MONDAY-WALT QUOTE DAY "Mistakes"

"To some people, I am kind of a Merlin who takes lots of crazy chances, but rarely makes mistakes. I've made some bad ones, but fortunately, the successes have come along fast enough to cover up the mistakes. When you go to bat as many times as I do, you're bound to get a good average. That's why I keep my projects diversified."

THE LIBERTY TREE STORY—Only God Can Make A Tree?

THE LIBERTY TREE STORY
by Paul F. Anderson

The "Liberty Tree" in Liberty Square at Walt Disney World stands as the largest living specimen in the Magic Kingdom and is the largest tree ever transplanted on WDW property. The 100-year old southern Live Oak (quercus virginiana) was found on the east side of the WDW property about eight miles from its current location.

The stately tree represents the original Liberty Tree in Boston that was christened in 1765 by patriots calling themselves the “Sons of Liberty.” They would gather beneath its limbs to protest the unjust imposition of the Stamp Act. Throughout the early years of the revolution it became a living symbol of American freedom of speech and assembly. The tree in WDW has thirteen "victory" lanterns hanging from its boughs to represent the thirteen original colonies.

Walt had originally envisioned a Liberty Square with a Liberty Tree for Disneyland in the mid-1950s. This land never came about for Disneyland, but true to Walt's wishes, the tree was planned for inclusion in WDW's Liberty Square—but not without overcoming a serious obstacle.

Preparations to move the 38-ton tree began a year in advance when it was discovered that the root ball measured 18 feet by 16 feet by 4 feet deep. It was so large that it was impossible to lift it by simply wrapping a cable around it, as was common. (In fact had this been attempted the bark and cambium layers of the tree would have been crushed by the trees own weight.)

Enter the ingenuity of Walt's hand-picked landscaper, Bill Evans, who was in charge of the landscaping for WDW. Years earlier at Disneyland Evans had come up with an innovative method where holes were drilled through the hardwood center of the trunk and steel rods inserted. These rods on the Liberty Tree served as handles for hoisting and hauling the tree with a 100-ton crane to its present location.

Evans explained in an interview with me the winsome account of how he developed the technique:

“When Disneyland was only a couple of years old, Walt decided that the African Coral Tree growing at the Polynesian Terrace was not big enough to carry a vast assortment of sound and lighting equipment and other paraphernalia that represented a good deal of weight.

“So he wanted the Coral Tree out and an artificial tree in--a constructed tree. I don't know whether or not you could invoke the poem ‘Only God Can Make A Tree,’... but Walt made a tree... [Laughing] and it was quite a satisfactory tree.

“In order to not loose the tree that occupied the sight, we needed to find a way to get the tree out. We could not get a crane strong enough to lift it out of there if we had put a conventional box on it. We took a calculated risk and propped the tree up with some 6 x 6 timbers under the branches to carry its weight and proceeded to placer mine, with a firehouse, all the real estate until we had it suspended from its branches.

“Then we went around with pruning sheers and reduced the root system to something we could handle. Now we were afraid we would crush the sensitive cambium—which is the film that is the life blood of the tree or any tree—which lies just under the bark.

“So rather than seizing it around the throat, so to speak, we bored a couple of holes through the trunk—one north-south and one east-west—and put some inch and a half steel through the trunk and thus provided a convenient handle. We then picked the tree up by these steel pins and transported it. And now you see it weighed about one-fifth of what it would have weighed.

“We ended up doing several hundred trees that way. I don't think that anybody ever attempted this before—it was the kind of latitude that Walt gave us.

“Due to its success we carried the method down to Florida where the local nurserymen and landscape people were absolutely horrified, including the professional pathologist from the University of Florida I might add. He predicted our trees would die in two years if we bored a hole through them. And we must have moved a thousand trees that way in Florida, all kinds of trees including the Liberty Tree. [Laughing] And hardly any of them died.”

Today, thanks to Walt Disney, Bill Evans and others, the Liberty Tree stands noblely at the heart of Liberty Square—a symbolic image of America's beginning and Disney's dream.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING From DHI & SUNOCO

O. Henry said of Thanksgiving, “There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.” I have said that Walt Disney was purely American. Bob Thomas called him “An American Original.” Thus, Walt and Thanksgiving should go together. As such, we here at the Institute wish you a Happy Thanksgiving filled with Disney Magic (the first time in my twenty-five plus years of Disney History I have used the word “Disney” and “Magic” in the same sentence).

The above item features Mickey as a Pilgrim, and very humanely missing his shot at the turkey. It is a reminder postcard from Sunoco Oil, which Disney had a promotional tie-in with in 1939 through about 1945. Just a hint of future things to come, as I have slowly been working on the 1930s and 1940s Disney tie-ins with Oil Companies. (So consider this Thursday's contribution for Help Wanted: I am researching promotional tie ups between Disney and the Oil Companies in my spare time. It can also be considered for Anything Can Happen Day. The DHI Double Whammy!)

Here is hoping you and yours have a Happy, and safe, Thanksgiving.

WEDNESDAY-FUN FOTO "Count Mickula"

Great Fun Foto today—and you can sure tell the subjects in the photo are having fun! Of special interest is the fellow with Mickey Mouse. You may have heard of him, his name is Bela Lugosi, and is best known for his numerous portrayals of Count Dracula on stage and screen. Lugosi’s appearance in the Universal Pictures film Dracula (1931) stunned audiences of the day. Newspaper reports write of members of the audience passing out due to the unspeakable horror. Lugosi’s performance is considered one of the greatest of the monster film genre, and the film propelled him to instant fame.

The photo was taken at an unknown Hollywood restaurant in 1933. Another notable in the photograph is Joe Penner, who is seated at the far left, complete with cigar. Penner was quite famous as well, but his stardom came via the radio. Just one year after this picture was taken Penner was voted radio's top comedian. His catchphrase, “Wanna Buy A Duck?” brought radio audiences to an instant uproar, including many at the Disney Studios. So with phrase in hand, Penner made a cameo appearance in the 1938 Disney short cartoon “Mother Goose Goes Hollywood” in which he offers up Donald Duck on a platter and exclaims his famous statement.

Finally, probably the most famouse [pun intended] of the bunch is the little fellow in the middle, Mickey Mouse. No one is quite sure why Mickey is making an appearance here, as he was not known as a Hollywood Party animal. It has been suggested that Lugosi was honoring Mickey Mouse for his fifth birthday. It is known that Lugosi was a big fan of the cartoon character. In fact, in the mid-1930s Lugosi was filling out a press biography for Cameo Pictures studio and the question, “Who is your favorite film star?” was asked. The Count originally wrote “none,” but then changed his mind and crossed out the word and wrote in “Mickey Mouse.”

Lugosi bounced from studio to studio in the 1930s, and eventually did a bit of work at the Disney Studios, when on November 12, 1939 he materialized for a live-action filming session. Bela was paid $150 and spent the entire day posing and modeling for the animators. As one of the premier villains of the day, Walt had hoped that his evil, hulking, and nocturnal portrayal would provide inspiration for Fantasia's Chernabog. Wilfred “Jaxon” Jackson, director on “The Night on Bald Mountain” sequence, told Lugosi what to do, to which the Count responded in his thick Hungarian voice, “I feel the character. You tell me what things he does.” Jackson did: “I told him what things he did and what the music does. He started showing how he would unwrap his wings and things like that and we were getting along great, but Bill Tytla [A] was having an awful time… He was telling Lugosi how he should do it. Finally Bill gave up and went over in the corner and sulked. So I got the best stuff I could out of it and after it was over Bill said, ‘Jack, I don’t like what he’s done. I like the way you do it. Won’t you take your shirt off and get in front of the camera?’ So I took my shirt off and he ran the music and we used that stuff. We never told Walt.”

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

DISNEY AND THE MAGAZINE-Snow White in Hollywood

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER
by Paul F. Anderson

In keeping with my first installment of the "Walt and the Magazine" essay series (see it here) I wanted to share what I consider to be one of the most beautiful magazine covers from Disney history. From Hollywood May1938. The cover art is absolutely brilliant, but a bit of a bastardization. It is obviously a patched together piece of the Gustaf Tenggren art from the original release Snow White (1937) one-sheet (and other promotional pieces). However, shockingly inserted dead center is Dopey from the film. Stylistically he just doesn't fit (after all, Dopey is the misfit). The reason for this is probably found in the article across the bottom banner "Valuable Prizes--7 Dwarfs Popularity Contest". It is apparent that someone in the art department at Hollywood is making an effort to have Dopey stand out (after all, he routinely is considered the most popular of the dwarfs, distantly followed by Grumpy). Still, even with this assault on Tenggren's original, the cover is remarkable. The art is similar to the art for the one-sheet, however the other six dwarfs are in different poses, and of course a few key characters are missing. The art below is the original promotional art by Tengrenn that was recently offered in a Heritage Galleries auction.

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

TUESDAY-WALT'S PEOPLE Clarence "Ducky" Nash

In keeping with the tradition here at the Institute of presenting little known, or never seen, material, I offer up this serving of Walt's People with the voice of Donald Duck: Clarence "Ducky" Nash. I have two items of interest for Ducky. The first is a great picture of Ducky doing Mickey Mouse Club promotion in Buffalo, New York. I found the image in the Puppetry Journal September-October 1964 issue, which is from the Puppeteers of America organization. Ducky is pictured at the left, with his Donald Duck ventriloquist figure. Next to Donald is a beautiful ventriloquist figure made by the Disney Studios, Mouseketeer Corky. Then we have Captain Bob (Lawrence). Bob Lawrence and Jim Menke did a daily TV show for WGRZ-TV, and Ducky was on a publicity tour to promote the Mickey Mouse Club. Captain Bob was the host, while Jim Menke created the puppets and provided the manipulation and voices. I caught up with Jim Menke, who is still performing in Buffalo, and asked him about Ducky and this photo. Here is what he had to say:

"The picture with Clarence Nash ... and my marionette "Corky" plus Bob Lawrence (in pirate costume) and myself was taken in the studio of WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, New York. Jimmy [Dodd] and Clarence were on a publicity tour for the Mickey Mouse Club. The show was part of a daily TV show that Bob Lawrence and I did. It was taken by the station publicity department. Clarence had a vent figure of Donald. He was a very charming, nice man, very funny both on and off camera."

In 1933, Clarence Nash was a milk delivery man, who had a particular talent of creating various animal voices and sound. So delighted was The Adohr Milk Company, that they billed him as "Whistling Clarence, the Adohr Bird Man." One day, on impulse, Nash applied at the Disney Studios and auditioned for various animal parts, impersonating everything from turkeys to crickets. One voice in particular, a baby goat, caught everybody's attention. In this unique voice, Nash recited Mary Had a Little Lamb. The legend that came from this is that Walt emphatically stated, "STOP! That's our talking duck?" There are other versions of the story, but this one has generally become accepted as truth (perhaps we will never know). Nash signed a contract with Disney in December 1933, and went on to provide his quackery vocalizations to Donald Duck.

The Studio frequently used Clarence for appearances on radio, and then later in the 1930s/1940s, sent him on tour with his Donald Duck dummy. The second treat I have for Clarence's appearance in Walt's People is a hand-written letter by Ducky to Walt. It is a birthday greetings from on the road, where Clarence is performing with the Donald dummy and a Duck cartoon or two. Enjoy:

Friendly Hotels
Wichita, Kansas

December 5, 1943

Dear Walt

You know doubt have had many felicitations on this day—I too would like to add mine—so “Many Happy Returns of the Day.”

Donald and I have been knocking around a lot—it is work, especially the way travel is today. We have been doing pretty well too. In Lawton Okla., they had to turn away about two hundred school children. Had a nice visit with Linda Marley who used to work in publicity—her husband Lt. Renwick is stationed at Fort Sill.

Remember Mrs. Duck of Wichita Falls, Tex? You sent her baby Donald a duck doll. The little fellow walked up to the stage in the middle of our performance. Have had a lot of time to myself today. Been thinkin a lot, especially about the studio and how I probably “Get in Peoples Hair” there. Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate the efforts of the fellows who helped get the film ready. Without the film, Donald and I would have had a heck of a time entertaining an audience for an hour or an hour and a half.

Hard Peat’s representative saw us in Wichita Falls and thinks we will have more dates. He said he didn’t misrepresent us at all. I feel pretty good about that.

Sincerely “Ducky”

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

NEWSPAPER EXPLOITATION-Pinocchio

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A DISNEY HISTORIAN?
by Paul F. Anderson

One of my favorite aspects of the blogosphere, is the ability to present some of the vast array of graphics from Disney history. This is a luxury I never had with Persistence of Vision. I have always had a fondness for newspaper articles, advertisements, and photos; and thus over the years I have collected large amounts of this material. So to start off this new feature here at the Institute I give you three different advertisements featuring Pinocchio.

While relatively simple in nature, a great deal can be learned from these ads. As with many things, they are overflowing with information and clues, if one just knows where to look. When I teach my class on Walt Disney in American Culture, I have a short lecture on looking beyond the obvious to see what can be discovered. I'm a professor in the American Studies Department (which is basically an extension of the History Department), and I would say 80% of my students each year are working on, or have, a degree in History. So looking beyond the obvious and finding facts through intrinsic dating, region of the country, names, and more, is something that will be useful in their pursuit of history. The three newspaper clippings are a good example of how I teach some of the skills used and what to look for. When I purchased these, they were as seen, which is typically how I find clippings: without dates or citations (i.e., what periodical they are from).

My entire career I have received questions like, "How do I become a Disney historian?" I wish there was a simple answer, other than just "do it!" It is sort of a made-up field, but as with anything, knowledge is power, and the more you learn the better off you will be. So, for the benefit of those who are interested, I thought I would just offer some ideas of what I go through when I find incomplete pieces of history, like these three clippings. As a note, I randomly pulled these three clippings out of one of my files today, and spent about 20 to 30 minutes obtaining the information below.

CLIPPING #1 There is a wealth of intrinsic information in this advertisement. First would be the theater, which is the Hippodrome. There are several theaters by this name, the most famous being located in Los Angeles. I took a look at the other Hippodromes, and found out when they were in operation, what kind of theater they were (plays, films, etc.), and what their logos looked like. Based on this knowledge, the theater in California was the most likely candidate. The listing of "RKO Radio Picture" as the distributor shows me that it is dated between 1936 and 1954, the years RKO had the Disney distribution deal. With this information, I can find out the years in which Pinocchio (1940) was re-released, those being: 1945, 1954, 1962, 1971, 1978, 1984, and so forth. Obviously, if RKO is listed, then it can only be the original release of 1940, or the re-releases in 1945 and 1954. The other two pieces of information would be the 30 cents for a ticket before 1 o'clock and the Extra Sport Thriller "Men of Muscle". With a little bit of searching on these two facts, and with everything else combined, it suggests a date of 1954. Historians like to use sneaky words like "circa" (abbreviated: ca.). This comes from the Latin word circum, meaning "around". Circa (ca.) in historical terms is typically understood to be a range of years both before and after the date listed ... the range being fifteen years, thus ca. 1954 would be 1939 to 1969. It gives pop cultural historians a lot of leeway for mistakes, if you are only dealing with events of the last fifty to sixty years. However, if you are an ancient historian and trying to pinpoint the First Peloponnesian War (ca. 445 BC), then it is considerably more difficult.

CLIPPING #2 Okay, this one is pretty easy. The date, obviously 1950. Cleveland Arena only takes a few seconds to discover it is Cleveland, Ohio. While there are other Clevelands across the United States, a quick search of where the Ice Capades appeared (major metropolitan areas), as well as intrinsically looking at Howard's Army Store on 224 E. Federal, which was located in Cleveland, makes the Ohio connection a slam dunk.

CLIPPING #3 I have left the trouble maker for the end. The theater was relatively easy to discover, as it has an address. It was located in Boston, Massachusetts in Chinatown and has a rich history (with a name like LaffMovie, how could it not?). R.H. White only confirms this, as it was a large Boston department store next to the theater. A great deal of extras in this one, but that is where some interesting problems come up. The Disney cartoon, "Polar Trappers" was released in 1938, but no serious issue, as the shorts were in perpetual re-release with the Disney animated features. Strangely, three of the films listed—"I Taw A Putty Tat", Mighty Mouse "The Magician", and Let's Go Shopping with Leon Errol—were all released in 1948. With this kind of documentation, one wonders if Pinocchio had a limited release in 1948? RKO is not listed as a distributor, but this means little as often times the distributor would be left off. At this point, I did some research on the theater and found that it had a storied past, which provided some clues. It opened originally in 1894 as B.F. Keith's Theatre, where in 1896 Thomas Edison demonstrated his new Vitascope movie projector. The theatre was sold by Keith in 1928 and reopened in 1929 as the Apollo Theatre. It then became the Lyric Theatre, and later in the 1930s became a movie house called the Normandie Theatre, and finally the LaffMovie Theatre. I did not search long enough to discover the actual year it became LaffMovie, but one site on historic theaters stated it was demolished in the "early-1950s". While "early" is not quite as vague as "circa", generally one would consider that to mean 1950 to 1953, thus further confusing the issue. Without further research, which could certainly be done, I decided to wrap it up by looking at the graphics (illustrations, lettering, fonts, etc.). The look and feel of it is the fifties. And thus with all things considered I arrived at 1954 (with my escape clause added: "circa"). If one was interested in truly dating the clipping, there would be several leads to follow up on. First, I would find out exactly when LaffMovie came to be and what year it was demolished. Second, would be to go through the Pinocchio campaign manuals, which feature the exploitation advertisements. While matching up the ad is simple, actually owning all of the manuals for Pinocchio is a costly endeavor—and Inter-Library Loan simply does not have access to this type of material. The final lead I would look for, is finding the re-releases for the other four films mentioned.

See, and you thought being a Disney historian was fun! (Actually ... it is!).

MONDAY-WALT QUOTE DAY "The Unknown Walt: Grandpa Disney"

All of you regular readers know that Monday is “Walt Quote Day” here at the Institute. Today, I institute at the Institute a “new” feature for Walt Quote Day, and that is “The Unknown Walt.” So anytime you see that title, you know you are in for a real treat.

Easily one of my favorite Disney history discoveries is the previously unpublished Walt interview. For twenty-five plus years I have been in search of these elusive, and rare, items. So hard to come by are these narratives, that in the time I have hunted the world’s libraries, archives, and institutes, I have only unearthed about fifty of them (that is only two a year).

I can hear the Institute’s loyal following, saying, “What, unpublished Walt interviews .... how could that be, isn’t everything ever said by Walt in print.” Perhaps my terminology for this facet of my Disney history searches is a misnomer, as the word “unknown” might actually prove a better moniker. Walt did thousands of interviews during his lifetime, and not all were by a Bob Thomas or the CBC. (A) Many smaller, one-time interviews were granted, many of these exclusives or unplanned talks happened because a member of the press just happened to run into Walt on board a ship, at a party, or at a premiere. In some cases, an author would phone up the Studio and catch Walt in a mood to talk and discuss his latest projects. Quite a few of these were done when Walt was on vacation and the local news would find out about his presence and send a reporter out to catch him on the ski slopes, a restaurant, or elsewhere. Basically, they exist for as many reasons as you can think of.

What is truly remarkable about these “Unknown Walts” is that we see Walt as he is, no publicity machine, no prepared statement, but Walt Disney, the man, the father, the grandfather, the studio chief, and so many more. You see, many of the Walt quotes that are out there–emanating from all sources: the Company, blogs, publications, books, etc.–are attributed to Walt, but were actually written by publicity people at the Studio. And if you are like me and have spent a quarter century chasing down Walt’s thoughts and words, you become pretty adept at telling if it is Walt talking, or someone else talking for Walt. In fairness, in most cases Walt had to approve his “words” and would often make changes or edits, but even at that they don’t give us a true look at Walt Disney the person.

Walt once explained to Ken Anderson that the name “Walt Disney” had ceased to be a name, but rather that the term referred more to the Studio and its films, as sort of a collective–it was the “idea” of Walt Disney and what the name represented, and not Walt the individual. While in part true, Walt was obviously still “Walt Disney”–a dedicated man who was passionate about his Studio, his art, his family, and his friends. It is this latter individual I hope to present in the “Unknown Walts”. –Paul F. Anderson

GRANDPA DISNEY

by Paul F. Anderson

For the first “Unknown Walt” I have picked one of my all-time favorite interviews, and one that I truly feel is one of the most revealing conversations with Walt ... ever! Especially when concerned with Walt Disney the family man. To all the biographer’s of the world that try to tell us that Walt had little concern for his family, I suggest a read through of this casual chat. For all of those that think Walt is a company or corporation or an idea, read here about Walt Disney the individual. I think once you finish this contribution here at the Institute, you will anxiously await future “Unknown Walts” and, more importantly, I hope some of you Disney historians out there will share your long-lost Walt interviews with me.

I discovered this interview some fifteen years ago in Australia. I was not actually in the Southern Hemisphere, but rather in the good ol' days I would receive hundreds of book catalogs each month (this was well before the proliferation of the internet) and would study them carefully in search of just such gems. This came with little citation, and an expensive postage bill, but the description intrigued me enough to order it. Needless to say, when it arrived, I was stunned!

The interview took place while Walt was relaxing on a South Pacific cruise to Tahiti. A reporter for a New South Wales Television magazine caught up with him and suggested a talk. Apparently Walt had some spare moments as he enjoyed the peaceful waters of the ocean, and gave her some time. She ended up with the rare opportunity of chatting with him in a relaxed setting as the two sat side by side in a couple of Deck chairs. The interview was most probably done in 1962 (probably October). The lucky reporter was Suzanne Baker, and as she seated herself, Walt began to show her a batch of postcards he had collected on his trip. Walt began:

“These are for my five grandchildren. They are the light of my life. The eldest, who is eight, walked up to me the other day after looking at one of my shows on television and pointed [a] finger in my face. ‘I know who YOU are. YOU are Walt Disney.’

“I had been discovered! I was suddenly more than just ‘grandpa’ and, believe me, that meant something. Most grandchildren the age of mine are always running to someone with skirts on. But I have a kind of hold over Grandma Disney now. My grandchildren began to suspect I was a little different when I took them to Disneyland a while ago. They realized that grandpa could take them anywhere he pleased without being questioned or having to pay.”

The South Pacific cruise was taken at the insistence of Walt’s wife, Lillian Disney, who accompanied him. Apparently, she felt that Walt needed to get away for a bit and take it easy:

“I’m not an ulcer type–though maybe I give them. But I do find it hard to relax while I am anywhere near my work, which I love. For the first time in years, because I’m on a ship, I get up at 9 or 10 in the morning. At home I never rise later than 6:30 a.m.

“In 1928, when Mickey Mouse hit, I quit drawing. Since then I’ve worked with teams of ideas men and artists. Nearly everything I’ve touched has turned into money–even my hobbies. For years I dreamed of Disneyland, just for fun. Then my amateur photography too, turned into making straight movies.”

Walt and Lilly were on the S.S. Mariposa, which sailed from Southern California to the Southern Pacific, and docked in New Zealand before returning to the United States. Walt mingled freely with the passengers, and while at sea, he wore easy-fitting casual clothes and strolled about the decks. As the two sat in their deck chairs, a ping-pong ball shot across them, (B) and Walt leaned out and caught it, which prompted him to a joke, and then something a little more introspective:

“Bad luck,” he called to the player. “You know, when I was a youngster, I was always game to have a shot at anything. I started out as a newspaper boy, but I was never worried that I mightn’t be able to get a job. I reckoned I could always open a hamburger stand, or something. Whatever happens, I realize by now you must never worry too much about yourself. Look, not so long ago I was at a party held for Marilyn Monroe. The photographers and reporters were all around her. The cameras were flashing and Marilyn was being the gay, vivacious person she was expected to be. After the press moved away, I went up to her and introduced myself. She grabbed my hand, and for 15 minutes we spoke together, she never let go her hold. She was a very frightened, very sweet girl who desperately needed something or someone to hold onto. Her entire problem was herself because she had to put up a front. But why, I wondered, when the real Marilyn was so sweet and genuine? (C)

“As for Liz Taylor, I think she is pathetic. She has gone so far she has nowhere else to go. This feeling comes to all of us in the movie business. We’re frightened we can’t keep up the pace. That we can’t make a picture as good as our best. I know for myself that I never make a picture that entirely satisfies me. There is always something that didn’t turn out as I wanted it. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised, but I am never perfectly content.”

The topic of what Walt was currently working on came up, and of course, he mentioned Mary Poppins:

“This will have quite a few innovations. In fact, we’ll use our bag of tricks on it. It will be animation and life combined, and a musical to boot. People will float from the sky and drawings made by Bert, the sidewalk artist, will come to life.”

Of local interest, the reporter wanted to know if he would be making many return trips to England, or Australia in the near future:

“I’ve plenty of time left to visit Australia. In my family they live a long time–in the nineties usually. What I’m going to do is live long and suffer. That’s a jest! I love my work and now that I am a success with my grandchildren. I’m waiting for the day I can be the same to my great-grandchildren.”

As for me, I only wish Walt had been right with this last prediction. Walt, we miss you!

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

FRIDAY-GUEST HISTORIAN DAY "Quest of a Disney Historian"

Happy to present to you the Institute’s second Guest Disney Historian essay, again, from another longtime good friend (starting back in 1992). This historian has probably done more for Disney history since the founding of the Disney Archives, and I can honestly say he was the main inspiration for the Disney History Institute. I speak of course of Didier Ghez. If you are not familiar with his blog, I highly recommend it as a central location for finding out what is going on in the world of Disney history. Visit Didier at: Disney History. I have very much enjoyed Didier's first contribution here at the Institute, and it brought back some old memories. His first paragraph reminds me of how I was as a youth. You see, like him, when I was in High School and my friends were out admiring cars, chasing girls, or being teenagers, I was spending my weekends at the University of Wyoming Coe Library. There, I would go through the Periodicals Index, month by month...year by year, and gathered every citation for Walt Disney I could find. Then, with notes in hand, off to the basement where all the periodicals were stored. Once several were found, it was back up three flights of stairs to the copy machine, where I laboriously over a two-year period copied every article on Walt Disney. Then, once at home, they were pasted into notebooks (see photo) and cross referenced (the old 3"x5" card way–this was the 1970s!). The result was over twenty of these notebooks that I still use today! So, after reading Didier’s first paragraph, I decided that being a Disney Historian must be genetic–the old Nature vs. Nurture question. Didier and I have discussed at great length why we became Disney historians, and seemingly there is no one “tipping point” in our childhood to suggest our destiny. Certainly not location, I was in Wyoming (the cultural center of nothing) and Didier was in Paris. I guess we just got the “Disney History Gene”. Nonetheless, I am quite happy to present Didier’s first genetic contribution to the Institute. Enjoy! -Paul F. Anderson

THE QUEST OF A DISNEY HISTORIAN
by Didier Ghez

When I lived for the first time in Madrid, sixteen years ago, the city was still full of small traditional shops, which have now disappeared: cobblers, tailors, fried chicken stores,… and small antique stores. One of those small antique stores in the historic center of Madrid used to be one of my favorite destinations on weekends, when my friends were having their siestas or gathered for a drink. I spent almost all of my very limited student budget on the some of the items that it sold: Disney related, of course, pre-1945 obviously.

One of the magazines I picked up at the time was not from Spain, but from neighboring Portugal. It was dated August 19, 1933 and I loved its cover featuring a caricature of Mickey and Greta Garbo. No article about Walt inside, unfortunately. I would not have been able to read it anyway as I did not speak Portuguese at the time. A rare magazine with a very unusual cover. That’s all I knew about this item. I did not notice the almost unreadable signature at the top right of the image.

We are now in 2007, fourteen years later, in New York at John Canemaker’s place. I am meeting John - whose work I have admired and respected for years - for the first time and can not help but ask him about his upcoming book, Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant and Joe Ranft. Always the gentleman John takes the opportunity to show me the illustrations he has selected for it. Among them a Portuguese magazine called Cinéfilo featuring a caricature of Mickey and Greta. Yes, the small signature that I could not read did say “Joe Grant” when you looked at it carefully.

This cover is particularly interesting as Joe Grant had not yet joined the Disney Studio in 1933. He had only been hired by Walt on a freelance basis to tackle the caricatures on Mickey’s Gala Premier. Which is probably also why the Studio commissioned him to create this exclusive cover for Cinéfilo. Why the Studio would want to create a special cover for magazine in such a small country as Portugal is puzzling, but is also the sign that for Disney at the time all markets were equally worth of his attention. Believe me, I like this philosophy and why I believe this cover is a worthwhile tribute to both Walt and Joe.

THURSDAY-ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN DAY "The Last Word"

I have found in my thirty-plus years of research, that one of the very best sources for finding previously unknown Disney history, is .... (drum roll please) .... Books! "Oh, come on Paul, you think we are not aware of books?" I can hear many of you proclaiming. Well, we all know what a great source of history the plethora of Disney books have been over the last three decades (look at the work of Michael Barrier and John Canemaker for proof positive of this!!). Yet, there is a world of books from the 1930s, 1940s, and even into the 1950s that feature information on Walt and/or the Disney Studios that have not been seen for eighty, seventy, or sixty years, respectively.

Prior to the internet I used to haunt antiquarian bookstores in search of such treasures. I would head right to the "D" section of a suspect book, to see if a "Disney, Walt" entry could be found (thwarted numerous times by Benjamin Disraeli!). It was a laborious process, and I was lucky if I could find one a month. Today, with the internet, and some detective skills, I can usually find one a week (especially when searching books printed outside of the United States). To this date, I probably have a good 200 plus of these "Golden Books" (my name for them, as usually when I found one I would yell "Eureka!" -- got kicked out of a few bookstores and libraries for this habit). Watch the Institute over the coming years for many of these books and the gold that was mined from within.

This particular volume is one of my favorites, and perfect for "Anything Can Happen" day. Titled, The Last Word it was written by Homer Croy and published in 1932. Croy was an American author and screenwriter, with over a dozen published books. His most famous work was the novel and screenplay They Had To See Paris (1926), which was the first talking picture to feature American humorist Will Rogers. The Last Word I believe was a vanity press (aka self-published). It is limited to 1000 copies, and each book is signed and numbered (and often personalized) by Croy on the FFEP (book terminology: Front Free End Paper). Another clue that suggests it was self published is that various lists of Croy's work do not include this book (even Wikipedia does not list it as a Homer Croy work). The publisher is listed as Specialist Publishing Company of Hollywood, California (which is, of course, Croy's neighborhood).

The book is a humorous look at epitaphs. Homer is listed as a "Champion Epitaph Collector" and should be respected as such, even to those that never gave epitaph collecting much thought. In fact, according to Homer he didn't either, until "One day as I was wandering through a quaint old English cemetery, I had my attention attracted by a half-obliterated epitaph which was so unusual, so full of human nature, that I was struck by it and got my pencil and jotted it down." From this single event began an obsession (don't understand that) of collecting and assembling people's "last words".

The first half of the book is composed of "Authentic Epitaphs" collected from all over the world. What interests us, is the second half, or "Advance Epitaphs". Being a member of the Hollywood community, and seeing how the Silver Screen was the world's diversion during the Great Depression, Croy came up with the brilliant idea to ask his celebrity friends and acquaintances to compose their own epitaphs. As one would expect from the entertainment community, they responded eagerly ... including Walt Disney.

Just for fun (and it is anything can happen day), I am including some of the other Advance Epitaphs of those stars that would end up with a Disney connection of some sort (if even just an appearance in a Disney cartoon). Enjoy!

WILL ROGERS
"Here lies Will Rogers. Politicians turned honest—and he starved to death."

STAN LAUREL
"My last appearance on this, or any other, lot."

OLIVER HARDY
"I shouldn't of et that."

DEEMS TAYLOR

"Here lies Deems Taylor. Under protest."

FRANK CAPRA

"Fade out—fade in."

EDDIE CANTOR

"Here in nature's arms I nestle,
Free at last from Georgie Jessel."

WEDNESDAY-FUN FOTO "A Thousand Words!"

It is said that a "Picture is worth a thousand words." That is to say that a single still image can produce extensive and complex stories. I have always loved this photograph, because to me, it is worth a 1000 words about what Walt Disney was about. A candid photo, it shows Walt at Disneyland picking up trash in front of the Fire Station. It exemplifies Walt's passion for attention to detail, if there ever was any doubt about it or lack of proof.

The interviews I have done are replete with memories of Walt and how interested he could be in just the smallest details. I remember an interview I did when I was working on an essay for the Disney Family Foundation on Walt's involvement in the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. I was told a story about when Walt spent several hours talking to a ski-lift operator about every possible fact on the operation of said lift, how people reacted, could the system be improved, what were the complaints, and so forth.

Most Disney enthusiasts have heard the Frank and Ollie (and Ward Kimball too) tale of how one time they removed the tale of Mickey Mouse from a frame of film, just to see if Walt would notice. They were viewing the rough animation, and the frame went by without Walt saying a word. Comments on the animation were made and discussed, and the meeting was adjourned .... still, without a word on the missing tail. As Walt left the sweatbox, and the animators thought they had pulled one over on their boss, he turned around and said, "Oh, and put the tail back!"

Walt loved Disneyland. It was his baby. In the film Walt: The Man Behind the Myth Imagineer Bruce Gordon has a great quote about Walt's love for Disneyland. Bruce declared, "I think Walt built Disneyland, because he wanted one." (A quote we are to understand was originally attributed to Tony Baxter.) The care and concern for his park, a care and concern that would require more than a thousand words to try and describe, comes through loud and clear in this picture!

The photo is from the book When Hollywood Was Fun: Snapshots of an Era by Gene Lester (Carol Publishing Group, Secaucus, N.J., 1993). The book features a wonderful collection of Lester's candid photos from his career as a professional celebrity photographer. (Happily, the book is still available, and in the Institute Gift Shop: When Hollywood Was Fun.)

CARL BARKS LEAVES DISNEY - Thank Goodness!

As many of you faithful readers have seen, my first "official" historical post was dedicated to Ken Anderson (The Moods of Walt Disney by Ken Anderson), due to his influence in my life and my Disney history career. My second post was going to be for another individual I consider influential to my interest in Disney, Carl Barks. Unfortunately, the post was holiday sensitive, as I had planned to put up some unpublished Barks' Halloween gags (for which I'll have to wait until next year). However, as time went by I felt I needed to return to posting something on Barks. You see, I started reading Disney comic books as a child and discovered "the good duck artist". That was my introduction to Disney (although my dad did take me to Fantasia when I was four), so perhaps not my "introduction" but the idea that I wanted to learn more about Disney ... to know why some Donald Duck stories were brilliant (even to my nine-year old mind) and others seemed to be "missing something". Thus, I brought something with me to Los Angeles to post and offer my thanks to the Good Duck Artist for his part in my mania.

Because of my interest in Barks, and my O.C.D. for Disney history and research, I have collected quite a bit of historical material regarding Carl and will be happy to share it here at the Institute in the future. The first item I have selected is, I believe, somewhat scarce. I asked Didier Ghez if he had seen this item before, and he had not (see his vital Disney History Blog). Thus, I hope this is as rare as I think it is, but always the chance that this has been published before, because there is a wealth of Carl Barks material out there.

Therefore, in honor of the part Barks played in my madness, I present his resignation letter. Briefly the story is Carl worked for Disney in the 1940s and decided to resign to pursue cartooning (or chicken ranching, take your pick). Barks had some success as a freelance artist, having published numerous cartoons in magazines, as well as working on Four Color #9, Donald Duck Finds' Pirate Gold. Who knew that following his resignation, his career would explode as it did?

For more information on Carl Barks, I can not recommend highly enough Michael Barrier's book Carl Barks and the Art of the Comic Book (where knowing Barrier's meticulous and painstaking research brilliance, you will probably find this letter--and while I am on the topic, my favorite Disney history blog--with so much more than Disney--belongs to my guru [shared guru with Didier] Michael Barrier, Mr. Funnyworld himself. If you are not familiar with this, I suggest you take a visit at: Michael Barrier.)

The following is the text from Carl's hand-written resignation letter from the Walt Disney Studios. It is addressed to Hal Adelquist, who was in charge of Studio personnel at that time. It features Barks' trademark humor, and also a nice thought about his boss, Walt Disney. Enjoy!

Box 193, Ramona Blvd.,
San Jacinto, Calif.

November 19, 1942

Mr. Hal Adelquist
Disney Studio

Dear Sir:

I tried to see you last Friday to tell you that I have decided to leave the studio and try farming at my San Jacinto estate (five acres of Russian thistles). I had not planned to leave so suddenly, in fact, I might have stuck around indefinitely had not gasoline rationing forced me to move while it is still possible to do so. My reasons for leaving are several, the chief one being that I spent too many years in too dark a room. Walt could make money growing mushrooms in 2-D 1.

Seriously speaking, I have become tired of working for wages and have decided to make one reckless effort to survive on my own. I hope that my farm and chickens will support me while I build up an income from free-lance cartooning. I feel that with more time to develop my long-neglected knack for drawing human figures I may be able to break into the comic magazine field. Probably I won't have enough on the ball to click in that racket, but if I don't give it a try I will never know.

Certain of the boys have the mistaken idea that the little job of drawing that I did on a duck one-shot last summer gave me comic-strip delusions and accounts chiefly for my itchy feet; such however is not the case. I was working nights to develop a comic-strip technique long before I even heard of the Whitman Publishing Co. I have no promises of work from the Whitman people in the future, and I doubt very much that they would offer me any lest the studio feel that they had in some degree lured me from the fold.

I hope that Walt wont [sic] be inconvenienced by my leaving. He probably knows that I haven't earned my wages the past year and that actually I am doing him a favor by taking a powder. I wish to say here that he is the best boss that I ever had. It has taken a lot of courage to leave his employment.

So suppose that we consider my services terminated as of Friday, November 6th. I will leave my badge with the gateman when I pick up my check the latter part of the week. I haven't yet checked with the mailman here to see if the above is my correct address. I shall let you know if it is or isn't with in the next few days. I have some bonds or parts of bonds to be sent me from the studio.

I suppose the circumstances of my leaving precludes the possibility of my wheedling a letter of recommendation from the studio. Well, thanks anyways.

Yours Truly,
Carl Barks

TUESDAY-WALT'S PEOPLE Margaret Kerry

Peggy Lynch was born May 11, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. By the age of five, she was already performing in episodes of the Little Rascals and Our Gang film comedies. She was cast in the movie If You Knew Susie (1948) as star Eddie Cantor's daughter. Even with a Hollywood movie shooting schedule, she graduated high school during the production of the film. Ironically in this film, she would share the silver screen with one of Disney's newest stars—her younger brother in the film was played by Bobby Driscoll who was in between his Disney appearances in Song of the South (1947) and Treasure Island (1950).

During the filming of the movie, Cantor decided that Peggy needed a more theatrical name to stand out in the entertainment business and she officially became "Margaret Kerry". In 1949, she started playing the role of the eldest daughter of actor Charlie Ruggles in an early television situation comedy entitled The Ruggles (1949-1952). During this time, her agent contacted her about doing the live-action reference modeling for the character of Tinker Bell for Disney's newest animated feature in production, Peter Pan (1953). It was felt that with her extensive dance and movement background, including recently being the assistant dance director on the Fox feature, I'll Get By (1950), she would be an ideal reference model for the playful fairy.

Today, in her personal appearances, Margaret wears a name tag that proudly proclaims "Original Tinker Bell"; she is also completing work on her anticipated autobiography entitled Tinker Talks: Tales of a Pixie-Dusted Life. Updated information on her book, as well as a great wealth of information, can be found on her website at: Tinker Bell Talks. There has even been talk of nominating the still perky Margaret for the Disney Legends award.

Margaret was with a notable Disney cast of live-action models for Peter Pan, including Kathryn Beaumont for Wendy; Hans Conreid and Henry Brandon for Captain hook; and Bobby Driscoll and Roland Dupree for Peter Pan. Margaret did double duty for the film, and along with Connie Hilton and June Foray, modeled for the mermaids. Sadly, the names of other live-action reference performers like the adorable Tiger Lily and the imposing Indian Chief seem to be lost in time (another Help Wanted?). Candy Candido did tell me once in an interview that the animators actually designed the Chief after his "voice".

Margaret has some fascinating stories about doing the live-action modeling for Tink, and as such many in the historical community are anxiously awaiting her memoirs. She speaks highly of Disney Legend Marc Davis; she talks about how fun it was to do the anger and pouting Tink; and discusses the notion that Tinker Bell was based on Hollywood bombshell Marilyn Monroe.

If you can't wait for the upcoming release of the book, I highly recommend the upcoming edition of Didier Ghez's most remarkable, most useful, most supreme, most intelligent, best-idea-in-Disney-history-since-Dave-Smith-founded-the-Archives, book series, Walt's People. The next edition will feature an interview with Margaret Kerry by my good buddy, Jim Korkis. (You can order the series from the Disney History Institute Gift Shop at: Walt's People.)

MONDAY-WALT QUOTE DAY "Man of Mystery"

A famous and temperamental photographer once came from a considerable distance to make a portrait of Walt Disney. When he found he'd been given just an hour to do the job, he protested bitterly, "It's impossible! How can I possibly begin to understand you in 30 minutes?"

"Never mind," said Walt soothingly. "Some people around here have been working with me for 30 years, and they don't understand me yet!"

Actually, over four decades after his passing, Walt still remains a man of mystery with new information being discovered weekly. One of the reasons for this website is to find a few more pieces of the massive jigsaw puzzle and it has proven to be a fascinating, frustrating, and rewarding experience.

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

JOURNAL OF A DISNEY HISTORIAN #1

INTRODUCTION
I have decided to add this “Journal” feature to the Institute for several reasons. First, I would like it to be a regular update for the site just to let readers know what the status is, and also offer a look at to how the Institute works and what features can be found. Moreover, it will mention coming attractions, answer questions I get via email, and let you know what this particular Disney Historian is up to. Not that the latter is any big concern to most of you, but if you know I am out of town, hopefully you won’t be disgruntled if it takes a while to answer your email or questions. Which brings me to this coming week. I will be in Los Angeles starting tomorrow and through to the following Sunday. I get to spend five glorious days at the Walt Disney Archives. And no, that does not mean that DHI goes down for a week. In fact, through the miracle of technology, I have already uploaded the full week of “Day Posts” for the time I am gone (each scheduled to be posted at 7:00 AM on the appropriate day).

NEXT WEEK AT THE INSTITUTE
Monday is Walt Quote Day and features “Man of Mystery”. Tuesday is Walt’s People and will showcase the always delightful Margaret Kerry (also known as the "Original Tinker Bell"). Wednesday is Fun Foto Day and is titled “A Thousand Words!” with a nice thought about who Walt Disney was, and what Disneyland meant to him. Thursday, well, you won’t want to miss Thursday—it will be Anything Can Happen Day and the title of the essay is “The Last Word” (and trust me, the image that goes with this piece is ..., well, you’ll see–Don’t Miss Thursday! Where else can a tombstone and Mickey Mouse be together, but here at the Institute). Friday is another Guest Historian Day with Didier Ghez’s contribution titled “The Quest of a Disney Historian” and it features a wonderful caricature of Greta Garbo and Mickey Mouse by ... well, you’ll see on Friday.

WALT DISNEY AND WORLD WAR II
As many of you know, I am working for the Walt Disney Family Foundation on a book concerning Walt Disney’s World War II work. This is the reason for my trip to the Archives this coming week. As a reminder, I am always looking for material regarding the Studio’s effort for World War II. I have been working on this particular subject–off and on–for over ten years, so I have collected quite a bit of information. However, I would say at least twice a month I find something new (this of course does not refer to the Archives where at least twice a minute I find something new). So I am always interested to learn anything that Institute patrons might find of use. If I have it, I will let you know. If I don’t, I will forever be in your debt and certainly thank you in the book. I am always looking for artwork and images, but I am especially searching for any primary research material (documents, correspondence, journals, and so forth). Additionally, if you had a relative, or know someone, that worked at the Studio during the War years, I would be very interested to hear from you. So please consider this my own help wanted. (Also, keep in mind I will have limited access to the Internet, and will most likely not be able to answer emails until I return–hotel Wi-Fi is always sketchy at best.)

A MICKEY MOUSE FEATURE IN 1936?
J.B. Kaufman (buy his book!!) sent me an email regarding yesterday’s Institute essay on Walt and DeMolay. The July 6, 1936 clipping from the Kansas City Star was intriguing in that the headline below the photographs stated “Creator Grooms Mickey Mouse for Full-Length Features on Screen”. Of course, J.B. "Mickey Mouse" Kaufman, being the go-to historian on Mickey Mouse, was immediately intrigued and asked if I had the rest of the article. Sadly, I do not, but while we are in the Help Wanted mode, does anyone have a complete run of the Star from 1936? Okay, a bit far fetched, but perhaps some of our Kansas City readers can let us know if the Star has a morgue and what is needed for access. This also allows me to point out one of the Institute’s “features”. You will notice at the end of most essays is a link for “Endnotes and Citations”. This link takes you to any endnotes or citations for that particular essay. While this does include the boring information, like where the source is from, dates, notes, and so forth, it does have commentary. Sometimes these are additional facts or information that I don’t want to use in the essay (as it might break the flow), or perhaps a comment or question on the essay. So on this particular piece on DeMolay and this clipping, I did mention the headline and requested any information on the location of a possible “complete” source. In the future, I will note the Endnotes in the articles with a letter after the sentence. (A) Thus, if you are so inclined to read further protestations on said essay, go to the endnotes and citations links. The citations will continue to be listed via number, but I won’t add them to the actual essay itself. As always, ideas, suggestions, criticisms, are welcome (I like the former more than the latter).

FRIDAY THE 13th
Of interest is yesterday's essay on DeMolay was posted on Friday the 13th. If you read the post, you'll remember that DeMolay was named after the early Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Yesterday marked the 702nd anniversary of the fall of the Knights Templar, and thus began the myth surrounding Friday the 13th.

NEXT JOURNAL ENTRY
I am planning to post the next "Journal of a Disney Historian" entry on Saturday the 21st, when I will be in Los Angeles. My research at the Archives will be done, but I hopefully have three interviews scheduled that day, and will be spending the day at the Golden Oak Ranch. If the lovely Safari Inn in Burbank has a good Wi-Fi connection, I will post some of my findings. Thanks again for your patronage, and enjoy next week at the Institute.

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

FRIDAY-GUEST HISTORIAN DAY "Macaroni Mickey Mousse"

Here's our first guest column from my longtime good friend (starting back in 1977!) Disney Historian Jim Korkis who was described by another Disney historian as "oozing Disney History from every pore!" Enjoy. -Paul F. Anderson

GUEST HISTORIAN DAY - "Macaroni Mickey Mousse"
by Jim Korkis

A few months ago, I was contacted by an author working on an official Disney cookbook. The author contacted me because the publisher wanted to include some "historical" recipes and Walt food anecdotes and several sources recommended me.

I had a pleasant talk on the phone and talked about some of the information in my research files which sparked an excited interest. I then asked how much I would be compensated and the conversation turned cold. I was told that it was felt I would just give the information in exchange for a small credit in the acknowldgements.

I pointed out that Disney Historians often spend decades and quite a bit of their own money obtaining this material that doesn't exist anywhere else. Even though I knew from my friends that this author was being exceptionally well paid to write the book, the author immediately dismissed the information I had and said that all of it exists at the Disney Archives and would contact Dave Smith.

Knowing Dave for several decades, I know that some of the material I have does not exist at the Archives nor anywhere else but I politely thanked the author for contacting me and the conversation ended. This is not a unique situation and quite often I have been asked to hand over material simply because I have it and someone else wants it and wants to profit from it.

By the way, in the past, I have contributed a Walt recipe or two to a WDW cast member only cookbook and the author who had no budget at all was kind enough to take me out to dinner twice on her own dime to show her appreciation for my sharing the information.

Walt Disney's daughter, Diane, has stated that many early years of trying to save money resulted in her dad developing "a hash house-lunch wagon appetite. He liked fried potatoes, hamburgers, western omelets, hotcakes, canned peas, hash, stew, roast beef sandwiches. He doesn't go for vegetables, but loves chicken livers or macaroni and cheese."

While Walt's famous chili recipe has appeared a number of times in a variety of locations and I am constantly surprised that no Disney fan organization (let alone the Disney Company) has decided to re-create it for a special dinner.

However, here is an oddball recipe titled "Macaroni Mickey Mousse" that was supposedly Walt's favorite that appeared in the February 1934 issue of Better Homes and Gardens that it took me a while to track down.

Oh well, I guess that since I have now made this "forgotten" recipe public that this recipe will probably pop up in that forthcoming cookbook. ("We found it on our own! You can't prove otherwise! Mine! Mine! Mine!") I will just take comfort that it will be enjoyed by true Disney fans who visit this website and maybe one of them will invite me over for lunch one of these days to sample it. Hmm, I think I will send it to that woman who is working on a revised edition of the WDW cast member only cookbook. While it would be nice to be compensated for things I struggled to find, it is also nice to help nice people.

Click on the recipe below to enlarge it and read it clearly:

MEMBER MICKEY MOUSE-Kansas Cityan Decorates Protege

Mickey Mouse Proudly Displaying
"The DeMolay Emblem" Kansas City Star, ca. 1931-1932

The author Charles Baxter declared that a Midwesterner is “a thoroughly unhip guy with his heart in the usual place, on the sleeve, in plain sight.”

Walt Disney remained a Midwesterner all of his life. His formative years were almost exclusively spent in that region of our country, with the exception of a short jaunt to Europe to serve his country during World War I. Many of the old timers have told me that his sensibilities and mannerisms were decidedly Midwestern, and that Walt spoke fondly of all three places where he lived: Chicago, Marceline, and Kansas City. The three locations were just as fond of Walt, and each laid claim to their “hometown boy”. Walt was always happy to oblige when someone came calling with a worthy cause. This was especially the case with DeMolay.

So in honor of yesterday’s “Help Wanted” for the renowned Disney historian Jim Korkis, I want to offer a few items from my own research files. I know Jim has requested information regarding the Mickey Mouse comic strips before, so hopefully this new request will fuel more interest and turn up some leads. One would think there is an institution of some sort that has the DeMolay Cordon on microfilm or even bound volumes. Ask around.

The above image is a good example of Walt’s generosity with his Midwestern roots and associations. After fame and fortune found Walt, he was besieged with numerous requests from old “acquaintances” to help out. Walt would often accommodate these requests, by sending artwork, photo, or a quote, and sometimes even a personal appearance. The 1930s newspapers and magazines of the Midwest (and frankly all over the world) are scattered with thousands of these little Disney history “tidbits”. I have over the last twenty-five years tried to hunt these down and will be happy to present them in future Institute posts. The Mickey Mouse bearing “The DeMolay Emblem” is just such an example. The clipping is as I found it, with no citation or date added. I do know it is from the Kansas City Star. It is likely from 1931, the year Walt received the DeMolay Legion of Honor. It is no later than 1932, as the “Emblem” that Mickey is seen sporting is the second variation of the organization’s official symbol. This Emblem was in use from 1920 until 1932.

The Order of DeMolay had more than just Walt as a member, he was also a “hometown boy”. You see DeMolay was founded in Kansas City in 1919. It was named after Jacques de Molay, a Grand Master of the Knights Templar. The mythic Knights Templar were sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1128 to guard the road between Jerusalem and Acre, and were also legendary for their participation in the Crusades.

DeMolay was founded in 1919 by a Kansas Cityan named Frank S. Land, affectionately known as “Dad” Land. Exclusive at first (limited to 75 members of one high school), it was so well received, that it was soon opened to the other three High Schools in Kansas City–the idea being “if it was good for one boy, it must be good for all boys.” That “idea” was to provide a fraternal organization and structure for boys, especially those who had lost their fathers during the “War to end all Wars!” Walt joined in 1920, at age 19, and became the 107th member of the original Mother Chapter of DeMolay in Kansas City.

Walt received the two highest honors bestowed by The Order of DeMolay. The first was the Degree of Chevalier. This honor could not be worked for, only awarded.“Dad” Land stated that it was “the highest award for Distinguished DeMolay service...only one other award, the Legion of Honor...outranks this distinction.” Of course, the “other” award Walt would receive from DeMolay was the “Legion of Honor” (also known as the Cross of Honor–either way, it was the highest honor DeMolay could give). The name of the award derived from the Immortal Tenth Legion of Julius Caesar’s Rome. Walt received his Legion of Honor in 1931, and was quite honored (and most likely resulted in the image of Mickey Mouse above, proud of his Emblem). There is no current record (another “Help Wanted”) as to when Walt received his Chevalier, but it is assumed to have been in 1931 or before (logically it would have been awarded either before, or at the same time, as the Legion of Honor). Walt did receive one final distinction from DeMolay when on November 13, 1986, he became a member of the first induction class into the DeMolay Hall of Fame.

Announcement in the Kansas City Star for
the arrival of favorite son Walt Disney for the
DeMolay Conference, July 6, 1936.

Walt’s devotion to his old organization continued throughout the 1930s, and in 1936 he was invited to address the DeMolay Founder’s Conference at the new Art Deco marvel, the Municipal auditorium in Kansas City. The above clipping is from the Monday Kansas City Star, July 6, 1936. The caption reads: “Walt Disney (left), former Kansas Cityan whose Mickey Mouse creations have brought him worldwide fame, and Walter P. Pitkin (right), New York, author of Life Begins at Forty, arrived in Kansas City Monday morning to attend the De Molay convention which opened at the Municipal auditorium. Pitkin addressed the convention Monday afternoon and Disney was to speak Tuesday night.” The clipping is from a period newspaper, so the quality is not great. But if you look closely, you can see that Walt is wearing two Regalia Cords (and is actually holding the ends of each in his right hand). The one that has a tassel on the end is the Chevalier Cord featuring his Degree of Chevalier honor. The other one with a cross on the end is the Legion of Honor.

In Walt’s address at the Conference he emotionally declared: “I feel a great sense of obligation and gratitude toward the Order of DeMolay for the important part it played in my life. Its precepts have been invaluable in making decisions, facing dilemmas and crises. DeMolay stands for all that is good for the family and for our country. I feel privileged to have enjoyed membership in DeMolay.”

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.

THURSDAY-HELP WANTED Mickey Mouse and Demolay

"The above cartoon which is the first of a series to be published in The Cordon was drawn by Brother Fred Spencer of the Walt Disney Studios, creator of Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies. Both Brothers Disney and Spencer are Legionnaires of the Mother Chapter Preceptory of the Legion of Honor. Watch for the future installments, you will enjoy them just as you enjoy as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, when you see them in their capers on the screen."
--December 1932 International DeMolay Cordon

Walt's involvement with DeMolay meant a great deal to him and he proudly wore a DeMolay ring on his right hand until the late 1940s, when he replaced it with the Royal Claddagh ring. Walt was quite impressed with Frank Land, the founder of DeMolay and they had a long friendship.

Beginning in 1932, another DeMolay member, Fred Spencer of the Walt Disney Studios, began sending an original Mickey Mouse comic strip entitled "Mickey Mouse Chapter" for DeMolay's national newsletter. It was signed by Walt Disney and was different than the Mickey Mouse comic strip that was appearing in the newspapers since it was two-tiers and specifically referenced DeMolay activities. Fred Spencer joined the Disney Studio in 1931 and worked on the early Mickey Mouse cartoons. He is perhaps best known for his work on the early Donald Duck, and he met a tragic end in a car accident in 1938. He had no connection with the comic strip department and the artwork has some resemblance to the work of Floyd Gottfredson.

The Walt Disney Archives has no record of this unique comic strip and there is no way of telling how long it ran although I suspect it didn't last beyond Spencer's death and probably ended even earlier.

Disney Historian Jim Korkis was able to find this announcement of the very first DeMolay comic strip (and a poor reproduction of another episode where Pluto disrupts a DeMolay meeting) but has been frustrated in his attempts to find further examples or even how many episodes there were of the strip. I suspect there weren't many but the Disney Archives has no written record of this strip or Walt agreeing to have it created and published.

So for this inaugural installment of "Help Wanted", are there any readers who are members of DeMolay or have connections with the organization and its archives who can locate the missing strips and any other information?

WEDNESDAY-FUN FOTO Walt, Roy, and ... Rocky?

Walt and Roy and Rocky? Ca. 1964

There are probably few people in the world that truly understand the close bond between the two Disney brothers. It has been extensively written about and discussed, but their intimate nature was often expressed privately (or in keeping with men of their generation, not expressed at all). Several have claimed that it really was nothing more than just a wonderful business relationship, but it was so much more than that … oh, so much more! The two brothers genuinely loved and respected each other, and even when in a bitter disagreement with nothing nice to say about the other one, they would ardently defend each other should someone make a disparaging comment.

Walt rarely expressed his thoughts on his brother in public, but there was one instance when he conveyed how he truly felt about his brother. It was at 1957 awards banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Walt proclaimed, “In my career, it helps to have some kind of genius. I’ve got it, but it happens to be in the person of my brother Roy who runs the company, the whole works, at home and abroad. He has a talent for self-effacement which isn’t going to do him a bit of good right at this moment.”

It was well known throughout the Studio that the two would regularly go at it, often loudly and in public. Dick Morrow, who served as general counsel for the company, remembered that despite the bitter arguments, “the love between the two brothers never diminished in the slightest, and I heard that from each of them individually. People who tried to take advantage of [the situation] and tried to play off one against the other faced trouble.

“It was a general conflict between who was running the company and who was going to prevail: Walt and the creative side or Roy and the administrative side. [Walt and Roy] just weren’t on track together, although each of them recognized the genius of the other one and had great respect for it.”

This on-again-off-again feud between the brothers turned disastrous in the early sixties when the two camps began negotiations regarding the sale of Walt’s company WED and its holdings (Monorail, Train, Walt’s name, et al.) to Walt Disney Productions. The tenor of the discussions went quickly downhill, with both sides adding more lawyers to the mix. The incident became so contentious that at one point Walt’s counsel threatened to Roy that he would just have to take Walt to another studio (done so by suggesting the hiring of an agent for Walt). At that point, the situation had almost slipped into an irrecoverable position, and easily the lowest point ever in the lives of the two siblings.

This story is now oft told and retold in Disney history–the time the relationship had soured to where the two brothers would not even talk to each other, and only communicated via their representatives. Enter the famous peace pipe.

If you have not heard the legendary story, you are one of the few. Walt, feeling that the situation had gone too far, decided to visit Roy on his sixty-eighth Birthday, June 21, 1961. Walt went down one flight of stairs to his brother’s office with peace pipe in hand (figuratively, not literally – Walt had an actual Native American peace pipe to give to his brother as a birthday present). Walt suggested a truce to be solemnized by both through the smoking of the pipe of peace. Roy obliged, and just as quickly as the fight had flared up, it ended, and the two were on speaking terms again. (It should also be noted, that during this contentious time, and prior to Walt’s offering, Roy had also started to soften towards his brother. He even defended his brother to the Studio negotiators, stating: “You seem to forget how important Walt Disney has been to you and your lives. None of us would be here in these offices if it hadn’t been for Walt. ... He deserves better treatment than what’s being shown here.”)

When Walt returned to his office, he sent off the following note to his brother: “June 24, 1961. Dear Roy - It is wonderful to smoke the Pipe of Peace with you again – the clouds that rise are very beautiful. I think, between us over the years, we have accomplished something – there was a time when we couldn’t borrow a Thousand Dollars and now I understand we owe Twenty-four Million? But in all sincerity, Happy Birthday, and many more - and – I love you, [Signed] Walt Mr. Roy O. Disney, 500 So. Buena Vista St., Burbank, California WD:DV [Dolores Vought] P.S. I can assure you that Lilly subscribes to the above and wants to join me in wishing you many, many more Happy Birthdays to come. P.P. S. Maybe we can get together in Paris – we’ll be there from Sunday, June 25th thru Wednesday the 28th. Walt.”

The two brothers remained close, up to Walt’s passing in December 1966, when Roy continued to carry on his brother’s dream and build Walt Disney World.



(Postscript: By the way, did you notice the Jungle Book storyboard behind Walt and Roy? Most of it features the much loved, and never seen, character Rocky the Rhino. This character [as were most characters in Jungle Book] was visualized by Disney Legend Ken Anderson. And yes, a teaser, during my 34-hour Oral History with Ken, I have some wonderful Rocky stories ... and art!)

Endnotes and Citations can be seen at: endnotes.