Nearly 70 years after voicing Bambi, retired Marine sees life lessons A job deer to his heart

Donnie Dunagan Donnie Dunagan Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Nearly 70 years after voicing Bambi, retired Marine sees life lessons 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Donnie Dunagan was 6 when he was hired to be a facial model and voice actor for young Bambi in the 1942 Disney classic. Today, the 77-year-old retired Marine battalion commander says the fact that he sees a parallel between his life and the deer's coming-of-age story is a testament to the magic of the story.

"There are subtle, easy-to-feel scenes in Bambi that I think give it its longevity," said the Texan, who spent a few years in an orphanage. "We wouldn't be sitting here 70 years later talking about an animated film if the story did not embrace a cycle of life that all of us can relate to."

A Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of the film goes on sale this week.

Bambiopens with the birth of the new prince of the forest. Soon Bambi meets Thumper, the playful rabbit, and Flower, a bashful skunk. From his mother, Bambi learns about the dangers of man. There is adventure, drama, courage and sacrificial love mixed into a 70-minute story that is easy to follow, Dunagan said.

The film was the end of a whirlwind movie career that Dunagan kept secret from his Marine buddies because he was afraid being nicknamed Bambi would doom his credibility.

It was his decision to quit acting at a young age, he said. He was tired of the repetitiveness of film work and wanted to attend school with other kids. Dunagan said his hair was curled twice a day to get the moppet look. He wished for a grown-up haircut with a part down the side. He wanted to go fishing. He longed for freedom.

His family had moved him to Hollywood after the precocious 3-year-old Dunagan was discovered tap dancing at a talent show in Memphis, Tenn. A talent scout in the audience presented his dirt-poor parents an offer they could not refuse.

Arriving in Los Angeles in 1938, little Dunagan appeared in seven films in 19 months. His film debut was playing Peter in Mother Carey's Chickens (1938). He was the boy kidnapped by the monster (Boris Karloff) in Son of Frankenstein (1939).

After Bambi,which took five years to complete, was released in 1942, Dunagan's family fell apart dealing with World War II, money issues and other family problems.

By 13, Dunagan was in an orphanage, which he recalls as a pleasant experience until the head priest died. "I didn't handle that very well. I ran away," he said.

At 14, he found a job to pay for a room in a boardinghouse and continued school.

After graduation his grand plans to go to medical school were derailed by a 1952 notice from Uncle Sam. Dunagan thought he was being drafted but realized much later that he had been called to the induction center only for a physical exam.

While in line for the physical, Dunagan was approached by a Marine. He liked what the recruiter promised and the spiffy uniform with the stripe down the pants. Thirty minutes later the 18-year-old had joined the Marine Corps.

"But it fell in love with me, and I fell in love with it. I got promoted much quicker than I probably deserved. I went through almost all the enlisted ranks like a rocket," said Dunagan, who eventually became an officer. He served as a platoon commander in the Vietnam War and was wounded three times.

Retired from the Marines in 1977, Maj. Dunagan became a businessman. He returned to Texas, settling in his native San Antonio. The 2001 collapse of Enron wiped out his savings.

"Enron smashed me bad. I had to play scramble. We looked around to see where could we go at our ages and survive economically," Dunagan said. "We picked San Angelo, and it has been a blessing for us."

It was at a San Angelo banquet that word got out about Dunagan's connection to Bambi. Soon afterward Disney contacted him to appear in a featurette about the cast for a 2005 DVD release.

Dunagan, who would like to get back in the movie business, always will have a soft spot for Bambi, he said. He enjoys recalling Bambi's icy pratfalls, the naming of Flower and the finale on the plateau with Bambi and his father.

A scene that particularly resonates with Dunagan is the one in which Bambi is chased by hunters and goes down.

"Remember the father had to stand over Bambi and say: 'Get up. Get up, Bambi. You must get up.'

"I have had to use that with myself when I thought I was down."

lana.berkowitz@chron.com