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Window on Main Street: 35 Years of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park
A fascinating look at the beginnings of Disneyland as the author was brought in at the concept of Disneyland to train the employees which would set a new criteria for hospitality. Van Arsdale France tells the story of how Walt Disney's dream became a reality with a great many tales of the early stuggles, some of the decisions that were made and why, and how he helped to "create 35 years of happiness at Disneyland Park." Contains many rare photographs and behind the scenes look.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
124 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2021
Literalmente chorei mesmo sabendo o que ia acontecer. Por algum motivo eu me apeguei muito ao autor e todos os acontecimentos que ele conta no livro, quando terminei senti que me despedi de alguém que eu conhecia a vida inteira.
August 12, 2025
I would recommend this one but I think you need a base knowledge of the creation of Disneyland to really appreciate it. If you do have that, this book creates depth with a bunch of anecdotes and another perspective on how it all went down. I’d probably give this 3.5 stars if Goodreads provided that opportunity but since it doesn’t I’ll bump it to 4 stars due to Van’s contributions to the world and also my life. One thing I learned from this book is that they dug a 20 foot deep foundation for Space Mountain in Disneyland so it wouldn’t dwarf the smaller castle. This is the third book I read on my honeymoon, mostly during a four hour nap my wife took after snorkeling.
July 4, 2017
A gem of a book for any fan (or former employee) of Disneyland, written by the Founder of Disney University, Disneyland's training program. All of the usual anecdotes from the early days of Disneyland are here, given added depth by being told by someone who was actually there. The author continues the story on through the early days of Disney World and EPCOT and the 1980s.
January 12, 2024
For someone still involved in The Walt Disney Company's theme park training, this is a veritable gold mine of history and insight into the development of training in the early days of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and even Tokyo Disneyland!
March 31, 2016
From BetweenDisney.com
As I look through my wishlists there have been a few books that have eluded me. Frustration about this often mounts as I read other Between Books which reference these volumes. One such book is Window on Main Street: 35 year of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park by Van Arsdale France. So it definitely felt magical when a new edition of this book was listed, finally making the book something I could add to my shelves.
Window on Main Street: 35 year of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park by Van Arsdale France is the Disney Legend’s memoir outlining his years with Disney from before the opening of Disneyland into the 1980s. France details not just his role as a training expert for Disney, being brought into Disney by friend C.V. Wood during park construction. Along with training new staff for Walt Disney’ park, France outlines literally helping to build the road to the park…sometimes with beer. After the departure of C.V. Wood, France would eventually follow his sponsor to new parks. After a few years of being outside of the berm his former employee Dick Nunis would recruit the organizational expert back to Disneyland. Upon his return, he outlines a number of key projects including the creation of Disney University, training cast members after the death of Walt Disney, training for the opening of new parks including Walt Disney World, and fighting to stay out of retirement while working at the Disneyland that he invested so much of his life to.
Theme Park Press is the publisher of this new edition. And it is really a new book in many ways. The publisher did not reprint the book as previously offered, but instead chose to publish the longer original manuscript. And personally I like the idea of being to see more of the late France’s thoughts and observations. So I really like this book and am thrilled it is no longer a dream to own of copy.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was that Van Arsdale France was more than a trainer. Before Disneyland opened along with training he was also serving as a liaison between the Highway Patrol and road construction crews. Sure we have heard stories from cast like Bob Gurr that make it clear that staff did new and different things as the needs of the park demanded it. But I read France’s experiences and see an corporate executive who is training cast, overseeing construction and in some case serving as a publicity director to key groups. It was a big and varied portfolio. To make his career even more varied he took on other jobs including area supervisor, at least temporarily. It was truly a varied Disney career and not as focuses as I believed.
We also get to see his thoughts on other key Disney personalities. I cannot think of many books of inside Disney staff who discuss the key role of C.V. Wood. France was a Wood protégé in many ways and paints a realistic yet favorable picture of a man that Disney history often forgets. Additionally, we get to see much of Dick Nunis, a man that France hired and would eventually hire him. It is clear that France admired Nunis, and anyone who would think to deny it should examine the book’s picture inclusions.
Window on Main Street: 35 year of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park by Van Arsdale France is a book I am thrilled to have on my shelf! Disneyland and Disney history fans will find this to be a must have title, especially since they have wanted it for years. And Van Arsdale France and his friendly but honest recollections will not disappoint as he tells of strikes, Yippies and more.
As I look through my wishlists there have been a few books that have eluded me. Frustration about this often mounts as I read other Between Books which reference these volumes. One such book is Window on Main Street: 35 year of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park by Van Arsdale France. So it definitely felt magical when a new edition of this book was listed, finally making the book something I could add to my shelves.
Window on Main Street: 35 year of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park by Van Arsdale France is the Disney Legend’s memoir outlining his years with Disney from before the opening of Disneyland into the 1980s. France details not just his role as a training expert for Disney, being brought into Disney by friend C.V. Wood during park construction. Along with training new staff for Walt Disney’ park, France outlines literally helping to build the road to the park…sometimes with beer. After the departure of C.V. Wood, France would eventually follow his sponsor to new parks. After a few years of being outside of the berm his former employee Dick Nunis would recruit the organizational expert back to Disneyland. Upon his return, he outlines a number of key projects including the creation of Disney University, training cast members after the death of Walt Disney, training for the opening of new parks including Walt Disney World, and fighting to stay out of retirement while working at the Disneyland that he invested so much of his life to.
Theme Park Press is the publisher of this new edition. And it is really a new book in many ways. The publisher did not reprint the book as previously offered, but instead chose to publish the longer original manuscript. And personally I like the idea of being to see more of the late France’s thoughts and observations. So I really like this book and am thrilled it is no longer a dream to own of copy.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was that Van Arsdale France was more than a trainer. Before Disneyland opened along with training he was also serving as a liaison between the Highway Patrol and road construction crews. Sure we have heard stories from cast like Bob Gurr that make it clear that staff did new and different things as the needs of the park demanded it. But I read France’s experiences and see an corporate executive who is training cast, overseeing construction and in some case serving as a publicity director to key groups. It was a big and varied portfolio. To make his career even more varied he took on other jobs including area supervisor, at least temporarily. It was truly a varied Disney career and not as focuses as I believed.
We also get to see his thoughts on other key Disney personalities. I cannot think of many books of inside Disney staff who discuss the key role of C.V. Wood. France was a Wood protégé in many ways and paints a realistic yet favorable picture of a man that Disney history often forgets. Additionally, we get to see much of Dick Nunis, a man that France hired and would eventually hire him. It is clear that France admired Nunis, and anyone who would think to deny it should examine the book’s picture inclusions.
Window on Main Street: 35 year of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park by Van Arsdale France is a book I am thrilled to have on my shelf! Disneyland and Disney history fans will find this to be a must have title, especially since they have wanted it for years. And Van Arsdale France and his friendly but honest recollections will not disappoint as he tells of strikes, Yippies and more.
June 10, 2019
A diverse cast of characters, interesting backstory anecdotes, and very readable prose. Only thing keeping it from five stars is a lack of quality control, and a bit of disjointedness in the stories. I would have appreciated more insight into the park's operations, more detail about the training sessions, and more conflict overall, to help me understand what makes Van and the others tick. It still felt too superficially positive at times, but I did find the humor and anecdotes relatable and enjoyable.
Here are some of the highlights I annotated during my second reading:
"Originally, the idea was to have free admission. Then, four months before opening, they decided to charge an admission price of 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children, just to keep the undesirables out."
"You can dream, create, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it still takes people to operate it."
"To explain the importance of a smile, Dick came up with the idea that a smile is a 'magic mirror' helping to create smiles from others."
"Dorothy Manes came up with a response for when we are thanked: 'it's been my pleasure.'"
"Budgets, forms, procedures? I can't remember any. We got the job done, and that was what mattered."
"MONEY. It takes a lot of money to make dreams come true."
"If you do big things, you make big mistakes."
"We have no geniuses at the studio."
"People come to Disneyland to spend money, not to save it. If they are standing in long lines, they can't spend their money."
"Today Disneyland is just the tail on the studio dog; at some point, the situation may be reversed."
"Like the old farmer, you've got to pour it back in the ground if you want it to grow."
"For Walt, there was an important message in 'small world.' Children of all nations, creeds, and colors are happy together. It's the adults who mess things up."
"Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world."
"I want Disneyland to be most of all a happy place - a place where adults and children can experience some of the wonders of life, of adventure, and feel better because of it."
"This is the real world as it should be. It is well-planned for the enjoyment of people. It is clean, safe, and a place for families. It's a friendly place where people can enjoy their lives."
"If I was mad about something, I'd go home and write a note, on yellow paper, venting my frustration. Rather than ignoring these 'veepograms,' Dick encouraged them. He might disagree, but he'd read them."
"Show. Disneyland is a spectaular show, and we are show people. We may work 'on stage' or 'backstage,' but all our efforts combine to create the world's greatest show."
Here are some of the highlights I annotated during my second reading:
"Originally, the idea was to have free admission. Then, four months before opening, they decided to charge an admission price of 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children, just to keep the undesirables out."
"You can dream, create, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it still takes people to operate it."
"To explain the importance of a smile, Dick came up with the idea that a smile is a 'magic mirror' helping to create smiles from others."
"Dorothy Manes came up with a response for when we are thanked: 'it's been my pleasure.'"
"Budgets, forms, procedures? I can't remember any. We got the job done, and that was what mattered."
"MONEY. It takes a lot of money to make dreams come true."
"If you do big things, you make big mistakes."
"We have no geniuses at the studio."
"People come to Disneyland to spend money, not to save it. If they are standing in long lines, they can't spend their money."
"Today Disneyland is just the tail on the studio dog; at some point, the situation may be reversed."
"Like the old farmer, you've got to pour it back in the ground if you want it to grow."
"For Walt, there was an important message in 'small world.' Children of all nations, creeds, and colors are happy together. It's the adults who mess things up."
"Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world."
"I want Disneyland to be most of all a happy place - a place where adults and children can experience some of the wonders of life, of adventure, and feel better because of it."
"This is the real world as it should be. It is well-planned for the enjoyment of people. It is clean, safe, and a place for families. It's a friendly place where people can enjoy their lives."
"If I was mad about something, I'd go home and write a note, on yellow paper, venting my frustration. Rather than ignoring these 'veepograms,' Dick encouraged them. He might disagree, but he'd read them."
"Show. Disneyland is a spectaular show, and we are show people. We may work 'on stage' or 'backstage,' but all our efforts combine to create the world's greatest show."
February 16, 2017
France is very engaging, which is a mixed blessing, because nine out of his ten anecdotes wind up not having any content in them. But in the rare instance of him writing about something worth writing about, it's a home run.
Unlike most books about the history of Disneyland--which feel as though each word was selected by a corporate marketing committee--this one has a genuine authorial voice. A most welcome improvement.
Unlike most books about the history of Disneyland--which feel as though each word was selected by a corporate marketing committee--this one has a genuine authorial voice. A most welcome improvement.
April 28, 2017
From the founder of Disneyland University, I'm glad they brought this book back into print. Some good stories of the early days of Disneyland from the man who hired Dick Nunis as a gofer, and he went on to head park operations. Mike Vance's books are also a good companion. Mike took over as Dean of Disney University from Van.
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