To answer your first question: Yes, the “Walt” that’s referred to in the headline for today’s story is Walt Disney.
To answer your second question: The conversation in question actually happened back in the 1960s. A young reporter from the New York Times heard the old Mousetro say this. In the Disney Studio commissary, of all places.
That reporter, Peter Bart, is now the editor-in-chief of “Variety” magazine. And Bart … Well, when it comes to Hollywood history, he’s experienced an awful lot of it first-hand. Which is why Peter is probably the perfect guy to write a book like “Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb” (Miramax, June 2006). Which takes a very unsentimental look back at the creation of some of our favorite motion pictures & TV shows.
Now about that Walt quote: I know that — what with Mel Gibson’s recent troubles — that a lot of people these days might be quick to label Uncle Walt an anti-semite after reading something like that. But that’s honestly not what Bart is trying to do with “Boffo!”
Here. Read the paragraph that I pulled that particular quote out of:
Disney remained something of a hick from the Midwest who thought of Jews as accountants and merchants. I once made the mistake of asking Walt a question that had business implications (we were having lunch at the Disney commissary at the time) and he replied by saying, “Let me check that with my Jew.” He started to summon a financial aide nearby, but I quickly changed the subject.
Do you get the context now? It wasn’t that Walt was actually an anti-semite. It’s just that — what with his midwestern upbringing and all — Disney was a very plain-spoken man sometimes. So by saying “Let me check that with my Jew” rather than “Let me check that with my accountant” … Well, admittedly, by today’s standards, that’s not very PC. But this was the 1960s, people. And most people back then (including Walt Disney) weren’t as sensitive about issues of race & religion as perhaps they could have been.
Given that — for decades now — we’ve been only been hearing about the authorized version of Walt Disney (You know? Kindly Old Uncle Walt? The guy who hosted “The Wonderful World of Color”? The man that the Disney Corporation has virtually dipped in shellac, and then sanded off all of his rough edges. So that Walt now seems just too good to be true?) … Well, that’s why it’s so refreshing nowadays to hear unvarnished stories about the real Walt Disney. A man who perhaps (according to Bart, anyway) wasn’t all that fond of kids:
The first time I visited Disneyland (I was a young reporter for “The New York Times” then), I was delighted that Walt actually decided to meet me there. As he showed me around, several things became clear: First, it was the design and engineering of the rides that still intrigued him, not the business side or the merchandising. Second, he had invented this theme park for adults – indeed for himself – not as a playground for children. It was not that he disliked children – he paused once or twice to smile at some kids and pat heads – but he, obviously, was not especially interested in their response to his creation. This was the House of Walt, not a kiddie park.
You see what I’m saying here? “Boffo!” is Hollywood history completely stripped of hyperbole & myth. Peter Bart doesn’t do “Just print the press release” -style journalism. He takes you behind-the-scenes and reveals how many top grossing movies, plays & TV shows actually came together. As you read through this incredibly entertaining book, you’ll get to experience first-hand Harvey Weinstein‘s frustration with then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Here Harvey was, trying to get Michael to sign off on a production budget for a movie version of the “Lord of the Rings” book series. But because Eisner personally didn’t “get” J.R.R. Tolkien’s tales, Disney took a pass on making these Academy Award-winning motion pictures. And — in the process — missed out on an absolute fortune.
Copyright New Line Cinema
You’ll also learn about how — through an combination of ego & ineptitude — Disney allowed “C.S.I.” to slip through its fingers. Once again, because the then-head of the Walt Disney Company just didn’t understand the appeal of this police procedural program, the Mouse lost out on its chance to cash in on this Jerry Bruckheimer production and its two eventual spin-offs.
Copyright Alliance Atlantis & CBS Productions
in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Mind you, “Boffo!” isn’t a just a book that chronicles Disney’s numerous failures. It actually sets aside a chapter to celebrate one of the studio’s greatest achievements, “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.” This 326-page volume also brings you behind-the-scenes stories about the production of hugely popular motion pictures as “Casablanca,” “Psycho,” “The Godfather” and “The Sound of Music.” Plus insightful stories about such legendary TV shows as “I Love Lucy,” “All in the Family” and “Gunsmoke.”
Also this — plus Bart’s rather blunt assessment of today’s Hollywood. Peter clearly laments what’s become of this now overly-corporate town, where once …
Photo by Tom Sorensen
… A film like “Bonnie & Clyde” in 1969 might have opened in a few theaters (or even regionally) and there would be time for the word to spread in invisible cognitive waves. Today a film may open on 4,000-or more screens and, by nightfall of its opening date, its fate will be sealed.
If the shelf life of a new film is limited, so too is the life span on its DVD at the WalMarts and Best Buys. The returns will be dispatched to distributors within six weeks of arrival.
“Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb” is a truly entertaining & informative read. If you want to learn more about Hollywood’s real past (as well as get a glimpse of the entertainment industry’s rather depressing future), then I urge you to pick up a copy of Peter Bart’s new book.
One final note for all of you Disneyana fans out there think that Bart just included that “Let me check that with my Jew” Walt Disney quote in order to get a little controversy going and then perhaps spur book sales. Let me leave you with this one thought: “Boffo!” is published by Miramax Books, which is a division of Hyperion. Which is actually the publishing arm of the Walt Disney Company.
Which makes it kind of hard to dismiss this particular story now, don’t you think?
Your thoughts?