On May 25, 1954, at a meeting at the Disney Studios in Burbank, California, about the new weekly Disneyland television series that was to premiere that fall, Walt finally decided that he would be the host.
The initial discussions were to get some popular actor, or perhaps just have an off screen announcer to do the introductions, but no one could agree on who that celebrity should be. In addition, with the building of Disneyland, finances were very limited, if not non-existent, to pay someone to host the show.
It was decided that the public so closely connected Walt himself with the product that the studio produced, that it seemed to make sense to have Walt do it. He had previously hosted two Christmas specials, and his appearances had been well received by audiences. He was affable, funny, and authoritative. Believe it or not, having Walt host the weekly television show was considered just a temporary solution until a permanent host could be found.
“I don't consider myself an actor or anything but in trying to get hold of these things, I can introduce them, get them going. I'm myself, good or bad, I'm still myself; that will be the gimmick,” said Walt at that 1954 meeting. “It's the safest bet to get under way, then later we can develop ways and other people can take over. If we over-use me, I'll be the first to recognize it. I know my limitations.”
Walt continued to host the introductions to the television series for 13 seasons. While many of these introductions were composed by studio writers for the specific segments, others were written specifically for Walt by Jack Spiers and Jack Bruner. Walt was actively involved in what he said and how he said it on the weekly television show, often ad-libbing when he felt it was appropriate, even though the introductions had already been storyboarded.
“In the early days, Walt would help write his own dialogue for the show,” said producer Winston Hibler. “He never liked stilted dialogue or anything that was too formalized. He said, 'I like to talk the way that people talk.'”
“He seldom used fancy or uncommon words but he would not talk down to his viewers either,” said writer Jack Spiers. For one of his nature shows featuring ants, he refused to change 'mandibles' to the more familiar word 'jaws.' 'They're properly called mandibles,' Walt said. Let's stick to that.' The secret in writing for him was to keep the dialogue simple and in character. He wouldn't be shy to tell me what he liked or didn't like. He was actively involved. He didn't just parrot what I wrote.”
While putting together my just-released Theme Park Press book, Walt's Words: Quotations of Walt Disney with Sources! I felt I should include some of those introductions.
In the first place, they were words that Walt actually said and he had approved that they be credited to him. Second, many people, myself included, grew up hearing him say those words and they made a significant impact and were highly memorable.
In order to make that happen, I had to pull out my VHS tapes that had some of those weekly Disney television shows and commit myself to two weeks of reviewing the tapes.
I quickly regretted that I only had some of the shows in my personal collection that had aired (since I was primarily interested in shows featuring animation or Disneyland and had little to no interest in episodes dealing with real animals or the Western heroes). Some episodes were only shown once or twice (like Donald Duck's Silver Anniversary) and then never repeated; other shows were rerun so often that I had too many multiple copies of the same show.
Another huge regret is that I was limited to just transcribing the words. I was unable to capture the twinkle in Walt's eye, the tilt of his head, the raised eyebrow or casual shrug of his shoulder that gave added meaning to the words.
I had to sit literally for hours to transcribe what Walt said. For those who have had to transcribe things, you know how tedious it can be to go back over and over to make sure you get the words right. In the case of Walt, it was important to get it exactly right, especially since his televised presentation didn't always match the written script.
While “Walt's Words” incorporates many of Walt Disney's TV show introductions, there wasn't room for everything.
Unfortunately, I discovered that only some of these transcribed gems could be squeezed into the final draft of my book, because there was just no more room in a book that is nearly 300 pages long.
Anyway, here are some of those excerpts from his introductions that didn't make the final cut, and a few that did at the last minute. I hope these not only bring a smile or a memory but also supply some “new” quotes that can be credited to Walt. I am getting pretty tired of seeing the “same old” Walt quotes used over and over again.
If you want to see a sequel to the book (and I have enough material for such a book including several more pages of excerpts of Walt's television introductions), then you have to “vote with your wallet” this holiday season and purchase a copy of it to convince my publisher that he didn't make a mistake agreeing to have me do the first one.
I certainly wish the Disney Treasures DVD series was still being produced and that there would have been discs devoted to capturing just some of the television introductions. There is a real joy in watching Walt looking straight at you and passionately explaining things.
I know of at least five different wonderful writers who over the last six years have announced they planned to write a book of Walt quotations. Since none of those books seemed close to being produced, I decided to do the best I could do with what I had just so the material would be out there.
I hope those other books do eventually get published, because there is so much more that Walt said over the years on radio shows, newspaper interviews, speeches, letters, story meetings, and other things that deserve to be preserved and shared. And, I hope, like my book, they include the sources so that it will help eliminate all those bogus quotes credited to Walt.
“(The Three Little Pigs) showed us the value of telling a story through a song. We wanted the songs to stand on their own merits but our first concern was to make sure each song helped us tell our story.” — “Cavalcade of Songs” (1/16/55)
“From Aesop down through the ages, the cat has been a traditional storybook character and he can be found in almost every collection of fairy tales or nursery rhymes. His popularity in stories of all nations is probably due to the many variations within his personality which enable him to play a great variety of roles.” — “The Great Cat Family” (9/19/56)
“Here at the studio we feel both privileged and proud to have been associated with Donald over the years. His perseverance, his loyalty and unshakeable devotion to his chosen profession in the entertainment world has endeared him forever in our hearts.” — “Donald's Silver Anniversary” (11/13/60)
“Yes, Donald is a duck of distinction. But of all Donald's accomplishments, we're most proud of his efforts in spreading good will throughout the world. You might say Donald speaks a universal language. That is, that no one can understand what he says in any language but the whole world laughs at him.” — “Donald's Silver Anniversary” (11/13/60)
“Donald's the pride and joy of our studio. A versatile character who can play any role assigned to him. In fact, he is the [Clark] Gable of our stable.” — “The Donald Duck Story” (11/17/54)
“By using the magic of stop motion photography, we find it is possible to give life to anything.” — “A Rag, A Bone, A Box of Junk” (10/11/64)
“Because the animated cartoon comes to life of the screen, it belongs in the field of the motion picture. But because it is drawn and painted, it is also one of the graphic arts like painting. As a matter of fact, it is often referred to as the last of the graphic arts.” — “Tricks of Our Trade” (2/13/57)
“The trick of creating a cartoon character with a real personality requires something more than proper movement. In order to really come to life, the character's actions must appear to come from his own thoughts and feelings. In other words, a cartoon character must seem to have a cartoon brain. For only thinking characters can become a personality.” — “Tricks of Our Trade” (2/13/57)
“A thorough knowledge of a subject is essential in order to caricature it.” — “Tricks of Our Trade” (2/13/57)
“This is one of my favorite times of the day here just about sundown. I like to be around when the lights come on. It seems like a new kind of magic takes over in Disneyland after dark.” — “Disneyland After Dark” (4/15/62)
“Like most people, I have fun watching others have fun.” — “Disneyland After Dark” (4/15/62)
“Not many great artists are also great teachers of art” — “An Adventure in Art” (4/30/58)
“An artist's choice of tools is not important.” — “An Adventure in Art” (4/30/58)
“Here at the studio we have many artists who achieved national reputation as painters in addition to their accomplishments in the field of animation. These men know the value of [artist Robert] Henri's advice to be yourself.” — “An Adventure in Art” (4/30/58)
“You know, you just can't beat this old motto: Be Yourself. You know it's a piece of advice that's good for all of us. It always works. Just be yourself.” — “The Donald Duck Story” (11/17/54)
“From now on, no Disneyland celebration is going to be complete without Mary Poppins.” — “Disneyland 10th Anniversary” (1/03/65)
“You want anything done right you've got to do it yourself.” — “Disneyland 10th Anniversary” (1/03/65)
“The same scientific equipment that guides rockets to the moon is used to make Jose [the Audio-Animatronics parrot] and his little friends in The Tiki Room, sing, talk, move and practically think for themselves. I guess you could call him a creature of the space age.” — “Disneyland 10th Anniversary” (1/03/65)
“Mathematics isn't all theories of numbers and quantities. It can be a very fascinating subject. In fact, you'll find it in the most unlikely places.” — “An Adventure in Color” (9/24/61)
“Everyone likes a thrilling adventure story. We like to make them and you like to see them.” — “The Adventure Story” (aka “The Goofy Adventure Story”) (3/20/57)
“One of the main problems in developing material for animation is finding new and universal characters. For the most part, they are either human or animal. Sometimes both. But now and then we explore in another direction – the animated inanimate – where we give personalities to inanimate objects.” — “Adventures in Fantasy” (11/06/57)
“In this exciting age when everyone seems to be talking about the future possibilities of space travel, there is much speculation on what we will discover when we visit other worlds. Will we find planets with only a low form of vegetable life or will there be mechanical robots controlled by super intelligent beings? One of the most fascinating fields of modern science deals with the possibility of life on other planets.” — “Mars and Beyond” (12/04/57)
“It has been said that Disneyland will never be completed. In fact, I said it. That there will always be something new and unusual and that's our hope.” — “Disneyland '61” (5/28/61)
“In Frontierland, even the past has a future.” — “Disneyland '61” (5/28/61)
“Not only is the monorail system an entertainment attraction, it is not impractical to believe that such a monorail system could well be the answer to the growing traffic congestion.” — “Disneyland '61” (5/28/61)
“I guess you could call it daydreaming but that's the way Disneyland was conceived. A dream that grew into a reality.” — “Disneyland '61” (5/28/61)
“The liberties which we enjoy and take for granted didn't just happen. They had to be won. Even today, there are parts of the world where the fight for freedom is still going on.” — “The Liberty Story” (5/29/57)
“Fiction often has a way of becoming fact.” — “Our Friend the Atom” (1/23/57)
“The atom is our future.” — “Our Friend the Atom” (1/23/57)
“One of my grandfathers, in fact, hitchhiked all the way to California and back. He literally lost his shirt when his mule was swept away in fording a stream. But though he didn't find gold, he found adventures and arrived home with many a good story to tell. I remember as a kid saying those old pioneers had when they wanted to give the impression they had seen some pretty fabulous sites. They'd say they had seen the elephant. Though their wonderful tales, I saw the elephant, too, and I came to realize there were great stories in that frontier setting.” — “Along the Oregon Trail” (11/14/56)
“Down through the years, monsters have played many leading parts in our pictures.” — “Monsters of the Deep” (1/19/55)
“Potential story ideas exist all around us. And our story men have been trained to closely observe every day happenings with the thought of twisting a common occurrence into a cartoon story.” — “Where Do the Stories Come From?” (4/04/56)
“[WED] is not Santa's workshop. It's just one section of a creative world where new attractions for Disneyland are conceived. Now a great deal of time, sweat and a few tears were expended on all this. But there is a lot of satisfaction of developing ideas into realities which become a part of Disneyland.” — “Disneyland Around the Seasons” (12/18/66)
“For hundred of years, philosophers have been saying in one way or another that a stranger is really nothing more than a friend you haven't met yet. Well, that's the whole idea behind People to People. If just plain people would get together and listen to one another, they might be our best ambassadors of international good will. It's true. When people get to know and understand each other, they very often find that they're not much different after all. Get a ball like that rolling and no telling what we can do for world peace.” — “The Legend of El Blanco” (9/25/66)
“Since the beginning of mankind, the fable tellers have not only given us entertainment but a kind of wisdom, humor and understanding that like all true art remains imperishable through the ages.” — “From Aesop to Hans Christian Andersen” (3/02/55)
“The Silly Symphonies were started as an experiment. We used them to test and perfect the color and animation techniques we employed later in full-length feature pictures like Cinderella, Snow White, and Fantasia.” — “More About the Silly Symphonies” (4/17/57)
“The Plausible Impossible means taking something that is against the laws of nature—something impossible—and make it appear rational and acceptable – in short, plausible.” — “The Plausible Impossible” (10/31/56)
“Impossible cartoon actions will seem plausible if the viewer feels the action he's watching has some factual basis.” — “The Plausible Impossible” (10/31/56)
“Looking over our scripts for our nature films—our True-Life Adventures—an odd fact comes to mind. All of these scripts were written after the pictures were made. In making our wildlife films, we have a saying that nature writes the screenplays and we add the words for the narrator to say.” — “The Crisler Story” (2/27/57)
“Seems that every achievement in outer space opens a way to more distant goals. No longer is the sky the limit. On many of our programs in the past we have presented numerous space projects. Many of the theories we explored have since been established as fact.” — “Spy in the Sky” (4/01/62)
“The imagining was much easier to do than the doing.” — “Operation Undersea” (12/08/54)
“You know to every dog owner, his dog is the best doggoned dog in the world. I've felt the same way myself. We owned a large sized standard poodle and I used to think she was the only female in my family that really understood me.” — “The Best Doggoned Dog in the World” (11/20/57)
“During the last few years, we've ventured into a lot of different fields. We've had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of wonderful people. I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse. The story of Mickey is truthfully the real beginning of Disneyland.” — “The Disneyland Story” (10/27/54)
