Today on the podcast, we continue our story of screenwriter Larry Watkin and Walt Disney as the Disney studio moves into live action production in the 1950s.

I'm often asked, who was the real Walt Disney?

And typically I answer that, just as with most people, there were many versions of Walt Disney. Walt, like all of us, changed

and grew over time. The 60-year-old Walt, who was interested in family comedies, the expansion

of his theme park, and the use of film to help audiences understand cultures from around the world,

was a very different person from

the 30-year-old Walt who was focused on developing six-minute cartoons working with a small

team of people whom he largely considered his friends. In terms of our story today, I look

at it this way. Later in his life, such as when Disney filmed

Mary Poppins, Walt would go out of his way to give the director's significant creative

control over production. Walt would also pointedly stay away from the set during filming.

Even when Erwin Costell, the composer for Mary Poppins,

directly asked Walt to visit a recording session, Walt politely refused, explaining that he

didn't want to be the type of studio head or executive producer who interfered with the creative

work of others. But back in 1951, Walt was less sure of his and his

studio's abilities with live action. This slightly younger Walt Disney wanted more control of the

early live action features, and that is part of the story that plays out in today's episode.

Last week, our episode was focused on the first Disney live-action offering, which was Treasure Island,

and this week will focus on the second offering, a film that was eventually released under the title Robin Hood and His Merry Men.

As you've probably already sensed, our story today is not only about how Walt and Larry Watkin

created live-action films, it's also about how Walt Disney Productions as a company expanded

from a mid-sized studio to one that also developed films and experiences that

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