NLRB v. Walt Disney Productions
Testimony: Day 5 of 7
October 14, 1942
Witnesses for the Defense: Anthony O'Rourke, Bill Roberts, Wilfred Jackson,
Dave Hand, Jack Kinney, Dick Lundy
Anthony O'Rourke discusses how he was hired by Disney to be an "impartial" labor arbiter. Bill Roberts's testimony does not hold up under scrutiny. Other Disney directors testify against Babbitt with varying degrees of intensity.
Pages (as notated in the top corners)
634 – ANTHONY O'ROURKE describes his background in private labor arbitration and working for Disney.
659 – CROSS EXAMINATION: O'Rourke has a longer history with the Disney company than he previously said.
663 – O'Rourke bends the rules of arbitration
669 – The post-strike Guild board
673 – BILL ROBERTS describes his background, running the Federation in 1940 and revitalizing it at Walt's behest.
690 –Roberts describes organizing the Federation on company time until February 6, 1941
692 – Assigning Babbitt the Clown sequence in Dumbo, and the rating system.
701 – The judge catches Roberts in a lie about telling with Walt that Babbitt was hard to work with.
710 – CROSS EXAMINATION: Roberts organized, and signed a petition to the president, on company time,
719 – WILFRED JACKSON describes his background and testifies that Babbitt was always hard to work with.
731 – CROSS EXAMINATION: Babbitt always got top grades on his work.
735 – REDIRECT EXAMINATION: Jackson gave Babbitt the Mr. Stork part because it didn't require collaboration.
741 – DAVE HAND describes his background
745 – Hand's 1938 Creative Development Program and how Babbitt was considered a "lesser" animator
765 – Hand describes Babbitt as difficult, and so his lecturing was limited.
776 – CROSS EXAMINATION: Hand's memory is in question
783 – JACK KINNEY describes his background and says he had no work to give Babbitt.
793 – Kinney hated working with Babbitt and preferred Woolie Reitherman, and describes the rating system.
809 – CROSS EXAMINATION: Kinney admits that Babbitt was better than John Sibley, who was not laid off.
812 – Kinney says Babbitt's live-action study benefited the studio, and "Baggage Buster" had story problems.
824 – DICK LUNDY describes his backgound.
827 – Lundy directed Babbitt, on "Flying Jalopy" and "Autograph Hound," and his work was merely fair.
837 – CROSS EXAMINATION: Other animators also add footage, and "Autograph Hound" had story problems.