Pollyanna and the Blue Bayou

The 1960 Disney live-action classic, “Pollyanna” first brought the charms of Hayley Mills to audiences in the U.S. when it premiered in New York City on May 19, 1960.



In one of the sequences, Pollyanna and the townspeople hold a charity bazaar to help build a new orphanage for the town of Harrington.



Notice anything in these screenshots?



In this vintage shot of the Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland, you can see the very same style of Japanese Lanterns hanging overhead.



The Blue Bayou opened six years after the release of “Pollyanna”; is it possible that Disney re-used these beautiful lanterns that still hang overhead today?



I checked with a source at the Disney Archives who responded:

They very well could have been sourced from the same manufacturer or inspired the look/design of the lanterns used in the restaurant since it was only about seven years from film production to the construction of the restaurant space.



You can guess which way I want the answer to go.



In another screenshot from the film, you can see a variety of shapes:



The Bayou only has one style hanging overhead.



Even if they aren’t the same, where the heck can I get something like this for MY backyard?

See more Disneyland Blue Bayou restaurant photos at my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh was an incredible beauty AND a talented actress who played two of the most coveted roles in Hollywood: Scarlett O'Hara & Blanche DuBois. After a much publicized search for the perfect Scarlett (much of which was a lot of studio fluff in order to drum up interest in the movie), Leigh took on the part of the southern heroine who had a passion for survival.

Without her, this 1939 classic would most likely seem extremely dated today. Her performance is still fresh, gritty, and relevant even 70 years after it was filmed. Despite the heavy censors of the day, everyone in the audience was well aware what had happened the night before in Scarlett's bed when they saw this bewitching look on her face in the morning.



Although the film (and the original book) left audiences hanging, you would have to be fairly dense not to know that the resourceful Scarlett would eventually get Rhett back.



As Blanche in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Vivien showed much of the fire from her previous role of Scarlett, but this time with a heavy layer of vulnerability.



Unlike Scarlett, Blanche has obviously been damaged from the loss of her genteel southern lifestyle. Love has not been kind to Blanche either, and she has lost any ability to find a healthy relationship with a man.





For both of these roles, Leigh took home well deserved Academy Awards in The Best Actress category. One of her final films was also based on a Tennessee Williams play, “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone.” Starring opposite Warren Beatty, Leigh gives yet another riveting performance.



See more Vivien Leigh photos on my main website.