Trip Report: Disney Construction Adventure, Pt .2

The main reason I stopped by Disney California Adventure on Thursday was to get some interior shots of The Little Mermaid attraction.



When I went during the cast member preview, cameras were not allowed. I know, I know...when has that ever stopped me before? There actually are times when I pay attention to the rules and respect what's being asked. Of course that didn't stop me from being steamed when I saw others with their iPhones shooting away; a quick reprimand from a cast member to them made it all better though! Enough of the griping; here are some shots that I got from my 2 ride throughs (count 'em, two...right in a row...no waiting at all).

It is really nice that Imagineering has followed through with the tradition of murals in the attraction as an introduction and teaser to what lies within.







It appears that the gull serves as somewhat of a bookend storyteller on this attraction:



And then the clamshell takes you under the sea; or at least this attractions attempts to make it seem that way with a bubble projection on the clamshells in front of you.





Ariel herself makes many appearances in the attraction:



There are many whimsical characters throughout as well, making it fun to notice different ones each time you ride:







The Imagineering Marketing video breathlessly described how they labored to achieve the effect of Ariel's hair actually looking like it was floating in the water. In person, it just looks like a mass of rubber sticking straight up on her head.



Now we approach my very favorite scene; Evil Ursula and her crystal ball. Call me dark, but I love this menacing part of the show. Walt himself knew that kids actually enjoyed having the living crap scared out of them, and thus had Mr. Toad & Hell, and Snow White and the scary forest. C'mon Imagineers...bring on a storm...bring on more evil Ursula! Help wake this attraction up from its boredom.





Those poor unfortunate souls!



A happy ending quickly rolls out to bring us back from the depths of despair:





Poor Ursula is foiled again.



The attraction ends with a bang; a joyful celebration by all the main characters from the film amidst fireworks.







Our storyteller gull makes his final appearance as we exit.



After I exited the attraction the first time, cast members were polling guests about their opinion on the attraction. I have a feeling that Imagineering knows something isn't quite right as the lines are almost nonexistent. The publicity machine is attempting to say it's because of the attraction's ability to handle high capacity ridership; personally, I think it's because it's kind of blah. Pirates of the Caribbean has many interesting scenes that bear repeat viewing because they feature interesting tableaus with multiple story lines going on. The Little Mermaid attraction features large scenes, but the stories being told do not bear repeat viewing.

Elsewhere in the park, the Condor Flats sign is now rotating again (trust me, even if you can't see the movement in my photo!).



The Redwood Creek Challenge area has now taken on a new theming layer by inserting the characters from the Pixar classic, "Up."







For only an hour, it was definitely worth my visit!

See more vintage & current Disney California Adventure photos at my regular website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Shirley Temple, David O Selznick, and Henry Willson

Despite the skyrocketing stardom of her toddler years, Shirley Temple's career stalled out in her teen years, especially after the release of the B-movie, "Miss Annie Rooney," (1942). It would take the producer of "Gone With The Wind," David O Selznick, to help put Shirley back into the running.

Sensing a place for her in his next picture, "Since You Went Away," Selznick signed Temple on to play Brig, the teenage daughter of the film's lead, Claudette Colbert.



"I thought I'd been signed on to work for the greatest film producer in the world. I could not have been more thrilled," remembers Shirley. However, she only made two films for the great man himself, with the other being "I'll Be Seeing You." Again, she played a supporting role to the film's leads, Joseph Cotten & Ginger Rogers. Shirley garnered critical acclaim for both roles, and it appeared that she was on the verge of a comeback.



Instead, Selznick quickly lost interest in her budding career. "I was loaned out for the rest [of the films on my contract]. They did nothing for my career, and Selznick made a lot of money [from the loanouts]. David concentrated on Jennifer (Jones) and let everything else fall apart." The already married Jones became the obsession of the already married Selznick; her spouse was actor Robert Walker, his was Irene Mayer (daughter of MGM's mogul Louis B. Mayer). According to Shirley, Selznick was no stranger to the casting couch: "If you walked into David's office and his shoes were off, watch out!"



Although he lusted for Jones, Selznick wanted to keep Shirley from being too sexy: "David wanted them (my breasts) strapped down, but I refused."

"Since You Went Away" was directed by John Cromwell. "Cromwell was not the most inspiring director," recalled Shirley in her autobiography "Child Star." The film took 127 days to shoot. "David kept expanding Jennifer's role, and every afternoon she would disappear for an hour or two with him. No wonder the movie took forever." Still, filming was not all drudgery. "Since You Went Away" casting agent Henry Willson (best known for discovering Rock Hudson) invited the young stars to his Beverly Hills home for cookouts. "Some of us were still teenagers, and Henry kind of acted as our chaperone. He always encouraged us to play charades at these parties. He thought it was good training for young actors. But he never played. Henry just watched." Occasionally, he would hold a seance. Henry would hold the girls (and boys') hands. "We were able to raise the table just by concentrating," said a straight-faced Shirley.

Here's a photo of Shirley with Henry Willson, dancing at Ciro's nightclub, March 1945; Bob Hope is visible on the right:



The caption on the back reads:"INSIDE HOLLYWOOD By Nat Dallinger. Week ending March 15, 1945. For immediate release - #9. Photo by NAT DALLINGER. Hi there, says Shirley Temple, as she treads a conservative mazurka at Ciro's with film executive Henry Willson. Those dimples are still there, though the blonde curls have turned a darker shade, so Shirley's becoming as pretty a young lady as she was a child song star."

Eventually, Selznick & Jones got their divorces and were free to marry each other in 1949. They stayed married until Selznick's death in 1965.

Shirley's career hobbled on for another few years until she got a divorce from first husband John Agar. Here's Shirley with attorney George Stahlman, filing for divorce from Agar on December 5, 1949.



A followup trip to Hawaii not only provided Shirley with a getaway from the press, but a new love interest, Charles Black. Here's Shirley in December 1950, posing with Black and showing off her wedding ring (they had married on December 16), while announcing her retirement from Hollywood.



In Hollywood, neither Selznick nor Temple matched the blockbuster success of their early careers. In Shirley's case though, the second half of her life has been equally fulfilling as a wife, mother, and a top-notch Ambassador. Obviously her early training as a child star paid off in spades!

To see more Shirley Temple photos, visit my regular website.

Trip Report: DCA (Disney Construction Adventure), Pt. 1

I haven't been to the park in awhile, so figured I'd drop by and get some updated construction photos at DCA. I am still digging the new entrance, modeled after the Pan Pacific Auditorium. It gives me a real good feeling about the things yet to come.



Lest you forget who started it all:



The Golden Gate Bridge is gone...no tears here for that one.



The Carthay Circle area is coming along very nicely. What a vast improvement over that metallic monstrosity that was supposed to evoke the sun.





The fountain and entrance area for Carthay:





Cars Land is progressing nicely as well; the decorative rock work is just out of this world.









Over at Paradise Pier, Goofy's Flight School is ready for guests:



Nice to see the weathervane theme carried out here:





The Paradise Pier Garden is another vast improvement over its predecessor; can't wait to come back and see it at night.





Typical of Disney, plenty of attention to the creative details:









To help you figure out what you want to order:





Even the souvenir shops have gotten a little freshening up, as well as the fave Corn Dog Castle stand:





More to come on Sunday! See more vintage and contemporary Disney California Adventure photos at my main website.