Written by Janet Martin Lansburgh for To Dragma, the house organ for the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi, dated May, 1942.
The articles written by Disney Studio publicist Janet Martin are among the most interesting ever written by a studio publicist, which is why I am always excited when I locate one that I was not aware of.
Janet Martin joined Disney on June 14, 1937, in the “front office” and soon became a publicist for the studio. While there, she married Disney editor and director Larry Lansburgh. She left Disney on July 24, 1942.
[...]
When my boss, a Mr. Walt Disney, called me in one day and said: “How’d you like to go to South America?” I replied in something halfway between a gulp and a sneeze.
And then when he told me that Larry—my husband, of whom I am exceedingly fond—was chosen to go, too, I couldn’t even muster a gulp.
From that time until we were on our way, we both assured each other that it was just a mad dream because nothing like that could possibly happen to us. But sure enough, on the night of August 12 last, we actually trundled aboard the sleeper plane for Miami.
[...]
