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.

Knotts Preserved: What it took to get me there, pt. 4

After dinner, there was some time to snoop around Ghost Town again, which a group of us bloggers did. Again, Tokyo Magic pointed out all the spots I had missed before so that I could get some good shots. This Pepper’s Ghost effect was great; sure do love stuff like this!





And a lot of these fun carved wooden characters inhabit the Ghost Town; one of the most infamous is Sad Eye Joe:



Whatever you do, watch out for One-Eyed Ike:



You can feel safe knowing that these fellers are protecting Ghost Town:



A detailed view of the poster on the wall above them, honoring Max Barlow (the Marshal of Ghost Town):



Here’s Hop Wing Lee, perennially cleaning clothes:



These fellers have been in the barber shop for a loooooong time:





I have no idea where this guy came from:



Back to the Bird Cage and on with the show:



A few interior shots of the lobby:





EVERYONE knows about Steve Martin performing at The Bird Cage; but what about “Love Boat” alumni Lauren Tewes?



The lineup for the 2nd presentation was a theme-park blogger’s dream:



Left to right: Chris Crump and his father, Rolly, Chris Merritt, and Knotts publicity guru Dean Davisson.



Eddie Soto, Rick Campbell, Eric Lynxwiler, and John Waite:



It was a spirited discussion and fantastic to hear first-hand from some of these creative genius' who they crafted some of the most beloved aspects of Knotts. Especially cool was the rapport between Chris Crump and his dad. Rolly was obviously a great mentor to his son. It was fascinating listening to them talk about their dark ride, Bear-ry Tales, which (sadly) is no longer at Knotts. In fact, it almost didn’t even make it in the first place, thanks to an arsonist who struck a few months before it was set to open. Undaunted, the Crumps trudged on and christened the attraction on time.



Dean’s memories of John Wayne (“he was big!”) and the Knott family dividing up the profits around the family dinner table had everyone in stitches (“One for you, one for you,...”).



What a great day. I can’t thank all of the people enough who put this event together. Readers: if you get the chance, visit Knotts. Although much has changed since its glory days, much remains. Check it out! Hope you’ve all enjoyed this deviation from my regular Disneyland posts.

See more Knott’s Berry Farm photos at my website.