Disneyland - Haunted Mansion - The "Real" Ghost

I was a Sweeper in 1985. Late one summer night I was assigned to Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square on a closing shift. This meant I was responsible for a final sweep of the Mansion queue and to clean out its bordering flower beds.

Now when Disneyland closed the guests were slowly, but surely, escorted from the back areas of the Park and herded toward Main Street by Security. As closing hour approached, most guests had long headed for the exits anyway, but the few stragglers were evenutally walked out (encouraged no doubt by the closing announcement: "Disneyland has now ended its normal operating day...").

So.
It was dark.
The area music was still on, but there was a strange quiet nonetheless.
The other sweepers in New Orleans/Bear Country were far off doing their own closing routine.
I was alone.

There I stood in the large bullpen near the east side of the Mansion, with my ever-present pan and broom in one hand and my trusty black flashlight in the other.

A breeze lifted the branch of a nearby tree as I stooped over a flower bed in search of old napkins, cigarette butts, guidebooks, cups and other such castaways. The tiny leaves of the branch ran along the back of my neck like fine fingers. I started and stood up straight.

Then I saw it.
I had been going to Disneyland for umpty years and had been working there for almost two.
I had never seen it before.

My eye caught what looked like a yellowish ball of light bobbing gently past the inside of one of the upper story windows of the Mansion. As soon as I saw it, it was gone.
I blinked, looked away, then glanced back up.
Nothing.

Well...I decided I'd better finish up my flower bed, sweep the queue and get out of there. I didn't even have a radio with me.
Nope.
Just me.

And the Mansion.

I directed the beam of my flashlight back into the dark flower bed and gingerly picked out more debris with my pan and broom. I was pretty sure I had seen something, but tried to push it away as the reflection of an airplane in the window panes, or maybe one of my fellow cast members had shined their flashlight up there.

Needless to say, I picked up the pace of my work. I looked forward to heading back to the area locker. I was working near the brick wall of the queue and meandering along the bullpen (that's what we lovingly call the area where guests line up) toward the porch of the Haunted Mansion. As I dumped my pan into one of the trash cans of the queue, my eye wandered up the Mansion's facade toward those upper windows again.
There it was.

The ghost.

A flickering light moved across the inside of one of the windows again.
There was NO mistaking it this time!

Then...

...it moved on to the NEXT window!
Whoa.

When it proceeded to pass in front of the NEXT window, then I knew.

Darn Imagineers!

This special effect was clearly an intended part of the attraction and could only be seen in the dark of night. What appeared to be the ghostly light of a candle moved along inside each of the windows, as though the widowed bride were marching around inside her home, waiting for the return of her captain.

The effect was well done, with a slowly bouncing, flickering light moving past the opaque curtains of the windows. It moved slowly from window to window, with a slight pause in between.
When I had first glanced up, the light had reached one of the corner windows, so that it proceeded around the corner to the next window (where I couldn't see it). That is why I caught a glimpse and then it had appeared to vanish.

Another smart part of the illusion was that the "walking light" paused for some time between cycles, so that the windows would return to their darkened state and, if you didn't stare up at them for a few moments, you might not notice the light when it began moving again.

Now I'm not saying that there aren't ghosts in the Mansion, but I almost became a true believer on that summer evening! I kept that little effect under my hat, sharing it only with a few family members on evening trips to the Park. I have not been out there after dark at any time in the recent past. I wonder if the haunted candle is still pacing around the old house's windows...

Check it out for yourself next time you're there. I will close by sharing with you this excerpt from The Haunted Mansion album:

"It's a house that people avoid walking past at night. Strange sounds come from within the walls, and it's said that eerie lights have been seen both in the attic windows, and in the graveyard at the side of the house."

Hurry Baaack. Hurry Baaa-AA-aack!

"Jungle Is 101" An Official "Blog of Note"

I thought my "Site Meter" was broken. What's going on?

Then I saw that "Jungle is 101" has been identified as a "Blog of Note," by our friends at Blogger (thanks, Pete!).

I am humbled and appreciative. Hope I can think of something to write!

For those who may be stopping by for the first time, this is a Disneyland site for folks who remember a different era at the Park. If the title of the blog is confusing, here's the answer: In Disneyland cast member lingo, "101" means that a ride or attraction has broken down. I used to work the Jungle Cruise and when the attraction broke down it meant, for most of the operators, an extended break.

I'll try to keep this blog from "going 101," as we move forward. Thanks for stopping by! The attraction should be back up in about oh, half an hour....

Coke Corner - Main Street Pianist - Rod & Johnny

Dateline: Main Street, U.S.A. 1984-1985.

In the late afternoon, as twilight began to settle over a summer day at the Park, the white piano at Coke Corner would burst forth with a ragtime tune and guests would plant themselves on the red and white, wire-backed chairs nearby.

And listen.

Soon the fading sunlight would give way to the sparkling fancy of hundreds of electrical light bulbs along Coke Corner's facade and overhang. The hum of the crowd was a mixture of laughter, broken bits of conversation, distant crying children and orders for hot dogs and Cherry Coke. The clip clop of the horse drawn trolley disappeared as the horses were brought back to their stable and the Street readied itself for the Electrical Parade.

Strollers and pedestrians flowed back and forth past the Candy Palace, the Penny Arcade and the Sunkist Citrus House. On the curb, people began securing their spots for premium parade viewing. The gas lamps of Main Street flickered and the lights along all of the storefronts came up, bathing the area in a yellow electric glow. The area music bounced happily from unseen speakers.

Heat from the warm summer's day began rising up from the sidewalks and pavement that had earlier absorbed it. A soft evening breeze barely ruffled the trees and umbrellas in front of the Plaza Pavillion. Folks on the southern end of the Pavillion's porch leaned toward the distinct and rollicking sound of the piano.

On many days such as this, Rod Miller (pictured below on the cover of his CD) was the source of that fabulous sound. Also sharing keyboard duties back then was a cast member I knew as "Johnny" from his name tag---his full name is Johnny Hodges. He was a pleasant person who, like Rod, knew how to keep the small group of folks within earshot of the piano entertained and upbeat during his sets.

He is pictured here in a photograph from a 1988 special edition magazine entitled "Mickey Is Sixty," published by Time, Inc. and issued in honor of Mr. Mouse's birthday.

The boy's smile (and Johnny's, for that matter) tells you all you need to know.

If you never got to experience one of Rod or Johnny's performances, I am truly sorry.

Rod had played on Main Street since the late 1960s and was an institution. He has since retired and is doing well raising plumerias and visiting the Park now and then, as I understand it.

You can see plenty of videos of Rod over on YouTube and even a few of Johnny. I include one of Rod's here.

Here's one of Johnny's.

Here's another.


And another photograph of Johnny from 2005 (with thanks to "Big Brian").

Simply put, these gentlemen created countless positive experiences for Disneyland guests (and Cast Members) over the years.

I thank them for the many they gave to me.

Perhaps you have an encounter or two with the Coke Corner pianists that you recall?

Disneyland - 1987 Video Flashback - Crazy Cast Member Photos

The beginning of today's post is slightly interactive: Click here for a quick video trip back to Disneyland 1987. Take a look at the Park in the video, especially Tomorrowland, and try and tell me that things have gotten better with age. Jungle thanks go out to the original poster of the video (whose name I could not easily locate on Truveo). I love finding these snippets on the web.

We then move on to the meat of our presentation: some shots that tell us why it is (or was) pretty cool to be a Disneyland cast member.

The following are collected and reposted here (with thanks to the original posters/suppliers).

First, a Great Moment with Mr. Lincoln, a guy from the Disneyland Railroad, and some Monorail escapees.
Second, we learn the powerful truth that Disneyland security will find out if you sneak liquor onto Tom Sawyer's Island----but only if you happen to fall asleep and catch your cabin on fire in the process. Special thanks to Joe Venegas, Jr. for this mid-80s photograph!Third, Sandi (Johnson) Miller---who worked at the Park FOR-ALMOST-EVER---provided this shot of the Pirates of the Caribbean crew from the summer of 1980. While it is true that Cast Member talk would occasionally drop to the level of "who-is-in-bed-with-whom," only rarely did we develop actual photographic proof. And you thought dead men told no tales.
Fourth, George Herold supplies further proof that our deceased Captain from Pirates apparently favors keeping his quarters crowded---when there aren't any scurvy scum guests around. This is from the late 1970s.
Finally, my thanks go out again to Sandi Miller for originally posting this 1981 Kodak Moment--- in which Dave Canfield finds out that he's still dry at the Pirates tavern (even though he'd been drinking there all day). I learned later that his drinking buddy had been on an early, 1980s version of the Adkins Diet---they were still working out some of the bugs. No bread. No meat. Just dusty wine. The good news was, you lost weight quickly and kept it off. The bad news---it was pretty darn permanent. Back to the drawing board.
Ahoy, Maties! These be the last friendly words you'll hear (at least for today's post---I'm shoving off for the tavern!).

Disneyland - The Inn Between - Casual Dining For Hungry Cast Members

No story of 1980s Disneyland employment is complete without a visit to the Inn Between, the Cast Member restaurant located on the back side of the Plaza Inn (it is "in between" the Plaza Inn and the backstage area, get it?). You can see the cast member entrance if you stand by the First Aid/Baby Center on Main Street and peek.

Better yet, here's an insider's view (on a cloudy day) showing the back stage area behind Main Street and Tomorrowland. In the background on the left side of the photograph you can see the back porch of the Inn Between. It kinda wraps around the base of the tree with the light green leaves.
Below is a modern-day photograph of some cast members seated at one of the tables in this area (with the new, improved BROWN Space Mountain in the background---love that new Tomorrowland paint scheme!).Anyway, as a Cast Member, you realize that there is truly something special about your place of employment when you sit down for you lunch and Snow White is at the next table with a few (headless) dwarves, or you bump into the Wicked Queen grabbing a cigarette on a break.

The Inn Between was moderately affordable on a Disney wage and the food was better than the vending machines behind Bear Country. I always favored the open-faced hot turkey sandwich. It came with a yellow gravy. I mean a really yellow gravy. Like a yellow that you don't see in nature. I think the food dye responsible for that "yellow" was later banned by the FDA. Nevertheless, it was good tasting!

The Inn Between had TVs that were always tuned to the then "brand new" Disney Channel. I remember Dumbo's Circus would be on the background as a group of my friends and I gathered together for lunch and a few laughs before heading back out "into the area" or "on stage."

I'll close with another shot of the Main Street back area---showing the rear of the Lincoln theater and the lane where the parade would line up (Main Street Electrical Parade or whatever daytime parade was running) before heading out onto Town Square at the gate near the Mad Hatter.
I hope you enjoyed this brief trip "back stage." I gotta get going. I have to bump back into my rotation over at Jungle.

Disneyland - Tomorrowland Is Filthy!

I was at the Park quite recently and stood on the elevated Tomorrowland Monorail Station for a brief look around. Sadly, I had no digital camera with me, so you'll have to use your imagination for this post.

What I saw was a decaying Tomorrowland infrastructure and hideous paint choices galore.

The Peoplemover (Rocket Rods) track has its railing painted a goldy/rusty color that looks dilapidated. The tracks themselves have been left to rot as they wait for some type of attraction to be reinstalled (one can only hope). The trees near the Subs and Autopia are actually growing over the old Peoplemover track.

The paint choices for the Monorail station (dark blue and purple) and the buildings around Tomorrowland contribute to a dark depression.

Give me the bright white future of yesterday. (What the hell did I just say?).
"The bright white future of yesterday."
Wow. Sounds like bad beat poetry, but it's true.

When Coke Terrace and America Sings and the Rocket Jets were all painted with primary colors (lots of white, red, blue), and the Tomorrowland Stage glowed white as well, the whole area seemed to glow with optimism.

If today's Tomorrowland represents "Tomorrow," then please get me back to Yesterday ASAP.

Anyway, even the Monorail train was beaten up and ready for the trashbin. I guess they are letting it go because of the newer version that has debuted (several times, actually). But the Monorail track and supporting pylons are sure beat up and look terrible. How about a little rehab love here, huh?

As I was riding on the Monorail on the way into Tomorrowland, we cruised over the Disneyland Railroad as it was pulling into the station. The train's canopy was FILTHY. It looks like it has not seen a high pressure washer since I worked there in the 1980s! The roof of the rear car of the train (I hope it wasn't the Lily Belle--I couldn't tell) was dirty, cracked, and its paint was faded. It was like one of those old converted cabooses on a desert highway that someone turned into a tourist-trap restaurant.

Walt is absolutely SPINNING somewhere---with Ward Kimball joing in, I'm sure! Letting the Disneyland Railroad go to pot is tantamount to urinating on the graves of these two gentlemen. For shame, Disneyland.

Here's a hint: buy some paint---or at least a pressure washer from Sears. Step two: USE THEM---and use them often. In my day, we had a crew of painters who repainted stuff EVERY NIGHT. They were damn good at it, too.

To conclude today's mini-tirade, allow me to add that the Autopia cars are simply hideous. Viewed from above, I saw them parade by, sporting their bizarre colors. Purple-ish. Brown-ish. Beige-ish. What the heck?? And can we raze that stupid cylindrical building in the middle (along with the vast awning structure thingy)? Worthless. These dark colored structures completely obstruct the view of the attraction and make Tomorrowland feel claustrophobic---a neat architectural trick, in and of itself.

I'm telling you, Disney, get some white paint, apply it liberally in Tomorrowland, and you'll amaze yourselves at the improvement!! Lose the dark blues and rusts and golds and beiges and whatever.

Lose Innoventions while you're at it. Wait, have I mentioned that one before????

Disneyland - Jungle Cruise Spiel - 1984 - Still More Pages

Today we enter the Sacred Bathing Pool of the Elephants (please no jokes about "They're wearing their trunks..."), stumble upon a Lost Safari Camp ("Looks like that gorilla is in for a mind-blowing experience..." "Gee, I thought that Jeep's battery was dead, but it looks like they finally got it to turn over...") and locate the Lost Safari ("uh oh, looks like a native uprising; Hate to be low man on THAT totem pole; I'll bet that rhino gets his point across in the end...").

We experience all these wonderful sights in our mind's eye and by way of the next few pages of the "Official" Jungle Cruise spiel (you'll find the earlier pages in some of my earlier posts). As you can see, the official version can be a bit dry---even with the approved alternatives. No small wonder then that a few, unnamed, unsung Skippers may have "enhanced" the spiel along the way. Some of these scenes have changed since the mid-80s. Back then, for example, there were no piranhas after Schweitzer Falls. Also, the baboons who used to perch on the wall before the African Veldt are now hanging out over by the "Lost Safari's" camp (just past the old squirting elephant). And my old friend, the hornbill, has moved from his tree below the Swiss Family Treehouse (near where the Indy queue is today) and now hangs out in the Jungle Cruise queue area (look up, you'll see him).
After we avoid Schweitzer Falls (just barely), we're headed down the Nile River. Here we meet our big friend, the African Bull Elephant (and his world famous mother in law). We also (used to) approach the Baboon Family---Pat, Debbie, Bob and Daniel---as we head toward the zebras, giraffe and gazelles of the Veldt.
We finish this part of our tour (and our pages from the Spiel) with the Lost Safari.

In conclusion, allow me to also share some good old fashioned Disneyland letterhead. They don't make 'em like that any more. Now it's just "The Disneyland Resort."

A "Thank You" to a Few of Mike's Favorite Friends, Blogs and Sites

Please allow me to send heartfelt greetings to "MainStreetMom" over at the Daily Earful for her continued patronage and readership. Frankly, I am stunned by any repeat visitor.

If reading this drivel once does not dissuade you, then you're my kind of guest!

"MSM" has a youngster and a wealth of tips and experiences to share with families and Disneyphiles concerning her frequent trips to that "other" park in the Far East (Florida, that is). She also keeps tabs on all things Disney, even broken down Jungle skippers who remain trapped in the 1980s. If you haven't stopped by, I recommend you get out of my boat this minute, scroll over to the column on the right and click on the Daily Earful. I don't list all those things over there just for "filler!"

Thanks, too, to Kevin Kidney for his recent visits. If you do not have any of Kevin's art pieces relating to Disneyland, or haven't paid a visit to his blog, then don't blame me if I stop speaking to you altogether. Really! And you call yourself a Disney fan with 80s sensibilities! Sheesh.

Jason at Eightiesology is another visitor who has a blog worth mentioning to all those with any affinity for the 1980s. Say hello for me if you decide to check in with him!

Vintage Disneyland Tickets consistently posts quality Disneyland goodies. If you're the kind of person who saved every souvenir guide, ticket stub and flier from every trip you ever took to Disneyland (let's say that I have a few of these items myself), why haven't you stopped and checked out this blog?! Fabulous! One of the privileged few who really "get it" when it comes to the Park.

I am but a tropical knucklehead, feverishly moaning in a camp besieged by gorillas, compared to the likes of Vintage, Outside the Berm, 2719 Hyperion, Daveland, Disneyland Nomenclature, Viewliner Ltd., Yesterland and other authors and sitekeepers. They're all over on the right, so hyperlink to them already, won'tcha?!

Last, but not least, thanks to Mom, who signs in 3,000 times a day just to keep my Sitemeter reading high and help me to live the fantasy that this stuff I post gets read by more than 3 people. Moms are great.

If I've left you off this post, it's because I have a very poor memory and worse social skills. Don't worry, your credit will come some day, I'm sure. I apologize in advance.

As for you devoted readers, the four of us have got to get together someday for a Dole Pineapple Whip.

--Mike

Disneyland Jungle Cruise - Would You Trust These Men To Take You Into The Heart Of Darkness?

In the "a-picture-says-a-thousand-words" category, I offer you, dear readers, the above (with heartfelt thanks to Phil Seymour). This scene of the wildlife on the African Veldt comes beaming back to us from the late 1970s.

No, this is not the cast from "M*A*S*H" on sabbatical at Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Nor is it a National Geographic photograph of the No-undi people of the Congo (lovely tribe, the No-Undies).

Nope. This is just photographic proof that we jungle skippers are a breed apart.

Far apart.

Just-barely-in-the-same-species apart.

To think, these men were trusted with the lives of boatfuls of guests on a daily basis.

"Now turn around and wave goodbye to the folks on the dock (make it look like you're having fun)---you'll never see them again!"

Disneyland - Matterhon - Special Guest Star: Harold

If you were there in the late 1970s, you recall that something had gotten into the Matterhorn.

It turned out to be a hairy creature with a bluish face and angry red eyes. Cast members affectionately called him, "Harold."

Over time, Harold made quite an impression and ultimately was welcomed as part of the family. Today, thanks to the magic (and cameras) of Disneyland cast members, we take a look at some photos from Harold's family album.
Thanks to Lorraine Osborn for originally sharing this photograph, reposted here for your edification and enjoyment. This demonstrates cast members' affection for our noisy friend from the icy caverns of the Matterhorn.

John Sieker is to be thanked for contributing this photograph, where Harold sports a nifty cap. Kinda cuts down on the angry Yeti vibe, though.Jeff Mackey is thanked for this contribution, in which a non-Matterhorn cast member popped by for a visit from It's A Small World.George Herold (no relation) originally supplied these next two wonderful pictures (the one immediately below is from the late 1970s). In the first, Harold looks happy surrounded by such dear friends. However, in the second, during a rehab, he appears robbed of a bit of dignity, not to mention his hirsute grandeur.He was also was present for a special moment in which one of his human friends appears to have popped some sort of question to the female of the species (our thanks to Paula Kirchner for the photograph). Sometimes, even despite the cast member's affection, Harold would get a bit testy, as this moment (supplied by Joshua Sudock) captured by camera clearly demonstrates.For all of us who still jump (just a bit) when we hear his mighty roar from the darkness, Harold, we salute you! Many happy returns! Though you aren't a Matterhorn "original," you have definitely become part of the family!

As for me, I met him several times during closing shifts in Fantasyland. The "Disney Explorers Club," I understand, made Harold one of their many destinations. A certain basketball court deep within the mountain was also rumored to be a place where the DEC would visit (after everyone had gotten their flowerbeds finished!). At least, that's what I heard...