Walt at the Opera

Disneyland’s Opera House is mainly known for its Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show. However, from 1973-2005, Walt Disney was part of the show, too. The above August 1986 image shows “The Walt Disney Story” taking top billing, with poor President Lincoln as the supporting player. The below image of me with Tigger in front of the Opera House is from October 1995.



Zooming in you can see the attraction poster on the outside wall. At least Abe scored a larger font size!



Inside the auditorium, guests could watch a twenty-eight minute long movie about Walt and…well, his story (narrated by Walt himself, through the magic of archival interviews). I remember being excited every time I saw the clip of Shirley Temple presenting him the special Oscar statuette for “Snow White” (1937). From 1973-1975, Mr. Lincoln was nowhere to be seen. Guests complaining about the removal of the Abe show caused the President’s return in 1975. After the Walt film was over, the Abe animatronic show would begin. Walt and Abe…together again! Thus the title, “The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” Besides the presentation in the auditorium, guests could see awards and other memorabilia pertaining to Walt in the lobby of the Opera House. The below image from September 1976 shows one of the display cases:



In this first detailed view, you can see President Dwight D. Eisenhower presenting Walt with the Freedom Foundation Award. The below description of the event was edited from The Walt Disney Family Museum website:

Former President Dwight David Eisenhower served as the Freedoms Foundation’s chairman from its founding until his death in 1969. On February 22, 1963, at a special ceremony in Palm Springs, California, Eisenhower presented Walt Disney with the Foundation’s highest award: the George Washington Medal of Honor.…The award recognized Walt as “Ambassador of Freedom for the United States.” In his introduction, General Eisenhower explained, “Four men previously have been honored by Freedoms Foundation. Mr. Disney is the fifth.…It is my privilege, before I present to him the medal and the plaque that goes along with this award of the George Washington [medal]…to read what is on it: “Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge honors Walt Disney, Ambassador of Freedom for the United States of America. For his educational wisdom and patriotic dedication in advancing the concept of freedom under God; for his unfailing professional devotion to the things which matter most, human dignity and personal responsibility; for masterful creative leadership in communicating the hopes and aspirations of our free society to the far corners of the planet.” To great applause, Eisenhower presented the award to Walt. When the applause died down, Walt spoke. “Mr. President…General Eisenhower…or, I mean, Mr. Eisenhower…It’s kind of hard to express my feelings about this. This is one of those moments when I feel…entirely inadequate. It’s something that sort of makes you feel rather humble. But I want the Board of the Freedoms Foundation and everyone connected with this to know that I sincerely appreciate this tribute.”



If you look at the bottom of the above detailed view, you can see a photo of Walt’s wife, Lillian, with First Lady Pat Nixon and President Richard Nixon. The Richard Nixon Library website describes that event:

3/25/1969 Fifty years ago today, President Nixon presented the Walt Disney commemorative gold medal to Mr. Disney’s widow Lillian. The medal was awarded for Walt’s “service through so many years not only to the people of the United States, but to the people of the world.” The Walt Disney commemorative gold medal, struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, was authorized by Public Law 90-316 (82 Stat. 130).(WHPO-0591-02 & 0588-01)



Detailed view number two shows Walt at the top receiving the French. Legion of Honor award in 1936. The award was presented by Jean Joseph Viala, the French Consul General, at Disney’s Hyperion Studio.



Below is an article from the Meramec Valley Transcript Pacific, Missouri, Friday February 7, 1936:



The second photo in the detailed view shows Walt receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Johnson.



From the D23 website:

SEPTEMBER 14, 1964 On this day in 1964, Walt Disney was in Washington, D.C., for a special honor, to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At a noon ceremony in the East Room of the White House, President Lyndon B. Johnson said, “What America is to be, America will be, because of our trust in and of the individual and of his capacity for excellence. Only those who doubt the individual can be dubious of America’s survival and success in this century of contest. This belief is mine. It was this conviction that led President Kennedy to the establishment of the Medal of Freedom as our highest civilian honor for outstanding individuals—citizens who share an extra measure of individual excellence in the mainstream of our well-being and our advancement. On the talents of such citizens rests the future of our American civilization, for it is from the genius of the few that we enrich the greatness of the many. All Americans are proud, as I am proud, to salute today the great Americans here before me. Their lives and their works have made freedom stronger for all of us in our time.” One by one, the recipients would step forward to receive their gold decoration, including Walt Disney, whose achievements were described as “Artist and impresario, in the course of entertaining an age, he has created an American folklore.”



The final detailed view shows a number of other interesting trophies and awards, for which I know zilcho about. I am “assuming” that most of these artifacts ended up at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.

See more Disneyland Opera House photos at my main website.

Rose Parade Medley and Memories

Let’s take a visual journey through some memorable moments from the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Who better to begin with than my fave, Shirley Temple? The year she was first Grand Marshal (1939), the parade was held on January 2. You can see her father in the float with her, somewhat obscured by the roses that surround him.



On January 2, 1964, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and wife Mamie presided over the parade.



A closer look at the Grand Marshal car:



Walt Disney served as Grand Marshal on January 1, 1966 alongside Mickey Mouse:



Frank Sinatra was the Grand Marshal for the 1980 parade; here is the float that portrayed him with flowers:



Sinatra and wife Barbara Marx waving to onlookers along the Pasadena parade route:



Disney celebrated their 25th anniversary with this caravan which included Cinderella and her coach and a train that released balloons:



If the boxes and train look familiar, you might have remembered them from the Park back in 1980; a good use of economy!



The Firehouse Five Plus Two traveled down Colorado Boulevard in the parade that year atop a gigantic fire engine. Western Airlines was the sponsor of this particular float:



It does appear that legendary Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ward Kimball were performing that day:



A vintage September 1964 shot of the band playing at Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Saloon:



Of course, the most famous participant in the parade that year was…ME! Yes, I marched in the parade that day with my alto saxophone and the other members of the Conestoga Senior High School band.



I’m the saxophonist in the middle:



I stumbled upon a detailed account of the parade that day. Apparently we were the “114th unit” in the parade, having raised approximately $115,000 to pay for the trip that allowed our entire band (and chaperones!) to fly from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. We also had side trips to Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, Magic Mountain, the Los Angeles Farmer’s Market on Fairfax, Universal Studios, and…Tijuana! While most of my memories of the trip are a bit hazy, I can still remember the thrill of that first turn onto Colorado Boulevard when we all knew that the TV cameras would be on us. From the online account:

Before dawn on the morning of December 26th the group left from the parking lot of Conestoga High School for the airport. Its six busses were escorted by vehicles from the Tredyffrin Township police and the Berwyn Fire Company, their red lights flashing and sirens sounding. For some of the members of the group it was to be their first airplane flight. To prepare for the five and a half mile long march on New Year's Day, in early December a two-hour practice at that distance was held on Devon State Road. And to be sure that the length of the march would have only a minimal effect on the quality of the music it was also decided to play just one tune, "March America", over and over during the entire parade route, Dr. Kiehner [our band director] noting that "it's not terribly high for the horns to play and they will be able to sound just as strong at the end of the parade as at the beginning". Everyone in the group survived the five and a half mile march -- "as fresh at the end as at the beginning", according to Kiehner. (While this may have been a slight exaggeration, for a finishing flourish the band played "March America" "one more time" after the parade route had been completed, before getting ready to go to the Rose Bowl game and then taking part in a "New Year's Eve Party" -- one day late -- that night!)

We did not play “March America” continuously; in between to give most of the band a rest, the percussion would play our peppy drill cadence. Just like your typical California traffic jam, we would often march and then have to stop, as the floats ahead tended to take more time than allotted. I remember our director being extremely proud that not one member had to drop out; although it was chilly when we started, the temperatures were much higher by the time we finished. Those uniforms were HOT!!! The thrill of being on camera evaporated quickly and the rest of the parade route became increasingly arduous as the sweat drenched our bodies. I do remember playing our “encore” and thinking “Get me outta’ here!” The game that day was between USC and Ohio State, with USC taking home the victory. And if you thought “Tijuana” was a typo, you would be incorrect.

Second in excitement only to the Rose Bowl Parade itself, however, was an "instant parade" the preceding Saturday in Tijuana, across the border in Mexico. Upon its arrival, the band lined up and marched down the main street, with cheering native boys and girls running along with it and following it to City Hall. There it gave an impromptu concert of football songs and other numbers, and was officially greeted and thanked by various public officials, including the alcalde or mayor, who presented the group with a key to the city. After a lunch of "the works in Mexican food" ("Do try everything," the ten-page outline had suggested, but added "no extra beverages -- they will ask you if you want them and you say NO!") everyone was free for three hours of sightseeing and shopping ("Keep your wallets and purses secure") before returning to the United States and dinner at McDonalds', five busses arriving all at once.

I had forgotten that we marched in Tijuana; I do remember buying a blanket there (your typical tourist trap purchase) and being excited that I was able to haggle the price down. Can you imagine allowing a group of high school students to run free for three hours in Tijuana? Nope…neither can I. On the trip back, our caravan of buses were to be inspected by a border agent. On my bus, there was a foreign exchange student from Switzerland who played trumpet. I remember Dr. Kiehner instructed him very carefully: “If you get asked, you are an American citizen!” The agent came down the aisle and all went just fine, with the student responding as he had been instructed. Next thing we knew the caravan proceeded back across the border safely (and quickly) into California. Yes, times have changed.

See more Pasadena photos at my main website.

A Presidential Park

Ever since Opening Day, Disneyland has been a place for Presidents and Presidents-to-be. Today's post celebrates our American Presidents at the park before, during, and after their time in the Oval Office. First up is Richard Nixon, enjoying Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, followed by a few shots of Ronald Reagan, who was one of the celebrity narrators on Opening Day.





Harry Truman and wife Bess toured the park in Nov. 1957:





Presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy got the Grand Circle Tour along with Guinea President Sekou Toure in Oct. 1959





Used to "putting out fires," Dwight D. Eisenhower poses in front of the Fire Department with wife Mamie in 1961:





President Jimmy Carter takes an early morning run through Frontierland in May 1982:



Last but not least, no Presidential post would be complete without Honest Abe!



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.

Matterhorn Medley

The medley begins with an undated wacky shot of something you probably don’t see these days; a guy in a tie getting splashed on the Matterhorn. Other than some of the official looking guys with badges and clipboards that seem to be in the park more often these days, like I mentioned yesterday—people rarely dress up to go to DLand anymore. Note Skyway (my favorite round buckets!) and Chicken of the Sea in background.Shot 2 is from August 1960, taken from the Skyway and also includes a nice view of the Yacht Bar and Monorail entrance (Red Monorail peaking in at the right).



June 1965’s shot shows a little bit of action, as the bobsled zips by a cascading waterfall.


Finally, from December 1961, this wire photo shows a Presidential visit by Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower and family, with the Matterhorn fitted with the Christmas star in background. The photo has been heavily retouched (note painted brushstrokes) so that it could be reproduced better for the newspapers.



Here's the caption that accompanied this photo:

(LA6) ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 26—THE EISENHOWERS AT DISNEYLAND—Former President Eisenhower puts an arm around his granddaughter Mary Jean, 6, as his wife, Mamie, right, gets into the spirit of things and leans out of an old-time auto as the Eisenhowers pose for photographers during their visit to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calf. today. Another Eisenhower granddaughter, Barbara Ann, 12, poses with her grandparents. Her brother, David, is partially visible in background. The children are the son and daughters of Lt. Col. John Eisenhower and his wife, Barbara.

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