Growing up in Disneyland

Those of you who have followed this blog for awhile are aware of Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo BBQ, that tasty restaurant once located in Disneyland’s Frontierland where the River Belle Terrace currently resides. You have probably also seen that I know Don DeFore’s sons Ron and Dave, who through the years have graciously supplied information and photos from their Dad’s collection. Ron recently informed me that he has finished a book detailing his Dad’s career as well as a lot of interesting information about his own life and what it was like to have complete access to Disneyland in the early years. Ron was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about his upcoming book:



Were there any interesting people that you interviewed for the book?

My book, “Growing up in Disneyland” is a combination biography of my Dad and autobiography of my wild life growing up in a celebrity family, and, of course, Disneyland. So there wasn’t really a need to interview a lot of people. I did, however, lean heavily on brother Dave for his historical perspective. He did a great job filling in some memories as he’s five years older. He also did a thorough edit of the manuscript two times through. And as for the early years of Dad’s career, this book includes much of his unpublished autobiography, “Hollywood–DeFore ‘n’ After.” This is obviously the most appealing aspect of the book as it will include never-before read episodes of his career told in his own words. It, of course, includes how he met Walt Disney, how we got to ride in the opening day parade, and what led up to his own restaurant in Frontierland, Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo Barbecue. Dave Smith, Disney’s former Archivist, provided a great blurb for the back of the book that verifies Dad’s relationship with Walt as he was the only person allowed to display his name in the Park.

Although not an interview per se, I did have a great meeting with Sam Nelson (Ricky’s youngest son) and discussed much of the “Ozzie and Harriet” show and Dad’s role as their next-door-neighbor, “Thorny.”

Did you learn anything unexpected or new about your father?

I don’t know where to begin on answering this question. I’ve told several people that I learned more about Dad’s life and career than I had ever known while researching and writing this book. I spent months reading through his manuscript several times. I had never read it in its entirety before. That may sound odd, but I had heard enough of the stories from him directly that I never before had the drive to read it. Dave and I did some minor editing to tighten up the sections I wanted to include but there’s much I didn’t use and that was stuff that didn’t pertain to his career or our family. I believe the book will have great appeal to folks that remember his works, Disney enthusiasts, and others that may find it interesting to read about life growing up in “Hollywood” in the 50s and 60s, and of course my life dealing with things in Washington, D.C. later in my career. For those folks it will be a very entertaining “page-turner.”

I am assuming there are photos in this book; were you able to uncover any rare or new (to you) images?

The book contains nearly 100 photos and other graphics. I found several photos that will be new to those that follow our presentations and/or my Don DeFore Fan Club Facebook page. I did not find anything new related to the Silver Banjo. However, for the first time, I will be publishing photos of “The Plaque” and us Frontierland Banditos (but you all remain unnamed!). I also include a photo that I never even showed my business partners until just before I retired: me as the “Flying DJ” at Dillon’s Discotheque in Los Angeles that provides quite a contrast to my later career as a Reagan Appointee!

Your Dad is known for “Hazel.” What do you think he would most have liked to be remembered for professionally? And personally?

I believe he was most proud of his family and that he was able to give us five kids such a wonderful upbringing. He was very conservative and was able to imbue us with many of those same values which I talk about in my book. Many of the kids of the famous that I grew up with were very spoiled, many died young, and many never left their parents’ homes. Professionally, Dad had many productions and characters that he was proud of, but as I emphasize in the book, perhaps his greatest contribution to entertainment history was when he was President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1954 and 1955. His first year he did what several others before him were unable to do: he sold the first live national broadcast of the Emmy Awards to NBC. That accomplishment is also what led to Walt Disney wanting to meet the guy that was able to make that happen.



Do you have a favorite memory of your time "growing up at Disneyland"?

There are so many great memories of growing up in the Park it’s hard to choose the absolute best. One at the top of the list is a story I tell in the book about how my sister Dawn and I got to ride in the Christmas parade with Walt in a horse drawn carriage because his grandchildren were late and as Walt said, “I can’t go through the parade without any kids by my side!” Other great moments were when I brought a friend. I loved showing off all the things we were allowed to do: use my Dad’s employee pass to get on rides for free…and stay on as long as we wanted! We’d use all the employee back entrances, stay on Tom Sawyer’s Island for hours playing hide and seek. And, of course, the favorite of those to whom we’ve given your presentation: sneaking in the bushes of the Jungle Cruise Ride among the animatronics and pretending to be monkeys as a boat went by! We also loved it when we’d get a call at the restaurant requesting a few kids to test out a new ride.

“Growing up in Disneyland” is a book for all ages whether you’re interested in Don DeFore’s career and life, Disneyland history, life in a celebrity family, and my twenty careers from the Steve Allen Show, to Paramount Television, to several positions in the Reagan Administration, to forming a multi-million dollar PR firm in the nation’s capital. It’s been a life similar to that of Forest Gump: brushing up against historic events and people throughout my life like getting to meet the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and being Mike Love’s PR guy for a day at the Live Aid Concert. It will be published July 15, 2019 by Waldorf Publishing and is available for pre-order now. Need more Don DeFore? How about joining the Don DeFore Fan Club Facebook page?

HUGE thanks to Ron DeFore for taking the time to share this information about his upcoming book. More details here as it gets closer to being released.

See more Don DeFore/Silver Banjo BBQ photos at my main website.