A Small Piece of the Puzzle that is Walt Disney: W.W. I

As you might have seen from the blog, I have a large interest in all things Disney.  But the thing that I really live for is finding another piece of the puzzle that made up Walter Elias Disney and everything he created.

This piece of the puzzle was actually discovered by accident as I was heading home from a trip to WDW.  I stopped at my parents in New Bern, NC and their local town's culture center was having a WWI re-enactor demonstration.  Dad and I went to kill the time and it was actually pretty good. 

A few gentlemen were dressed up as soldiers from that era.  There was a lot of equipment on display and a couple of rooms with some great exhibits including a trench set-up. 

Along the walls there were some great posters from the time.  Patriotic and volunteer seeking posters.  One that really stood out for me was this one. 

As most of you that read this blog know, Walt entered WWI as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross because he was too young to enter any of the armed services.  Part of the movie in One Man's Dream in Disney Hollywood Studios has Walt telling this story himself. 

"My Brother had joined the Navy, so I wanted to join him.  well, I was still a year too young, I was 16.  Finally this kid come in to me really excited. He said, 'There's something...there's something just forming here that you and I can get in.'  I said, 'What is it?'  He said, "An ambulance unit.'"

Walt joined the Red Cross and was sent over to France as an Ambulance Driver and arrived just as the war was winding down.

 

As you can read on the poster they were looking for men over 31 years of age which means to old to fight in the military.  And with Walt's story we can easily believe they would take a couple of 16 year olds to young to fight, especially in that part of the century. 

So this small piece of the Puzzle that was Walt Disney might not have come from a Disney source, but it does add depth to the story of Walt.

Eureka, the Disney Stoveworks have been Confirmed

About five years ago I approached you and a number of my friends in the Disney community looking for information about Walt Disney and the Miniature Stoves he would make.
My post from 2009, The Disney Stoveworks

I had a Eureka moment the other night while I was looking for information on Granny's Farm, the miniature house that Walt put together way back when.  The current interview I am working on for Walt's People, Harper Goff, talks a lot about this period in the company.  While looking for more information on this I came across the Stove information I have been searching for.  In an article about Walt's fascination with Miniatures, a couple of paragraphs were written especially for me:

Walt painstakingly crafted a pint-sized potbellied stove for the caboose as well. “I had a pattern made up, and it turned out so cute with the grate, shaker and door, and all the little working parts, I became intrigued with the idea,” Walt wrote. “I had a few made up: one was bronze, another black, and I even made a gold one! Then we made more and started painting them in motifs that fitted the period at the turn of the century.”

Each of these 5 1/2" inch tall stoves had a different design, and eventually about one hundred were made. Walt gave some to friends, and even sent some to an antique gift shop in New York where, to Walt’s delight, Mrs. Thorne herself purchased two to add to her renowned collection, the same collection that had inspired Walt’s hobby. They sold for $25 each and Walt made no special effort to market them or make a profit. He was just curious to see if there was any interest and by 1957, the supply was depleted.

“It has been fun making them and others appreciate them, too, so all in all, I feel well repaid,” said Walt.

 Here's the full post, The Miniature World of Walt.

 After reading this I am left with two thoughts.  The first is satisfaction in being able to confirm what Richard Todd said in that interview I transcribed in 2008.  I really love all aspects of the history of things.  I get the big warm and fuzzy when you can match up information through different sources.  So I was bummed to have only Mr. Todd mention this in a passing question in an interview and no other mention of it in all of my searches.  Of course this fell off my active radar, but the passive picked it up and question, resolved.

The second thought is, okay, he made about 100 of these stoves.  Why have I or anyone I talked to in 2009-2010 never heard of this?  I would think the value on one of these would be a little bit more than $25.  I'm thinking more like $2,500.  I'll have to put this search back into the active mode for a little while and see what else might be out there.  FYI, I just checked EBay and no luck.

Behind-the-Scenes at the Making of Monsters U.

Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, Disney•Pixar’s “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”).

Disney Insider is giving fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Monsters University, sharing one scene from the film as it is transformed from a sketch into the final frame that will appear on screen through Pixar’s six-step animation process. Disney Insider combined these six images into an animated GIF to give fans a real sense of the animation progress.

One Man's Dream: The Scripts

If you’ve read my posts before you know that I’m really crazy about the amount of details that the Walt Disney Imagineers throw into their attractions. Well, with that in mind, the One Man’s Dream attraction is a veritable gold mine of small details that are just waiting to be found. The one part of that attraction I really like is the view of Walt’s Office. There are plenty of little things in here that point back to Walt’s life and work. Earlier in this blog, I discussed the seemingly innocent pictures on the bottom of the Map on the wall and look what we found.  One Man's Dream Jet Plane

With everything in this office scene, there must be something else we can take away from it. There are a number of statues on the desk and the table behind it. There are a number of pictures and magazines and paperwork on his desk. Over on the table to the right and behind his desk there are a number of scripts. I have often wondered what those scripts are, if there even of real projects. Our last trip down I was able to get some pictures which I was able to enlarge and here’s what I found out.

First off, they are real scripts. I was happy to see that I could read the titles of three out of the four scripts on the table. They are Westward Ho!, Monkey’s Go Home, and The Happiest Millionaire.

Westward Ho's full title is Westward Ho the Wagons Ambush at Wagon Gap! Which was shortened to Westward Ho the Wagons! which was released in 1956. The lead in this live action movie was Fess Parker playing Doc Grayson, a settler with medical know-how. Other names of note in this movie were George Reeves as the Wagon Master. George is better known as the Man of Steel as he played Superman on TV. Another name that stuck out was Cubby Obrien of the Mickey Mouse Club.

Monkey's Go Home! was released in 1967. This live action movie had Dean Jones as an american, running an olive farm in souther France. And to pick the olives? You guessed it, a group of ex-air force astronaut monkeys. At first glance you hve to wonder how this one got approved. Seems a little far-fetched as to the location. But I guess Monkeys were in and Europe needed a film also.

The Happiest Millionaire stars Fred McMurray a long time actor with the Disney Studios. It also stars Tommy Steele. And not to be left out, Lesley Ann Warren in her first movie role. This movie was released in 1967 and was about an ecentric millionaire and his daughter's search for her freedom. This is a musical that was written by the Sherman brothers and it was actually up for an Oscar for Costume and a Golden Globe for Best New Actor in Tommy Steele.

Each of these movies have a couple things in common that might point out as to why they are displayed on the table. Again, i'm going with the premise that with Disney Imagineers, nothing is left to chance. There is a reason that these four movie scripts are displayed. The first they all had in common was Walt was a un-credited co-producer on each of them.  Not Westward Ho!, but the other two where the last movies Walt worked on.  The Happiest Millionaire was released after Walt's death, but shooting had finished before Walt passed away.  I'll check in once I find out what the fourth script is and if I find any more information.

Happy Birthday Walt

Today is Walt Disney's Birthday.  He was born on Dec. 5, 1901 which would have made him 110.  On his birthday I like to take a look at what he has created and what it has become.  Not just the material things as in the movies/tv and the parks, but for the spiritual.  I truly believe that Walt was one in ten billion.  Through his early determination and inspiration in animation and his can-do attitude led to the building of an empire that had one over-all goal, besides feeding the family, and that was to create entertainment that can be enjoyed, understood and then loved by all ages, races, creeds and religions. 

"I am interested in entertaining people, in bringing pleasure, particularly laughter, to others, rather than being concerned with 'expressing' myself with obscure creative impressions."


"We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public."

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality."


"Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language."
 
There were many industrialists and business leaders that it can be argued changed the world.  Walt truly did just that, he changed the world and even made it a bit smaller to all of our benefits.
 

Happy Birthday Walt!

"Walt Disney Elementary's"; They Are All Around

I ran across something today that kind of surprised me, although it probably shouldn’t have. I was tooling around the internet and came across an elementary school named for Walt Disney. I guess it should not have surprised me that a School District would name one of their schools after Walt, there have been worse names used in the past. A couple that come to mind;

W.H. Keister Elementary

Pansy Kidd Middle School

EPIC Elementary

So, in my searches, I came up with 14 different schools named after the famed Walt Disney. Interesting that some of the schools are official Walt Disney while some are just Disney. Below is the list I had come up with.

Walt Disney Elementary of Levittown, Pa.

Disney Elementary of Clinton Twsp., Mi.

Walt Disney Elementary of Rochester, NY

Walt Disney Elementary of Mishawaka, In.

Walt Disney Elementary of Marceline, Mi.

Disney Elementary of Springfield, Mo.

Walt Disney Elementary of Omaha, Ne.

Walt Disney Elementary of San Ramon, Ca.

Walt Disney Magnet School of Chicago, Ill.

Walt Disney II Magnet School of Chicago, Ill.

Walt Disney Elementary of Burbank, Ca.

P.S. 160 Walt Disney of Bronx, NY

Walt Disney School of Anaheim, Ca.

Disney Elementary of Tulsa, Ok.

The list is in no order, except for the first one in Levittown, Pa. That town is only 40 minutes away from me, and I never knew the school was there. This, as far as I can tell, was the first school to be named for Walt and the only one to actually have him there at the dedication. Below is an article I have found and coincidently it was posted on the Bucks Local News website just the other day. In case the link goes bad I have the contents of the article below:

By Jack Lebo, Correspondent
We just happen to reside just down the street from an elementary school named for one of my heroes, Walt Disney. Just recently, I discovered that Mr. Disney, himself came to Levittown, PA, to dedicate the opening of the school. Unfortunately, I was serving overseas with the U.S. Air Force at the time, thus, I was unable to witness this wonderful occasion.It was Saturday, September 24, 1955, and Walt Disney had come to town to dedicate the then brand-new elementary school that had been named in his honor. The school, in the lakeside section of Levittown, PA, had been built to replace the aging two-room Tullytown schoolhouse that had served the community for generations.In the spring of 1954, with the new school still in the planning stages, the Tullytown school board had asked students to select the person for whom they would name it. Generally, elementary schools are named after famous American historical figures, usually deceased. But these children had someone different in mind. To everyone’s surprise and delight, they chose Walt Disney.For a child, this was a simple choice. The name Walt Disney was known to even the youngest of them. The bulk of their entertainment was provided by Disney. The market was flooded with Disney books, Disney magazines and Disney toys. Movie theatres were filled with Disney productions. “The Mickey Mouse Club” and the Disney TV shows led the TV ratings, and the Disneyland theme Park had just opened. It was no contest. Disney was contacted, and was pleasantly surprised that a school would bear his name. AS famous as he had been for so many years, no other school had ever given him this honor. Not only did he promise to come to the dedication, but he would send artists to decorate the school’s interior. Since Gov. George Leader had proclaimed Sept. 24 “Walt Disney Day” throughout the Commonwealth, national state, and local dignitaries waited there to greet Disney. But it was the children who got most of the attention. They shunted the officials aside and surged forward almost onto the railroad tracks. They shouted and waved, and clutched at Disney as he climbed down from the train.The door to each room would be emblazoned with the name of a Disney character rather than a number. There would be the “Mickey” room, the “Donald” room, the “Pinocchio” room and the “Snow White” room. The principal’s office door would read “Captain Hook”; “the cafeteria, “The Castle of Dreams;” the girls’ lavatory, “Mermaid Lagoon;” and the boys’ lavatory, “Pirates Cove.” The nurse’s office was “Pegleg Point” and the telephone booth was “Tinker Bell.” The door to the boiler room, beyond which no student should ever pass, would read, “Never-never Land.” On Saturday, Sept. 24, shortly after 3 p.m., a Pennsylvania Railroad train approached the Levittown station. Leaning out of the window of the diesel locomotive, wearing a railroad engineer’s cap, and smiling and waving to the crowd that overflowed the platform, was Walt Disney. Beside him, was Colin Cho, a sixth grader and the school’s official greeter. After being driven in a motorcade to the old Tullytown schoolhouse, and then given a short tour of Levittown, Disney was brought to the new school. There, he laid the cornerstone to the accompaniment of songs from his many films played by the children’s school band. Once inside the building, Disney was joined by six children who alternately held his hand and led him on a grand tour of the school. He walked the halls with them and visited every classroom. Special Saturday classes were in session for the occasion, and the master story teller delighted students by telling stories and imitating some of his characters.In the Bambi room, he told them parts of the Bambi story. In the Donald Duck room, he imitated Donald. In the Mickey Mouse room, he was the voice of Mickey. In the Pluto room, he stood at a piano and plunked out, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” He posed for photos and joked with parents and teachers. Those who were there that day still remember that Disney seemed to enjoy himself as much as the children. Later, the children entertained him in their auditorium with their own special Disneyland show.Disney reportedly liked what he saw of Levittown. He commented on the way the community was laid out, “with plenty of room for gardening.” When asked if he would ever come back, he indicated that he had no immediate plans to return, but someday he probably would. Unfortunately, he never did. Seven years later he was gone, succumbing to cancer at age 66.In contrast to children in 1955, who saw Disney each week on his television show, few of today’s youngsters even recognize him. Echoing comments of other recent principals, current principal Fay Manicke commented, “It’s sad that many of the children who today attend the school look up at the large framed photograph of Disney in the school lobby and ask, “Who’s that?”

I took a quick look at each of the above schools history, if they had any. Each and every one that told about how their school was named were extremley proud of the fact that it was the students that came up with Walt's name.

So, I am going to classify this post as, "I Learned Something While Surfing the Net the Other Day."

One Man's Dream Jet Pictures

I had just uploaded some pictures of Walt's Office from One Man's Dream for a friend on The Walt Disney Boards. He's going to design an office around it, but I digress. While looking through the pictures I was going to give him I did a small double take at the picture to the left. On the bottom of the board there are a couple pictures, four to be precise. I had never looked closley at them due to the overwhelmingness of the entire room. But since I was taking a look again I used the zoom control and really took a look. I was expecting pictures of the WDW project or maybe some attraction shots form Disneyland. What I found was pictures of the interior of what must have been Walt's private Jet. The one that is on the Backlot Tour and that Walt took back and forth from California to Florida when he was working the WDW deal. The plane now resides on the BackLot tour with it's easy to recognize Mickey on the tail and the Plane ID known by Air Traffic Controlers at the time; N234MM. That would be N-2-3-4-Mickey-Mouse. The interior looks very luxurious for the time. A lot of wood and what seems like a lot of space.

I would throw this into the category of it's all in the details. And the moral of this story? Take a lot of pictures and make sure you look at them later. you never know what you'll find.

Walt's People, Volume 8 has been Released

A friend of mine, Didier Ghez of the Disney History Blog, just released the 8th volume in his series of books called Walt's People. Didier collects the best interviews of the men and women that worked with Walt Disney in the studios with animation and in the parks with imagineering. I have transcribed and read many of these interviews and it's as if you are there with them as they tell their wonderful and not-so wonderful stories of working with Walt. Either way their stories and tales are an incredible window into the world of the Disney Studios from early into the years after Walt's death. Check out this series of books, you will not be disappointed. You can purchase volume 8 at the Xlibris web site.

Walt being Walt...

Jim Hill posted a small article the other day that caught my eye. The title of the post was ‘The Story Walt did not Want You to Hear.’ My first reaction was, uh oh, now what. Based on the title it can’t be good. But I was very wrong. Jim shared a story revealed by Richard Collier of how months before Disneyland had opened Walt had granted what can be called the very first Disney Magic Moment. A 10 year old boy’s mom had written to Walt about how excited she and her son were to hear about the plans for Disneyland. They watched Walt every week on his tv show. Unfortuantley her son had a terminal disease and would not live to see the opening of the park and was there any way her son could see what they had finished. I was still wary based on the this posts title, but for no reason. The boy and mom came out and Walt spent the entire afternoon with him riding the train and talking about his plans for the park. It seems that Walt had made a very definite appeal to all who were there that day that there were to be no pictures or stories about his to get out. It was for the boy and that’s it. Even just reading back over what I have written makes my eyes moisten up. It always feels good to see Walt be who we think he was. Thanks for the post Jim!