Walt Disney and Joe Fowler at the Arrow Development plant

by | Jul 1, 2011 | 3 comments

Years ago, when I interviewed WED art director Bill Martin, he generously allowed me to copy a number of his personal photos. This is one of them. The original was badly faded. And, to be honest, my copy isn’t the best. But I’ve tried to clean it up as best I can. The antique oval framing is mine. So if you hate it, blame me, not Bill.

Here’s what I love about this image. It expresses the honest exuberance of two extremely successful men. Walt Disney, pictured here, was well into his 50s. Seated beside him, Admiral Joe Fowler (who oversaw construction at Disneyland, if not most of the park) was even older. These two men–barely fitting into this stock amusement park car–are puttering along a street just outside of the Arrow Development plant near San Jose. Starting in 1954, Walt Disney worked with Arrow Development to create unique attractions for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, among them the unique tubular steel track system for the Matterhorn, the ride vehicles for most of the original 1955 Disneyland dark rides, and the ride systems for the original Dumbo Flying Elephant attraction and the Mad Tea Party. Based on other photos taken at Arrow, I believe this one to have been taken in 1958. But that, I emphasize, is only an educated guess.

–Todd Pierce

3 Comments

  1. Major Pepperidge
    Major Pepperidge on July 2, 2011 at 2:55 am

    Great photo! I know that Arrow built a lot of “antique auto” rides, it would be neat to know what park this car went to.

  2. Todd J. Pierce
    Todd J. Pierce on July 2, 2011 at 7:43 am

    Hey Major,

    These cars were a stock Arrow product, produced by Arrow in the late 1950s. This might be a company sample. Sales reps at Arrow went to conventions, etc., likely brought samples. This is a 3/5th scale, 1910 Ford. I’m pretty sure that this is the same model that was at Knotts, only modified with two steering wheels.

  3. Dexter Francis
    Dexter Francis on May 20, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    Todd – I wanted to make you aware of a blog which I recently started on Arrow Development and ask a question about a bit of information I came across in a news article which seems to indicate that in 1954 Walt brought a film crew along on one of his visits to Arrow’s plant in Mountain View. Do you have any idea where that film may have ended up?

    I’d also like to extend an offer to supplement your material on Arrow on your blog and discuss extending permission to each other to use images from our respective collection in current and future works. I have copies of dozens of Arrow documents containing hundreds of images which may be of use to you, both regarding Arrow Development and Arrow Dynamics. Please contact me at [email protected] and drop in on the blog at:http://arrowdevelopment.blogspot.com.

    Regards

    Dexter Francis

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