Walt's Window's - Drunk History: The Birth of Mickey Mouse

When I was in college my favorite professor said there were two kinds of historical tales.  The first was told in a lecture hall.  The second was told from a bar stool.  It appeared he believed the second category all started with, "General Patton...."

Recently when watching Sky High I jumped over to a listing of actor Michael Angarano's recent work.  I stumbled on a segment of a show called Drunk History.  The concept of Drunk History is pretty simple.  You get a narrator drunk.  The narrator tells a historical tale, not about General Patton it appears, and actors attempt to play out out including syncing their mouths to the dialogue.  

Angarano's segment recounts the birth of Mickey Mouse by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.  And I was actually shocked how much fact there was in this recounting. 

Again, I was shocked about how "true" this drunk story was.  And this the narrator appears passionate, which allows him to keep his story mostly straight despite his chemically induced state!

Walt's Windows - The New Spirit

One of the highlights for me in David Lesjak's Service with Character: The Disney Studio & World War II is the discussion of the 1942 short "The New Spirit" produced for the U.S. Department of Treasury.  The goal for the film was to encourage the 15 million new taxpayers to pay their income taxes, seriously you could not prosecute them all if they did not pay! 

One can see how this short would have cut into Disney short bookings.  It really is humorous and over 70 years later Donald is still a star.

Man I wish my taxes were that easy.  Did you notice that along with living in Hollywood as an actor that Donald Duck has adopted his nephews?

It is a little unsettling to me to see Disney animation being used to depict guns, battleships and bombers.  But it does make a point, your taxes pay for the war effort.  And I cannot get "Taxes to Sink the Axis" out of my mind.

Honestly, I do feel like this short was a success, despite the fact that it resulted in little profit for the Walt Disney Studios.  It is funny, well animated, has star power and shows how Disney supported the war effort during World War II. 

Walt's Windows - Clarence Nash On What's My Line

When I stumbled on the video of Walt Disney on What's My Line it was recommended that I watch a video of Donald Duck on the same program.  This excerpt from December 12, 1954, honestly had me in stitches.

I honestly cannot think of any video where I have actually seen Clarence "Ducky" Nash at work.  And I loved this, especially since the guests have such a hard time pinning down what Mr. Nash did for a living.  And of course, you have to stay for the end to see him voicing his famous counterpart Donald Duck.

Walt's Windows - Walt Disney on What's My Line

You really do have to love YouTube!  It is amazing what you stumble upon.  And recently I found this clip of Walt Disney on What's My Line which ran on CBS from 1950 until 1967.

Walt Disney was a guest on November 11, 1967.

It really is worth a watch as he describes his new endeavor called Disneyland!

Honestly, I thought on the first question they had Mr. Disney due to his distinctive voice.  And I loved the fact that when asked about additions, his focus was on the future at Disneyland not what he had already accomplished.  It gives you the sense that he really did see Disneyland as a project that would never be finished.  

Walt's Windows - Disneyland Resort: Remember the Moments a Magical Souvenir

When the Between Family first visited the Disneyland Resort we picked up a DVD in Adventureland that I have not seen since. Disneyland Resort: Remember the Moments a Magical Souvenir provides a glimpse of the full resort including Disneyland Park, Disney’s California Adventure (DCA) as it was named at that time, Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels. Our tour guides Karen and Mile provide a land by land, park by park tour of the Disneyland resort with video and narration highlighting the attractions and features of the park. Additionally, facts about the current topic of discuss graphically pop onto the screen as the video plays. Honestly, it is a pretty straight forward promotional tour of the park. And this fact can somewhat be found in the special features which includes “Making the Video Guide”, “The Twilight Tower of Terror Time Lapse”, “Two Great Shows” which provides information about the Snow White and Aladdin stage shows, and “Traveling with Preschoolers”. Many of these would be useful to someone planning a trip.

The presentation is set around 2005. There are references to the Disneyland 50th anniversary, the Parade of the Stars which ran from 1999 to 2005, and Snow White an Enchanting Musical which ran from 2004 to 2006. For me this is a Disneyland that I never saw, despite that fact that it is relatively modern. For me that most interesting portion of the video is Disney’s California Adventure still in its youth. With a Sun Wheel, the Orange Stinger and the Maliboomer all prominently featured, it show me how much DCA has changed and greatly improved. It is amazing how quickly this park has matured.

I do not know if I would advocate purchasing this video. We picked it up in the park for a reasonable price and do not know if it is still available. A search on Amazon uncovered copies for $50. Now I will admit that the Between Kid really likes this title. But he likes it just as much as the most current Disney Parks Planning video, which is free. The value in trip planning is also limited since it almost a decade old. So, as much as I enjoy the early DCA video, financially I would not spend a lot on this window to the past.

Disneyland Resort: Remember the Moments a Magical Souvenir provides a peak at Disneyland in the years before I visited. I am sure for many of you, you remember this Disneyland Resort well. Viewing this again and again and again over the last three years has helped remind me that these parks do change quickly and for some of us a window looking a few years back is the only way we will see an era of the parks.

Walt's Windows - Magic Kingdom: Imagineering the Magic

Magic Kingdom: Imagineering the Magic provides a history of the development of the Magic Kingdom Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort from an Imagineering eye.  Host Diego Parras, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) Media & Broadcast Production Manager, takes viewers on a historical tour of the park using the voices and recollections of the Imagineers that helped build the park.  Prominent Imagineers that contribute to the story of the park through interviews include John Hench, Marc Davis, Harriet Burns, Rolly Crump, and many more.  The story is told through a mixture of period pictures with narration, videos from the parks and interviews.  The story of the park is told through a land by land tour of the park.

I really did enjoy the windows this presentation provides on the history of the Magic Kingdom Park.  Highlights for me of course included stories about the work of Marc Davis.  There is a deep discussion about the Haunted Mansion and the roll taken by X Atencio to balance the multiple creative geniuses who contributed to the attraction.  Atencio had to combine the work of Davis (funny), Claude Coates (creepy), Crump (strange) while using the visual creations of Yale Gracey.  And I enjoyed hearing about Davis’ plans for the Western River Expedition, cancelled for the Florida version of Pirates of the Caribbean.  They show how despite the project was cancelled that it still influenced other attractions like Big Thunder Mountain.  Another enjoyable moment is Tony Baxter talking about working with painters at the Jungle Cruise, a story that I had never heard before.  But it is not just the superstars like Davis and Baxter that are discussed, as another legend Bill Evans and his work with landscaping is also highlighting. 

There is some oddity to the presentation.  Some of the video is black and white segments that are clearly Disneyland.  This is especially true with Tomorrowland video, and is typically included as quick flashes within montages.  I am pretty sure that Imagineers like Tony Baxter realize that the jetpack demonstration was in Disneyland during the 1960s.  And images of the Monsanto House of the Future are also clearly from the West Coast park.  We should assume that the segments probably relied heavily on stock footage from the Disney library, but it would have improved my experience if they had the images all match the park being discussed.         

The special features section is one that will catch the interest of most Disney history fans.  There is an excerpt of the Cherry Plaza Hotel news conference from November 1965 announcing Disney’s entry to Florida.  The excerpt shows Roy O. Disney’s enthusiasm for this new project.  Also viewers can see Walt Disney speak of what he dreamt for this new projects especially a city of tomorrow concept.  Somewhat disappointing is “Roy Disney’s Dedication Speech.”  The disappointment is the lack of video as the feature is primarily Disney’s speech over stills.  I would have really loved video, which perhaps does not exist.  Other special features include a segment on the Cinderella Dream Suite, “Project Florida” which discusses the building of Walt Disney World, “Mickey’s Trivia Tour” and an art gallery.  The Between Tween got 12 of the 14 trivia questions correct, though admittedly the Tween probably knows more Disney trivia then the typical Tween.    

 I have to admit a moment of pride while watching Magic Kingdom: Imagineering the Magic.  One Imagineer called the Walt Disney World Resort by the name Disneyworld.  The Between Tween yelled out, “That’s Walt Disney World.”  Yeah, I’m proud!  Yet for someone, like me, who has heard many of these stories before I still could feel the hair standing on the back of my neck in excitement as Imagineers told their stories.  For someone who is a WDI fan, Magic Kingdom: Imagineering the Magic is a must own.  But for someone who just wants an overview of the park, the free vacation planning video may be a better investment. 

  

Walt's Windows -The Ub Iwerks Studio

For Disney fans the period of Ub Iwerks’ animation career, outlined in Leslie Iwerks’ and John Kenworthy’s The Hand Behind the Mouse, they are probably the least familiar with was Iwerks’ time running his own studio and producing his own shorts. 

Flip the Frog’s first short Fiddlesticks in 1930 was also Iwerks’ first story without Walt Disney.  Viewers may notice a familiar looking mouse, down to the red pants! 

Iwerks as a story man and producer attempted to break the mold from the regular shorts available to audiences.  The Brave Tin Soldier from 1934 was one of the most critically acclaimed stories that attempted to break the mold and is still applauded to this day for its depth.  Though originally the distributor demanded, “No more unfunny endings.”  

And despite complaints, Iwerks continued to push the boundaries, as can be seen in 1936’s Balloonland which symbolically provided warnings against isolationist strategy in the years before World War II.  

Despite pushing boundaries, without the partnership of Walt Disney, Iwerks was never able to make his studio financially stable.  And in late 1936, Iwerks closed his own studio.  

Walt's Windows - Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studio

When reading Leslie Iwerks and John Kenworthy’ s The Hand Behind the Mouse: An Intimate Biography of the Man Walt Disney Called “The Greatest Animator in the World” numerous animated short films are mentioned that many are not familiar with.  I found that it was helpful and enriched my reading experience to reference these short films, with many of them available for viewing online.

The following are shorts films that Ub Iwerks contributed to during his time as an animator at Disney. 

Trolley Trouble released in 1927 was the first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon released and the second one produced.  Critics applauded this short, though Walt Disney and producer Charles Mintz were unhappy with the first offering’s jerkiness.  Being perfectionists Iwerks and Disney changes processes to improve future offerings. 

 

Steamboat Willie was the first released Mickey Mouse cartoon in 1928, though the third produced.  It is also the first cartoon with synchronized sound.  Though we generally think of Mickey Mouse as a nice guy, the animals in this short would likely not agree.  

Skeleton Dance released in 1929 was the first of the Silly Symphony series combined music and animation.  The animation by Iwerks showed off his skill and believed by some to be too scary.  And it lacked mice!  However, Disney believed in the short and released it to a press screening which showed the success of this new series.  Skeleton Dance is generally seen as the pinnacle of Iwerks’ career. 

These are just highlights from Iwerks’ first tour with Walt Disney Productions and many more can be found online.   

Walt's Windows - Tommy Tucker's Tooth

When reading Leslie Iwerks and John Kenworthy’ s The Hand Behind the Mouse: An Intimate Biography of the Man Walt Disney Called “The Greatest Animator in the World” numerous animated short films are mentioned that many are not familiar with. I found that it was helpful and enriched my reading experience to reference these short films, with many of them available for viewing online.



The following is the most well-known short from Ub Iwerks’ and Walt Disney’s Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City:

The ten minute short Tommy Tucker’s Tooth from 1922, is a traditional black and white silent movie, with cards narrating the text and dialogue. It is an educational film, that combined live action and animation. I was surprised how little animation there was. But the scenes that blend live action and animation, though simple in our current day, were likely an interesting challenge for Iwerks.


Remember, brush your teeth get a job!

Walt's Windows - Dreamfinder on The Today Show

Once I picked up From Dreamer to Dreamfinder I found myself looking for videos of incidents Ron Schneider included in his memoir.  One of the first I wanted to see was his October 1982 interview with Imagineer Barry Braverman on The Today Show being interviewed by Bryant Gumbel. 

Schneider describes the interview as, “The wig and hair were all wrong and I’m pushing too hard…like a new employee on his first day (Schneider, 100).”  Have a look for yourself:

I am no Dreamfinder expert, but I do agree that the beard looks as if it could fall off any moment.  And I know understand Schneider’s comments in his memoir about his early fake arm and how it did not look correct.  I think for me my biggest concern is that Gumbel treats Dreamfinder as a created character and not a living being.  But overall with failing beards and all, this interview would have gotten my young self excited if I had seen it for this new thing called Epcot. 

Walt's Windows - Mickey's Cornfield

One of my favorite stories in Jack Lindquist’s In Service to the Mouse is set in Betweenland.

Lindquist was flying across Texas one day and realized that he could see circles created by natural gas fields at 35,000 feet.  His mind then jumped to the ability to see a famous three circled profile from a plane.  As he considered the idea, he realized that a Mickey Mouse that could be seen from airplanes would be a good idea for Mickey’s 60^th birthday in 1988.  After a vast amount of research it was determined that an Iowa cornfield would provide the best color contrasts to see Mickey Mouse from the air.  Lindquist’s staff contacted Iowa State University (or should we say Between University) and selected together the farm of the Pitzenberger family of Sheffield, Iowa.  In a turn of irony, the Pitzenberger family rented the 3,000 acres from a gentleman named Walt!  The small town embraced the idea of the Mickey Mouse birthday card and used it as an event to promote their small town of 1,224 (Lindquist, 183-4).

An Associated Press story recounts how Joe Pitzenberger created the mouse,

Using a design developed with the help of a surveyor, Joe Pitzenberger planted corn in the shape of Mickey’s head surrounded by oats in a day and a half last spring.  He said it took just three hours longer than usual to plant the field, which has been kept alive by rain that has eluded some other areas in the state (“Iowans help Mickey Mouse Celebrate”)

Magical rain was the key to growing Mickey Mouse in Iowa.  The summer of 1988 was a drought for Iowa.  Yet, the rain came to Sheffield and the crops grew and Mickey Mouse, the crop circle, took shape on a Betweenland field (Lindquist, 185).

The design consists of 6.5 million corn plants surrounded by 300 acres of oats, and its 1.1 miles from the tip of Mickey’s nose to the end of his ear, said Disneyland spokeswoman LouAnne Cappiello (“Iowans help Mickey Mouse Celebrate”).   

Photo Taken from www.mouseclubhouse.com

As they say in Field of Dreams, If you build it they will come.  And come they did.  For the official opening Disney put on a Birthday party in Iowa.  Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy all attended and met with guests.  Earforce One, a Mickey shaped hot-air balloon, soared in the Iowa sky.  Around 15,000 people came to celebrate Mickey’s birthday.  On the following weekends Iowans visited Sheffield to see Mickey’s profile from miles around.  The publicity went beyond Iowa as the cornfield was covered by major media outlets.  And overflying airlines alerted passengers to the hidden Mickey outside the airplane (Lindquist, 185). 

Sometimes we dream of Disney, trying to think of ways to reconnect when we live far away from Orlando and Anaheim.  Sometimes we need to remember that the mouse sometimes comes to us!   

 

Walt's Windows - National Geographic 1963

Recently the Between Wife found some fantastic vintage Disney photos on Pinterest.  Clicking into them led to two blog posts at Imagineering Disney which highlighted pictures from the August 1963, issue of National Geographic exploring the life and creations of Walt Disney including Disneyland.  The Between Wife immediately ordered me a copy of this magazine giving a window into 1963 Disney culture.

The magazine itself has three significant peeks inside Walt Disney’s world.  The first is a brief article titled “Walt Disney: Genius of Laughter and Learning” by Melville Bell Grosvenor which speculates on the future legacy of Walt Disney.  The second article by Robert De Roos is a large and richly illustrated article titled “The Magic Worlds of Walt Disney” which outlines the animated, live-action and theme park endeavors of Walt Disney.  Finally, as part of this second article is a multi-page aside titled “Animation: Mickey Mouse explains the art to Mr. G.O. Graphic” using images of Mickey, Goofy, Donald and their friends to explain how Disney creates animated stories.  

Mickey Mouse Shows How Animated Films are Made

“Walt Disney: Genius of Laughter and Learning” is the real centerpiece to the Disney offerings in this magazine.  De Roos profiles Walt Disney’s rise to success from a humble childhood.  He quotes Walt Disney’s older brother Roy O. Disney, “As long as I can remember, Walt has been working (De Roos, 167).”  A picture is painted of a hard working man who has his hands in a number of endeavors simultaneously.  Walt Disney when asked what he actually does comments that he is an executive producer, “sometimes I think of myself as a busy little bee.  I go from one area of the studio to another and gather pollen and sort of stimulate everyone (De Roos, 162).”  And stimulate he does as De Roos explores Disney’s vast projects.

This is National Geographic so one aspect of Disney’s films resonates with this audience, live action nature films.  Nearly nine pages go into depth on the production of the Disney True-Life Adventure series.  Ironically, many of these pages are illustrated with pictures taken from Disneyland not with animals but happy park guests!  The author discusses how these nature films are produced, including sharing a story or two of the crew interfering with the natural consequences of animals in nature.  Overall, the article provides a nice summary of the True-Life Adventure films and their production, including how Disney crafted a story from film taken in the field.

Walt Disney and His Library of National Geographic

For me it was information about the parks that I found the most interesting.  A pullout map makes mention of a Haunted Mansion, a building on the map but not yet an attraction for years to come.  Walt Disney shows the author plans for the 1964 World’s Fair showing Ford’s Magic Skyway.  The piece I found the most interesting was Disney’s demonstration of an Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronic figure slated to be part of a Hall of Presidents inside a new Disneyland attraction One Nation Under God.  Instead as we know that figure became part of the state of Illinois’ World’s Fair attraction, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.  It is exciting to see early WED the original Imagineering workshop, in action.

The Pull Out Map

WED at Work

It’s not just the articles that give us a window to Disneyland of 1963, it’s also the advertisements.  An ad for Insurance Company of North America features the E.P. Ripley of the Disneyland Railroad.  Another for United Airlines shows how one can travel from Los Angeles to Disneyland by helicopter!  Though unintended, these advertisements give us a glimpse into Walt Disney’s Disneyland.  

Catch a Ride to Disneyland?

Carefree at Disneyland?

And there is foreshadowing in this issue about what was to come much later.  One article “Fluorescent Gems from Davy Jones’ Locker” hints at a future villain in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise and Disney attraction.  Though the reference is ironic, the real foreshadowing comes in the article, “My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees” by Jane Goodall.  The article makes many references and provides photos of a Chimpanzee that she named David Graybeard.  As a tribute to Goodall and her conservation work, David Graybeard was sculpted into the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom three decades later!  Yet another reference is made to a future Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction in the article “American and Geographic Flags top Everest” foreshadowing the Expedition Everest roller coaster. 

In August 1963, National Geographic had a lot to see and read for Disney enthusiasts.  The pictures themselves without commentary are nothing short of classic.  The articles showing how WED and Walt Disney worked are a glimpse into a time gone by.  Volume 124, No. 2 provides us a window into Walt’s world the way it was, the way it would be, and the way it never was.