Service With Character - Disney WW II reference book

[disneydave]

DISNEY GOES TO WAR

Walt never shot a Nazi. But he and his artists did shoot countless feet of film for the armed forces about subjects ranging from the operation of the 105mm howitzer and fighter plane tactics to Donald Duck setting an example for Americans by paying his income tax.

In Service with Character, you'll learn about the dozens of little-known but strategically important short films that the Disney Studio made for all branches of the U.S. military, and how Walt's patriotic service to his country put his studio in dire straits.

The Army Moves In
On the heels of the infamous Strike of 1941, the Disney Studio found itself besieged not by disgruntled animators holding signs but by U.S. soldiers holding guns. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 galvanized the nation, and none were more on edge than the residents of the West Coast. Fearing an attack, the Army took up strategic positions - and one of them was The Walt Disney Studio.

Mickey and Mortars
Walt did much more than make training and propaganda films. Few people know that he assigned one of his best artists to create, for free, Disney-designed insignia for any servicemen who asked. These morale boosters were displayed by American military units around the world, giving soldiers a taste of home and scaring the pants off the enemy with such designs as Bambi's Flower wielding a mortar, Mickey throwing bombs from a plane, and hundreds more.

In Service with Character, you'll not only hear the untold story of Disney's war-time insignias, but also:

• The importance of Disney’s propaganda films
• How Walt almost made a film about the gremlins — mythical rogues of the air who sabotaged Royal Air Force planes
• The inspiring story of Disney artist Henry "Hank" Porter, who designed hundreds of Disney-themed insignia for servicemen - despite being color-blind
• Whether there's any truth to the often-told story that "Mickey Mouse" was the password for the D-Day landings in Normandy
• Annotated lists of hundreds of Disney war-time collectibles

Softcover, 274 pages, 9x6 inches and just over one-half inch thick. The print version contains no photos as The Walt Disney Company would not grant permission so a companion web page featuring hundreds of related collectibles and images is now up and running. The book is now available on Amazon as an e-book and in a print version. (The e-book does contain photos.)

 

[disneydave]

[disneydave]

If you didn't receive any good military books from Santa this year, consider purchasing a copy of my book. It's available on Amazon in print and e-book versions.

 

Thanks as always for your support, and I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!