Today's book review is a book that I was luck to get through American Pop Digitla PR, from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (that I SO SO SO wish I could have been at!) held at Chapman University in LA a couple of weeks ago!
Living in Southern California in my younger years, visit to 'the Mouse' were frequent. Grandpa took Mom on opening day to Disneyland. She STILL has the Mickey Mouse watch she got that day, that she passed onto me, and that I will be passing onto Kiddo. And yes, it STILL works! THAT'S the Walt Disney quality control for you!
And that is in essence what this memoir is about. Jack Lindquist left a PR firm to go work 'for the Mouse' and Walt Disney in 1955, after the opening of Disneyland. It was very much still a work in progress, and while he did not work closely with Disney himself, he definitely gained an emphatic understanding of what the aura of 'Disney' means to millions around the world and how Walt wanted to keep things going. His memoir shares his 38 years of service "to the Mouse".
The book sorta starts slow, but if you stay with it, you will be treated to some facts you may not have known. My only quibble with the book is that I wished there had been SOME pictures. There are none and that is disappointing! But overall the book is a VERY enjoyable read, even if you're not a huge fan of 'the Mouse'. I found it interesting to read about the changes in the LA area due to Disneyland as well, and to see the history of many hallmarks fo my childhood!
Lindquist started out as the first advertising manager of Disneyland, just months after its opening to ending his career as the first president of the park, It was interesting to see what PR ideas his team came up with and how they were executed. He gives you an unique look behind the scenes how the Disney brand became such a large part of what we consider American, and how both parks helped to form the communities in which they literally brought to life and success. Lindquist is honest and sincere in the book, spelling out his successes (like Date Nite) and his mistakes (seeking money from Imelda Marcos for an Epcot pavillion).
A couple of things I learned about Walt and Disneyland/Disney World from the book:
Some things that Lindquist said that seem pretty profound to me:
It's a very accurate mirror of the changes in business and our lives, through the mirror of the parks, in Lindquist 35 years there! Pick it up and you won't be sorry you did- it really gives you a more profound respect for Disney, and more importantly, for his family and all the employees who sought to keep the philosophy of his about the parks alive even today!
About the Author: Check out Lindquist's page on the Disney Legends part of the Disney website for more info on him! He retired on Mickey Mouse's 65th birthday (November 18, 1993), and a month later, was honored with a window on Main Street, which reads J.B. Lindquist, Honorary Mayor of Disneyland, for you trivia hounds!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes on my blog, free of charge from American Pop Digitial PR via Mom Fuse.No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about the book.
And that is in essence what this memoir is about. Jack Lindquist left a PR firm to go work 'for the Mouse' and Walt Disney in 1955, after the opening of Disneyland. It was very much still a work in progress, and while he did not work closely with Disney himself, he definitely gained an emphatic understanding of what the aura of 'Disney' means to millions around the world and how Walt wanted to keep things going. His memoir shares his 38 years of service "to the Mouse".
The book sorta starts slow, but if you stay with it, you will be treated to some facts you may not have known. My only quibble with the book is that I wished there had been SOME pictures. There are none and that is disappointing! But overall the book is a VERY enjoyable read, even if you're not a huge fan of 'the Mouse'. I found it interesting to read about the changes in the LA area due to Disneyland as well, and to see the history of many hallmarks fo my childhood!
Lindquist started out as the first advertising manager of Disneyland, just months after its opening to ending his career as the first president of the park, It was interesting to see what PR ideas his team came up with and how they were executed. He gives you an unique look behind the scenes how the Disney brand became such a large part of what we consider American, and how both parks helped to form the communities in which they literally brought to life and success. Lindquist is honest and sincere in the book, spelling out his successes (like Date Nite) and his mistakes (seeking money from Imelda Marcos for an Epcot pavillion).
A couple of things I learned about Walt and Disneyland/Disney World from the book:
- Walt was in essence cheap- frequently it was he who would quibble over a $10 a week pay increase, while paying millions for a new section of one of the parks
- Walt did NOT want any school, streets, or highways named after him or Disneyland/ Disney World
- Tom Sawyer's fort was based on a fort that he and his brother played on in Missouri, and that they built. When the attraction's fort was 50% finished, Walt came in and made them move it over 10 feet closer to the short. He was s stickler about things that were based on when he was a kid- they had to be EXACTLY right!
- there was never a memorial service for Walt when he died. Even on site, for the employees! The closest they came was when the statues of Disney and Mickey were added to both parks, and in 1985 for the 30th Anniversary of Disneyland, when they released a million balloons in honor of Walt.
- It's a Small World REALLY did have water shipped in from rivers, oceans, lakes, from all over the world, when it opened in Disneyland, for it's moat. You could never get all that water through airline security today! As Lindquist says, in some ways they could do more before technology!
- Walt never wished to compete against Knott's Berry Farm- he saw them as beneficial business competitors.
- the original Senior Nights for high school seniors required the seniors to wear dressy dressed for the girls and suits and ties for the boys! Can you imagine today's kids doing so? LOL
- Morocco really sent craftsman to Florida for 2 years to build the Moroccan pavillion in Epcot, the correct way! It's the most authentic pavillion in the park!
- the first families through the parks received LIFETIME passes for their families. They have been handed down through multiple generations, but are STILL honored, as that was Walt's wishes. HOW cool is that?
- Walt wanted the park to be accessible (afforable) to everyone. The one regret Linquist had was the changing of the park rates for admission. While it was a business decision, and one that was probably needed to keep the park alive and able to fend off corporate takeovers, it burst one of the philosophies that Walt wished for,
Some things that Lindquist said that seem pretty profound to me:
- "With an institution, people are reticent about change, because they want things to be like they were when they were kids.The Jungle Cruise is the closest ride to keep to that. Everyone feels ownership is Disneyland/Disney World because though private they have become institutions. They want them to stay they were when they fell in love with them"
- There isn't ONE thing that makes Disneyland/ Disney world work. It's a whole lot of things working together, because people can't take the rides home. What they take home si in their heads and in their hearts. THAT is the experience of Disney."
- "Disney can never be what it was- the top of the list of companies for integrity, trustworthiness and delivery of products. It's still up there on the top, but it can't return to the top because the world has changed. So much of the company was based on a philosophy or mythology of how the company started. It's no longer just about a cuddly Mouse, the world has changed and so has the company".
It's a very accurate mirror of the changes in business and our lives, through the mirror of the parks, in Lindquist 35 years there! Pick it up and you won't be sorry you did- it really gives you a more profound respect for Disney, and more importantly, for his family and all the employees who sought to keep the philosophy of his about the parks alive even today!
About the Author: Check out Lindquist's page on the Disney Legends part of the Disney website for more info on him! He retired on Mickey Mouse's 65th birthday (November 18, 1993), and a month later, was honored with a window on Main Street, which reads J.B. Lindquist, Honorary Mayor of Disneyland, for you trivia hounds!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes on my blog, free of charge from American Pop Digitial PR via Mom Fuse.No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about the book.
sounds fascinating. I have never been but would love to learn more lore before I do eventually PAY them a visit!
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