Evolution of a Jester

Another Disneyland character casualty due to change was The Jester. This first shot shows the Jester, circa September 1958, standing in front of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant. This is the earliest shot in my collection showing this roving chap who entertained guests.

I’m not sure how many Jesters were employed at Disneyland, but arguably the most famous was Christopher Fair, shown below on his unicycle in 1959. He was hired out of high school (Chula Vista High School in San Diego) to do magic tricks and juggling at the Park; it was his idea to ride around on a unicycle. From the Disney History 101 Facebook page:

A young Christopher Fair’s first foray into the wonderful world of Walt Disney came during the mid-1950s, when he first appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club’s “Talent Roundup Days.” On these episodes, it became clear that young Christopher had a particular knack for performing magic tricks. Chris was more than a ‘fair’ magician, and Walt Disney kept an eye on this aspiring talent. Three years later, Christopher graduated from high school, and soon received a phone call informing him that Disneyland was seeking a Royal Court Jester to make magic happen in Fantasyland!



This 1960 Castmember spectacular was shot in front of Disneyland’s Main Street Train Station:



Zooming in you can see jester/juggler/unicycler Fair:



And a shot of his backside in front of the castle:



…performing for Annette Funicello above:



This June 1963 image shows him zipping by the Matterhorn Band on his unicycle outside the Castle, with the Sleeping Beauty Diorama sign barely visible on the right:



The shades and deadpan expression of this drummer are priceless…as is the Ticket Book Holder sign!



Another June 1963 image of Fair, with an amazed guest in the background.



Here’s a closeup of the stick he's holding; the mini-jester head on top is reminiscent of the Jack-in-the-box car antenna toppers. Which came first?!?



1963 was the last year that Fair worked at Disneyland. Another June 1963 shot below:



Another look at the mini-jester-on-a-stick:



There was at least one other Jester/Unicycle lad after Fair left, as seen in this 1965 image:



His Jester stick appears to be a different one from that of Christopher Fair:



If you want to see a Jester at Disneyland now, you need to visit the it’s a small world attraction:



This little model was on display at the Opera House in 2009:



See more Disneyland Fantasyland photos at my main website.

Babes in Town Square

Walt Disney was into sustainability years before it became a buzz word. Once the 1960 Disney feature, “Babes in Toyland” was wrapped, the soundstages had to be cleared for the making of the next studio film. Rather than discard or waste storage space for the elaborate sets and props from “Toyland,” Walt had them moved over to his Anaheim Park and converted into an attraction for his Main Street Opera House.



From December 1961 through September 1963, the sets on display included Mother Goose Square, The Toy Factory, and Forest of No Return. These two December 1961 images show the signage in front of the Opera House beckoning guests to come inside.



From May 1962:



This August 1962 image is the best shot in my collection of the signage in front.



From 1963-1964 the Opera House became the Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters, as seen in this September 1963 image: 





The next two shots from February 1964 show that the little guard booths in front of the Opera House from “Babes in Toyland” remained.





May 1964:



…and November 1964:



In 1965, the Opera House finally got a real attraction of its own, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, seen in this August 1965 shot:



Below is a screenshot from the 1960 film, showing the sets from Mother Goose Village:



Side-by-side comparison shots from the Devlin family, who visited the inside of the Opera House and posed by the sets from the film:







See more Disneyland Opera House photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Zanuck Reunion, 1953

20th Century-Fox producer Darryl Zanuck received the Milestone Award in December 1953. From the photo’s accompanying publicity blurb:

FILM MAKER HONORED—Darryl F. Zanuck (left), 20th Century-Fox vice-president in charge of production, is shown here with the Milestone Award with which he was presented recently by the Screen Producers Guild, lauding him for his industry achievements. With Zanuck are Gov. Goodwin Knight of California; Carey Wilson, SPG president; and Shirley Temple, who made all of her childhood pictures with Zanuck.

What’s the background on this award? Look no further than the official website:

The Guild initiated its annual Milestone Award Dinner at which an extraordinary honoree would be recognized for his or her historic contribution to the motion picture industry. The Milestone Award is the Guild's highest honor, and may be awarded to an individual or team for their contributions to the entertainment industry.

The first winner was Jesse Lasky (1951), followed by L.B. Mayer. Other winners include Walt Disney (1957), Bob Hope (1962), Alfred Hitchcock (1965), Steven Spielberg (1999), and Bob Iger (2014). From 1967-1997 the award took a hiatus for unknown reasons. Sounds like something I should investigate for another post! If Shirley’s outfit looks familiar, that’s because I posted a shot of her wearing it a year later to the re-premiere of “Gone with the Wind” at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater on August 10, 1954.



While Shirley wore the same outfit, she did carry a different purse AND changed the orientation of the diamond clip on her decolletage from vertical to horizontal. The beautiful piece of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. was sold by Heritage Auctions in December 2016 for a cool $250,000. From the auction catalog:



Diamond, Platinum, Double-Clip-Brooch, Tiffany & Co. The brooch features full-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 5.25 carats, enhanced by baguette-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 1.75 carats, set in platinum, marked Tiffany & Co. Total diamond weight is approximately 7.00 carats. Gross weight 41.90 grams. Individual Clip Dimensions: 1-5/16 inches x 1 inch Combined Dimensions: 2-3/4 inches x 1 inch



The auction house missed a real opportunity by not giving the background on the brooch. Thanks to some sleuthing by Melissa, aka “The Colonel,” I learned that it was a gift from Fred Astaire’s sister, Adele, aka “Lady Cavendish.” After luncheon with Shirley at 20th Century-Fox studio in 1936, Adele and her husband, Lord Cavendish, sent Shirley the jewelry. That must have been some lunch! “Isn’t it beautiful!” Shirley said as she opened the package. Two days later, a gold badge commemorating Shirley’s membership into the Texas Rangers arrived from Governor James Allred and immediately won the favor of the little girl. “You better put this [the diamond brooch] away for safekeeping,” she told her mother. “I think I’d rather wear this badge!” The brooch was supposedly Shirley’s first piece of real jewelry. Mama Temple herself wore the brooch at the return to Fox party in November 1948 when Shirley was making “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.”



While Shirley may not have completely appreciated the brooch as a child, it sure got some use in her adult life. Note what’s holding her cape together at the 1961 Oscars with Annette Funicello!



California Governor Goodwin Knight should look familiar to Disneyland fanatics. He was at the Park on opening Day (July 17, 1955). Here he is at left on the way to the opening ceremonies with Art Linkletter (striped shirt behind Walt), Walt Disney, and Santa Fe President Fred Gurley.



If you want more on the SPG (Screen Producer’s Guild), here’s the 411: The Producers Guild of America began as two separate organizations, with the Screen Producers Guild being formed on May 16, 1950. In 1957, television producers formed the Television Producers Guild. The two merged in 1962 to form the PGA under producer Walter Mirisch (“Some Like it Hot”).

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

3D Jamboree!

This undated 1950’s shot of the Disneyland Opera House makes one yearn when the place wasn’t a victim of over-population. Zooming in, we can see that the Opera House still doesn’t have any attractions inside; instead, it touts the “3D Jamboree” movie playing over in Fantasyland. 



Its official release date is June 16, 1956, and it played at the Fantasyland Theatre (the space now occupied by the Pinocchio’s Daring Journey dark ride) until January 1964. The movie was comprised of two animated shorts, “Melody” (1953) and “Working for Peanuts” (1953), shown in 3D, presented by the Mouseketeers.



From the D23 website:

The Mickey Mouse Club Theater Theater in Fantasyland at Disneyland showed Disney cartoons; opened August 27, 1955, changed its name to Fantasyland Theater in 1964, and closed December 20, 1981. At one time, the 3D Jamboree was featured, and guests donned polarized glasses to watch Mouseketeers and Disney cartoons in 3-D.

The Mouseketeers pre-filming a sequence in front of the theater for the Opening Day telecast:



Annette is visible in the background, along with Roy Williams at center and Jimmy Dodd on the right, standing next to Minnie Mouse—the creepy version!







Back to D23:

The cartoon fare in the theater changed from time to time, and the theater itself was only open during busy periods. Before the theater was built in the Opera House as the home to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, this was the only auditorium in the park, so it was also used for press conferences and cast member events. It made way for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in the new Fantasyland in 1983.



One important fact the article left out was the air conditioning, which helped make it a popular attraction on blazing hot summer days!



In this February 1959 shot, the movies have changed to “Pecos Bill” (1948) and “El Gaucho Goofy” (1943).



See more Disneyland Opera House photos at my main website.

Happy 64th Anniversary, Disneyland!

In honor of the 64th Anniversary of Disneyland’s Grand Opening Gala, I will present a few memorable images of that historic day starting off with the christening of the Mark Twain. Art Linkletter mugs while actress Irene Dunne smashes the bottle of water from various American Rivers against the Twain.

Here Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen (aka Davy Crockett & George Russel) ride down Main Street in the Opening Day Parade:



The Mouseketeers, with Annette Funicello in the second row:



Walt Disney himself:



Walt was a busy man that day, running back and forth from Parades, the Disneyland Railroad:



to Town Square for the official opening ceremony:



to the Sleeping Beauty Castle with drawbridge being lowered for the first time to the public:



and hob-nobbing with celebrites Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher on Main Street, U.S.A.:



Congrats on your Anniversary, Disneyland - and thanks to Walt Disney for his creative vision and making this American Institution a reality!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.