Monday, September 11, 2023

Tower of Terror: Gala or Bash?



Picture this: September 22, 2007, at The Hollywood Tower Hotel (aka HTH, aka Disney California Adventure’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction).



Decorated for Halloween, there is a spooky assortment of cobwebs and bats adorning this haunted landmark in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot section of DCA.



Inside, the lobby decor also reflects Halloween. A vintage masks hangs from a chair:



Miniature pumpkins are strewn across the garland that hangs from the ceiling:



A banner over the check-in desk does a semi-decent job of evoking 1939:



An empty jar of “Fresh Treats” sits on the lobby counter:



A poster announces the impending Halloween Gala at the Tip-Top C.L.U.B. with Anthony Fremont and his Orchestra (a nod to the November 3, 1961 episode of “The Twilight Zone”):



The same poster as it looked a year before, October 2006:



Now take a look at this miniature version that was displayed in the shop window, circa September 2008. Notice anything different?



First, the party is now being referred to as a “Bash” instead of a “Gala.” The Disney employee that printed out the large poster forgot to load the appropriate font for “and his orchestra.” A non-Art Deco font was substituted as a result. Here’s my cleaned-up version using “Gala” (definitely more appropriate for 1939): 



The poster has more of a 1990s look than one from 1939. The overuse of blends and more than 10 fonts gives this piece a somewhat computerized look. I wonder where this piece ended up once the Anaheim version was removed?

See more photos at my main website.

4 comments:

Melissa said...

Now, that's how to do a holiday overlay! Reminds me of the 4th of July ball at the Overlook Hotel.

Bryan said...

That's a common issue I've seen in a lot of Disney issued commemorative merchandise. Somebody was so focused on doing graphic cleanup and restarting from scratch but they lost the charm of what the original looked like. I honestly don't see any reason to depart from the more period specific word Gala versus Bash. I'm assuming someone in marketing thought poorly of the consumers intelligence and decided that Bash would be more comfortable to today's Disney going, croc-wearing guest.

max said...

take me back
take us all back

Daveland said...

Melissa - That's one party I don't mind having missed!

Bryan - I wonder if the person who designed that poster was a croc-wearer?

Max - If only I could…