A look back to 1922 to see the world of Walt Disney at the Laugh-O-gram Studio is black & white view of that world. Since color photography did not become commonplace until decades later, our view of Disney in Kansas City lacks the life and vibrancy of full color. Deb Pieti, however, is helping Laugh-O-gram devotees change that. Deb is an accomplished photo digital artist who specializes in colorizing old black & white photos. Deb is working with Thank You Walt Disney, the non-profit that owns and is renovating Walt Disney’s Laugh-O-gram Studio in Kansas City, to create colorized versions of Laugh-O-gram photos that will be displayed in the renovated building. Here is an example of one of Deb’s completed projects: The original black & white photo was taken on the roof of the McConahay building during a filming session of Walt and his Laugh-O-gram crew. Note how Deb’s colorized version brings that scene to life! Her colorized photos will help Laugh-O-gram visitors gain a greater sense of immediacy during their visit to Walt’s former studio. Here is another example of her work to date on photos relevant to Walt’s time at Laugh-O-gram in Kansas City: You have probably seen this black & white title logo from one of the Laugh-O-gram films. Deb’s use of vivid colors brings refreshing energy and spark to that artwork. Deb also used her photo retouching skills to help this 1920’s Baron Missakian photo transform from a sepia toned artifact to a dynamic image of the brooding young Disney.
Source: Thank you Walt Disney Laugh-O-gram Slam!
Early Saturday morning on July 31, 2020, a car crashed into the northeast corner of the Laugh-O-gram building. The driver fled the scene leaving an open glass of Margarita and her purse in the car. The wreck caused significant damage to the building which was going through exterior renovations at the time. Above you can see a picture of the damage caused from the car wreck. The concern at that time was that the driver would not be found and that even if she were found, she would not be insured. Fortunately the driver did come forward at a later time and was insured enough to cover the entire damage done to the building. The wreck stalled renovations on the exterior of the building for about six months. Walt enjoys lunch in the private dining room of Main Street's Red Wagon Inn (redesigned in 1965 as the Plaza Inn) with VIP's of Metropolitan Coach Lines, which ran a bus line service from the Los Angeles to Disneyland. November 1955. Imagineer Joe Fowler sits on left.
Palm Springs is home to Smoke Tree Ranch, Walt’s personal family getaway. Walt took his final flight on the Gulfstream from Palm Springs to Burbank following the Thanksgiving 1966 holiday.
This poster features an interpretation of Walt Disney’s Palm Springs home backyard where he is reviewing scripts under the umbrella while his grandkids lounge and play in the pool. Notice the Smoke Tree Ranch brand/logo in the lower left. |
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