Disneyland Employee Handbook, 1957
It's time for another special post, featuring scans of a 1957 booklet given to new hires. "Meet Your New Job"! This was scanned for us by Grant McCormick, who's mother worked as a tour guide (she also worked over at the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow) back in those golden days. Grant and his sister still have some wonderful artifacts from their mother's days at Disneyland, including this rarity.
Here's the front and back covers - as always I love the little spot illustrations. The discolored bits are a shame, but I'm sure nobody imagined that this would be of interest over 60 years later! There's 21 pages, which is a lot of reading, but I think you'll enjoy all the details that are revealed.
We're welcomed by Donald Duck himself! Notice that the book says that they use the term "host" and "hostess", and not "cast member".
Which kind of Disneylander are YOU? I want to be a "Permanent Full Time Disneylander", that's where all the glory lies. They say that attendance can go "as high as 33,300" - I wonder which days would draw crowds like that in those early years? New hosts and hostesses learn about the ins and outs of their pay...
... as well as deductions, which are just a fact of life. I wonder how many people had their very first employment at Disneyland? Probably a lot. The little map is familiar, used in other brochures and publications.
Pluto wants us to enjoy ourselves, but don't do anything stupid. I like the way they break the news that a job at Disneyland is still a JOB, with all of its frustrations.
Mr. Toad may be a maniac on the road, but he is always careful to look SHARP. I guess I will have to get rid of my trick hair cut (aka a "mohawk"). It's nice that they encourage employees to ask for a clean uniform in anything unfortunate happens. The other page mentions the Disneyland Fire Department, I wonder where they are housed, and what sort of equipment they have?
"Working Hours and Conditions"... it all sounds about like what I'd expect (how about that electrocution analogy?), although the mention of a mere 10 minute "rest period" in the middle of an eight hour shift doesn't sound like very much.
Overtime, group insurance, vacations, sick leave... all stuff that is of concern to anybody starting a new job. I'd go for that sweet, sweet double overtime, and rake in the money!
I definitely plan on causing lots of accidents, so I will put a bookmark in this section. "Nurse, I got bit by a mule!". "Nurse, I have a piece of popcorn up my nose!". "Nurse, I suffer from stagecoach sickness!". You just never know at Disneyland.
My favorite things about the two diagrams (one for the whole company, the other for Disneyland) is that Walt is the center of everything.
Ah yes, questions from guests - there must have been some doozies. Be courteous and friendly at all times! "Excuse me, does Walt Disney live here?". "What are you, crazy? Leave me alone!". That would be my answer to every question, I admit.
Question: why are Chip and Dale sawing logs in the rain?
Here endeth the handbook! There's a handy index in case you need to refer to anything again (like those vacations days).
Thanks so much to Grant McCormick for sharing these scans of this rare and amazing employee handbook!
29 comments:
Major-
What a swell employee [ahhh... CM handbook - or is that 'host' & 'hostess'-?]
"They say that attendance can go "as high as 33,300" - I wonder which days would draw crowds like that in those early years?" Well - prior to 1957, I see the biggest attendance day was on December 30, 1956, when there were 33,491 folks in the Park. If you were looking for low attendance, your best choice would've been on Wednesday, January 25, 1956, when only 441 brave souls showed-up. And yes, it rained that day; and the Park [for the first time in its history] was closed the following day due to "...a storm described at the time as the second-worst in Southern California history". (Thank you Jason's Disneyland Almanac).
And thanks so much to Grant for sharing this 'brochure'. It sure is folksy-!
OK, this one’s going to take me a while to take in the whole thing, so I’ll probably pop in s few times with comments.
Nothing sets the tone of the workplace better than being onboarded by someone with anger management issues and no pants!
“This is a crazy mixed-up place - but you’ll like it” is the 1957 equivalent of “You don’t have to be crazy to work here... but it helps!”
Do many dogs daydream about money? Maybe Pluto thinks the dollar sign is the “S” in “Snausages.”
“If the little chart below doesn’t clarify this then ask your supervisor for a thorough explanation. If your supervisor is unable to provide an explanation, check to see if (a) he is wearing a feathered headdress (b) his skin has a “woody” texture (c) he has been standing fairly still in front of the Tobacconist’s shop for a rather long time. If you can answer “yes” to two or more of the above, please remove any sharp objects from your person and report to the nurse’s station.”
A big thanks to Grant & the Maj for this gem!
First Aid - Where you get your physical. They gave everyone physicals? I wonder when that stopped?
And remember.....at Disneyland, every question gets a courteous answer "Sorry, I don't know!"
I remember when I was hired, they told us that we couldn't tell a guest that we didn't know the answer to their question. We were supposed to say, "I don't know....but I will find out for you!" I wonder what happens today, if you ask a cast member, "Why did the company ruin Walt's park?" Maybe you get the answer, "I don't know.....but I will find out for you!"
Thank you, Grant and Major!!!
Ouch, Donald's bed of nails! I always knew he and Daisy had a inky side.
By "FUN" we do not mean "HORSEPLAY". Unless you are a Stagecoach driver.
"Now we do not go in for electrocutions here..." "Well, Donald probably does, but what he and Daisy do in the privacy of their own bedroom is done of our business."
I'm impresse3d by how well the text fits around the circular diagram on p.18. Especially since it looks like it was done on a plain old typewriter. I bet very few people could do that nowadays.
Well, I don't know. What does working in a Mexican army with a lot of generals sound like?
"In the event that due to inclement weather, the company operates the rides with a subnormal or skeleton crew..." I can't speak for Disneyland, but every time I've been to WDW as an adult they've been running with a subnormal or skeleton crew. It wasn't always that way, but lately it seems like they're trying to save every penny they can on payroll, and it shows.
Chip and Dale sawing logs in the rain? That's nuts!
This has been such a cool peek behind the curtain!
I'm at work so I haven't had a lot of time to study this (my job isn't nearly as fun!), but I find it interesting that you could literally not call and just not show up...twice...and everything would be ok. On that third time, though, you were out!
This is really great! Love seeing these old inside info publications.
Still trying to decide if "ninty-six" was the preferred spelling of ninety six in those days.
@ Melissa-
It's kinda hard to top what's been written down in these pages, but you managed to do so swimmingly with these two observations:
- Nothing sets the tone of the workplace better than being onboarded by someone with anger management issues and no pants!
- “This is a crazy mixed-up place - but you’ll like it” is the 1957 equivalent of “You don’t have to be crazy to work here... but it helps!”
This is fascinating. Were there any other companies with this kind of focus on the customer experience?
Also, they sound pretty tight with a dollar all around, but the policy for weather days sounds fairly generous.
Thanks Grant & Major!
JG
Going to go through these pages throughout the day. Did a quick read through. It is so cool to read the rules and regulations and the language used to get the point across.
Yes, thanks Melissa, that first observation, as Nanook put it. Got a big chuckle out of that one. I do love the Walt Disney Organization and where you fit in page. Just love seeing Walt's name right in the middle.
Melissa, there's a reason Chip 'n Dale are out in the rain, and I'll bet that someone with anger management issues and no pants has something to do with it.
Thanks Grant, great stuff. Thanks Major for a great post.
Thank you Grant and Major! I'm going to read every word and then go apply! Don't worry about the condition, we're all somewhat discolored after 60 years some years.
Zach
I'm not kidding! I'm sitting here with anger management issues and no pants! I just might fit in!
A look back at a time when the ship had only one Captain, and quality service took precedence over money. How are the mighty fallen. I always wanted to work at Disneyland, but North Hollywood was a bit far to commute. But I would love to pilot the Monorail or a Sub just once. Great stuff today, thanks Grant and Major.
Nanook, I would have loved to have been there when there were only 441 people, even in the rain! What an experience. And the idea of over 33,000 people being there when the number of attractions was considerably less than today is astonishing!
Melissa, it’s true, that’s a lot of reading to do! I like the idea that they knew that Disneyland was a “different” place to work than most, I’m sure if you were willing to just go with it, everything would be OK.
Melissa, I would definitely be worried if my supervisor was wearing a feathered headdress and had a woody texture. That has only happened twice in my life!
TokyoMagic!, that IS odd. Did they actually give prospective new hires a complete physical?? I have heard about CMs using the phrase “I don’t know… but I will find out for you”. I think the answer to why they ruined the park can be summed up in one word: “GREED”.
Melissa, a cartoon character definitely should have an “inky side”! Yes, that electrocution analogy is pretty odd, though I guess it makes its point. I used to do actual pasteup, so I can just picture the person who made those charts cutting up lines of text and placing them “just so”.
Melissa (#4!), I have heard far too many stories about rides that have the bare minimum of employees supervising them. Somebody recently said that the Swiss Family Treehouse typically had ONE cast member! Seems like a bad idea.
Stu29573, I agree, I can’t imagine just not showing up without calling. Twice! Maybe they were cutting their young, inexperienced staff a break?
Tom, I think it’s safe to say that “ninty-six” was a typo, or else the writer didn’t know any better!
Nanook, I’d want to work at Disneyland with Melissa as my management!
JG, that’s a good question, one that I can’t answer. I’m sure some companies were very concerned about the customer (I read a book about Tiffany long ago, they used to be very customer-oriented). When you see how uncrowded some of those early days were, you can understand why they were tight with a dollar.
DrGoat, I wish we knew who was in charge of creating this booklet. Did Marty Sklar have anything to do with it? Or Jack Lindquist? Or Van Arsdale France? It’s amazing to think of the time when Walt had his finger on the pulse of the whole company - especially Disneyland, his pride and joy. Maybe I would be less angry if I wore pants?
zach, I KNOW, this makes me want to apply right now!
zach, I hope you are working from home??
Jonathan, I know that making money had to be of concern to Walt on some level (maybe that was more Roy Disney’s thing), but he really did seem to be happy with just being able to fund his latest dreams and ideas.
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the Handbook. I love being able to contribute to this cool blog.
Not long ago I found the Handbook in a box of old non-Disneyland stuff. It really is a cool read. Too bad it's stained. I have no idea what was spilled on it but it was that way when I found it.
"Anger management issues and no pants." HA! that's one of the funniest things ever on GDB.
Oh, I almost forgot. On the subject of guests asking questions - When my mom was a tour guide taking her group on the Rocket to the Moon a tour member said in all seriousness "I know we don't really go to the moon but how high do we go?". I don't remember mom's reply but I'm sure she struggled to keep a straight face. Too funny!!
Recalling my ancient days as a marketing copywriter at the San Jose Mercury News. We had excellent artists and photographers on staff, both editorial and advertising sides, but for minor in-house stuff I was often left to fend for myself, using file or clip art and doing my own pasteup. This was in the early 80s, so at least I could use a computer terminal to output "cold type" instead of cutting up typewritten pages.
Still, it's a little surprising to see such a homemade-looking piece from Disney. Perhaps the creators were trying to avoid turf wars or delays by not taking it to one of the departments producing ads, brochures, etc. Or perhaps they didn't want to spend resources on something invisible to the public. Or perhaps it was a matter of madly improvising at such a new kind of workplace.
Thanks Grant for sharing the handbook. It's kind of amazing that very little changed from 57 to 1980! Maybe just the font and the paper. That typewriter font must have been a Walt Disney Productions standard. I have letters from the Studio, WED and Disneyland all in the same font. Yes, a physical was required by the Disneyland doctor before you were accepted for employment. And it was kind of like the Army where we all stood there in our underwear. In a word: "cough." Another interesting thing is that beards were not allowed "unless specifically permitted by your supervisor"..I guess for entertainment? Maybe that explains the guy in the paint shop who had a mustache? The fire department was located behind the Opera House and it was just like any neighborhood fire department. When they needed a hook and ladder (twice in my career) they called Anaheim FD- and yes...it drove right into Fantasyland and Tomorrowland with the park open. Story for another time. I fully enjoyed the "be on time or else you might miss your electrocution"...wow...that little tidbit was not in my employee handbook...but the "be on time" was STRICTLY followed... To.... The.... Tee.... They also mention that breaks would not be timed with a stop watch...ALL of my breaks were timed with a stop watch. Even a half minute late your time card would be docked 12 minutes...which was the increment of pay-time (also a story for another time.) Insurance did change at some point, as a permanent part time employee who worked 30 hours or more a week. I think this was more a California law thing or a Master Union thing. I liked that the manual stated "we are new at this so we are learning along with you"...it makes sense, since there was no bench mark or anything at that time remotely similar to running a Disneyland. I asked a Club 55 member once..."Wow, it must have been great to be working here back when the park just opened!" She replied, "why do you say that?" I had to be honest and say I wasn't sure why. She said that as a ticket seller they basically had a cigar box to work with and not much else. Only the very basics were figured out, and everything else was "learn as you go". I wouldn't call her "Mrs. Friendly Ticket Seller", but I wish I was armed with a few more questions to ask as a bright eyed bushy tailed 17 year old. I didn't really interact with her much after that interaction. She, unfortunately, was not bright eyed and bushy tailed. The money thing was always an issue, payroll was an issue, expenses of any kind were an issue...someone was always talking about how "Walt would have done it". And someone was always ruining something...but the issues were more about trivial things...like painters painting when the park was open and mother nature was supplying light. "WALT NEVER WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THAT!" Well...he did...and so the guys paint during the day...and there ya go. Now: painting Main Street into a crazy quilt and plush toys on every shelf...that is quite a different thing...
Grant, this is such a cool item, I am very glad that (thanks to you) I could share this with all of the readers!
Grant, ha ha, that just shows how “in it” some of the guests were at the time, before everyone knew that they were just on an amusement park ride. I love it. I wish we could have known what your mom’s answer was.
DBenson, I agree, considering the level of amazing talent that the Walt Disney Studio had, it’s surprising that this brochure is very “cut and paste” in style. And yet… I sort of love it for that very aesthetic. It feels like something a smaller, more intimate company would create, unlike the glossy and soulless things that they create nowadays. Hey, I used to do the occasional illustration for the San Jose Mercury News! I wish I could remember the name of the art director, a very nice guy. I remember that there was an antique printing press in the lobby when I went up there to meet the AD in person.
Bu, somehow it’s comforting to know that things did not change that much from 1957 to 1980. From what our friend Huck Caton tells us, things seemed to remain pretty good for a while after that, but eventually everything seemed to go to hell. Whether Eisner or Paul Pressler was the culprit, I can’t say. I would think that working for the Disneyland Fire Department would be one of the cushiest jobs ever, but maybe there was more to it than I can imagine. Thank goodness employees didn’t have beards and mustaches, all of those children would have been scarred for life! I’m one of those people who is annoyingly on time, or even early… it’s surprising how much some people don’t like that. I know what you mean about wishing you could have asked more questions of certain people back in the day… it’s only after you’ve lived some life that you can ask the relevant and interesting questions.
It's odd that in a Disneyland manual, Mickey only appears once on an inside page
This Handbook is a treasure! Thank you for sharing it with us, Grant and Major! There's a LOT to chuckle about, while reading this, that's for sure.
I must live under a rock 'cause I have never heard the term "Disneylander." It's sounds odd, to me.
I love everyone's fun comments!
Bu, thanks for info on the fire department. Anything else you could share about cooperation between Disney and the City department would be fascinating to me.
I’ve spent a lot of time coordinating site design for roads, drives, gates etc. with local fire departments and some clients with their own private fire departments on big and secretive sites.
I’m very curious to see the division of labor between the Park and City.
JG
...and some clients with their own private fire departments on big and secretive sites.
JG, boy, have my ears perked up! Is there anything you can share here??
JG: I don't have much on the fire department...other than if they needed equipment that wasn't backstage (I believe they had 2 engines) they would call on them. I'm sure there was a Disneyland Line article about them at some point. Since everyone basically walked past them every day due to it's geography backstage everyone knew who they were. They would check out weird smells in the park and extinguishers but it was a fully fleshed out Fire Department with everything except the Dalmation. You would very frequently see APD and AFD backstage...the police officers were never allowed onstage unless there was a head of state or something big going on. The fire dept was a little more "natural" looking in the park. The Disneyland uniforms looked just like any fire dept uniform- except there was "Disneyland" on the patches. The fire engines were also anything you would see at a local station...except "Disneyland" was in gold leaf. I can only speculate that everything fire related in the park was also related to AFD out of general process. Most of my female work partners were friendly with the guys- as is the case with the general attraction to that ilk The hook and ladder situation that was a big deal is when a (small) tornado hit the park(briefly) out of literally nowhere..and the Skyway cable came off the big wheel so there was no way to get the people down except by a very long hook and ladder...which took a very long time. This incident has been written/speculated about a bit, but I was there...under the buckets when it happened on my way from America Sings to Small World. The storm was very "different" looking, and there was lots of screaming and running for cover- and things were flying through the air. As a Disneylander, you remained calm and cool. When I saw the hook and ladder from AFD on stage...it was "ummmmm" ruh-roh...this is bad"...I was absolutely soaked to the skin as the rain was a wall of water. The people were evacuated from the buckets one bucket at a time. The park DID stay open after that, but there wasn't any resistance to giving people tickets to return (weather was not normally a reason to get comps)- there was a line outside of City Hall... those return comp tickets came with an escort (me and many others) out of the park (you had to watch them actually go through the turnstiles and make sure they did not get a handstamp to return.) And the park stayed open until normal closing. Another story related to "fire"...it was perfectly OK to smoke cigarettes inside of offices/break areas etc. as long as you weren't in view of guests. One of my leads smoked and none of us even remotely questioned it. Different time for sure!
Major...coming in late as usual. One CM for the tree house. If there was an issue, you could call the JC or Tiki for assistance. And you could lock the turnstile and walk through the attraction...after you made that call. And a call to Security was always an option. Back then, we just didn't have the level of stupidity that seems to have infected the guests of today. So issues were very minor and very infrequent. It mostly involved maintenance issues of the water system. KS
And reading this through...like BU mentioned, for me in the 70s, just about all of it still rang true. It's like re-living my first day of orientation. One other mandate came from a supervisor...don't stand around with your hands in your pockets. Never liked the guy...still remember his name...but I took that advice and used it throughout my professional career...much like everything else I was taught there. And I heard he made it a career at Disney moving up the ranks. KS
Bu, KS, thanks for this, much appreciated. I’ve always been curious about both fire suppression and local agency coordination. It’s the kind of backstage nuts and bolts that I had to coordinate on so many projects. I’m sure Disney swings a big stick with the city now, more than ever, but is careful to keep that original relationship in good shape.
Sue, I can’t talk about any of the most interesting ones due to Non-Disclosure Agreements. Let’s just say that many government agencies and some “very” prosperous private citizens command resources that average folks can’t even imagine, and their projects sometimes overlap the public agencies we all see every day.
JG
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