If rumors are true that Michael Jackson's lavish life style has left him broke, he would not be first famous celebrity in financial straights. John Wayne found himself in hock after 150 movies. Three wives, seven children, investing his own money in box office troubled The Alamo (1960) combined with an exceedingly generous nature left Duke completely wiped out. He would often walk into bars and shout,"Drinks for everybody on me!" He would get fan letters full of wild pleas for money, from people who had tax problems to mothers who asked for help to pay for their daughter's braces. Wayne would agonize over them but send financial aid if he thought requester was really needy. One time his second wife Chata, with whom he was about to divorce hired a private detective to get goods on him. Down in Mexico near where Wayne was filming western Hondo (1953) investigator forgot his identification one day and got locked up in a Chihuahua jail. Not knowing anyone in a foreign land desperate P.I. called Wayne himself. The Cowboy Star arrived with his buddy and frequent co-star, a disbelieving Ward Bond. "Duke, this guy is trying to ruin you! Let him rot!" Wayne reached into his pocket and pulled out necessary coin to pay bail. "Ah come on Ward, poor man was only doing his job."

Stars can find themselves in money trouble before they know it. While performing in Las Vegas with Dean Martin at Flamingo hotel in 1953, twenty-seven-year old Jerry Lewis ran up $137,000 dollars in gambling debts. The mobsters who ran casino confronted him to ask how he planned to pay it off. The nervy Lewis told them it was their fault for letting a kid run up such a large tab. How irresponsible! The gangsters, a bit bewildered, agreed, then repeated their question. Realizing that these nice gentlemen could whack him, Jerry asked them what they suggested. After a hasty conference they told him he would work it off. The gambling addicted Lewis asked if he could win it back at card table instead, he was told a firm no. The debt took a year and half for comedian eliminate. He would have retired it quicker but card games continued during train rides with former Blackjack Dealer Martin, who kept putting volatile clown further in red.

The cartoon maker and maestro were surprised that both were fans of each other. As always Walt saw meetings with talent as an opportunity to push creative envelope. In fifteen years of running his animation studio, Disney had used music to supplement gags and stories, now he wanted to reverse formula. While recently attending a symphony at Hollywood Bowl he had been enthralled listening to The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas. What if it were combined with a state of art, twenty minute animated cartoon? It could raise animation to a higher art form and introduce new audiences to classical music who had never appreciated it before. Stokowski loved idea so much he volunteered to conduct it for free. He also suggested several other pieces that could be presented with animation as well. And so Fantasia (1940) was born.

Disney's other reason to make Sorcerer was to save career of Mickey Mouse. A superstitious man, who like many in Hollywood consulted fortune tellers, he felt that if Mickey died, his whole organization would go down with him. The problem was that Mickey like many stars was now type cast. He had gone from being mischievous to bland. It had gotten to point where Walt would get letters of complaint every time little guy would misbehave on screen. He had been surpassed in popularity by mean-spirited but more versatile Donald Duck. Walt also felt that high pitched voice that he himself provided for mouse was not exciting for audiences to hear, his role in Fantasia would be silent. Disney remained Mickey's strongest advocate, despite his artist's suggestions four foot rodent was a dumb character who should be replaced in film by Dopey. Their disdain lead to phrase,"A Mickey Mouse Operation" used to describe things that are second rate.