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Page 22 of 28 New Horizons: The Family Grows (2)

Walt, Ron and the grandkids

Walt, Ron and the grandkids on the set of 'Monkeys, Go Home!'

Ron enjoyed the working relationship enormously. "Hell, I even relished the times he called me in at 6 or 6:15 p.m. I wanted to talk with him. I wanted to hear from him. It was very stimulating. . . . Of course, sometimes when he was in a bad mood, it was just the opposite." Occasionally Ron even directed Walt -- on some of the lead-ins for the "Disneyland" television show. This wasn't always easy; even though Walt loved Ron, he showed him no preference on the set. Ron: "Walt and the writer always went over the lead-ins together before they were shot. In one case, they had him behind a desk. He'd walk over to the bookcase and then come back to the desk. Well, that seemed like a false move to me. Why didn't we just find him at the bookcase and then bring him over to the desk? 
So Walt came in first thing in the morning and he went to the desk. I had it all lined up the other way. He looked at the camera and said, 'What's it pointing over there for?' I said, 'Well, Walt, I thought I could save a move by starting at the bookshelf and coming here.' He said, 'Didn't you read the lead-in? What do you think I do? I thought this out very carefully. We start at the desk.' We started at the desk."
Meanwhile, Sharon tried her hand as a model. She even took a small role in Walt's film "Johnny Tremain." Diane reflected around the time, as her family was growing, "Dad always thought that I would be the intellectual and the career woman. Well, it's sort of reversed. Sharon's gone out and started to pursue a career in modeling. And she's becoming an intellectual and reading poetry."
Sharon in make-up

Sharon in make-up for her appearance in the film 'Johnny Tremain'.

Walt escorts the bride, Sharon

Walt escorts the bride for her wedding to Bob Brown in May, 1959

Sharon met and fell in love with Robert Brown, a designer at the Charles Luckman architectural firm. The romance blossomed. In March 1959, while Walt was recovering from trouble with a kidney stone, Sharon and Bob announced to Walt that they wanted to get married. "She's your problem now," Walt told his future son-in-law. They were married in May 1959, and true to form, Walt cried at the wedding. Soon after, he started inquiring as to when some more grandchildren might be on the way. By this time, Diane had given birth to her third child, Tamara. And Walt loved being a grandfather. "He was delighted with our family because he always wanted a large family," said Diane. "He loved children. He thought I was bright. He thought I was a good mother and a good wife. And that made him very happy."

 
 

 

 
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