Fess & Buddy check out Disneyland, 1955

NOTE: Most of the photos that originally accompanied this post have been removed due to legal issues. Hopefully they will return in the future. In the meantime, just use your imagination!

Still wearing his George Russel costume from "Davy Crockett," Buddy Ebsen is seen here in a behind-the-scenes photo at Disneyland, while the park was still under its initial construction.

Zooming in, you can see some early Park printed publicity materials.

Here's Buddy's costar, Fess Parker (aka Davy himself), walking down an unfinished Main Street.

Not sure who the other two gents are, but it looks like Fess came straight from the set.

Wrong angle, but you can still get an idea of approximately where the three were standing.

Here, Fess and his buddies are having a very deep conversation about what they are seeing. Or at least they are giving a semi-convincing performance to that effect.

As you can see from this 1958 image, they were standing in front of what would become the Upjohn Pharmacy. Interesting to note in the Fess Parker image that the archway on the left gives an unobstructed view all the way through.



Backstage (at the Disney Burbank Studios), Roy Disney is standing with one of Fess' escorts/buddies. Perhaps this was shot before (or after) the day at Disneyland when Fess might have been picked up/dropped off at the Studio.

This one is a mystery to me, as I do not recognize either person standing in front of the official Disneyland car.

Experts?

See more vintage & current Disneyland construction/behind-the-scenes photos on my main website.

Roaming Free

I stumbled upon Ryan's photos many years ago. What an amazing collection; this guy took just about every shot that fanatic guests like me could only dream of having the opportunity to get. Imagine having access to walk through the best dark rides...with the lights on...with only a few close friends in tow. It's the type of thing that doesn't happen much. Besides the behind-the-scenes nature of the photos, I really liked that they showed a few youth with their entire future ahead of them. No fear or worry about "what happens if..." They are in full exploration mode, enjoying a time when tight security was not quite the necessity that it is today.

Ryan was once a cast member in Anaheim, and he was kind enough to share his story of working there with me...and thus for you. I'll put a warning out there before you continue; if you have a gripe with "scene spoilers" or don't like photos that shine the light on the magic (literally), then you might want to skip today's post. Here's Ryan's story:

It was accidental that we had a camera those couple of days. Just myself and a couple of work buddies stomping around after hours. At the time we were working at the French Market (wearing those sweet blue vests you can see in a few pics)...



We would get off work an hour after most, so we decided to go exploring. We met a really nice security guard who was just as interested in climbing all over the place as we were. He was much more concerned about having his picture taken, so instead, he ended up taking a couple of the shots for us (most notably the one with Jason and I behind the captain on the ship).



We found boxes of sword props and fought.



We chased the ladies. I won the redhead.



It was a very memorable night.



They had just begun to get serious about lockout procedures and emergency evacuation plans about the time the pictures were taken. It was only a couple of months later that I would start work at Club 33 and Jason would move on to work on his masters. I really loved that job, and remember it vividly.

I felt more comfortable finding my way around The Haunted Mansion, having worked there previous to moving into food service. Pirates is a maze as well, only the maze has much higher drops!



I was very fortunate the way I got my chance to work at Club 33. I started off as a busser/front of house host for the French Market and Cafe Orleans. From there I followed the natural progression of the area. I trained into cashier, and worked the Mint Julep bar mostly. I enjoyed being alone, or being able to goof off with Jason. We made fountains out of cups and a broken water tube. I also worked at Cafe Orleans and the Veranda.



Later I went into Back of House as a Stock Runner for Cafe Orleans, French Market, and Veranda. Then a fry cook at the French Market. Around this time I did some cross training into being a Prep Cook for the New Orleans Main Kitchen. Here was where I busted myself as a runner or a prep cook, day in and day out. I was proud that I was the best at what I did. They made me a trainer for the Front of House positions, but always turned down Lead (just wasn't my cup of tea). All the hard work didn't go unnoticed, though. Next thing I knew I was working at Club 33!



I filled the role as one of the Sous Chefs and would assist in/or create any pastry or dessert that did not come from the main kitchen. Working at the Club is an experience all its own. When you're up there, you aren't subject to the tedious rules and scrutiny that you are in normal operations. You feel much more free.

Memorable guests...there are quite a few. When the first Pirates movie came out, the A-List ate upstairs, and everybody in Hollywood has a sweet tooth (even if they only eat two bites). It was a great deal of fun to rub elbows with the Hollywood Elite and talk about what they found interesting in life, even what they were watching on TV as of recently. I recall having a conversation with Johnny Depp about gun control, which was a completely bizarre topic for the evening as it led into flintlock muzzle loaders. When he left, he found me and slipped me a hundred bucks without a word.



The one that sticks out the most in my mind, was when Harrison Ford came in. I only shook his hand, but damn if that wasn't the coolest moment of my life. Shaking Han Solo's hand. I went straight to the back and called my fiancee to tell her!



I had a chance to meet Donald Nixon, Richard Nixon's nephew. We talked about how, as a boy, he came with his dad while they were still building the park. It was pretty fascinating to hear about his interactions with the Disney legends that helped design the park. There were just so many small moments like that that you have working there, that make it a unique experience.

I eventually left Disney and the Club to finish up my degree. The pay isn't that great for what it is you do. This may sound quite the opposite of what it should, but I was really bummed out when I got my 5 year pin. I felt that I should be making more somewhere else. The hours that you work at Disney are insane. There are quite a few people there that manage to work and go to school. For me, I could never balance going to work and doing my homework. Working in the kitchen is a long day, sometimes a bit over 16 hour days. I always ended up going with whatever made me money. I felt that it was time for a change. I needed to do something that would not only make me more money for less time invested, but also something that would allow me the time to go to college and finish my degree. Disney is a great job, but I feel that unless you want to put in more than 15 years and do it in a managerial/VP role, it's nothing more than a transitory job. Strange where life will lead us, as I'm now in the Army. Go figure.

My youth was spent at Denny's and Houlihan's. To have had Disneyland as a playground at that age...it boggles my mind.

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

More Cast Members Behind-The-Scenes

A few more "behind-the-scenes" shots from 1981/1982; I use the quote marks because these are obviously staged publicity shots, with most looking just-right and perfectly composed. I think I prefer the loosey-goosey impromptu cast member shots!

Still, looking at the outdated computer equipment is sort of fun!



Feel free to identify any of these folks!



Naturally, the "smile" poster in the background is an integral part of this photo's staged composition.





The token shot of a laborer.



I wonder if this gal was on duty during Yippie Day. Naw...probably too young.



Here we have Sara, John, and Pat. That's about all I can tell you about this trio. Other than that they are probably the life of the party.



My favorite shot of the bunch. Staged or not, it's cool to see one of the stretch portraits in progress.



To spice it up a bit, I'll throw in two photos that reader Bill H. submitted, showing a cast member marathon from April 1984, years before the official half marathon event ever took place.



This guy appears to be winning by leaps and bounds!



See more vintage & current Disneyland behind-the-scenes photos on my Behind-The-Scenes web pages.