Walt Disney

by Neal Gabler

  “No matter what plans I made…” Mrs. Walt Disney, as told to Isabella Taves, “I Live With a Genius,” McCall’s, Feb. 1953.

  “just a hobby…” LAT, Jun. 23, 1955.

  Urging Lillian. Lillian Disney, foreword to Broggie, Railroad Story, n.p.

  Planted the seed. Broggie, Railroad Story.

  Walt at “steam up” party. Ward Kimball, introduction to ibid.

  Train piston. Hubler, Disney.

  “I bought myself a birthday…” Walt to Ruth, Dec. 8, 1947, B Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, A-H, A1537, WDA.

  According to one visitor… John Hench quoted in Hubler, Disney.

  “This is an electric train….” Marling, Theme Parks.

  Ollie Johnston’s railroad. Broggie, Railroad Story.

  Dick Jackson. Ibid.

  “Personally, I envy you…” Walt to William Jones, May 14, 1948, Miniature Railroad Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, I-M, A1538, WDA.

  Richard Jones’s inquiries. See Miniature Railroad Folder, ibid.

  Little engines. Irene Lewis (Little Engines) to Walt, [Sept.] 19, 1948, ibid.

  Central Pacific 173. Walt to William “Casey” Jones, Nov. 17, 1948, ibid.

  As Roger Broggie told it…” Broggie, Railroad Story.

  “if it can be had at…” Walt to Jones, Nov. 17, 1948.

  “boxcars.” Broggie, Railroad Story.

  At workshop with Duchess and Sharon. Diane quoted in Green and Green, Remembering Walt; Brown interview by Hubler.

  “rookie machinist.” Broggie, Railroad Story.

  “You know, it does me some good…” Green and Green, Remembering Walt.

  “Hey, I think I found…” Quoted in Christopher Finch, The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms (New York: Henry Abrams, 1975).

  “If he took his family…” Miller, Story of Disney.

  Trial runs at studio. Walt to Jack Cutting, Jan. 5, 1949, Co Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, A-G, A1541, WDA.

  “wholly, almost weirdly,…” Bosley Crowther, “The Dream Merchant,” NYT, Dec. 16, 1966.

  “He left the reins…” Quoted in Leonard Maltin, The Disney Films, 3rd ed. (New York: Hyperion, 1995).

  Throwing Bill Anderson out of meeting. Tytle, One of “Walt’s Boys.”

  “figments of a small boy’s imagination.” Quoted in Maltin, Disney Films.

  “He knew he had a problem.” Card Walker, interview by Richard Hubler, Jul. 2, 1968, WDA.

  “No good, certainly, can come…” Mr. Harper, “After Hours,” Harper’s, Jun. 1948.

  “this is not intended…” Walt to George Schaefer, Mar. 27, 1941, RKO (Hollywood), Walt Disney Corr., 1940-1941, N-R, A1524, WDA.

  “As soon as Walt rode…” Anonymous quoted in Greene and Greene, Inside the Dream.

  “very upset.” Ben Sharpsteen, interview by Don Peri, Mar. 5, 1975, WDA.

  “Well, I’ll tell you, Milt….” Hazel George, interview by David Tietyen, WDA.

  British rules on film imports. LAT, Jun. 18, 1948.

  Agreement with France. NYT, Aug. 23, 1948.

  Impounded funds. Memo, Roy to Paul Pease, Ray Keller, Re: Blocked Currency, Sept. 1, 1949, Roy Disney Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, A-L, A1635, WDA.

  “I did them in summer…” Walt Disney interview by Martin, Reel 8.

  “in excellent spirits…” Memo, Roy (quoting July 5 letter from Bill Levy in London), July 8, 1949, Treasure Island Corr. Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, R-Z, A1543, WDA.

  “fantastically wonderful sunshine.” Memo, Roy (quoting July 11 letter from Cyril James), Re: Treasure Island, July 14, 1949, ibid.

  “seems pleased with everything.” Alvin Manuel to Jack Lavin, Jul. 20, 1949, ibid.

  Provisions. Memo, Dolores Voght to Steve Keller (New York office), Jun. 8, 1949, K Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, H-Q, A1542, WDA.

  Driscoll problem. Memo, Fred Leahy to Walt, Re: Treasure Island, Jun. 1, 1949; Memo, Roy to Walt, Re: Bobby Driscoll—TREASURE ISLAND, Sept. 6, 1949, Treasure Island Corr. Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, R-Z, A1543; LAT, Sept. 28, 1949.

  Involvement in Treasure Island. Tel. Walt to Pearce, Jan. 10, 1950; Tel. Walt to Leahy, Jan. 12, 1950; Tel. Walt to Perce Pearce, Fred Leahy, Jan. 18, 1950, Treasure Island Corr. Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, R-Z, A1543, WDA.

  Profits for Treasure Island. Memo, Roy to Walt, Re: Live Action Production, Feb. 1, 1951, Roy Disney Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, A-L, A1635, WDA.

  “We are not forsaking…” Walt to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Dec. 27, 1950, F Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, A-G, A1541.

  “The prestige and dignity of the name…” Kay Kamen to Walter Granger, Jr., Apr. 9, 1947, G Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, A-H, A1537, WDA.

  Roughly $100 million in goods. Frank Nugent, “The Million Dollar Mouse,” NYT Magazine, Sept. 21, 1947.

  Donald Duck foods. Kay Kamen to Walt, Oct. 29, 1948, K Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, I-M, A1538, WDA.

  Five-millionth Mickey Mouse watch. “The Mighty Mouse,” Time, Oct. 25, 1948.

  $1.25 million in profits. Memo, Roy to Walt, Re: General Notes, Jul. 10, 1950, Walt Disney 1941-1954 Folder, Roy O. Disney Inter-Office Corr., Disney, Roy O.—Trips to Disneyland (1954-61), A3002, WDA; Irving Wallace, “Mickey Mouse and How He Grew,” Collier’s, Apr. 9, 1949.

  Whitman Publishing deal. Memo, Roy to Walt, Jan. 7, 1948, Roy Disney Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, A-L, A1635, WDA.

  “very happy.” Walt to Mr. and Mrs. Isidore Goldstein, Nov. 16, 1949, G Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, A-G, A1541, WDA.

  Kamen’s letter to Vice President Robert Heide and John Gilman, “The Master of Marketing,” http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai="1317&si=124."

  “new high in our history.” Memo, Roy to Walt, Re: General Notes, Jul. 10, 1950, Roy Disney Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, A-L, A1635, WDA.

  Appointing O. B. Johnston. Jimmy Johnson, Inside the Whimsy Works, chap. 2.

  Music-publishing division. Ibid., chap. 5.

  “some ups and downs…” Memo, Roy to Walt, Re: General Notes, Jul. 10, 1950, Roy Disney Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, A-L, A11635, WDA.

  “[N]o matter what you were talking about,…” Ward Kimball, interview by Richard Hubler, May 21, 1968, WDA.

  “he lived here,…” Milt Kahl, interview by Bob Thomas, May 14, 1973, WDA.

  His secretary recalled… Anonymous [Dolores Voght], interview by Richard Hubler, RHC, Box 17, Folder 64.

  “sort of a wedding anniversary present…” Walt to Jessie Perkins, Nov. 16, 1949, P Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, H-Q, A1542, WDA.

  “All in all, I think it is going to be…” Ibid.

  Diane and Lillian had found a site… Lillian quoted in Hubler, Disney.

  Seeing the property at Holmby Hills. Ibid.; Harold Janss to Walt, May 24, 1948, J Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, I-M, A1538, WDA; Broggie, Railroad Story.

  Advantage of property. Diane Disney Miller interview by author.

  Closing the deal. Bank of America Loan Application, Feb. 15, 1949, WDA.

  “didn’t make the kind of money…” Diane Disney Miller interview by author.

  Laying track. Walt to Casey Jones, May 3, 1950; Walt to Geraldine (Mrs. Casey) Jones, Nov. 9, 1950, Jones, William (Casey), Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Railroad 1958, A-J, A1668, WDA.

  “And she’d sit and look at me…” Walt Disney interview by Martin, Reel 11. See also Don Eddy, “The Amazing Secret of Walt Disney,” American Magazine, Aug. 1955.

  “fix these huge goopy things…” Ward Kimball, “The Wonderful World of Walt Disney,” in You Must Remember This, ed. Walter Wagner (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1975).

  “weird concoctions.” Quoted in Greene and Greene, Inside the Dream.

  “means of keeping…” Walt to Mrs. Jack Cutting, Apr. 3, 1951, Co Folder, Walt Di
sney Corr., 1951-1952, Co-G, A1545, WDA.

  Cost of railroad. Walt Disney Permanent Railroad Installation at Home, Mar. 5, 1951, A Folder, Walt Disney Corr. Miniatures, 1948-1956, A-Z, A1667, WDA.

  “We spent the first half-year…” Mrs. Walt Disney, “Genius.”

  Dali on the train’s perfection. Walt to Fleur Cowles, Jun. 10, 1957, Da Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1957, A-D, A1566, WDA.

  “Walt is not an artist.” Quoted in Irving Wallace, “Mickey Mouse and How He Grew,” Collier’s, Apr. 9, 1949.

  “businesslike.” Cowles interview.

  More unpredictable. Tytle, One of “Walt’s Boys.”

  “Boys, if Cinderella…” Richard Huemer, Recollections, UCLA, Special Collections, Young Research Library.

  “The finished picture is not everything…” Walt to William I. Nichols, This Week, Nov. 18, 1949, N folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, H-Q, A1542, WDA.

  “That was just a picture.” Walt Disney, interview by Pete Martin, Disc 9, WDA.

  “unstinting praise from all” Tel. Bill Levy to Walt, Nov. 10, 1949, Cinderella folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, A-G, A1541, WDA.

  Reception to Cinderella. Michael Curtiz to Walt, Jan. 16, 1950; Hal Wallis to Walt, Feb. 13, 1950; Walter Wanger to Walt, Jan. 9, 1950, ibid.

  “I feel stronger than ever…” Roy to Walt, Apr. 12, 1950, Treasure Island Corr. Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, R-Z, A1543, WDA.

  Cinderella gross. Hubler, Disney.

  TEN || City on a Hill

  “troubled feast.” William E. Leuchtenberg, A Troubled Feast: American Society Since 1945, updated ed. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1983).

  “The fundamental problems…” Quoted in ibid.

  “in factories,…” J. Howard McGrath quoted in William Chafe, The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995).

  “to the existentialist dilemma…” Ibid.

  “If people would think more of fairies…” Mr. Harper, “After Hours,” Harper’s, Jun. 1948.

  “problems become too hectic.” Walt to Ruth, Dec. 4, 1952, B Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, A-Ch, A1544, WDA.

  Soliciting miniatures. See William Rast, R Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, N-S, A1539; Dorothy Voght to Edith Perry Mason; Miles Kimball; Pueblo Gift Shop, etc., Nov. 19, 1948, Miniature Railroads Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, I-M, A1538; Walt to Beth Martin, Sept. 9, 1949, Martin, Beth, Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Miniatures, 1948-1956, A-Z, A1667; Kate G. Kamen to Walt, Sept. 15, 1949, K Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, H-Q, A1542; Walt to Elizabeth Pijuet, Sept. 30, 1949, P Folder, Walt Disney Corr., ibid., WDA.

  “I become so absorbed…” Walt to M. L. Gordon (S. E. Overton Co.), Apr. 18, 1951, O Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Miniatures, 1948-1956, A-Z, A1667, WDA.

  Buttonholing Ken Anderson. Jay Horan, Video Interview with Ken Anderson, Bill Cottrell and Herb Ryman, Sept. 19, 1983, WDA; Richard G. Hubler, Walt Disney, unpub. ms., 1968, RHC.

  Archetypal American scenes. Ken Anderson Sketches for Granny’s Cabin Folder, Walt Disney, Herb Lamb Reports, 1940-1941, Miniatures, Dancing Man, Etc., A1673, WDA.

  Hiring Ebsen. Contract, Buddy Ebsen, Feb. 12, 1951, E Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, Co-G, A1545, WDA. He was paid $150.

  Analyzing Ebsen’s dance. Broggie quoted in Paul F. Anderson, “A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow: Walt Disney & World’s Fairs,” POV, no. 6-7 (1995).

  Figure’s pants. Milt Kahl, interview by Mica Prods., Nov. 3, 1983, Reel 6, WDA.

  “The quintessential product…” Jackson Lears, “The Mouse that Roared,” New Republic, Jun. 15, 1998.

  “it always takes a lot of time…” Walt to William Stensgaard, Jan. 15, 1951, St Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, R-S, A1548, WDA.

  Spent $24,000. Walt Disney’s Americana in Miniature, Mar. 5, 1951, A Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Miniatures, 1948-1956, A-Z, A1667, WDA.

  Miniatures on approval. See Martin, Beth, Folder, ibid.

  Pot-bellied stoves. Walt to Beth Martin, Jan. 22, 1952; Feb. 21, 1952; Mar. 4, 1952; Mar. 12, 1952, ibid.

  Showing Disneylandia. Walt to William Stensgaard, Nov. 29, 1951, St Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, R-S, A1548, WDA; Karal Ann Marling, “Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks,” in Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance, ed. Karal Ann Marling (New York: Flammarion, 1997).

  Granny Kincaid’s cabin. Los Angeles Daily News, Nov. 28, 1952; Walt to Beulah Bondi, Dec. 3, 1952, Cabin Miniatures Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Miniatures, 1948-1956, A-Z, A1667, WDA.

  “Why does he do it?” Walt to Hedda Hopper, Dec. 19, 1952, Ho Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, H-L, A1546, WDA.

  “One of these days…” Quoted in Charles Solomon, Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989).

  “He’d see families…” Quoted in Amy Boothe Green and Howard E. Green, Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney (New York: Hyperion, 1999).

  “he always wanted to build…” Don Eddy, “The Amazing Secret of Walt Disney,” American Magazine, Aug. 1955.

  Wilfred Jackson at Snow White premiere. Wilfred Jackson, interview by David Smith, May 14, 1971, WDA.

  “just something to show people…” Ben Sharpsteen, interview by Don Peri, Feb. 7, 1975, WDA.

  Dick Irvine remembered… Hubler, Disney.

  John Hench recalled… Quoted in Marling, “Imagineering.”

  Mentioning train ride to Tytle. Harry Tytle, One of “Walt’s Boys”: An Insider’s Account of Disney’s Golden Years (Royal Oak, Mich.: Airtight Seals Allied Production, 1997). The exact date was Apr. 19, 1948.

  “enough to pay…” Ward Kimball to Walt, Jul. 12, 1948, K Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, I-M, A1538, WDA.

  “While I know the whole plan…” Walt to William “Casey” Jones, Aug. 19, 1948, Miniature Railroads Folder, ibid.

  Description of village. Untitled for Dick Kelsey, Aug. 31, 1948, Miniature Railroads Folder, ibid.

  Riverboat and merry-go-rounds. Walt to Colonel D. O. Elliott (Corps of Engineers), Oct. 15, 1948, ibid.; Walt to Jack Cutting, Jan. 5, 1949, Co Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1949-1950, A-G, A1541, WDA.

  “To tell the truth,…” Walt to Hank O’Leary (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Co.), Oct. 15, 1948, Miniature Railroads Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1947-1948, I-M, A1538, WDA.

  “I’m going to move on…” Paul Smith and Hazel George, interview by David Tietyen, Aug. 29, 1978, WDA.

  Rights to Alice. NYT, May 20, 1938.

  Huemer on Huxley. Richard Huemer, Recollections of Richard Huemer, unpub. ms., 1969, Special Collections, Young Research Library, UCLA.

  “There is no story in the book.” Bob Carr to Ralph Parker, Apr. 20, 1943, Ralph Parker Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1938-1944, N-Q, A1630, WDA.

  “You could hear him…” Quoted in “Growing Up Disney,” People, Dec. 21, 1998.

  “especially sophisticated people.” Ben Sharpsteen, interview by Don Peri, WDA.

  Replacing Alice with Peter Pan. Walt Disney, interview by Pete Martin, Reels 9 & 10.

  “self-cancelling effect…” Quoted in Leonard Maltin, The Disney Films, 3rd ed. (New York: Hyperion, 1995).

  “too much sameness.” Tytle, One of “Walt’s Boys.”

  “trapped into making…” Quoted in Peter Bart, “The Golden Stuff of Disney Dreams,” NYT, Dec. 5, 1965, sec. 2.

  “We just didn’t feel a thing,…” Walt Disney interview by Martin, Disc 12, WDA.

  Rival production. NYT, Jul. 3, 1951. See also Memo, Roy to Walt (Paris), Jul. 16, 1951, Roy Disney Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, A-L, A1635, WDA. Roy wrote of the judge’s decision: “It was a terrible shock to me. I couldn’t believe such a thing was possible.”

  Went blank. Walt to Victor Young, Mar. 9, 1951, XYZ Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, T-Z, A1549, WDA.

  “Watching this picture…” NYT, Jul. 30, 1951.

  only $2 million. Hubl
er, Disney.

  “merely suggestions.” Walt to Perce [Pearce] and Larry [Watkin], Jan. 12, 1951, Robin Hood (Correspondence, Details, etc.) Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, R-S, A1548, WDA.

  “[T]his is important…” Walt to Pearce, Apr. 19, 1951, ibid.

  Regaling family with plans. Lillian Disney, Foreword, in Michael Broggie, Walt Disney’s Railroad Story (Pasadena, Calif.: Pentrex, 1997), n.p.

  “his conversation about it at home…” Diane Disney Miller, as told to Pete Martin, The Story of Walt Disney (New York: Holt, 1956).

  Goff plans. See Marling, “Imagineering.”

  “[E]very time you had a meeting…” Milt Kahl, interview by Bob Thomas, May 14, 1973, WDA.

  “Walt just carried on and on…” Donn Tatum quoted in Randy Bright, Disneyland: Inside Story (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987).

  Lillian being “afraid” of the park. Quoted in Green and Green, Remembering Walt.

  Justifying park as TV studio. Roy Disney to Harlan Hobbs, Aug. 24, 1951, Ho Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, H-L, A1546, WDA.

  John Cowles’s architectural drawings. John Cowles, Jr. interview by author.

  Presentation to Burbank Parks and Recreation Committee. “Walt Disney Plans Park for Children,” LAT, Mar. 24, 1952; Marling, “Imagineering.”

  Searching for a coach. Larry Lansburgh to Walt, Mar. 29, 1952, Carriages, Coaches, Carousels, Etc., Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1958-1959, A-Do, A1645, WDA.

  Owen Pope. Dolly and Owen Pope, interview by Bob Mathieson, Jan. 25, 1980, Pope, Owen and Dolly, Folder, WDA.

  “A Trip Through Disneyland.” Memo, Ben Sharpsteen to Walt, Re: Nontheatricals, Aug. 17, 1951, Ben Sharpsteen Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1945-1952, M-Z, A1636, WDA.

  “I don’t recall a specific occasion…” Bill Cottrell, interview by Jay Horan, Aug./Oct. 1983, WDA.

  “as busy as the proverbial ‘ten cats on a tin roof’” Memo, Walt to Pearce, Oct. 1, 1952, Knighthood Folder, Walt Disney Corr., 1951-1952, H-L, A1546, WDA.

  Development and money spent on Peter Pan. Roy to Walt, Jul. 9, 1942, Disney, Roy O., Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1938-1944, D, A1627; Memo, Ralph Parker to Walt, Jul. 2, 1943, Attached: Alphabetical List of Stories on Which We Have Worked and Placed in Reserve, Ralph Parker Folder, Walt Disney Corr., Inter-Office, 1938-1944, N-Q, A1630, WDA.