Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Disney Studio Directory - April 3, 1957


50 YEARS AGO, TODAY

Here today is a copy of the Disney Studio Directory from April 3, 1957. It includes all your favorites (even Walt) with their telephone and room numbers listed. There is also a separate list for the Ink and Paint Department. Most of the studio at this point was hard at work on Sleeping Beauty and the group involved with Disneyland was in the midst of a major redesign for Tomorrowland that would be unveiled two years later.

I do not know who this directory belonged to, but there is one unique aspect to this copy -- it has been hand annotated (in pencil) throughout with defining notes about the people listed. And as people left the studio or in some cases passed away, their names were crossed out. Additionally, judging by these departures, this directory seems to have been in use for more than a decade. Here are fifteen pages that offer an informative glance into the Disney Studio. Enjoy.

(CLICK to view or download a full-size image)









Right away, beside Tom Adair is the quote "shut up and drink" and just down the
column is a stunner -- the word "suicide" next to the name of Dick Anthony.
He did die in January 1960. A young Don Bluth is described as "renegade."









Floyd Gottfredson's work is described with "strip"
and Ub Iwerks could be found in the Process Lab.










Gunther Lessing can be found as "ATT" and Clarence Nash is noted with "Duck."
"Penthouse" is beside the name of Disney's childhood friend Walf Pfeiffer.










Joe Reddy is listed as "publicity" and Al Teeter is listed as "P.R." Dolores Voght
is "Walt's Secretary" and Madeline Wheeler is Roy's secretary









Here's a listing for the Ink and Paint Department and
on the final page a note of "approximately 760 - 800 people."

Thanks to Hans Perk for inspiring me with his post of the
1967 Disney Studio Directory he began on February 13.

For those of you waiting, I will wrap up the Softball Game tomorrow.

4 comments:

Hans Perk said...

GREAT, thanks, Joe!
(BTW, I am having computer problems myself, thus the lack of postings on my blog!)

Unknown said...

This is great! John Mildenberger is a friend of mine and lives in my area. He's always telling me stories of how it was back in those days. He worked in the special effects animation department directly under the supervision of the late Peter Ellenshaw. John mentioned how the Mouseketeers and even some of the Zorro cast would stop in and have a look see in the animation department.

Anonymous said...

A wonderful snapshot of the studio at a specific moment of time. The penciled comments seem to have been made long after the fact. Note there are no changes to phone numbers or office locations, indicating someone wasn't really keeping this up to date in the office, just going through it by memory. The folks with crossed lines through their names were all deceased by about 1977. Other folks who had retired or left the studio by that date do not have lines through their names. Still other folks, who died in the early eighties, also do not have lines through their names.

Anonymous said...

This is so great! I found my Mom (Karin Holmquist, Ink and Paint) Also found a great hi-res photo of the ink & paint dept from this year.
http://www.altfg.com/Stars/others/disney-painting-department-1957.jpg

Thanks so much!