James R. Simon created the myth about lemmings committing mass suicide for Disney's popular documentary film, "White Wilderness." Photographers in the 1950's and 1960's often staged events to obtain exciting footage. To shoot the lemming sequence, Simon purchased several from Inuit children "and brought them from Manitoba to Alberta - well outside their native habitat. They were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from several angles, creating the appearance of many lemmings migrating together; they were then taken to a cliff and herded into the water. Disney has never admitted to knowing about Simon's actions".
American zoologist and photographer, graduate of the
University of Wyoming. An expert ichthyologist, he was employed in 1936
as a ranger at Yellowstone National Park where he went on to catalogue
fish species distribution (subsequently published in book format). He
was appointed Wyoming State Fish Commissioner the following year.
Simon took on a new position in 1947 as director of the
Jackson Hole Wildlife Park. He also perfected his skills as a cameraman
in the course of his affiliation with the New York Zoological Society.
This work soon sparked the interest of the Disney Organization and he
was signed on as a cinematographer in 1952. For the next seven years,
Simon collaborated on several award-winning True-Life documentaries,
culminating in Jungle Cat (1960).
Yeah, I'm not really much into canceling people, especially posthumously, but this asshole for sure deserves it. What kind of psychopath does something like that for one ridiculous scene in a wildlife documentary?
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