Gracey's Duel

This vintage staged publicity shot was stamped for a September 1969 release, coinciding with the recent opening of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Imagineer Yale Gracey is shown posing with one of his special effects, the pistol dueling gent visible in the Ballroom. Here's a contemporary shot of the effect and how it looks today.



More Haunted Mansion Ballroom photos at my main website.

Haunted Mansion Organ

Here's a publicity still of the organist from the Haunted Mansion ballroom, making good use of Captain Nemo's instrument. From the accompanying caption:

HORRIFYING HARMONY — Phantom organist strikes up a terrifying tune, which fills the grand ballroom of the horribly-humorous Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. After more than 10 years of research and development, the foreboding abode is now open as Disneyland's 53rd (and newest) major attraction.

Here's still there today, entertaining guests as they pass him by in their Doombuggies:



See more vintage & current Haunted Mansion photos on my Haunted Mansion web page.

Freaky Fridays @ The Haunted Mansion: The Ballroom Scene Spoilers

HOW DO THEY DO THAT DEPT.: Here’s an early publicity view of The Ballroom Scene at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, showing what guests see as their Doombuggies glide by. However, to create the Pepper’s Ghost effect, the actual figures reflected in the ballroom reside in another room. Here they are in all their gaudily-painted glory. Note how everything is a mirror-image from what you see on the attraction.





Daveland eagle-eyed reader John R. Gutknecht checked out the books on the shelf in this photo and id'ed the red book as a Grainger catalog and noted that the other ones looked like industrial supply catalogs.





The table that you see is actually empty; here is what it looks like without the ghostly projections:



Most hardcore (and even semi-hardcore) Haunted Mansion fans know that the ghostly effect in the ballroom is from Pepper’s Ghost, which is basically a mirrored projection. But what is actually reflected in that mirror? The collection of Ambiguous Confabulation provides the answer with these way cool behind-the-scenes photos.









This is one dinner party that would give Martha Stewart a coronary. For those of you with stronger stomachs, enjoy the details of the table settings for this Ballroom Birthday feast!







See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my website.

Freaky Fridays @ The Haunted Mansion: The Ballroom (beware scene spoilers!)

The Ballroom scene has always been a fave; so much to see here that it begs for repeated viewings. This organist is playing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” for the birthday revelers. The organ he plays on is Captain Nemo’s from the Disney movie “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”





Through my web crawling one day, I came upon a treasure trove of photos from a former cast member, who has allowed me to post them for all to see. These were all taken in 2002. If you have issues with seeing "behind-the-scenes" photos, then close your eyes (oops....too late).

Although many are familiar with the magical effect of “Pepper’s Ghost” which helps create the ghost-like effect in the ballroom, very few have actually seen the “behind-the-mirror” figures that cast a ghostly-glow into the attraction, such as in this shot of the organist. This is probably the closest you’ll be able to see ol’ Captain Nemo’s former pipe organ.









This shot from the 20K exhibit at Disneyland shows you the organ before it was converted into a Haunted Mansion classic:



Plenty going on up above as well; not all the action is on the dance floor; these drunken revelers are enjoying the Birthday Banquet from the best vantage point: the chandelier hanging overhead.





Here’s one of the revelers with his creator, Yale Gracey:



I also have a few more pics from the Ambigconfab collection, showing more of the Pepper’s Ghost effect in the ballroom. This time it's the looney-tunes sitting and swinging on the chandelier. Here are the actual figures:



And here’s the actual chandelier:



Meld the two together, and this is what you get:



The duelers are fantastic; these two gents, trapped in a painting, launch a perpetual duel for those quick enough to notice it. Here it is, panning from right to left:











See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my website.