Growing Up in Disneyland, a Q&A with Ron DeFore

Growing Up in Disneyland, a Q&A with Ron DeFore

Q. Is this book all about Disneyland?
A. My book is not all about Disneyland. The title is a metaphor for my life growing up in a Hollywood celebrity family-and surviving. It’s also literal as my Dad, TV and movie star Don DeFore, was the only person to own a food establishment in Disneyland bearing the name of a real person–Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo Barbecue restaurant in Frontierland. Three chapters are dedicated to our experiences with Disneyland.

Q. Was your father a famous TV/movie star?
A. Yes, he was–from the 1940s to the 1980s. He has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. He is still known to millions who watch vintage movies and TV shows now carried on many cable outlets. In television, he was best known for his starring role as “Mr. B” in the 1960’s weekly comedy series, “Hazel.” Prior to that he was known as “Thorny” the next-door-neighbor on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, co-starring in every episode from 1952-1957. DeFore also guest-starred on dozens of TV shows from the ‘60s to the ‘80s. Besides his acting, he was President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for two consecutive years and in 1954 was the first to sell the national broadcast of the Emmy Awards Show to NBC.

Q. What movies was Don DeFore in?
A. Don DeFore was in more than 30 feature films between 1939 and 1984 and co-starred in more than a dozen with many famous actors including John Wayne, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Mickey Rooney, Gale Storm, Ronald Reagan, Robert Cummings, Groucho Marx, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and many more. He co-starred in the film debuts of Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and Doris Day. A full list of productions is on my website, www.defore.net.

Q. Is this a biography about Don DeFore or you as the author?
A. It’s both a biography and an autobiography but it’s really more of a hybrid because most of the writing about Dad’s life and his various productions are in his own words. He had finished his autobiography, “Hollywood, DeFore and After” just three months before he passed away in 1993 so it was never published. This book, for the first time, brings much of this writing to his fans. The book is also my story in a celebrity family growing up and into my adult life with twenty careers–one of them being an Appointee in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Administration along with my Dad.

Q. Was the first edition of “Growing Up in Disneyland” well received
A. The first edition received excellent reviews on Amazon, Good Reads, and elsewhere and is still listed on Amazon (although no longer available) showing the more than 150 comments–80% of which are four- and five-star ratings. I conducted dozens of media interviews, many of which are posted on my Facebook page. Other book information is also posted on my Facebook Group, “Don DeFore Fan Club.” Also, on my public YouTube channel is an interview I did on KLTA-TV as well as a short video trailer about the book.

Q. What’s the difference between the first and Second Edition?
A. The first edition of my book was published in August, 2019 but promotional efforts were curtailed when Covid 19 affected everything just a few months later. Shortly thereafter the publisher went out of business. I was left with a book that had received very positive reviews but was no longer available. BearManor Media agreed to publish a second edition and I decided to add new writings–most of which were from his memoirs. I also listened to the many first edition readers who wanted more–many of them saying they had read it twice because they couldn’t get enough. So, I also added a lot more photos. Overall, the Second Edition has about 25% more content.

Q. Why would readers be interested in your life’s story?
A. The life in a Hollywood celebrity family blessed me with so many wonderful experiences not common to most people so I felt that in addition to readers learning more about my Dad they would be interested to take a peak at what my life was like. The book reviews have proven this out. I found that readers enjoyed my many careers and escapades and for many it also brought them back to the 1950s and early 1960s which was a kinder, gentler wonderland. I call it the Goldilocks era. Our country has never been perfect but that era came pretty darn close and in today’s world it’s nice to have a book that can bring us back to great memories in a wonderful time.

Q. What are the interesting things in your own life you’ve written about?
A. Just having a father that is recognized and loved anywhere you go is a thrill in itself. Wherever we went people would want to meet him, get his autograph, and because of the characters he played they felt they knew him as a wonderful “next-door-neighbor” type. Dad was also a real family man bringing the entire family of five kids on so many of my parents’ world travels. Just a few of the many unbelievable experiences in my book include getting to meet The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Beach Boys, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters, Carl Sagan, Ray Bradburry, along with dozens of famous celebrities. My many careers ranging from the Associate Director of the Steve Allen Show to “The Flying DJ of Dillon’s Discotheque” in Los Angeles, to a Ronald Reagan Appointee, to founding a successful company in Washington, D.C.

Q. Who is the target reader for your book?
A. Well, virtually anyone who is interested in Hollywood celebrities, entertainment history, vintage movies and television, and life in the mid-1900s. Granted, most tend to be old enough to remember Don DeFore but I’ve found some young people who enjoyed it as well. Don DeFore’s most recognized performance was as “Mr. Baxter” on the “Hazel” TV series which is still playing on several Vintage TV channels, currently on FeTV (Family Entertainment Television). So, I’ve found that young kids are watching that with their mom or grandma and now are a new generation enjoying the show and my Dad’s portrayal as Hazel’s boss. Similarly, with Dad’s vintage films that are often played on channels such as the Turner Classic Movie channel (TCM).

Q. Where can I learn more about your father and your book, “Growing Up in Disneyland?”
A. The listing on Amazon provides more information as well as the book’s website, www.GrowingUpinDisneyland.com which has a short video trailer with the book’s highlights. The site also has some book reviews. More readers’ comments can be found on the Amazon listing of the first edition. Autographed hard cover and paperback versions are available by emailing info@GrowingUpinDisneylad.com.