Roger Broggie Window Dedication at Disneyland
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Roger Broggie is Honored With a Window
on Main Street
Friday, March 30, 2007
Click for LP Lotion pictures and video
Dedicated windows on Disneyland’s Main Street USA are a testament to the many individuals who worked together to make Walt Disney’s dream a reality. They are the well deserved credits in the Disneyland show. The dedication of Roger Broggie’s window brought together family, friends, and admirers to honor the work and memory of a man who has rightly been called Walt’s first Imagineer.
Greeting the crowd were the Dapper Dans, who kicked off the festivities with a sprightly rendition of I’m Walkin’ Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA. Next, resort President Ed Grier was introduced. Grier welcomed everyone, and explained the significance of the window ceremony. He then introduced a colleague of Roger Broggie, WDI Ambassador to the World Marty Sklar.
“The first thing we should say in tribute to Roger,�? began Sklar, “is probably nothing.�? As a chuckle ran through the crowd, he leaned forward and explained, “Roger was such a silent type.�? He spoke of Broggie’s close relationship with Walt Disney, which began in 1939. Roger Broggie worked in the studio camera department, including assisting Ub Iwerks on the development of Disney’s multi-plane camera. In 1949 Roger built the 1/8 scale Lilly Belle steam engine to Disney’s exacting specifications. The detailed designs for this engine, noted Sklar, were later blown up to create Disneyland’s 5/8 scale C.K. Holliday.
In 1950, Roger Broggie became head of the Disney studio machine shop. There he worked with Wathel Rogers on a nine inch tall figure, dubbed Project Americana. This dancing man, explained Sklar, was the first step in the creation of Audio-Animatronics. “Flash forward,�? he continued. “The machine shop became MAPO. MAPO created all the figures for Disney.�? Roger Broggie’s work made possible a colorful cast of tireless performers, from the tiki birds to the Worlds Fair, from rollicking pirates to playful spooks, and beyond.
“If we likened Roger to any of the seven dwarfs, it would be Grumpy,�? laughed Sklar. Despite this sometimes taciturn demeanor, he asserted, Roger believed passionately in the Disney theme parks. Along with Joe Fowler and Dick Irvine, he formed a triumvirate who laid the groundwork for Disneyland, and all the parks that were to follow. “He led so many great people who created so much magic for the Disney parks,�? concluded Sklar.
Resort President Ed Grier returned to bring out a very special guest, none other than Mickey Mouse himself. The world famous mouse was there to reveal the window. A vocal fanfare from the Dapper Dans, a deft tug on the rope, and the covered window, above the Main Street Magic Shop, was revealed for all to see. Grier read the inscription:
“Can Do�? Machine Works
Mechanical Wonders
Live Steam Engines
Magical Illusions
Cameras
Roger Broggie, Shop Master
“Advisor to the Magic Makers.�?
Grier continued, “We are also honored to have with us today, Roger’s son Michael.�? Michael Broggie, founder of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society, and author of Walt Disney’s Railroad Story, then shared about his father.
“As I look out here I see many, many Broggies,�? Michael began. “Probably more Broggies gathered in one place, at one time, than ever in history.�? He added that eight members of the family, including himself, had worked for the Walt Disney Company. His brother Gary followed in their fathers footsteps, heading up the studio machine shop. “We have over a 120 years or so of Disney time within our family,�? marveled Broggie, “And the majority of that is my fathers.�?
Broggie drew chuckles as he recalled running around Disneyland 52 years earlier, watching it being built (“That was before OSHA!�?). There were laughs when he asserted that while some kids got into trouble as they played in the construction site, he never did. He also mentioned a task he and his brother were given: “We were test driving the Autopia prototypes that Bob Gurr had designed. Roger and I were up at the studio, trying to break them. ‘Cause that was our job, to make them kid proof.�? He grinned, “They figured if the Broggie kids couldn’t break the Autopia cars, then the public, when they came to drive them, couldn’t break them either.�?
Michael recalled that on the opening day of Disneyland, all the Imagineers were put to work. Since it was a work in progress, there were no operations manuals, and they were needed to run the new attractions. Roger Broggie had had a narrow escape with the Casey jr. Circus Train, when it tipped backward on a hill and nearly crushed him. After a worker pulled the engine back into place, Broggie said, “The park is going to open in just a few days. No one will drive this engine except me.�? On July 17, 1955, it was Roger Broggie at the throttle of the Casey jr. Circus Train.
Michael Broggie concluded his remarks by returning to the extended Broggie family in attendance. He introduced his father’s sister, Doris, happily present at age 92. He also paraphrased words spoken by John F. Kennedy, who compared the combined talents of a group of Nobel Laureates to that of Thomas Jefferson. Looking over five generations of his family, he said, “There’s probably never been so much Broggie talent in the park, except when my father was here alone.�? He finished by admonishing the crowd, “Enjoy your day heren in remembrance of my father.�?
Ed Grier concluded the ceremony with the presentation of a replica window to the Broggie family. The Dapper Dans sang a final chorus of I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, finishing with the words, “Roger blow your horn!�? As they did so, the E.P. Ripley engine, waiting at Main Street Station, sounded a cheerful note on its steam whistle, beckoning the crowd to climb aboard for a trip to New Orleans Square.
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-- Posted April 10, 2007
-- Text by Doug Marsh