Tributes from all around the world have been pouring in following the announcement of Angela Lansbury’s death.
Folks young and old appreciated the work of the Irish-British-American actress whose career spanned eight decades. From her days on Broadway to 12 seasons of Murder, She Wrote to a lifetime of magical memories with Disney, Lansbury’s name was attached to something for everyone.
While many have taken it to share their favorite moments from the award-winning actress’ career, one particular clip has gone viral – a behind the scenes look at the filming of Disney’s iconic “Be Our Guest.”
Lansbury first became involved with Disney in 1969 when she first saw the script for Bedknobs and Broomsticks. She wouldn’t return to Disney until two decades later – in the middle of her rise to fame while on Murder, She Wrote – when her name came up to play a talking teapot.
“We were developing a trio of talking objects in Beauty and the Beast,” Disney producer Don Hahn said, according to D23. “servants who had fallen under the Beast’s spell. They were his confidants in the same way that the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man are to Dorothy in Oz. One of the trio was a maternal teapot named Mrs. Chamomile—which was hard to pronounce, so she became Mrs. Potts. For months the casting list had just one name on it: Angela Lansbury.”
The Beauty and the Beast ballad was written with Lansbury in mind, and she recorded it with a live orchestra, stunningly in one take!
“She’d tell us later how she’d be talking to a friend, and some little kid would run up and say, ‘Mom, that’s Mrs. Potts!’ She was so proud of being part of it.”
The behind the scenes of that take, which includes images of the late Jerry Orbach who played Lumiere, has been shared numerous times since her death on October 11.
The specific clip is from Howard, Disney+ original documentary. The documentary cuts in and out of the June 8, 1990 recording, but plenty of people have shared it in its entirety online.
Angela Lansbury was an absolute joy to watch no matter where she performed. Words cannot even begin to express how much she will be missed.
