Chuck Schmidt

Chuck Schmidt, bitten by the Disney bug at an early age, remembers watching The Mickey Mouse Club after school in the mid-1950s. During his 48-year career in the newspaper business, he channeled that love of Disney as the Sunday News and Travel editor for The Staten Island Advance. Chuck has written or co-authored seven books for Theme Park Press, including Disney's Dream Weavers, On the Disney Beat, An American in Disneyland Paris, Disney's Animal Kingdom: An Unofficial History and The Beat Goes On. Chuck has shared his passion for all things Disney in his Still Goofy About Disney blog on AllEars.Net since 2015. He resides in Beachwood, N.J., with his wife Janet. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

Wayne Hunt and Hunt Design: As Disney as a non-Disney company can be

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New signage at the San Diego Zoo was designed by Hunt Design of Pasadena, Calif. [Courtesy of Hunt Design] For most of his working life, Wayne Hunt has made a name for himself by telling people where to go. Really. Hunt, the principal founder of Hunt Design, a California-based graphic design company that specializes in … Continue reading "Wayne Hunt and Hunt Design: As Disney as a non-Disney company can be"
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Disney Legend Marty Sklar on Shanghai Disneyland: ‘It’s the best Disney park’

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The first time Marty Sklar walked down the main thoroughfare of a Disney theme park -- Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A., on July 17, 1955 -- he was a 21-year-old intern working in the park's public relations department and was, for all intents and purposes, just another face in the overheated crowd on that momentous opening day. The most recent time Marty walked down the main thoroughfare of a Disney theme park -- Shanghai Disneyland's Mickey Avenue, on opening day, June 17, 2016 -- he was an 82-year-old retiree who was far from just another face in the crowd.
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Disney fan clubs have captured people’s imaginations, and fueled their passion, for years

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The Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet planning committee. That’s founder Don Morin, second from the right. [Courtesy of the Northwest Pacific Mouse Meet] CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy about Disney AllEars.Net Guest Blogger During the weekend of May 14-15, 2011, I attended my first Disney fan convention. I walked through the doors of the Contemporary Resort’s … Continue reading "Disney fan clubs have captured people’s imaginations, and fueled their passion, for years"
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Waxing nostalgic about Disney memorabilia

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The cover of a long-playing Mickey Mouse Club record. The album features 21 hit Mouseketunes. [Chuck Schmidt Collection] CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy About Disney AllEars.Net Guest Blogger What do you think of when you think of Disney? World-class theme parks, with so many iconic rides and attractions, to be sure. And all those classic … Continue reading "Waxing nostalgic about Disney memorabilia"
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Tom Nabbe, Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer, had a big hand in bringing Walt Disney World’s monorail system to life

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Tom Nabbe poses for a photo in 1957 on Tom Sawyer Island. [Courtesy of Tom Nabbe] CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy about Disney AllEars.Net Guest Blogger To many people, riding the monorail at Walt Disney World is one of those must-do experiences when they make it down to the Vacation Kingdom of the World. For … Continue reading "Tom Nabbe, Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer, had a big hand in bringing Walt Disney World’s monorail system to life"
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Jack Lindquist: A rich legacy and a fun-filled career with the Walt Disney Company

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Jack Lindquist and Mickey Mouse appear at a function held at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., where Jack was a trustee. [Courtesy of Chapman University] CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy About Disney AllEars.Net Guest Blogger In May of 2011, at Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary celebration, Jack Lindquist had this to say about fellow Disney … Continue reading "Jack Lindquist: A rich legacy and a fun-filled career with the Walt Disney Company"
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Another school of thought regarding the Walt Disney-C.V. Wood feud

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The entrance to PS 160 in the Bronx, aka The Walt Disney School, just across the highway from the site of Freedomland. CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy About Disney AllEars.Net Guest Blogger Our last blog, dealing with the contentious relationship between Walt Disney, C.V. Wood and the creation of the Freedomland park in New York … Continue reading "Another school of thought regarding the Walt Disney-C.V. Wood feud"
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The story of C.V. Wood and Freedomland, the East Coast Disneyland

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The cover of a Freedomland guidebook, with a map of the park. CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy about Disney AllEars.net Guest Blogger If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, why wasn’t Walt Disney bursting with pride and joy after learning that a former trusted colleague had built his own version of a Disneyland-style park … Continue reading "The story of C.V. Wood and Freedomland, the East Coast Disneyland"
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In greenlighting Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland, Card Walker cemented his Disney legacy

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Walt Disney Company president Card Walker, left, and Masatomo Takahashi of the Oriental Land Co. sign an agreement in 1974 to join forces in the creation of Tokyo Disneyland. [The Walt Disney Company] CHUCK SCHMIDT / Still Goofy About Disney AllEars.Net Guest Blogger On Oct. 24, 1982, E. Cardon Walker stepped onto a small podium … Continue reading "In greenlighting Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland, Card Walker cemented his Disney legacy"
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