Halloween at the Mansion!

The final day of my Halloween Haunted Mansion celebration begins quite appropriately in the ballroom. Plenty of cake for the revelers who don’t appear to be able to handle their liquor.



The organist who continually plays upon Captain Nemo’s organ is another favorite tableau of mine.



The Pepper’s ghost illusion of the dueling portraits is another brilliant gag:



Then we reach the attic. Once Constance and her looney story took over, I lost interest. Other than the shadow of the ghost who plays the piano. Ever noticed him?



Oh please make this hot mess of a projection go away.



The Hatbox Ghost at the end of the attic scene does bring me a large amount of joy. I’ll give the Disney Corporation that one as a “win.”



Once we slide back down the hill in our doombuggy, we encounter the poor cemetery caretaker and his undernourished dog:



“Grim Grinning Ghosts” by X Atencio is one of those songs that’s welcome to live in my head ANY time:



The hitchhiking ghosts: that iconic trio that has raked in a few bucks in merchandise for the Disney Corporation:



As you leave, be sure to notice the homage to Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast”:



Little Leota was probably the most intriguing part of this attraction when I was a little kid. “How did they do that?!?”



Happy Halloween to all! Take it easy on the candy and I’ll see you next month!

See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Nemo's Organ

Before the term "green" became hip, Disney was practicing it in spades. In photo #1, you can see Kirk Douglas testing out Captain Nemo's organ...his MUSICAL organ!



When the park first opened, rather than trash the sets of "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," Walt recycled them and actually turned them into a paid attraction at Disneyland.



What a genius! Until 1966, these sets provided an indoor diversion for guests in Tomorrowland, and helped Walt fill up some vacant real estate.





By 1967, the old Tomorrowland was gone, including the 20K Walkthrough Exhibit. Nemo's organ was moved once again, this time over to New Orleans Square, where it found a permanent home at The Haunted Mansion.



I'd say Nemo's organ has done pretty well over the years...at least better than some of the other discarded props from 20k.



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