Halloween at the Mansion!

The final day of my Halloween Haunted Mansion celebration begins quite appropriately in the ballroom. Plenty of cake for the revelers who don’t appear to be able to handle their liquor.



The organist who continually plays upon Captain Nemo’s organ is another favorite tableau of mine.



The Pepper’s ghost illusion of the dueling portraits is another brilliant gag:



Then we reach the attic. Once Constance and her looney story took over, I lost interest. Other than the shadow of the ghost who plays the piano. Ever noticed him?



Oh please make this hot mess of a projection go away.



The Hatbox Ghost at the end of the attic scene does bring me a large amount of joy. I’ll give the Disney Corporation that one as a “win.”



Once we slide back down the hill in our doombuggy, we encounter the poor cemetery caretaker and his undernourished dog:



“Grim Grinning Ghosts” by X Atencio is one of those songs that’s welcome to live in my head ANY time:



The hitchhiking ghosts: that iconic trio that has raked in a few bucks in merchandise for the Disney Corporation:



As you leave, be sure to notice the homage to Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast”:



Little Leota was probably the most intriguing part of this attraction when I was a little kid. “How did they do that?!?”



Happy Halloween to all! Take it easy on the candy and I’ll see you next month!

See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

The Haunted Mansion for Halloween, Pt. 3

Next on our Halloween Haunted Mansion tour, your doombuggy has gone uphill and entered the corridor. Any interest in this wallpaper? I thought so.



One of the times that I rode the HM, the doombuggies broke down and we had to walk off the attraction. With the lights on. Don’t think I didn’t go crazy taking pictures as quickly as I could. I would never have noticed these amazing details on the doors.



With the lights off, this is a very difficult area to get decent shots of. Still, I try!



If only they put a real cast member in the suit of armor to scare the crap out of today’s guests. That would be golden. In my early days of going to the Park, I used a flash. Shame shame shame.



One of the original Rolly Crump details that survived the final design was this amazing chair:



One of my favorite tableaus is the coffin slowly rising up and down:



The thirteen hour clock; ever noticed the shadow of the hand/claw that swipes across it?



And then…and then…the seance room with Madame Leota.



That face and that voice; you’d have to smoke a few packs a day to capture the original one just right.



Want to read the spell book? Let me know how it works.



See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

The Haunted Mansion for Halloween, Pt. 2

Part Two of my Halloween Haunted Mansion series begins with this cute (?) little brass bat detail used for the stanchions when you exit the elevator. While this light fixture below screams Home Depot, the custom wall detail of the scary face with gnashing teeth makes up for it!



The elevator door is still open, and the guests have all exited to proceed down the changing portrait hallway.



Me…I often linger to get my photos. Much to the chagrin of the ghost host.



One of my favorite changing portraits: Medusa!



I wonder how many guests racing towards the Doombuggies miss the effect of these busts?



Here’s a genuine FauxD© approximation for those of you who don’t stop to “smell the roses”:



As you turn the corner, the view as you look back towards the revolving busts:



Another chandelier overhead for Lou & Sue:



The anticipation increases as you get closer to your Doombuggy:



This cast member was either caught blinking or is mid-trance. For the purposes of this post, I’ll go with the latter.



See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

The Haunted Mansion for Halloween, Pt. 1

Halloween is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than a tour of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion? Back in 1978, I determined that the best time to visit the Mansion was at night, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do here.



The myths about this hearse abound, including that it carried the body of Mormon Leader Brigham Young. Apparently there is proof that no hearse was used for Young’s funeral, so there goes that legend.



Either way, it’s still a cool historical prop. I haven’t been to the Park in almost six years, so I assume this reservation sign has been replaced with a QR code.



As you enter the lobby, you have many things to see.



Look up and you’ll see a dusty chandelier:



Look down and see the cobweb inspired hardwood floor:



Once you enter the stretching elevator, this fiendish little ghoul greets you:



A face only his mother could love.



I realized in doing this post that I only have photos of the elevator fully stretched. Another to-do list item if/when I return.



The hanging man in the elevator. This was always one of my favorite touches...other than the crazy guests who feel the need to scream as loud as possible once they see it. I could do without that.



More of our Haunted Mansion tour to come!

See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

R.I.P, Beverly Leslie

I was saddened to hear yesterday that actor/comedian Leslie Jordan died in a car crash at the age of 67. He was one of those comically gifted performers that could take any line (or word for that matter) and make it funny. I saw him perform a number of times, including a solo stand-up show, where he kept the audiences laughing with his hilarious (and very candid) personal stories. Here he is with Del Shores, director and writer, who cast Jordan in the memorable part of Brother Boy in the film “Sordid Lives.” 



One of my favorite memories of Leslie Jordan took place on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. It was about ten years ago and Jordan was holding court inside Starbucks, entertaining a group of men while he was perched high on a stool. I was waiting outside for my friend to get his coffee, and noticed that Jordan had hopped off the stool and was exiting Starbucks. Although I had my camera with me, I didn’t really think it appropriate to take a photo of him. However…as he sashayed down Santa Monica Boulevard, I noticed that he just happened to be walking towards the billboard overhead advertising “The Hobbit.” Sadly, by the time I got the camera setup the moment had passed and he was gone. Almost…

Jordan will probably be best remembered as Beverly Leslie in “Will & Grace.” The scenes where Beverly and Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) sparred with each other were comic gold. They were the wickedly sinful dessert for a not-so-bad dinner, always leaving you wanting more. Here is a medley of some of their best scenes:

See more Movie and TV photos at my main website.

Holiday 1963 Miscellany

Time for the grand finale of this December 1963 Christmas batch. Feathered Hat Gal is at the gate of Frontierland. The tyke is tired and in the stroller now. Or maybe she just wants to be close to her Mickey balloon.



From the Mark Twain, we have a view of the Rivers of America dock; looks like a foggy morning!



Feathered Hat Gal poses aboard the Twain.



Two views of the thundering falls of Cascade Peak:





The last one shows the Yellow Monorail at the station, with the Skyway Buckets overhead.



The Yachtsmen Quartet have abandoned their post:



This 1965 image shows where they would normally be performing:



See more vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.