Help Needed - Walt's People - Volume 13

Could any of you who already received his or her copy of Walt's People - Volume 13 write a review on Amazon? This would help tremendously.

An individual named "A. Gass" who has clearly never read any of the volumes of the series, let alone Volume 13 (and whom I do not know), is on a personal vendetta against me and has posted a terrible review (based on thin air) for two of my books.

Not much I can do about the review of the French edition of Disneyland Paris - From Sketch to Reality, but it would be great to counterbalance things when it comes to Walt's People.

Overall the two reviews made me smile. The one about the Disneyland Paris book especially. I love the part about "misquotes." Since I only quote from interviews I conducted myself at the time, and since no one but me had access to these interviews until now, that element of the "review" was particularly hilarious.

Anyway, I would love to get your help on this, if at all possible.

 

The Art of the Disney Golden Books by Charles Solomon is now available on pre-order on Amazon. I can't wait to read that upcoming book!

This just in:

[DISNEY LEGEND FLOYD NORMAN WILL BE SIGNING HIS NEW BOOK, “ANIMATED LIFE”
AT WALT’S BARN ON AUGUST 18, 2013

A self-proclaimed cartoonist, Floyd Norman has worked in motion pictures, television, comic books and strips. He’s been doing this longer than most people have been alive.

He wrote the syndicated Mickey Mouse strip and worked as an animator and story artist on at least a dozen feature animated films for both Walt Disney Studio and Pixar Animation Studios. Though retired, Floyd continues to work as a consultant for the Walt Disney Company and is currently producing a series of videos helping promote the Disney legacy. He has also developed video games and toys for Disney Consumer Products simply because he wants to play with them.

Floyd’s latest project takes him outside the Disney Company. He’s writing Cartoon Network’s popular new show, “The Annoying Orange.”

Walt’s Barn is located at 5202 Zoo Dr. in Griffith Park. 
On August 18, 2013 Walt’s Barn will be open 11:00am - 3:00pm.]

This just in from Are Myklebust:

[On this website you will find what supposing is Walt Disney’s Ex Libris (or bookplate):

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2006/09/cartoonists-wanted.html

Is it genuine?
And if so, when did he start to use it?

See also the Ex Libris belonging to Frieda and Remus Harris - the grandson of Joel Chandler Harris!]

Weird photo found on the web last week. No idea who the artist is.

The Disney Books Network was updated yesterday. Apologies for this huge delay between updates. I had serious issues with internet at home over the last 6 months (those issues will be solved when we move to a new home in Coral Gables around October).

As you probably know by now I am finalizing a book titled Disney's Grand Tour about Walt's trip to Europe in 1935.

There is still one possible treasure trove which I am trying to access (a document in German on microfilm stored in Tennessee!) but aside from this I am just researching a few small details which will be mentioned in the endnotes.

This post focuses on one of those small details.

Around the time when Walt was in the UK, music producer John Watt organized a series of programs for the BBC featuring music inspired by the Disney shorts.

What I just found out this weekend is that a series of recordings were released at the time by Decca Records. I believe there were 6 discs in the series, titled Songs Fom the Films - Walt Disney Impressions:

Number 1: Three Little Pigs - F5312
Number 2: Grasshopper and the Ants - F5462
Number 3 or Number 4: Meet Mickey Mouse - F5647
Number 5: Lullaby Land - F5703
Number 6: Old King Cole - F5655

As you can see I am still missing one title. Could anyone help?

By the way, this page contains some great information about Disney & The Vinyl Record.

Gunnar Andreassen notes that the "mysterious" woman on the photo of Walt in London which I posted last week is most certainly Majorie Sewell Bowers, Walt's niece.

[The caption of this Getty Image from the same trip reads: "1952: American cartoonist and filmmaker, Walt Disney (1901 - 1966) with his wife and two daughters, Sharon and Diane and Karin Bergstrom, on board a ship." (It looks like Diane Disney and Karin Bergstrom were "classmates":  University of Southern California - see El Rodeo Yearbook 1952, link here http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/usc/1952/Page_200.html) And in The Cute Walt Story That Never Was by Jim Korkis, we read: "In 1952, Walt took five women to Europe—Mrs. Disney, the daughters, a niece and a friend of Diane’s. On this trip he taught them to reach for what they wanted."]

If you own the book It's Kind of a Cute Story (and I am convinced that most of you do, by now), you will probably want to pick up the CD titled More Cute Stories, with even more memorries by Rolly Crump. I just did.

 This just in from Gunnar Andreassen.

 

Pure gold on Cartoon Brew this morning with never-released-before photos of the Three Caballeros wrap party!

Todd Pierce and I just picked up this great photo on ebay. I have to admit that it threw me off. Walt is wearing a French grenadier's "shako" and the young man on his right seems to be wearing either the uniform of Napoleon's French grenadiers or, more likely, the uniform of the Italian Granateri di Sardegna (basically some Italian grenadiers). So I thought Walt might have been in a fun fair or in Europe.

In reality, both Becky Cline and David Lesjak confirmed that this photo was taken during an RKO convention which took place at the Studio in 1936.

Do not miss today:

- Disney Las Vegas – The Euro Disney Hotel That Never Was on Designing Disney
- Walt's Wife Talks About EPCOT Center on Imagineerding
- Pedro and Planes by Jim Korkis
- Amazing LIFE Magazine Pictures of Disneyland on Opening Day ! - Part Two : Tomorrowland by Alain Littaye
- Amazing LIFE Magazine Pictures of Disneyland on Opening Day ! - Part One : Main Street U.S.A & Fantasyland by Alain Littaye

Walt's People - Volume 13 released!

I have the pleasure to announce that Walt's People - Volume 13 has been released!

Once again this is a huge volume (594 pages). It looks as if I am still suffering from the "JK Rowling syndrom" :-)

Quite a few elements are new this time around: I have a new, extremely professional publisher, Theme Park Press, run by Bob McLain. Working with Bob is such a pleasure that I am hoping to release a lot of my upcoming books (not just the Walt's People book series) through Theme Park Press. (The Theme Park Press website will launch a bit later this month). 

Walt's People - Volume 13 also features a newly formatted interior, an improved cover design, stringent editing thanks to Bob.

And better still, the cover price is lower ($19.95, before Amazon's discount).

The Kindle and other digital versions will be available by next week.

[Note: If you are one of the contributors of this new volume, you should receive your copy of the book at some point in September.]

I just love those Japanese matchbox covers from the '30s! They are so ugly that they appear to be beautiful :-)

Interesting photo of Walt, found on the site of the English Science & Society Picture Library. According to the caption it was shot on July 7, 1952 at a hotel in London by photographer A. Tanner. The woman on the left is supposed to be Walt's secretary. Is this Dolores Voght? Of course the other women on the photo (from left to right) are Diane, Sharon and Lillian.

Seen on ebay recently. Not sure what the story is when it comes to this student magazine cover, but I love it.

Do not miss today:

- HEARTS OR TARTS~The Alice in Wonderland Story Conundrum... by Paul F. Anderson
- Storybook Land Restoration by Dave de Caro
- Walt Disney, P.L. Travers and the Battle Over Mary Poppins: Part Two by Jim Korkis
- Animation Anecdotes #121 by Jim Korkis

This photo just in from Julie Svendsen:

[My mom is the woman shown wearing the scarf and the faux fur coat on the right.  I don't know who the other women are but I'm guessing that one of them is Hyacinth (Hycie as she was known to those familiar to her), the longtime flight attendant on the Gulfstream.  Maybe you know the pilot's name and the name of the other lady?]

I don't know who the other lady is, but I should know the name of the pilot. I forgot though, but I am sure one of you will remind us.

The more I hear about The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney's Dream the more exciting it sounds. Let's hope it does not disappoint.