Bruce Gordon was this great big bear of a guy.
Ask anyone who was ever in a meeting with Bruce when he was fighting for an idea that he believed in. They’ll tell you that this man was tenacious.
Whether it was getting Disneyland’s first flume ride built and/or preventing that theme park’s “Submarine Voyage” attraction from getting plowed under forever, Gordon never ever gave up. Even when WDI management tried to hush Bruce up, keep him from rocking the corporate canoe, Gordon still fought on.
Of course, there was a reason that Bruce was so combative with his co-workers. This guy truly loved the Disney parks.
Mind you, this love affair started early. Like so many kids who grew up in Southern California in the late 1950s & early 1960s, Gordon spent his formative years in front of a television set. With his favorite program being (What else?) “The Wonderful World of Color.” And — of course — Bruce’s favorite episodes of this Sunday night show were the ones where Walt would reveal what he was going to build next at Disneyland.
The fact that “The Happiest Place on Earth” was a work in progress just fascinated Bruce. He used to talk about how — in the early 1960s, when Disney had actually stopped all construction on New Orleans Square — Gordon would climb to the top of the Swiss Family Treehouse and then stare down into that empty cellar hole next door. Wondering what it was exactly that Walt was planning on building down there.
To hear Bruce tell the story, it was this delay in the construction of “Pirates of the Caribbean” that eventually inspired him to start building these miniature recreations of Disneyland rides out in the Gordon family garage. But even then he was a stickler for getting the details just right.
Bruce used to love to tell the tale of how he once built this plaster-of-paris model of Disneyland’s “Jungle Cruise.” But when it came time to fill that miniature waterway, he knew that plain old ordinary tap water just wouldn’t do. He had to have the authentic stuff. Which is why — the very next time the Gordon family went down to “The Happiest Place on Earth” — Bruce smuggled an empty milk carton into the park.
You can guess where this story is going, right? With Gordon now insisting that his family ride “The Jungle Cruise.” And then — when the pilot of their boat & his parents weren’t looking — Bruce takes that empty milk carton out from under his jacket and quickly dips it into that gross, green water. And once this carton is filled to the top, Gordon seals it back up.
And for the rest of that day in the park, Bruce clutches that carton. He doesn’t spill a drop. Just so — when the Gordon family finally gets back to Palo Alto — Bruce can then add authentic “Jungle Cruise” water to his miniature recreation of that Adventureland favorite.
You getting a sense of Gordon’s passion, his dedication to the Disney parks yet? Well, can you then imagine how Bruce felt — in the late 1970s — when he actually got hired by WED to come work on Epcot Center and Tokyo Disneyland?
To put it bluntly, Gordon felt that it was a honor & a privilege to work on the Disney theme parks. Which is why he always strove to make the attractions that he was associated with the very best that they could be.
David Mumford (left) and Bruce Gordon at “The Nickel Tour” signing in 1995.
Photo by Jeff Lange
And given that Bruce was such an obvious fan of the parks and their histories, he began talking with many of the Imagineers who had designed & built all of those rides, shows and attractions that Gordon had so loved as a child. And over the years, Bruce collected so many of their stories that — with the help of collaborators like the late David Mumford and Jeff Kurtti — he then went on to create this acclaimed series of Disney history books. Among them:
- “The Nickel Tour” (two editions)
- “Walt’s Time”
- “Disneyland: Then, Now and Forever”
- “Art of Disneyland”
- “Walt Disney World: Then, Now and Forever”
- “Art of Walt Disney World”
- “A Brush with Disney : An Artist’s Journey”
- “Ellenshaw Under Glass”
And right to the end, Bruce was still creating. Still doing what he could to make people aware of all of the hard work & artistry that went on behind-the-scenes to create that Disney magic. Whether it was working with Wally Boag on his upcoming autobiography, “The Clown Prince of Disneyland,” or helping Diane Disney Miller get her Walt Disney Family Museum up out of the ground at the Presidio … The man never stopped working. He was always eager to tackle the very next project that came along.
Now some people will tell you that Gordon was gruff. That he was this W.C. Fields-like curmudgeon. You know? One of those “Any man who hates kids and dogs can’t be all bad” types ?
But that wasn’t really the case. Deep down, Gordon was this soft-hearted guy with a very sweet nature. As was demonstrated by his appearance at the 2001 N.F.F.C. convention, when Bruce brought along the Aibo that he’d just purchased. And because Gordon wanted to demonstrate to the crowd how this robotic dog “played” … Well, he first needed a volunteer.
So Bruce wades out into the crowd. And out of all the kids there, he selects my daughter and then brings her up on stage with him. And then — for the rest of that seminar — as Gordon goes on & on about what the Imagineers have in the works for Disneyland, Alice and that Aibo are cavorting on the stage directly behind him.
Now a lesser person might have insisted on having the spotlight all to themselves. But Bruce was a big man with a very generous spirit. More to the point, he was no W.C. Fields. Which is why Gordon really had no problem sharing the stage with a cute little girl and/or a robotic dog.
The picture below was taken just minutes after that talk wrapped. Bruce is now seated at a table, getting ready to sign copies of his latest book. And lurking directly behind him is my daughter, Alice. Who obviously wants to have another go at that Aibo.
Some curmudgeon, huh?
Photo by Jeff Lange
That’s what I think I’m going to remember most about Bruce Gordon. His generousity. Whether it was the way that he shared his toy with my daughter, or all those great behind-the-scenes stories that he had collected over the years, or his obvious love for the Disney parks, or even those silly movies that he used to obsess about (like “Back to the Future”) … Bruce’s passion was infectious.
In fact, if you like JHM and the stories that I regularly tell here … You can thank Bruce Gordon for that. You see, he’s the guy who actually showed me how it could be done. How if you sprinkle your Disney history with a little humor and some backstage gossip, it then becomes this tasty dish.
Which is why my world — as well as the world of hundreds of Imagineers & thousands of Disneyana fans — suddenly seems a whole lot smaller today. You see, I always thought there was going to be a Bruce Gordon. This great big bear of a guy who was ferocious & tenacious & generous & funny. Who’d keep on writing those wonderful books as well as fighting the good fight.
But now that Gordon’s gone — at the far-too-young age of 56 — what are we supposed to do? Other than tell his father & his sister how much Bruce meant to us all. And how dearly he’ll be missed.
JHM wishes to extend its heartfelt condolences to the friends & family of Bruce Gordon during their time of sorrow