Walt’s People, Volume 10 is about to be released by Didier Ghez. This collection of interviews focuses solely on the research that Bob Thomas did when writing his astounding Walt Disney: An American Original. Page 18 features this wonderful quote about Walt Disney and libraries.
He told me that when he got into a problem and couldn’t figure it out, he would go to the library to find out what the answers were. He continued to do that all of his life. He would either go to the library or call people who would be able to tell him what he needed to know. And in the reverse he was available for people who wanted to question him about their projects. It was a very interesting aspect of his life.
The Walt’s People Series is a must-have for Disney enthusiasts of every interest.
The quote from Walt mentions that he would “call people who would be able to tell him what he needed to know” and it reminded me of an article I read in the Chicago Tribune about the closing of Kiddieland in suburban Melrose Park. The article mentioned that Walt called the founder of that park and was rebuffed. The old guy told Walt to stick to what he knew – making movies – or something like that, and he was too busy to talk to him about “amusement parks”. Sounded like a crotchety old man. Just thought it was an interesting tidbit…