Louis Prima
Jazz singer Louis Armstrong was originally set to voice King Louie in "The Jungle Book" (1967), but Louis Prima was cast instead after Walt Disney feared that the idea of Armstrong who was African-American to play an ape would make the audience find the film racist.
All of the 'scatting' in the film was improvised by Phil Harris and Prima. Because of their busy band schedule, the pair recorded their song "I Wanna Be Like You" separately.
In 1968, Disneyland Records released the album "More Jungle Book," an unofficial sequel also written by screenwriter Larry Simmons, which continued the story of the film, and included Harris and Prima voicing their film roles. In the record, Baloo (Harris) is missing Mowgli (Ginny Tyler), so he teams up with King Louie (Prima) and Bagheera (Dal McKennon) to take him from the man village.
Fans knew Prima as a genial and patient celebrity: he always signed autographs or posed for pictures with a smile. To the record companies and big corporations, however, Prima showed little deference, and he was uncompromising in seeking maximum compensation for his work.
Warner Brothers offered him $60,000 to appear in a movie based on the life of Helen Morgan, but he rejected it; when the studio increased the offer to $75,000, it was still not enough. Prima wanted $100,000 and creative control of his role, which was rejected by Warner Brothers. He had protracted disputes with the Strand Theatre in Ithaca and Majestic Records, and he flatly refused to allow a former songwriter to advertise herself as "formerly featured with Louis Prima's orchestra."
Happy Birthday, Louis Prima!
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