Between Books - Main Street Windows

I was in the midst of researching Roy O. Disney and needed details on tributes to Mr. Disney in the parks.  It was Christmas and I had friends visiting the Walt Disney World Resort from Betweenland. At one point at 11 p.m. WDW time I was yelling into a cell phone hoping my friends could hear me over the capacity crowd, "I NEED A PICTURE OF THE DAVIS WINDOW."  Needless to say they could not hear me, could not find the window and only days later even figured out what I was looking for.   In today's world I could have avoided yelling. 

Main Street Windows by Jeff Heimbuch chronicles the visual tributes to Disney employees who have influenced the theme parks through honorific windows located primarily on Main Street U.S.A.. Heimbuch takes his readers through Disneyland, The Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland with a glance at every current window and even a few that have been removed.  Typically on the left hand pages Heimbuch provides the window text and biographies of the honored individuals with the right hand pages showing a picture of the window itself.  For the American parks this pattern if followed with every two pages featuring either one or two windows.  In the non-domestic parks there are less pictures and more windows featured every two pages primarily by text.  Though one discovers there are many more atmosphere only windows outside of the United States.

You ever try to take a good picture of Main Street Windows?  I have.  It is hard!  You think to yourself you can do it, you can get the right angle and the right light and it will happen...with your phone!  Yeah, you are hot mess if you think you can pull it off with a lack of time or equipment because with overhangs, canopies and angles shooting from the ground you are fighting a losing battle.  This for me is the real win of Main Street Windows, a resource with largely readable pictures of the windows.  It is clear that Heimbuch's team of photographers knew their way around a camera and found ways to photograph the windows in their best possible light, literally in some cases.  There are photos were shadows do obscure part of the window, but even the novice (like me) begins to realize the difficulty of photographing the windows and what a good representation of the widows the photos are.

If for some reason cannot read the window, Heimbuch does provide a full transcript of the window's inscription.  And he provides readers context by giving a brief write-up of who the window honors and why they deserved to be recognized on Main Street U.S.A..  As one reads through the biographies it becomes clear that many honored are not the known legends of Disney we can recite off the tip of our tongues.  Instead there are numerous men and women recognized whose names do get thrown around but are honored for providing excellent service to the parks.  The biographies for individuals with windows in multiple parks are largely copies of each other.  

If there is one thing I wish was added it would be an index.  It is easy enough to scan through the book with names in bold and text primarily being printed on the left hand side.  But an index would help speed readers to the window they are seeking in the book.

Main Street Windows by Jeff Heimbuch is the most comprehensive book on Disney's Main Street Windows.  For me it is an important reference, as any Disney writing I do includes me wanting to know about window tributes in the park.  Main Street Windows will be a first reach for me when I start to assemble outlines on Disney parks related projects in the future.

Review Copy Provided by Orchard Hill Press    

Between Books - More Cute Stories, Volume 2: Animators and Imagineers

Over the last few years, Rolly Crump has allowed Disney fans to look at him as an open book.  First, he collaborated on an excellent memoir of his life working for Walt Disney and the years beyond in the themed entertainment business.  Then he released a CD of oral history that includes some of his "cute stories".  Now with his second volume of audio stories, Crump introduces us to familiar and not so familiar names and provides some frank cute stories of working for WED Enterprises and the Walt Disney Studio as an animator.

The format of this collection, More Cute Stores, Volume 2: Animators and Imagineers,  is pretty simple.  There is a brief introduction where the name of the discussed animator or imagineer is spoken.  Then Crump captures a story or two about the Disney contributor in his own words.  The stories vary in length from around two minutes to four minutes, one track is less than a minute.  The figures covered include a who's who of familiar Disney names including Yale Gracey, Harriet Burns, Bill Justice, Ward Kimball and Blaine Gibson.  But there is among the Disney giants names like Art Stevens, Bob Smith and Jack Miller who Disney fans are likely not as familiar with.

If I could describe the tone, it would be frank and honest.  Crump makes mention of teaching and learning to smoke cigarettes.  And since he preferred special food to go with his smokes and had a dealer to help supply his stash, well I'm guessing it was not tobacco that he was rolling.  And he calls it as he saw it, including mentioning a time where Marc Davis in his mind committed a shameful act.  If anything stands out it is the absence of Alice and Marc Davis with whom he collaborated on it's a small world with.  But then perhaps that says something about Crump's feelings (or it could mean nothing at all).   Ward Kimball does stand out as someone that Crump respected and appreciated for bringing him to Imagineering.  Another thing that stands out is the working conditions at Disney in animation, and it makes sense as you hear Crump talk why animators were at times laid off. 

I am a big podcast consumer, so I often compare pay audio content to free podcasts.  I have not heard Crump tell the majority of these stories elsewhere.  Most podcasts want to hear about Yale Gracey, not Keith Elder!  If I had not received a review copy, I would have likely bought myself a physical copy for this nearly an hour of stories.  But for those who do not wish to pay the full price, there is a download option available for half the price.  Honestly, it is fresh and more frank than one would typically find in a podcast interview.

More Cute Stores, Volume 2: Animators and Imagineers continues to build the Crump legend.  You hear the tales from Crump himself, the man many likely wish they had for a grandfather as he shares credit for many of the Disney successes.  And the frankness provides a honesty that makes you understand how he may have grated against others at WED for being such an individual while endearing himself to others. 



Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

Between Books - More Cute Stories, Volume 1: Disneyland History

I am a big fan of It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as Told to Jeff Heimbuch. I have heard Heimbuch mention several times on podcasts over the last few years that Crump had more stories than they could fit in the book. As a Disney history fan, one does not want to see these tales be lost. And thankfully they have found a new outlet to get these memories out to the fans.

In the audio presentation More Cute Stories, Volume 1: Disneyland History, Disney fans can hear Crump tell the stories himself. Heimbuch provides a brief intro but for the rest of the nearly hour-long presentation it is all Crump. I assume that Heimbuch was the original audience, and that some of the content may have been recordings assembled when they were working on the earlier book. But regardless of their original intent they are delightful to hear.

The stories in this volume are mostly early Disneyland history. Crump starts, as it should with the beginning of the park before it even opened. And Crump includes the first time he meet Walt. But my favorite cute stories are maintenance and personalities. I chuckled as he described the poor state of mainatanence in “early” Disneyland where wood rotted quickly and his account of the “ice pick test” had me laughing as I was taking a lunchtime walk. And I loved hearing Crump sharing his thoughts on other Disney Legends, especially Bill Evans and Bob Gurr. With Gurr we find out their first meeting was over an automobile, which only seems right. The stories are generally frank, factual and honest. For example, he makes it clear that not all the entertainment occurring on Grad Nights was sponsored by the Mouse!

So this is an audio presentation not a printed book. So did it work for me? Rolly Crump is not a professional speaker per say but has spoken in public often. But the stories felt more candid than a polished formal presentation given to a large theater. His frequent use of the word “Cute”, which ties back to his book, gives his presentation a folksy intimate feel. The volume is all Rolly and there is no digging deeper into the topic with follow-up questions. So it is not an interview. What I would equate More Cute Stories to is an oral history as the stream of thought is not interrupted but the subject leads the discussion. The other comparison point is podcasts. A fan may be able to get some of this material from a podcast, but should expect interruptions from the hosts instead of leaving Crump in the spotlight. And one does not have to sit through the advertising that you would typically find in a podcast.

In light of free podcasts, though one has to search, would I suggest buying the CD for $9.95? For those that like physical copies, yes I think you would want this if you are a Disney history fan. The fact that you get to hear the stories from Crump himself is a huge attraction. But if the price scares you off, you can download the volume from Amazon for only $4.99. That seems more than fair for the good content, hearing the voice of a Disney Legend recount his own stories, and the ability to make it portable. Honesty, this is volume one and I am looking forward to the arrival of volume 2. Honestly, I can think of several late Imagineers from this period that I wish had been captured in this format.

More Cute Stories, Volume 1: Disneyland History delivers to the Disney fan’s ears stories of early Disneyland from a man who experienced the park while still under the watchful eye of Walt Disney. Disney fans will enjoy hearing Crump’s cute stories. And hopefully more will be on the horizon.





Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

Between Books - It's Kind of a Cute Story

It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as told to Jeff Heimbuch is the sort of book that Disney fans love. Crump details his Disney career starting in animation, being assigned to WED in support of Disneyland, and beyond using his artistic expertise to help others build their dreams using his expertise. As Crump would say, it’s kind of a cute story!

Crump was a self –trained artist who left a job in a ceramics factory to become an inbetweener in 1952 at Disney. It was a leap of faith, with his salary half his ceramics pay. As an animator he worked on films such as 101 Dalmatians for which he animated the spots, lots and lots of spots. In 1959, Crump was tapped to join WED Enterprises as a designer. Amongst his early projects was the initial development of a haunted house attraction with Yale Gracey which would later become The Haunted Mansion years later. Another early contribution was design work on The Enchanted Tiki Room, including the preshow Tikis. Crump, like all Imagineers, was pulled off his assignments to contribute to the 1964 New York World Fair. His contributions included collaborating with Mary Blair in the design of it’s a small world for which Crump oversaw the construction of the “toys” used by the dolls. He would later oversee the installation of the attraction at Disneyland. In 1967, Crump would become the Supervising Art Director at Disneyland, helping to shape the park experience for guests. Crump would go on to help reconstruct the magic on the East Coast within the Magic Kingdom Park. He would leave Disney employment and lead his own design firm for projects such as Circus World, Knott’s Bear-y Tales at Knott’s Berry Farm, and an ocean center for famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Crump would return to Imagineering to assist with the design of EPCOT overseeing the Land pavilion and unused concepts for The Wonders of Life pavilion. These are just a few of the projects in Crump’s distinguished design career documented in this memoir.

Crump’s design work shines throughout the book. There are numerous color photos throughout the book that highlight Crump’s style. The non-Disney work helps demonstrate how Crump’s personal style emerges in attractions such as it’s a small world and The Enchanted Tiki Room. By seeing something of Crump’s design outside of a Disney context actually makes Crump’s touches more transparent. Crump’s fingerprints become clearer and key pieces have an owner and are no longer crafted by anonymous artists. Additionally, the non-Disney pieces show Crump’s whimsical side. These include a poster series that sarcastically pitch narcotics, a series that Walt Disney saw. As Crump noted, Walt Disney saw Crump’s sense of humor as crazy around the edges. And the reader is able through Crump’s art to see how Disney came to this opinion.

The second star of the text is the Disney personalities. First and foremost is Walt Disney. Crump admired Disney and his leadership abilities. Crump largely worked for WED because of Walt’s vision and he originally left Disney employment due to the loss of that leadership. The next standout personality is Dick Irvine. Crump discusses his personality conflicts with the head of WED in-depth. Crump’s assessments are honestly one sided, a fact that Crump acknowledges. It becomes clear that while Disney celebrated the crazy around the edges Imagineer, others like Irvine did not know how to manage him. The third personality that rises to the top is John Hench, whom Crump depicts as a strong willed, opinionated and giving mentor. Crump clearly worries that his depiction of run-ins with Hench could negatively color the reader’s opinion of this Imagineering legend and he takes special care to fully discuss their complex relationship.

The book overall is easy to read, and Crump is a sympathetic figure. The reader truly comes to enjoy Crump and his personality. I was surprised to find that the text is oversized, almost appearing to be a thick tabloid style magazine instead of a typically sized book. With the book being oversized and colorful, suiting Crump’s personality, the hardcover version would be a handsome addition to any Between Books library. The softcover is a good value for the price, especially when compared to other similar memoirs. Honestly, the best value may be the Kindle version which like another Bamboo Forest offering From Dreamer to Dreamfinder, is priced as a steal.

It’s Kind of a Cute Story is a Between Books library essential! There may be a large number of Disney themed books, but not many that provide a firsthand account of working with Walt Disney, John Hench, Mary Blair, Marc Davis and others. And of course, Crump is a legend in his own right and I deeply enjoyed reading his accounts working for Disney and other clients. It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Rolly Crump as told to Jeff Heimbuch is an informative and personal story of an Imagineering giant that any Disney fan will enjoy.


Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

Dreaming Disney - Communicore Weekly

Well, at least they can claim it’s short!

Communicore Weekly has passed twenty episodes and has made itself a mainstay of my podcast listening week.  Technically it is a vid-cast, but I download the audio only version.  So there are some features such as the “Fantastically Fuzzy Photo” which are lost on me since I only hear them describe the photo instead of watching it.  And I am sure with it being a vid-cast there are other graphics and production that honestly are just lost on me as an audio only consumer.   My thoughts about this podcast are based on the audio presentation alone.

The show is hosted by two nerdy Disney enthusiasts.  George Taylor is the force behind Imaginerding, a go to site for Disney books.  Taylor is one of the inspirations for my own blogging.  If he can post book reviews and I’m reading those books too, why couldn’t I be another voice by reporting on Between Books?  Jeff Heimbuch blogs for MiceChat, like Taylor, and shares Taylor’s love of books and Disney history.  The two have good chemistry, sharing common interests and at humorously times knocking each other down as any guy would do with a good guy friend.

Did I mention Communicore is short!  I am comparing its length typically around ten minutes to a podcast that I am listening to right while writing, one that is topping out at two hours for one topic.  With Communicore you can expect 5 or 6 topics within minutes.  Now I do think there is a place for a longer podcast, and there are plenty of them that I listen to.  But it is nice to have a podcast that can provide a lot of variety quickly.  I feel comfortable starting an episode of Communicore Weekly when I know I only have 20 minutes before my next meeting, where the longer podcasts would not be an option out of fear that I would get involved and then have to leave it behind for hours.  With Communicore I know I am going to get some Disney goodness quickly.

The content itself fits my own personal interests.  George and Jeff like books and history.  And so do I!  Features on the show include “This Day in Disney History” which highlights a historical event, “George’s Book of the Week” which as one expects is a book review, and the “Five Legged Goat” in which the hosts describe a hidden tribute or homage within the parks.  Some of the more unexpected segments include “Bathroom Break” in which the hosts describe some of their favorite Disney bathrooms and “Fantsically Fuzzy Photo” in which viewers/listeners submit their own unfocused photo, well at least I assume they are out of focus.

Along with the regular weekly show they have also released “In the Hot Seat” episodes which feature interviews with authors like Ridley Pearson and Leonard Kinsey.  These episodes are longer than the weekly show and are a nice treat for book lovers. 

I know I have mentioned length a few times.  But I do find it important.  If you have not tried a Disney podcast yet, Communicore Weekly may be a good place to start a new obsession.  The length allows you to not invest a lot of time into sampling a Disney podcast but still provides you a lot of information in that short amount of time.  And as many Disney enthusiasts urge us to slow down in the parks, maybe now I will walk a little slower through the bathrooms.  That won’t be awkward right?