Cinderfella: Too Much Lewis

WARNING: PLOT SPOILERS! “Cinderfella” (1960), a gender reversal version of the classic fairytale, has the distinction of being the only Jerry Lewis film I’ve seen. As a child, I thought the movie was a lot of fun; as an adult, I notice the lows more than the highs. Dealing with the positives first: Judith Anderson. From her first scene to the last, she is a model of controlled acting and a welcome contrast to Lewis, whose constant mugging and spastic movements are all over the board.

Her slight redemption at the end is touching and one of my favorite moments of the movie.

The gorgeous Anna Maria Alberghetti. She is luminous and yet completely natural as the Princess. I found myself wanting to know more about her character and what would make her choose a complete goofball like Lewis. Even though he is obnoxious as hell, she makes you believe that she has fallen for him.

What can be said about Count Basie?

As the bandstand set rotates, it is hard not be impressed by its size AND the incredible music that Basie bestows upon the production. I give credit to Lewis on the selection of music for the film, as it truly elevates the entertainment value.

On the negative side, we are forced to endure watching Lewis’ overdone mugging to enjoy many of these musical gems.

Lewis attempts throughout to make us believe he is unintentionally hilarious AND a tragic melancholy victim. He fails at both.

Comic bits that start out as amusing quickly descend into a journey of boredom, continuing on way too long.

As the Producer, it seems like Lewis couldn’t make the tough decision of editing down his own performance into something that would have held the patron’s attention better.

Because he plays a blundering fool for the majority of the movie, his sudden change into a quiet and brooding romantic lead at the picture’s end is extremely jarring.

What makes it so sad is that there is so much to love here. Visually, it is a feast of color and composition. Lewis’ entrance to the ball, which is the perfect pairing of comedy and dance:

Anna Maria’s dance with Lewis; she is so good in this number that I am able to ignore Lewis, as he shamelessly attempts to steal the scene from her with his momentary body spasms that he felt added comic value.

The famous clock at midnight:

The race to get home before the transformation is completed:

I am not sure that the kids of today would be able to enjoy this movie as much as I did in my childhood, since their attention spans seem to be even shorter. As an adult, it falls into the “almost” category for me.

Interesting trivia about the film; this movie used the Chartwell Mansion in Bel-Air two years before it become famous as the Clampett residence in “The Beverly Hillbillies”:

Norman Rockwell created the art for the film’s publicity:

The art shows Ed Wynn as the Fairy Godfather (another gender reversal). On one hand, it feels like there is too little of Wynn, On the other, his style and Lewis’ feels like overload to me. Not a good pairing. The three-sheet poster which used Rockwell’s illustration: 

See more vintage movie and television photos at my main website.

Sax at Disneyland

The legendary Wayne King, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Bill Elliot pose at Disneyland near Tomorrowland as they prepare to play in the Disneyland Big Band Festival, June 14, 1964. This photo is part of the UCLA Library Digital Archives.

For all you sax fans out there, here's a closeup of Bill's instrument. Wonder what the letters are in his pocket?



Individual portraits of the quartet from different gigs at Disneyland. Wayne King:



Count Basie from September 1978 at the Plaza Gardens:



Duke Ellington from August 1965:



Bill Elliott from August 27, 1965 in FauxD©:



Not enough sax for you? How about this March 1981 image of the Firehouse Five playing on East Center Street:



Hope you've had enough sax for today!

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my main website.

The King at Disneyland

No, not that King...I'm referring to Wayne King. In this June 1968 photo, Wayne is shown playing at the Carnation Plaza Gardens.



Taped to the back of this publicity shot was his obituary:

Big band leader Wayne King, called the "waltz king" of the late 1920s and early 1930s died Tuesday night. He was 84.

The alto saxophonist, a longtime Phoenix area resident, developed his fondness for the waltz during his dance group's regular engagement at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. His theme became The Waltz You Saved For Me.

In the early '30s, King's sound became widely associated with a cosmetics line manufactured at home by a brother and sister. The two hired King's band to play for a weekly radio show pushing their product and paid the group $500 per show.

The Lady Esther Serenade became one of the most popular shows on radio. Sales figures for the costmetic line soared and King was paid $15,000 a week.

The show was most popular with matrons who used makeup generously and responded with swoons to King's lush romantic music, interspersed with poetry readings.

Among the singers who appeared with King's band were Bob Eberly and Buddy Clark.

Besides Wayne King, the Carnation Plaza Gardens were a musical venue for Frank Sinatra, Jr.:



Bill Elliott:



The Osmonds:



Lionel Hampton:



Benny Goodman:



Stan Kenton:



Count Basie:



Who did you see play at The Gardens?

See more vintage Disneyland Plaza Gardens photos on my Plaza Gardens web page.

Carnation Plaza Gardens: A Fond Look Back

With the imminent destruction of the Plaza Gardens looming, I thought it was time to do a tribute to this very special spot at Disneyland. The original bandstand that was located in this area was moved over to Adventureland to become part of Magnolia Park, leaving an opening at the end of Main Street for a place that guests could listen to live music. Thus, the Carnation Plaza Gardens.

Although it opened on August 18, 1956, the earliest photo in my collection is this first image dated May 1959, followed by a July 1963 view.



When it was recently announced at the D23 Expo that the Gardens were going bye-bye and being replaced by a Fantasy Faire Princess Meet-And-Greet, a minor rumbling ensued. What caused the ruckus over a parcel of land that rarely sees much guest traffic on a typical day?

I can't speak for everyone else, but for me, that's exactly why I loved it. It's one of the few remaining "undeveloped" parts of Disneyland where you can take a load off your feet and not be surrounded by a swarm of slobs running over your feet with strollers and swinging ten-ton souvenir bags loaded with plush.



The main outcry has been over the historic nature of the bandstand. Many legends of the music world have entertained guests here, including The Osmonds (before Marie had gotten her first Paper Roses):



Bill Elliot, in genuine FauxD©:



Stan Kenton:



Count Basie:



Lionel Hampton:



and the list goes on: Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Tex Benecke, and Cab Calloway. Besides the gifted professionals that played here, High School Bands, Choirs, Orchestras, and Dance Groups also entertained guests from the Plaza Gardens. I know because my High School Band played here back in 1980.

As you can see by the sign here, Vesey Walker & The Disneyland Band made this their home as well:



Guests were also able to get food and beverage from a walk-up counter located at the back of the wall here. Eventually, it was replaced by the Frontierland-themed pass-through and restroom area. Guests who were hungry would have to settle for the cart that sold turkey legs on Central Plaza after that change. How about this groovy Genuine FauxD© image from 1965?



Another reason I feel the new Fantasy Faire is a blunder is because it's another blurring of the lines between lands. Each land has a special entrance, giving guests a sense of wonder as they pass underneath the arches or through the gate or over the drawbridge as they step into the magic.

The Tomorrowland remodel blunder of the past which stuck the Astro Orbiter smack-dab in the entrance only served to make Disneyland look more cramped. It broke any illusion guests were previously given about scale and chipped away at their sense of wonder. Sure, Walt stuck the House of the Future outside of the Tomorrowland gate originally, but he had it removed when the 1967 New Tomorrowland project was begun.



For what it is, Pixie Hollow was done very well, but it's still a meet-and-greet with a blatant push at the end for guests to buy merchandise. Tacky tacky. At least the Snow White Wishing Well is peaceful and gives guests a teaser of what lies beyond the Castle without any gimmicks or crass commercialism.



The folks at Disney have promised that the beloved Swing Dancing at Night will continue, but holding it in a Fantasyland Village inhabited by the Disney Princesses just doesn't have the same vibe. I view this as a half-hearted appeasement to keep the loyal few quiet. I realize that the majority of guests at Disneyland probably don't care about the history of the Plaza Gardens or its peaceful nature; they are probably excited about seeing something new, regardless of any of the reasons I've stated here. I also understand that it's a matter of dollars and cents; why not put something here that can generate revenue instead of just being dormant so much of the day?



If you have to ask, then you just don't get it. In the meantime, I'll be hunting down a new spot that the typical park patron avoids in their rush to buy another churro. Auf wiedersehen, Plaza Gardens. One day you're in...and then 55 years later, you're out. I will miss you.

See more Disneyland Plaza Gardens photos on my Plaza Gardens web page.

1970’s Disneyland Entertainment

Picture this...September, 1978...you’re walking toward the castle and you hear live jazz coming from the Plaza Gardens. You reach the bandstand area and it’s Count Basie! How cool is that? Just check him out on the ivories, while Freddie Greene plays guitar. The Count and his orchestra played from 8:30pm until after midnight; time to get the other half and go dancing at Disneyland.



Here’s the brochure that tells you what other entertainment is going on at the park at the same time:





Going back in time another three years, we could have seen Stan Kenton in the same location, May 1975:



Stan should have fired the publicity agent that let this photo get out; even in these pre-photoshop days, there were plenty of things that could have been done to make Stan look less like an escapee from the Haunted Mansion cemetery:



Here’s the entertainment brochure from May 1975; be sure to check out this lineup, including the legendary Sara Vaughan. Does Disneyland have this caliber of entertainment play inside the park anymore?





More vintage and current Disneyland photos at my main website.