Julie Reihm: Modeling the Model

For Disneyland's 10th Anniversary, Walt recruited Julie Reihm as his sidekick for a January 1965 episode of "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color." Here, Walt tells the dark-haired Disneyland Ambassador (the very first one) about the Plaza Inn Restaurant, which was in the process of being remodeled from its original incarnation, The Red Wagon Inn.

The master storyteller also showed off his upcoming projects including it's a small world, New Orleans Square (visible in the above photo in the painting behind Reihm), Pirates of the Caribbean…



and the Haunted Mansion.

Below, Imagineer John Hench, the one in charge of the Red Wagon Inn remodel, takes a gander at the same model with Walt.



Reihm came back to the Plaza Inn to cut the cake for the Tencennial Press Party on July 18, 1965:



See more Daveland Disneyland Plaza Inn photos at my main website.

Sunday Odds and Ends

Today's post is a mish-mash of odds and ends. First up, Imagineer Paul Saunders is back again with a few more entertaining short stories:

I have one funny story about Imagineer John Hench who had been with Walt since 1939. At the Adventure Through Inner Space attraction in Disneyland just before we opened in 1967 (now gone for Star Tours). John saw a guest standing at the white wall of the Circlevision Theater across from our exit door. I was standing next to John. The guest planted a foot behind him on the nice white wall and John barked at him to get his foot off the wall. I was shocked at first as we always treated guests with the utmost deference. But I understood, as we all became weary of the things that upset us by some of the public: spitting below on the Skyway, the bullet hole in the glass at the Haunted Mansion, and the mess from ketchup packets, which were finally not allowed.



Also another story at the same attraction is from when we were about to finish construction. The WEDway Peoplemover load/unload turntable at the second level across from us had a third level with a rocket ship with arms that held seats for a hi rise twirl (The Rocket Jets). They were training young pretty girls as ride operators. While they received their instructions, they sat on the railing in their red spandex suits. It was quite a site for the eyes of all the men below in hard hats taking a long break looking up. I wonder if they explained their sore necks to their wives. Heck, I did!

From the future to the past, faithful Daveland reader and contributor JG shared this photo with me a bit ago:



As he tells it:

I took this photo of a monument in downtown Nashville TN this fall. It commemorates the location of the keelboat landing south of the present downtown. I think the "Broad Street" on the map is the present Broadway, the main drag of honky-tonk saloons. It reminded me that the Disney keelboats we enjoyed so much were real historic vehicles.



Thanks all for your photos and contributions — they are very much appreciated!

See more Daveland vintage Disneyland Adventure Thru Inner Space photos on my main website.

Disneyland Diary, 1965

1965 ADDITIONS

• GREAT MOMENTS WITH MR. LINCOLN (a personal experience with history, in a new theater in the Main Street Opera House) — Main Street, U.S.A.



• PLAZA INN (offering dining in the grand manner) — Main Street Plaza.



HIGHLIGHTS

Disneyland celebrated its tenth anniversary with a year-long "tencennial celebration."







New Year's Eve brought 20,000 to begin the observance of 1965,

A new addition to Disneyland, "Fantasy on Parade" was introduced during the Christmas season.



Walt Disney's "Wonderful World of Color" television show saluted Disneyland's first decade.

Disneyland's first Ambassador to the World, Julie Reihm, traveled to Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and throughout the U.S.



Valentine's Dance, Catholic Schools Day, "Spring Fling" and special youth days attracted record attendance.

More than 50,000 celebrants from 138 high schools attended four all-night Grad Parties.



Les Brown, Si Zentner, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Stan Kenton, Wayne King, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Tex Beneke, Hootenannies and Humdingers filled the summer with music.



Disneyland's Community Service Awards program honored 17 county organizations with cash awards totaling $15,000. The Outstanding Award was won by the Orange County Association for Retarded Children.

FAMOUS GUESTS

• Lord Louis Mountbatten of England (March)
• President Maurice Yameogo of Upper Volta (April)
• New Zealand Defense Minister Dean Eyre (April)
• Gov. Mark Hatfield of Oregon (June)
• Princesses Chandra and Suddhavong of Thailand (June)
• Prince and Princess Mikasa of Japan (September)
• Gov. Hayden Burns of Florida (November)
• Premier W.A.C. Bennett of British Columbia

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

John Hench & The Plaza Inn

Here’s a shot of John Hench and Walt Disney that was released to the news, dated May 20, 1965:

TENCENNIAL ADDITION — Detailed model of the Plaza Inn, opening as a feature of Disneyland’s Tencennial Summer, is studied by John Hench (left) and Walt Disney, Hency is chief designer for WED Enterprises, Inc., Disney’s planning, design, architectural and enginerring division. Guests of the Plaza Inn on Disneyland’s main hub, will dine amid rich Victorian splendor offered by two large dining room, porches and a pair of gas-lit dining terraces.

And of course a detailed view:



And the final product, from February 1966:



See more Disneyland Plaza Inn photos at my main website.