Reliving Fond Memories: A Window Backstage
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Van France (L.) and Dick Nunis.
(© The Walt Disney Company)
What strikes me as pertinent in this book is the simplicity and directness Disney and his staff used in assembling the methods that created happiness for 40 years. Without the use of MBAs to figure out ways to siphon money from the operations into board director’s salaries, this was a time when Disney poured funds into creating a “good show�?. For example, the huge success of “Mary Poppins�? in 1964 enabled Disney to take on The New York World’s Fair and the centennial celebration in 1965, unveiling New Orleans Square. Disney knew there would be mistakes (Mickey Mouse Club Circus) but that is how you learn. He wasn’t afraid of a bump on the head, as long as the milestones were met. The management systems put into place worked beautifully, built with trial and error.
I was introduced to people who are not familiar to casual Disney fans, but provided the commitment and security to help maintain the baby and taught it to walk: Dorothy Eno, Carolyn Long, C.V. Wood, Irene Fleetwood, Gene Johnson, Cliff Walker, and Earl Shelton. These people toiling “backstage�? deserve our undying gratitude.
On the day of his retirement, France was awarded with a window on Main Street. His former assistant, now president of Disneyland, Dick Nunis, did the honors. The window was placed over what was then the tobacco shop (now 20th Century Music), another sly nod to France, a life long smoker. But his real legacy is the Disney University, which continues to train cast members at all the theme park locations. He pioneered “The Disney Way�? which is the cornerstone of hospitality at all arms of the Disney Empire. He did this by watching Walt in action, seeing how he did things, listened to how he expressed himself, what his thoughts and dreams were for the visitor to his toy box.
After spending a few hours with Van, I finished the book and set it aside. I really enjoyed this book. Though it is an easy read, it is packed with factoids the Disney fan loves. With Van as a guide, I was personally taken from an orange grove in southern California to the rise of a unique entertainment giant that dominates pop culture to this day. This book is really a window, not onto Main Street, but into another simpler time, one that is not likely to repeat itself. Walt Disney Productions has gone from a provincial home grown campus to The Walt Disney Company, a global media conglomerate. With the new changes in management, hopefully some of the wisdom of the company’s founder will find its way back into the operator’s manuals again. We can only hope. And wait.
The window today
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-- Posted May 30, 2006
-- Text and Pictures by David Mink