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Jason's Story
I only knew Bruce Gordon as a fan. Well, okay, I was the co-founder of
his fan club, with Kevin Livingston. That story, along with Kevin's
introduction, is detailed below, but I wanted to first recount how I came to
know him--first through his work, and then personally, as I bummed around Tomorrowland in the spring and summer of 1998.
David, Jason and Bruce
I became interested in Disneyland history in 1995, after visiting Disneyland
several times a year growing up and getting an Annual Passport in 1994. From the
online world I was quickly pointed to Bruce and David Mumford's The Nickel
Tour. The beautiful book captivated me with the plethora of photographs and
the bad puns. My original copy of the book is a tattered mess from frequent use,
supplemented by a leather-case version (sold when Bruce and David Mumford were
down to their final 250 copies) and the second edition.
I found myself a frequent visitor to the construction site of Tomorrowland in
1997 and 1998. Since I had become an online Disneyland fan (and more aware of
changes taking place at the Park), the New New Tomorrowland was the first big
project I witnessed at Disneyland. Between September 1997 and June 1998, I
visited Disneyland around 120 times--more than enough visits to run into
Imagineers working on the project!
I first met Bruce on March 12, 1998. Like so many other days, I scouted
around Tomorrowland with a still and video camera, looking for the minutest of
details which may have changed since my last visit. I ventured to the second
level of the Starcade (which always offered a good vantage to see behind the
construction walls), and then returned to its entrance to photograph the
Observatron.
On the Rocket Rods loading platform, I spied somebody I knew, with
Bruce Gordon sitting in a Rocket Rod. The next few minutes are a bit of a
blur--they spotted me, waved, and then Bruce came down and offered to take me up
to the platform to look at the construction. In addition to taking my picture in
a Rocket Rod ("It's from Cast Blast, if anyone asks," he told me to say), he
took me up to the Observatron platform, where I had a great view of the
construction!
I was so amazed that he did this the first time I met him, but I saw him
often in the next year and a half and he always did this sort of thing. The day
after the Moonliner had arrived on site, I was at the Park; I found Bruce in
Tomorrowland and I was one of the few people behind the construction wall to see
it placed upright for the first time. He signed me into the Moonliner press
ceremony the following Monday.
On New Tomorrowland media day, I headed down to
the Park immediately after school. After thirty minutes of hanging around the
entrance, I ran into Bruce--who promptly got me press credentials. Bruce gave me
a preview of Innoventions a month before it opened. During early phases of
construction for Tarzan's Treehouse, Bruce even scrambled over debris to present
me with a branch from the old tree. (I was, however, on my own for getting that
out of the Park!) The morning of the treehouse's opening, he gave me a sneak
preview.
At the time I was only 16/17 and always at the Park, but I never got the
sense that he'd rather not have run into me. Moreover, I never had anything he
wanted! He took the time to get me into these construction areas and press
events because he recognized the same kind of interest in Disneyland that he had
when he was younger.
After 1999, I didn't see him at the Park as much, but he continued his
generosity. As detailed in Kevin Yee's article, Bruce provided great assistance
with our Disneyland trivia books. The fan club seemed a natural way to show
appreciation for one of the most public characters at Imagineering...
Kevin Livingston's Story
It was a long-standing tradition of Disneyland Fans to congregate at the park
on the occasion of Disneyland's birthday on July 17th. That day in
1999 was little different, with the obligatory ceremonies and signings all
taking place. For two kids in the Park that day, though, it would be a most
nerve-racking experience indeed. We were anxious, of course, because that was
the day that Jason and I decided to introduce the Bruce Gordon Fan Club to the
world.
Bruce didn't understand why he was deserving of a fan club. All right, a
great deal of people didn't understand why Bruce Gordon was deserving of a fan
club. To the cofounders and to our members it was obvious: Bruce had a simple,
down-to-earth personality that made him relatable to every Disney fan out there.
Being such an avid fan of the Park and its history himself, Bruce often found
himself talking more about the Park's history than his own personal projects.
Bruce also had a sense of humor that challenged the image of the Imagineer as a
creative genius above reproach, coming off more as a kid having fun in his own
backyard.
That childlike attitude made us laugh. In fact the whole concept for the
Bruce's fan club started with a little-known TV special called "Ernest Goes to
Splash Mountain." The mockumentary style special produced by Disney in 1989 to
promote the opening of their latest attraction featured Jim Varney as Ernest (of
1980s movie fame) training to become the first live person to ride Splash
Mountain.
One of the segments of this special involved an interview with the
show producer of Splash Mountain, the real life Bruce Gordon. As he is being
questioned, his interviewer continually interrupts him to answer her own
questions until Bruce, finally frustrated, ends the interview by answering a
question with "uh huh." It was a great moment because it was completely the
opposite of what an Imagineer would normally act like on camera.
In one of the enjoyable Bruce and David chats held on Disney.com, we had a
chance to compliment Bruce on his television work:
Bruce_Gordon: Thank you, it was one of my proudest moments.
Bruce_Gordon: For those of you lucky enough to have never seen it, I
don't get to say a single word in the whole bit, I keep getting cut off by
an announcer who talks fast.
Bruce_Gordon: The reason they did that was because in all the interviews
I had done before, I talked so fast they couldn't find anyplace to edit me
out...so it was kind of "payback."
Bruce_Gordon: They still run that show on the Disney channel, much to my,
um, delight.
It wasn't the quote itself that was funny--it was the attitude behind it. Imagineers, even today, when interviewed, talk of the creativity and talent and
years of work that go into creating an attraction, rightfully proud of their own
accomplishments and genius, but that wasn't Bruce.
Bruce didn't talk about
himself; he talked about the things that interested him, whether producing the
Bruce and David Show for the NFFC Conventions or writing for fan magazines for
what had to be his favorite non-Disney topic: Back to the Future. Bruce wrote
about Back to the Future with just as much detail and enthusiasm as he wrote
about Disneyland! His well-regarded article on its filming locations, "Back to
the Future -- For Real!" can still
be found online.
Bruce was one of us. He was a fanatic. That's what drew us to him. That's why
we created a fan club for Bruce. Whether it was his passionate retelling of
Disneyland history, or his willingness to let us peek into the world of the Imagineers,
we knew Bruce loved Disneyland just as much as we did. What we
didn't know was how he would react to ... well, a fan club dedicated to him!
We choose Disneyland's 44th birthday to introduce the fan club to
Bruce since, well, it was a date that we would easily remember and Bruce was
going to be at Disneyland in person! Bruce was part of an Imagineering signing
at the Disney Gallery, signing a litho commemorating the Disneyland Mountain
range with no less than 7 other Imagineers (John Hench, George
McGinnis, Fred Joeger, Don Edgren, Tony Baxter, Harriet Burns, and John Stone)
at the now dearly departed Disney Gallery.
Jason and I slowly and shakily climbed the stairs of the Disney Gallery to
what we figured could be our ultimate demise at the hands of several Imagineers.
Looking back, I have no idea why we were so scared, but surely few people have
been in the position of telling someone they admire that they made a fan club to
honor them -- so we had little basis from which to form a possible conclusion of
the event.
Bruce (far left), Kevin and Jason (right)
As it turned out, Bruce had already heard of the fan club (and as noted on
the official trip report of the day, it was quite an irony that our secret plans
were being leaked to Imagineering instead of visa versa). As the moment finally
came to inform Bruce, all of our anxiety passed and a whole new form of anxiety
pervaded as Bruce threatened with his infamous line "I'm going to get ALL
of you." As I said, Bruce never understood why he deserved a fan club, and that
was certainly no exaggeration!
The introduction of the fan club to the public though was a complete success,
Bruce's slight irritation not withstanding. Several Imagineers joined within the
first few weeks, although one prominent chairman of Imagineering did accuse
Bruce of creating the fan club himself. While we were all secure in our
admiration of Bruce, apparently Bruce himself was being razzed constantly about
the little affair, so to appease Bruce and giving into pressure, the short-lived
Bruce Gordon Fan Club morphed into the all encompassing Walt Disney Imagineering
Fan Club. But our focus on Bruce remained the same.
Shortly after the change, Bruce granted us an interview at his office at Walt
Disney Imagineering in Glendale, California -- a fan's dream come true! On a
cloudy and cold day we made the trek up to WDI from Disneyland, only to find
that Bruce had traveled down to the Park! Always one to find a solution, Bruce
granted us an interview by phone as we sat in a conference room in Glendale and
he sat at the Park in Anaheim.
Our interview with Bruce was a perfect example of how we related to Bruce. We
focused mostly on trivia and minutia, ending up with a fun look at Bruce, the
man, instead of Bruce, the Imagineer. Certainly we could have asked all sorts of
questions on future projects and inspiration for ideas and gotten the same
answers that any Imagineer could have given, but it was more fun to ask Bruce
questions like "You're not planning to go to jail, are you?" to which he would
wittily respond, "I don't think anyone plans to go to jail."
Although I doubt Bruce ever understood why, he not only tolerated the fan
club, but secretly endorsed it as well. Perhaps he saw in us that same childhood
fascination that drove him to build models of Disneyland in his garage as a
child. He was always open to our inquiries and questions. Looking back I see now
that it was just as important for Bruce to have someone to share his fandom
with, as it was for us to share our fandom with Bruce.
Bruce accepted not one, but two invitations for special fan club dinners at
Jason's house with a small number of members from the fan club. The dinners were
a great chance to meet and chat with Bruce, away from the office and away from
the Park. The very notion that two kids who were nothing but big fans could be
having dinner with an Imagineer they admire is the stuff dreams are made of.
Bruce requested that we not cover the dinners on the web site, so we prepared
non-disclosure agreements for every dinner participant to sign. Perhaps a bit
over the top, but we felt it surreal that the dinners were even happening!
Bruce talked openly about his opinions on the park and the directions being
taken, his involvement in the New Tomorrowland, and of course ranted endlessly
on Back to the Future. It wasn't so much what he said, though, as it was the
fact that he cared enough to come have dinner with us. The one thing I remember
most from that dinner was when Bruce offered me a creampuff, to which I could
barely keep a straight face.
Bruce wasn't so concerned with his image as to snub
his nose at the idea of a fan dinner -- in fact his whole justification for
coming to the dinner was, "I can't turn down free food." It certainly meant a
lot to us that he would do that. (And despite his admonition that nobody told
him he would have to mingle, we think Bruce enjoyed himself, too.) At the second
dinner, he even brought his AIBO, Gyro, which was a big hit with those in
attendance.
That's the Bruce that I will choose to remember. Others can speak with
greater detail of the accomplishments of Bruce the writer and Bruce the Imagineer,
but the Bruce Gordon I will remember is Bruce the Fan. I will
remember the chance I had to spend time with Bruce as a person and listen to him
tell stories of Walt and Disneyland and the great lengths that he went to in his
fandom. I will miss the smiles that Bruce brought to my face with his witty
expressions and his childish exhibitions at the park. He was the ultimate Disney
fan and someone who will never be replaced.
In tribute to Bruce, archived copies of web sites of the original
Bruce Gordon Fan Club,
circa July 1999, and the
Walt Disney Imagineering Fan Club, circa June 2000, will be
available indefinitely. Be sure to look for the report on
our revealing the fan club to Bruce and our interview with Bruce!
Kevin Yee's Story
Unfortunately, I missed the first two Bruce Gordon Fan Club dinners, but I
resolved not miss any more. Jason and I had by this time created a plan to write
books of our own about Disney and Disneyland, a plan hatched in no small part
due to the influence of Bruce Gordon, who was feeding us with lots of insider
information. So much information, in fact, that we quickly saw the potential for
future books. This wasn't ‘up and coming' type of rumors, it was historical
facts, insider tributes, and homages in the parks. We found it fascinating, and
knew other people would, too. Yet Bruce and David had not chosen to include too
much of this kind of detail in their own excellent Nickel Tour book.
(One exception to the idea that he would share ‘insider information': Bruce
never told us what the sign at the bottom of Splash Mountain said - he made us
go look for ourselves, despite the difficulty in seeing when it zooms by so
fast! Only some fancy camerawork enabled us to see the answer).
Smelling an opportunity, we pressed Bruce on what to do for our own books. We
wanted a Disneyland-specific trivia book. At the time, there were official
Disney Trivia Books, but they were very company-general and had only minor
sections dealing with Disneyland. We felt there was a fan base that would enjoy
much more detail about Disneyland, pulled from old company newsletters,
magazines, newspapers, and company publications over the years.
Bruce was pretty non-committal. "I'm tired of boring books," he proclaimed
over and over, and it took a while for us to figure out he didn't mean boring
content, he meant boring layout. Not that he offered to help! He was
instrumental, though, in helping us decide how the first two books would be
divided: anything relating to homages and tributes would go into 101 Things
You Never Knew About Disneyland, while all the other trivia (much of it
historical in nature) would go in the trivia-quiz book, Magic Quizdom.
Because Bruce was such an inspiration to us, Jason and I wanted to name our
company in a way that echoed Bruce's own publishing company. We recalled an
online chat David and Bruce had had in 1999 on why they named the company
‘Camphor Tree Press.' He answered, and to this day I'm not sure if he was
joking, that "We just looked at the trees in front of our two houses and picked
one. It was either Camphor Tree or Small Oak Tree, so you decide which sounds
better."
Bruce may have meant it in jest, but we felt our little publications, so
focused on Disney homages to begin with, would be well-founded if we honored
Bruce for his help, and named our company
Small Oak Tree Press.
Eventually, we had to change our name (the State of California objected to the
similarity with another Small Oak company of some sort), and we settled on Zauberreich, which is German for ‘empire of magic' (aka, Magic Kingdom). But for
a time our company logo remained the same: an acorn and an oak leaf. We still
had our little hidden tribute, right there in plain sight, to Bruce Gordon.
While still in the editing process, we met with Bruce for dinner one last
time, this time at the Tulsa Rib Company in Orange. Bruce admired the Tulsa
Potatoes on the menu and mocked any of us who dared call it anything less than
heavenly, and he regaled us with stories of his life as an ‘early adopter' of
technology. I can still hear him imitating some yokel who wandered in to a
satellite TV store and marveled over and over "I can have this many channels...
IN *MY* HOUSE?"
Bruce offered editing and writing advice at that dinner. Don't just tell
stories for the ‘fanboy' factor. They have to have a point. Bruce saved me from
myself on multiple occasions with just this one dinner and some subsequent
emails. He also set us straight on typefaces (when to use serif, and when to use
sans serif), all on a napkin. I wish I'd kept it.
In fact, he had helped other writers out before. Besides the Nickel Tour,
what's the best book about Disneyland? Some would say it's Disneyland-The
Inside Story, written by Randy Bright. What the world didn't know what the
Bruce ghost-wrote that book with Randy. Once you know the fact, you can't help
but see Bruce's hand in that prose, too. Maybe even the beginnings of some of
his trademark puns.
As Jason and Kevin (and others in their tributes) have noted, Bruce was
himself a fan of the Disney theme park product. He informed us once that the
golden spinning spires atop "it's a small word" were inspired by the
earrings of Imagineer Leota Toombs (yes, of Haunted Mansion fame). He also confided to us
that he had some of those original earrings now among his own belongings. Just
like any other fanboy.
I'm not sure I would have become an author of Disney books if there had been
no Bruce to inspire and assist us. At a minimum, I wouldn't be the same author.
His untimely death saddens us, but his life has brought more Disney trivia,
Disney knowledge, and Disney fandom to the world. He brightened our lives with
his presence.
Still, I'll miss you, Bruce.
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