Dave Smith

Memorable Character

DAVE SMITH  Archivist - Disney Legend

While doing research for a Walt Disney biography and after overhearing nearby Disney executives discussing plans to create a company archive department, UCLA librarian Dave Smith made a bold proposal that landed him the job of Walt Disney Production’s first Chief Archivist. Even though Walt Disney Productions had been making films and licensing merchandise since the late 1920’s, surprisingly the official formal archiving department wasn’t established until 1970, four years after Walt’s death. Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother, wanted to ensure that the vast knowledge of Disney history wouldn’t be lost as key Imagineers and Animators began retiring. Under Dave Smith’s management, the Walt Disney Archives was established to collect and preserve historical materials relating to Walt Disney and the company that he founded. The extensive and ever increasing collection, open to all Disney employees and qualified students and writers, includes Walt Disney’s office correspondence dating from 1930, gifts, personal memorabilia, awards and photographs. The collection also includes Disney books and publications, music, publicity materials, character merchandise, production files and scripts for Disney live action and animated films, and materials, plans and models relating to Disneyland. Our paths crossed with Archivist and Disney Legend Dave Smith in 1979 thanks to an introduction by actor and friend Hank Jones who appeared in a number of early Disney live action films. Our personal guided tour of the iconic 1939 Studio began at the the Disney Archives in the Roy O. Disney Building on Mickey Avenue where many priceless classic Disney artifacts, character merchandise, photos, and artwork are cataloged and stored. We were led to a studio theater to see the “daily” clip from Fox and Hound that was in currently in production and a tour of one of the large sound stages. We were also shown the studio’s “back lot”, western and residential streets, and the Zorro set, location of countless live-action western Disney films and television shows. Since our original visit more than forty years ago, animation cels beginning with Steamboat Willy has been stored at the nearby Walt Disney Animation Research Library and larger items stored at the companies large prop warehouses. Movies are stored at The Motion Pictures Film Archives on the Burbank studio lot and an extensive collection of Walt’s personal items are on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Dave Smith passed in 2019, however a large permanent staff carries on the work of preserving the rich history of Walt Disney Studios.  -Bill Ralph