Digby Popham is a supporting character who appears in the 1963 Disney live-action film Summer Magic.
Background[]
Digby serves as the son of Osh Popham, living in the town of Beulah in Maine. He often serves his duty as a mercantile truck driver - often driving across the town of Beulah. Most of the times, Digby would drive his truck independently - often with his family accompanying him. Whenever he receives a flat tire on the truck, his sister Lallie Joy would come to fix the tire or in other cases, Gilly even volunteered to fix it in case Lallie is unavailable. In spite of this, he occasionally shows a good conversation with Gilly, such as the case of him sharing a story of his relationship with a girl named Opal that he brought to the Halloween party.
Appearances[]
Summer Magic[]
Digby is first seen driving the Carey family to Beulah using his carriage car, where Nancy feels excited about living in the new town. Just as they stop, Digby shares his story to Margaret that he has a sister after she told him that if he was an only child. He then tells the Careys to old on tight as he drives them across the countryside of Maine, which he brings them to their destination. After the Careys arrive at home with Osh finishing his conversation with the Careys, Digby shares his story that the farthest area he went to is Four Corners, which he was too young to remember, just as his father offers him three dollars a week for him to pay. He then suggests to his son that Gilly would be able to take over his son's job as a truck driver, just as Lallie tells her father that Gilly would be a nice person.
The next day when Gilly accidentally crashes into several pails with him taking over Digby's position, Digby explains to Gilly that his sister Lallie is the one who does the job in fixing the tire, only for Gilly to explain that he could be a substitute for Lallie in cases she is unavailable to fix the tire. Later, Digby hands Gilly a pair of goggles, just as he becomes grateful for the goggles he gave him.
Later on in time for the Halloween season, Gilly approaches Digby, asking him of who he might bring for the dance, which he replies to him that he is bringing Opal to the party, one of the girls living on the other side of Beulah, which he knew about her when he was at first grade at school. At the end of the film, Digby attends the Halloween party with the rest of the Popham family just before Margaret Carey holds the ceremony honoring Mr. Hamilton's mother. After the portrait of Mr. Hamilton's mother was unveiled, Digby and everyone became impressed by the portrait. He does not appear again afterwards, not even after the ceremony ended.
Disney Parks[]
Market House Deli[]
While Digby himself does not appear physically in the Disney Parks, a window above the Market House Deli restaurant at Main Street, U.S.A. located at Disneyland Paris depicts an illustration of a mercantile truck promoting "Digby's Messenger Service". This window was designed in honor of Digby Popham from Summer Magic.[1]
Trivia[]
- According to Digby himself, he knew about Opal, one of the girls from the countryside, during his first grade years at school.
- Digby was one of Michael J. Pollard's two Disney roles, with the other being Bug Bailey from Dick Tracy, prior to his retirement in 2012 and his later death on November 20, 2019, 56 years after Summer Magic was released.
References[]
- ↑ "Who Lives and Works on Main St.?". DisneyShawn (June 2011).
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