A Jester in Tomorrowland

That’s right; a Jester on a unicycle is riding through Tomorrowland at Disneyland, circa July 1964. The most famous unicycler at Disneyland was Christopher Fair. Alas, he left in 1963, so this is obviously his replacement.



The same guy (and outfit) circa 1965 in Fantasyland, which is where you most typically saw this character:



Christopher Fair, circa July 1963:



The location of the first image is near the entrance of Tomorrowland, where the state flags once resided. Here’s the one for New York, from roughly 1956/1957:



A detailed view of the info on the pole’s plaques:



A view from Spring 1960:



A genuine FauxD© shot from April 1965:



See more photos at my main website.

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.

A Fair Friday

TGIF with Christopher Fair, the Court Jester of Disneyland, circa 1959. He was hired out of high school to do magic tricks and juggling at the Park; it was his idea to ride around on a unicycle. Here he is in Central Plaza, near the Castle, with the Matterhorn in the background.

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

The Return of Christopher Fair

It's been almost 3 years since jester/unicycler Christopher Fair has appeared at Daveland. Today's July 1963 image shows him cruising by the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship in Fantasyland. Mercifully, the stroller on the left-hand side of the shot is almost completely out of view. Phew.

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. Here's a previously posted image of him from June 1963:



Here's a better look at the mini-jester-on-a-stick:



More vintage Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship photos at my main website.

A Picture Is Worth...

Only one photo today, but with plenty of details to see, you get so much more from this 1960 Castmember spectacular in front of Disneyland's Main Street Train Station. The first detailed view shows jester/juggler/unicycler Christopher Fair:



Here's a color shot of Christopher from my collection from June 1963:



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



At the center of this detailed view is Roy Williams from the Mickey Mouse Club:



He was performing various duties in the park, including doing drawings/caricatures on Main Street:



The shoe shine dancing duo of Kenny & Teddy can be seen at center here:



And in New Orleans Square in this 1966 image:



Bill and Lloyd Elliott of the musical Elliott Brothers can be seen here:



They played in the Plaza Gardens that have now been replaced by Fantasy Faire:



The Gonzalez Trio made it to Main Street for the group photo:



Here they are back in Frontierland:



And last, a shot of the trio of stars from the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, Wally Boag, Betty Taylor, and Donald Novis:



They can be seen inside the 'shoe in the same order in this vintage color transparency:



I'd say I got my mileage out of that photo!

See more Daveland Disneyland Character photos at my main website.

Tribute to Annette

When it comes to Disney, few people are as linked to the classic days of Walt like Annette Funicello. Yesterday was a very sad day for many as they learned that the 70-year-old Disney Legend had passed away due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis. Today's post is a tribute to the optimism and genuine warmth that this woman exuded throughout her entire life.



Discovered by Walt at a dance recital, twelve-year-old Annette was the last Mouseketeer to be selected. Thanks to her talent, beauty, and girl-next-door quality, Annette was the most popular one of all.

The photo above shows the filming of a number that would be inserted into the live ABC broadcast of the Opening Day Festivities at Disneyland, marking the Mouseketeers' debut, with Annette visible in the back. Even at this early age, she stands out amongst her peers.



A color photo, also from Opening Day, featuring ringmaster Jimmy Dodd and the rest of the famous Mouseketeers; Annette is on the right.



The Mouseketeers parading through Town Square on Opening Day, July 17, 1955:



After leaving the Mickey Mouse Club, Funicello was the only Mouseketeer to remain under contract to Disney. Songwriter supreme Richard Sherman had this to say about Annette:

"Prior to becoming Walt Disney staff songwriters in 1960, Robert & I were popular songwriters in the Rock & Roll era. One of our songs, ‘Tall Paul’ was recorded by young Annette Funicello, who, as you all should know, was a star of Walt Disney’s ‘Mousketeers’ Show. She had a big hit with ‘Tall Paul’ late in 1958. Throughout 1959 & 1960, Bob & I wrote a number of hit-songs expressly for Annette to sing. We were totally unaware that Walt Disney, himself, was very fond of Annette – having discovered her – and listened to all of her recordings. One day, he was going to put Annette in a film, ‘The Horse Masters,’ and because of her popularity, he decided to have her sing a special song in that film. Bob & I were asked to take a stab at writing a song for this film. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity. Walt liked it very much and the rest is history."

Shirley Temple Black poses with Annette at the 1961 Oscars. Shirley was presenting a statuette to Hayley Mills, and Annette accepted the miniature on Hayley's behalf. Shirley had received her own miniature Oscar in 1935.



From the “Disneyland After Dark” show, Annette sings “Dance Annette” while in Tomorrowland.



Here she is again, joined by teen heart-throb Bobby Rydell, who also starred in "Bye Bye Birdie" with Ann-Margret.



The final Annette photo for today's tribute shows her waving from the Castle to jester Christopher Fair, who worked as a jester at Disneyland from 1960–1963.



I would like to believe that beautiful sweet Annette is in a happy place now, free of the pain of her earthly body, smiling on all of us below, reunited with Uncle Walt.



Rest in peace, Annette. Thanks for entertaining us for so many wonderful years.

See more vintage & current Tomorrowland photos on my Tomorrowland web page.