guys are very grim now." Well, this guy got madder and madder.
I said, "Now what do you want me to do?" He said, "Do you know the newspaper that the American Legion gets out?" They had a magazine, The Legionnaire. He said, "Well, three months ago," they opened up an issue, “here's an article by a good friend of yours, Edward G. Robinson." I took a look at the headline—"I Was a Dupe for the Communists." "He was in your position. He was not a member of the Communist party, but he was a dupe for it. You just write us one article along similar lines." I said, "No. I will not write one article. However, it's got nothing to do with politics. I've read your Legionnaire at times, and I think it's a fourth-rate magazine.
And I will not write for anything that isn't a first-rate magazine. This is purely a literary idiosyncracy of mine." I refused to write the article and the show was called off. I never got to see Nellie Bly.”

From “Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz?: Yip Harburg, Lyricist” by Harold Meyerson and Ernie Harburg.

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· 24d

I can’t stop thinking about this winter jacket Annette wore a few times in merchandise in the ‘58 season.

A black & white picture of a smiling Annette Funicello wearing a winter jacket, with an odd hoodie that looks like a sleeping cap with a tassel at the end.
She’s holding a piece of fan mail.
At the left is a signature of ‘Annette’ but it’s clearly doesn’t look like her real autograph.
This picture was the cover of several pieces of sheet music of songs Annette sung in 1958/59 like “How Will I Know My Love?” and “Tall Paul”.

A color picture of Annette Funicello shyly drinking soda, while wearing the winter jacket. David Stollery & Tom Considine (who play their characters Mike & Stephen respectively in the Annette serial from MMC) talk with her.
The text on the top reads: “Annette was shy, but Mike and Stephen didn’t seem to mind at all.”
This image actually comes from a short story segment of an abridged version of the Annette serial for the 1958 Walt Disney Magazine (or the Mickey Mouse Club Magazine as it was called early on).

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· 25d

multicolored funicellos #sketch #sketchbook #art #artistsonBlueSky

sketch of annette funicello (from her look on the annette serial from the MMC series) by luke perkins from 7/6/26

sketch of annette funicello by luke perkins from 7/11/26

sketch of annette funicello by luke perkins from 7/7/26

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· 26d

this actually kind of rocked woah

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Jun 18

GUESS WHAT I GOT

Boisterous Beasts & Deadly Dragons: The Art of Nico Marlet
Text by Tracey Miller-Zarneke - Foreword by Jack Black - Preface by Dean DeBlois

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Jun 7

Repost if your account is a safe place for the Trans community 💙🩷🤍

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· May 31

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· May 8

WHAT YOU CALL IT

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Apr 25

ON THAT GREAT COME-AND-GET-IT DAYYYY WON’T IT BE FUN WHEN WORRY IS DONE AND MONEY IS HAYYYY

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Apr 22

mwahaha perfect, soon I will have the power to be his friend

Moon Child Mii walking on the street

“Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream”

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Apr 17

Deadline brought it up that Jason was co-directing (and I kept hearing that Fawn was involved too but I don’t know).

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Apr 14

If anyone was wondering what I’ve been up to last weekend, well… Getting a seal of approval and a “keep drawing!” from THE Andreas Deja was a big highlight.

Me standing in front of an inflatable Cowboy boot that reads “Animation Y’all! Expo”.

Me with John Pomeroy, holding pen art of Mrs. Brisby with his signature.

Me with Andreas Deja, holding a page from my sketchbook with drawings I did at a panel he, John, Stephen Anderson were hosting about “An American Tail” and “Great Mouse Detective”.

Me with Joanna Davidovich, holding an ORIGINAL animation drawing from her short “Monkey Rag”.

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Mar 29

I rewatched “The Three Caballeros” (1944, supervis dir. Norm Ferguson) for the first time in years last night. I feel like this might be one of the only WDAS films to really embrace surrealism. Some of the shots in the hallucinatory climax could be its own bizarre album cover.

An extreme close-up of Donald Duck, looking dreamily at a live action Dora Luz.
From “The Three Caballeros” (1944, Seqence dir. Norm Ferguson)

Donald Duck sitting on a Quarter Moon, looking at all of the multicolor guitars floating in the night sky.
From “The Three Caballeros” (1944, Seqence dir. Norm Ferguson)

Dora Luz’s live action head on an animated flower.
From “The Three Caballeros” (1944, Seqence dir. Norm Ferguson)

Donald Duck impersonates a cactus, while Mexican dancer Carmen Molina is dancing in silhouette in the background. Both the sky and the bottom of the screen indicates patterns from Mexican art, but the bottom makes the scene indicate something a bit more ‘stagey’.
From “The Three Caballeros” (1944, Seqence dir. Norm Ferguson)

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Mar 28

So… how am I doing? 👀

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Mar 19

Sketching! Based on @trueref.bsky.social models. #sketch #sketching #sketchbook #artistsonBlueSky

Sketches based on ‘survivor’ model poses of Carissa in the TrueRef website.
On the left, Carissa is patching up her left hand with a big bandage. Her backpack and her coat are on opposite sides of her as she sits.
On the right, Carissa is walking towards. She’s holding her backpack and coat on one hand, while she holds a knife in the other. Possibly anticipating an attack from an off-screen monster.
Sketches by Luke Perkins (3/19/26)

Sketches based on ‘gothic romance’ model poses of Neri in the TrueRef website.
On the left, Neri is looking to the side rather neutrally as she’s touching her own hair.
On the right, Neri completely loses it as she’s anticipating to put her dagger straight through her heart. With an expression that screams “I’ll do it! I’ll really do it!”
Sketches by Luke Perkins (3/19/26)

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Mar 5

If I had a nickel for every musical adaptation of “David Copperfield” that had original songs by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn… I’d have 2 nickels! Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

“Copperfield” (1981) ran at the ANTA Theatre from April 16-26, 1981. A cast recording of this show wasn’t made, but a few bootlegs have survived.

“David Copperfield” (1993, dir. Don Arioli).
While it shares the same songwriters, the songs from the 1981 show don’t make it in.

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Mar 3

“look at you… look at what you’ve been reduced to” written in a Pokopia text font

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Mar 1

Jellicle Smash Bros. Brawl

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Feb 26

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Feb 24

So recently I’ve been working on a piece of animation with one of my characters and I’ve been trying to make sure the pauses in the timing feel right. And yet it ended up being… 17 seconds long.

“Rover Dangerfield” (1991, dir. James L. George & Bob Seely)

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Feb 23

“He’s outwardly respectable…” “I know… he cheats… at cards!” #demeter #bombalurina #cats #catsthemusical #demelurina #sketch #sketchbook #sketching #artistsonBlueSky

Sketch of Bombalurina and Demeter from the musical “Cats”.
Bombalurina is on the left and she’s looking at Demeter with a seductive look. One hand on her hips as she’s walking.
Demeter is on the right looking at Bombalurina annoyed.
Sketch by Luke Perkins (2/21/26)

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Feb 22

colonel lil john

Luke Perkins@ncluke1024· Jan 30

R.I.P to Catherine O’Hara, a great comedic actress who’s also a great singer. In “Nightmare Before Christmas”, she sings a soft and tender aria as Sally. Then in “Bartok the Magnificent”, she belts out one of the funniest villain numbers to ever come out from a non-Disney musical.