Champagne and New Year's Eve go hand-in-hand, so what better way to ring in the new year than to go back to July 17, 1955, when actress Irene Dunne christened the Mark Twain riverboat at Disneyland with a bottle of of water from a number of major American rivers. Thanks to the USC digital archives, we are able to see a number of views of this historic occasion. By herself, Dunne preps for her moment on television.
Joined by host Art Linkletter, the two have been caught in a moment of calm before the TV cameras start to roll on them.
I tried to zoom in for a closer look at the bottle to see what brand of champagne it was, but then was reminded by one of my readers that it was water. Doh.
There she goes! Irene breaks the bottle, as the cameras catch the moment from the front of the ship:
A detailed view:
And from the opposite angle, we see the water spraying all over the place. I wonder if they had it carbonated for better effect?
Art Linkletter either loaded on the zinc oxide or just happened to have his lower lip hit directly by a ray of light:
Afterwards, Art & Irene discuss the wreckage:
Wishing all of you out there a safe and happy New Year's Eve celebration!
See more Disneyland Opening Day photos on my main website.
I could be wrong, but I believe Dunne christened the Twain using a bottle filled with water from several major US rivers—not champagne. Regardless, thanks for bringing us so many treats throughout '13 and I hope '14 is a great one for you, Dave!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder - I should have remembered that!
ReplyDeleteAnd after reading your original comment about the bottle, I probably would've spent time trying to figure out what brand of champagne it was.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful black & whites are the perfect way to end the year at Daveland.
Thanks for another great year of Daveland blog posts, Dave. It was fun. Hope you have a happy and safe New Year's Eve!