Of Lattes and Laptops

There's always something special about flying to the Midwest. After leaving the hustle and bustle of LA's crowded airports, it's always fascinating to arrive late at night in Omaha or Kansas City and find the airport virtually deserted. But, that's what's special about the Midwest. It's a needed break from the craziness and hyperactivity of Tinsel Town.

Why Kansas City? Well, I was invited there for a fundraising auction and party set up by a not-for-profit group called Thank You Walt Disney, Inc. This group hosted "Cocktails and Cartoons" to support the effort to preserve and restore the building where the first Walt Disney Company operated. In that edifice, Walt set the pattern for his entire filmmaking career, and met the mouse that inspired Mickey. Included in this group of Kansas City folk was Dan Viets. I met Dan at the San Diego Comic Con two years ago when he stopped by my booth. Besides being an attorney, Dan was a dedicated Disney fan and author of Walt Disney's Missouri, a book that chronicles Walt's formative Missouri years in Marceline and Kansas City. Dan was generous enough to invite me to their fundraiser, as well as provide what could be best called a Walt Disney Tour of Kansas City. So, Friday afternoon my wife Adrienne and I left the Walt Disney studio in Burbank and headed back to Missouri where it all began.

Though cooler than Southern California, the weather in Kansas City was just about perfect. We were greeted with fresh air, clear blue skies, and a city that provide everything we needed. We were up early the next morning exploring the upscale Country Club Plaza, said to be the first shopping center in America. It consists of several blocks of stores in Spanish-style architecture. My first stop was Starbucks for my morning latte and then on to the Apple Store. When arriving in a new city, some people seek out a favorite bar or restaurant. Me? I look for an Apple Store. Once finding these two necessities, I said to myself..."I could live here."

Later, we joined Dan and his wife Sheila for lunch at the hotel's restaurant. Of course, the number one attraction this day was meeting Virginia Davis, the star of the Alice Comedies.

Virginia was only four years old when she starred in the last cartoon Walt Disney made in Kansas City. Virginia also appeared in thirteen more installments of the series when it moved to Hollywood. Even at eighty-six, Virginia shows no signs of slowing down. She brought us up to date on her continuing work with Disney. Four of her Disney films will be featured on a new DVD package in the Walt Disney Treasures limited edition series.

I can't tell you how special it was to talk with someone who had worked with Walt Disney at the very start of his career. Virginia even told of Disney's ability as a salesman. He had to persuade her parents to pull up stakes and move west to Hollywood because the distributor insisted on Virginia continuing her role as Alice. We could have swapped stories all afternoon, but Virginia and Sheila had to prepare for the big event that evening. So, while the ladies headed back to their rooms, Dan took us on a guided tour of the Disney history of Kansas City.

Where It All Began

As an animation geek, I had read my Disney history, but I never dreamed I would experience it firsthand. We visited the library where young Walt and Ub Iwerks checked out books on animation. One such book remains in the library even today. We saw the bank where Roy Disney worked, began to develop his business acumen, and acquire skills that would serve him well as the financial genius of the Disney Company.  Dan pointed out the location of Walt's first job at the Kansas City Slide Company, and the beautifully restored Union Station where Walt bought his train ticket west. Though down to his last forty bucks, Disney decided to travel first class.

We headed out of the city to a quiet neighborhood and the Thomas Hart Benton Elementary School, where Walt and his sister Ruth attended classes. Within walking distance of the school were Bellfountain Street and the Disney home. I actually stood on the front porch of the Disney home and saw firsthand the garage that Walt and his dad Elias Disney constructed. It was in this very garage that young Walt experimented with his first attempts at animated filmmaking. While in the back yard, I glanced at the other homes a few yards away. One of them was sure to be the home of Disney's boyhood pal Walt Pfeiffer, who I remembered lived just down the street from Walt.

The Disney home on Bellfountain Street in Kansas City.

Finally, our tour ended at Disney's Laugh O'Gram studio, currently under renovation. As I walked around the two-story structure now being restored to its former glory, I couldn't help but wonder what would animation be like today had Disney's first studio succeeded? Might Walt have built his campus in a suburb of Kansas City, or the first animated feature been produced in the Midwest? No doubt the lives of many animation artists would have been impacted had Laugh O'Gram had a different outcome.

That evening, the fundraising party and auction was held at the Screenland building, a recently remodeled ice plant that now houses office suites, along with a state-of-the-art movie theater. Butch Rigby, a local attorney and developer who also owns the building, hosted the party. Arriving at the fundraiser, one couldn't help notice the Tomorrowland Moon liner in the parking lot. What was Disney's Moon liner doing in Kansas City, you might ask? Well, it seems TWA boss Howard Hughes wanted a replica of the Tomorrowland Moon liner on top of his TWA building in Kansas City. After all, Hughes was proud of his relationship with the Disney Company and wanted everybody to know it. Over time, TWA went out of business, and the Moon liner fell into disrepair and ended up in the junkyard. Dan Viets purchased the Disneyland replica and hired his friend, rocket scientist Don Jourdan, to restore the Disneyland icon.

About 200 guests attended the affair, held in the ground-floor gallery, and took the opportunity to visit with Virginia and myself and talk about all things Disney. Among the many items sold that evening was a copy of the November 1956 Saturday Evening Post featuring "The Story of Walt Disney," written by Diane Disney Miller and Pete Martin. The copy auctioned was autographed by Diane Disney Miller and brought a nice price at the auction. Surprisingly enough, actress Haley Mills was performing in Kansas City that same weekend. Miss Mills was appearing in Two Can Play, a clever romantic comedy, and sent a sweet note apologizing for being unavailable, but said she would love to take the Disney History Tour one day. For me, the highlight of the evening was the colorful auctioneer, complete with ten-gallon hat doing his spiel. It brought back memories of what the old livestock auctions must have been like in a Kansas City many years ago.

Dan Viets (leaning into frame), Butch Rigby, Virginia Davis with Floyd and Adrienne Norman
Images copyright and courtesy of Floyd Norman.

As we headed back to the west coast, I realized our visit to Kansas City was much too short. I still have not seen Walt Disney's boyhood town of Marceline, and I know I'll have to return to see the completed restoration of Disney's first studio, Laugh O'Gram. Finally, my hats off to the good people of Kansas City who, unlike some other organization I won't mention, treasure and value the legacy of Walt Disney.

About the Author

Floyd Norman began his cartooning career while still in high school as an assistant to the artists of Archie Comics. He attended the Art Center College of Design as an illustration major. He began his career at the Walt Disney studio as an animation artist on Sleeping Beauty. After joining the story department at Disney animation, he did story sketch work on The Jungle Book, the last animated film personally supervised by Walt Disney.

During his career, Floyd was also a writer-director in the production of educational media at Vignette Films, Inc., one of the first companies to produce films on the subject of African-American history. He has also produced animated segments for PBS's Sesame Street and Villa Alegre. As a supervising animator, he also worked for Hanna-Barbera Productions on such shows as The Flintstones, Smurfs, and Scooby Doo.

Floyd returned to Disney in the '80s to join the Disney Publishing Group. There he wrote the syndicated Mickey Mouse comic strip and contributed stories to Disney comics. He returned to Walt Disney Feature Animation (WDFA) to story board The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Dinosaur, and The Tigger Movie. In 1997, he was asked to join the story crews working on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California.

Despite being "retired," Floyd Norman's knowledge and expertise is still much in demand. He has answered the call to consult and work on projects such as Imagine Entertainment and NBC Universal Studios' upcoming animated feature film Curious George and WDFA's ToyStory 3.

Floyd is also the author of three books, Faster Cheaper the Flip Side of the Art of Animation, Son of Faster Cheaper, and his most recent collection of animated observations, How the Grinch Stole Disney Making Money and Mayhem Inside the Magic Kingdom.

Site List

Thank You Walt Disney, Inc.

Floyd Norman's books can be purchased at, AfroKids.com