Walt, the Tour Guide, in a Horseless Carriage

From a vintage publicity photo:

6/8/64—ANAHEIM, CALIF.: President Savepalli Radhakrishnan of India appears to be enjoying his tour of Disneyland as he is driven through the famous amusement center by his host, Walt Disney (R). The 74-year-old Indian leader is on a three-day visit to this area.

The last time I saw this vehicle was about 2 years ago; it was on display in Fantasyland for the D23 One Year Anniversary event.



Unfortunately, the fringed top was nowhere to be seen.



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

El Capitan & The Rocketeer

Disney's 1991 cult classic, "The Rocketeer" just celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a showing at the El Capitan in Hollywood. Labeled a box office "failure" when it was released (despite the fact that it made a modest profit), "The Rocketeer" has gathered an increasing legion of loyal fans over the last 20 years. Set in 1938 Hollywood, the movie was based on the colorful graphic novel by the late Dave Stevens, who played a major part in the film by constantly being on the set and has a cameo as the German test pilot killed when the Nazi's version of a rocket backpack explodes.



I had never seen the film before, and absolutely LOVED it! It did a wonderful job of capturing 1938 Hollywood, filling the senses with colorful imagery and detail. They even recreated the classic Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright for the home of villain Neville Sinclair (loosely based on Errol Flynn and expertly played by Timothy Dalton).

Fiction:



Reality:



The El Capitan was the perfect place to show the movie, since it was the film that this grand movie palace reopened with after a two-year restoration.



Naturally, Rob Richards wowed the audience with his playing of the Wurlitzer before the show started. I especially loved hearing him play "For Now For Always" from "The Parent Trap."





D23's Steven Clark came out to say a few scripted words about this underrated classic:



and then introduced the director of "The Rocketeer," Joe Johnston:



Once the movie began, there was thunderous applause for the cast and crew (especially for the late Dave Stevens, who died too young from leukemia). The newly restored film looked amazing, and kept the audience on the edge of its seats as they watched Cliff Secord (played by the ageless Billy Campbell) save the world from the Nazis while romancing the leading lady, Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly). I loved the cameos in the movie: Howard Hughes (Terry O'Quinn), Clark Gable (Gene Daily), and W.C. Fields (Bob Leeman, who does an AMAZING job of channeling the great comedian). This movie is better than just campy; it is filled with intentional and thoughtfully done wink-wink humor that keeps it from descending into kitsch. The team acknowledged their surprise (and glee) that they were able to get the Mrs. Pye sequence past the censors. Mrs. Pye (Pat Crawford Brown) is the cranky girl's dorm matron who has the following double-entendre exchange with Cliff when he picks up Jenny for their date at the Bulldog Cafe:

Mrs. Pye: You know my rules: no gentlemen allowed inside after 6 PM.

Cliff Secord: But I'm not a gentleman.

Mrs. Pye: You're telling me!



When the lights went up, Kevin Smith hosted a panel on stage with Joe Johnston (director, as well as director of the upcoming "Captain America"), Billy Campbell (lead), Rick Baker (famous Hollywood makeup artist and creator for the menacing Lothar's look in "The Rocketeer"), Danny Bilson & Paul De Meo (co-screenwriters of "The Rocketeer"), and William Stout ("Pan's Labyrinth," "The Muppet Wizard of Oz" as well as close friend of Dave Stevens).



Smith was an unfortunate choice to host the evening; his brash personality and never-ending chatter about himself seemed to subdue any real spontaneous conversation that might have occurred. There were a few gems that had the audience laughing though.

In commenting on the chemistry and real-life romance between Connelly & Campbell, Smith asked Johnston, "Were there times that you said 'cut' and they didn't stop?" Johnston replied, "I didn't want them to stop; I wanted to watch!"

At the time the film was being cast, Campbell was working at a Renaissance Fair and had only done TV work. He was sporting a beard and long hair, which he shaved off for the screen test. He described Joe Johnston's double-take when he first laid eyes on Campbell's newly shaven face, as it was a perfect match for Dave Stevens' illustrations of Cliff Secord.

Johnston was quite frank about not wanting to work for Disney again after doing "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989): "When I was approached about doing 'The Rocketeer,' I was told "We have good news, and bad news. The bad news is that Disney is doing it; the good news is that they want you.'" Thanks to the great work done by the entire cast & crew, Johnston found his budget for the movie expanding (it ended up costing approximately $40 million, and grossing about $46).

When asked about a sequel, Johnston wittily replied, "There was lots of talk about a sequel on June 20; but absolutely nothing on June 22."

Kevin Smith killed any kind of intelligent conversation with makeup guru Rick Baker by hounding him about whether "The Rocketeer" was one of his top ten jobs. Baker politely responded that there was really only one character to do.

Once the discussion was over, we were treated to the trailer for "Captain America," which looks like it could be a blockbuster. Afterwards, the audience walked across the street to the old Max Factor building which is now The Hollywood Museum.



On display were various props and costumes; very fun to see, especially right after having watched the movie.







It wouldn't be a Disney event without special merchandise to buy, like this cool miniature of the Bulldog Cafe:



Billy Campbell was also there to check out the exhibit:



What an evening! Thanks to D23 for putting it all together.

See more Daveland Rocketeer photos at my main website.

Disneyland That Never Was: Pt. 4

Mickey’s Madhouse, 1976: Dumbo’s Circusland, which was on the drawing boards at Imagineering before Toontown was conceived, featured “Mickey’s Madhouse”—essentially a “wild mouse” roller coaster in a dark ride environment, set in the world of early black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons (think of the former Mulholland Madness at Disney California Adventure, but indoors, with no clear view of where the track ahead was going). Ward Kimball, one of Walt’s legendary Nine Old Men, was involved in the planning of the prospective land, which is hardly surprising since he considered “Dumbo” his favorite Disney film.





Discovery Bay, 1984: Set in the Victorian Age of Invention, Discovery Bay was to be a new land in the ranch area behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Conceived as an inventors enclave north of San Francisco, it truly was a decades-early precursor of the current “steampunk” trend in science fiction. Attractions inspired by Disney movies included an undersea restaurant aboard the Nautilus from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and a ride aboard the Hyperion airship to The Island at the Top of the World and other mythical lands, as shown below. Other attractions included a fireworks shooting gallery, a huge greenhouse filled with a botantist's exotic experiments, and a boat ride through time. One character, the proprietor of Professor Marvel’s Gallery of Illusions, eventually became Dreamfinder in Journey Into Imagination at EPCOT.



Hope you enjoyed this very cool series put together by the folks at D23. If you haven't joined yet...what are you waiting for?

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

Disneyland That Never Was, Pt. 1

Over a year ago, D23 published a calendar called “Undiscovered Disney” which featured images and text about Disney projects that never fully came to fruition (or else changed significantly along the way in the creative process). This week, I will be presenting the ones that pertain to Disneyland. Up first is:

Rock Candy Mountain, 1957: Long before the Matterhorn appeared as the first peak in Disneyland’s soaring mountain range, Imagineers considered creating a Rock Candy Mountain in Fantasyland back in early 1957. Located by the canal boats of Storybook Land and incorporating the Casey Jr. train tracks, this mountain would have looked a little out of place (in my humble opinion) and detracted from the more natural looking miniatures that currently inhabit the space. Imagineer Harriet Burns (seen below) told the tale of meticulously gluing dozens and dozens of hard candies and candy canes to a model of Rock Candy Mountain at Walt Disney Imgaineering (then WED Enterprises). When Walt was less than enthusiastic about the idea, the model was wheeled out to the parking lot and became a giant candy-covered bird feeder!





The Pirate Museum, 1961: In 1961, Walt turned his attention to the upcoming New Orleans Square project. From the very beginning, he wanted a pirates-themed attraction and the space for a Pirate Museum, which would use rudimentary Audio-Animatronics® characters to depict the romance and adventure of the buccaneer life, to be built underneath New Orleans Square. Construction was suspended as Imagineers turned their attentions to the new attractions planned for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. After the success of the Fair, Walt had so many new ideas for the attraction, he realized they would never fit in the small space as built. Pirates of the Caribbean became a full-fleded boat ride that would require an enormous show building outside Disneyland’s berm. Today you can see the original space for the Pirate Museum in the empty caverns you pass through at the bottom of the attraction’s first flume.



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

D23 1 Year Anniversary Event, Pt. 4

By 8:30pm, there was a huge crowd of 1,500+ waiting outside of the Castle waiting for the proverbial “rope drop” which would signal the beginning of the D23 One Year Anniversary Party in Fantasyland. The Castle was decked out with a D23 banner...



and a mini fireworks display heralded the start of the festivities.



For me, the big draw of the evening was being able to photograph Disneyland and its attractions without the glut of 50,000+ guests. The evening also boasted a number of “once-in-a-lifetime” photo opps with characters not normally seen as well as some special vehicles. This was one of four Electric Runabouts that Walt Disney loved to drive around the park. Naturally, Bob Gurr was the designer.





The Touring Car often used in parades:



Cinderella was busy posing in front of her carriage:



There were a number of Disney celebrities on hand to mingle through the crowds, such as songwriter Richard Sherman:



Kathryn Beaumont, the voice of Disney's 1951 animated “Alice in Wonderland” feature:



Tony Baxter:



Disney mechanical legend Bob Gurr:



Steven Clark, head of D23, was being interviewed for Cast TV:



The highlight of my evening was standing in line for the Peter Pan attraction and recognizing the voice of Louis the Alligator from "The Princess and the Frog," Michael-Leon Wooley. In his group of friends was also Jennifer Cody, the voice of my very favorite character from the movie Charlotte. They both kindly posed for photos:





There were a few villains there for photos opps as well:





Even so, I was able to end the evening on a high note:



See more D23 Anniversary Event photos at my regular website.

D23 1 Year Anniversary Event, Pt. 3

Before getting to the meat of the event, here are a few more shots of Disneyland at night without guests. This was the main reason of why I attended the D23 Anniversary party; anymore, it is very difficult to relax and enjoy the park without it being crammed to capacity with guests.



The interiors do look a little sad without any activity:



Of course I had to get Indian Joe; the blue glow from the Shooting Gallery looks great!







Few probably notice the horseshoe tracks and other Frontierland touches that grace the walkways:



Unfortunately the Frontierland Gates had the tarps on either side as the waterway beneath the bridge was being worked on.



Last one for today shows the Carnation Gardens sign in Central Plaza:



AVAILABLE TODAY: “The Princess and the Frog.” And for those of you hungry for beignets after you watch it, here's a recipe to help you whip up a batch of your own (reprinted from the book DISNEY’S THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG TIANA’S COOKBOOK RECIPES FOR KIDS, copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises):

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, combine 23/4 cups of the f lour with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk everything together.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture from Step 1.

3. Use some of the remaining flour to dust your work surface. Place the dough on it and pat it into a large 1/2 -inch-thick square. Dust the top with more flour if it gets sticky. Next, slice the dough into 21/2 -inch squares.

4. Now it’s time to fry the beignets—be sure to ask an adult to help you! Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan on the stovetop until the temperature reaches 325° on a deep-fat thermometer. Check the temperature every so often while cooking. If it gets too hot, temporarily turn the heat down, or off.

5. Carefully drop 3 dough squares at a time into the hot oil. Fry them for 3 minutes, turn them over, and continue frying for 3 more minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beignets to a wire rack set atop paper towels to drain. Dust the beignets with confectioners’ sugar, and enjoy!

Yield: Makes 14-16 beignets.

Don’t forget to save me a few! See more Disneyland photos at my regular website.