Then & Now: Sodas and secrets
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.1960: Hayley Mills starred in 'Pollyanna'. In 'The Real Walt Disney', by Leonard Mosley, she remembers the man who made her a child star.
'He had a small movie theatre in his home, and he used to show us films. He had this soda bar in the theatre and all through the film you could hear the squirts and hisses as he would make those wonderful ice-cream sodas while we were watching. Then he had this big model train in his garden and he would take us for rides in it, driving it himself . . . He even took us to his private apartment at Disneyland . . .
'He was so mild and nice and so eager to anticipate what would be pleasant for a young girl to see or experience. But then, of course, he could be a very tough person too. Once while I was there he fired somebody on the set, and it shocked me because it was so sudden. He was wandering around in such a relaxed way, and he knew everybody there, Dick, Chuck, Wally, Fred, everybody. Then someone came up to him, and said: 'Hi, Walt,' and he replied: 'Hi, Jim, you're fired.' I never did find out what the man had done, or why he sacked him. It was done so abruptly and so casually. But I felt sure Walt had done it for the right reasons. I never felt he could be unjust. I always felt you could trust him.'
May 1993: a new biography, 'Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince', by Marc Eliot, reveals he was a secret FBI informer for more than 25 years, feeding the bureau information about actors, writers, producers and others deemed subversive.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments