When Walt Disney was still struggling to make ends meet as a lowly animator in the Midwest, he gave up on cartoons and moved to try make it in live-action. He made a name for himself with cartoons, however — Snow White, Pinocchio, and others. Having firmly established his reputation in animation, however, Walt was ready to pursue live-action again, this time on his own terms.

On this day, July 29, in 1950, Disney released Treasure Island, his first live-action film, loosely based on the Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel of the same name.

The standout performance in the film was the pirate Long John Silver, played by Robert Newton. Portraying a man with a sparkle of gin in his eye was easy for an actor who more than occasionally imbibed himself, and Newton’s mannerisms and his iconic “Arrr” were said to be the inspiration for pirate roles going forward.