Main Street - 1984 - Meeting "Arthur"

I first met Arthur in 1984 while covering a day shift on Main Street.

I was in Day Custodial and my assignment was to sweep the Hub. Arthur was a charming old fellow who had been coming to Disneyland for just about ever, it seems. He was a guest and he showed up almost daily at the Park. He would shuffle slowly and steadily down Main Street until he found his spot along the curb (usually on the east side of the street, in front of the Plaza Pavilion). He would then spread out his old afghan blanket and set down his bag and cane. Arthur would sit down on the curb and wait for the afternoon parade. He would come back for the first showing of the Main Street Electrical Parade many times, too.

Arthur loved Disneyland and all the cast members I knew loved Arthur. I dug around but could not locate a photograph that had been taken of Arthur with several of my sweeper friends. Too bad, I would love for you to have at least been able to meet him in a picture.

One of the "old timers" I worked with on Main Street was a sweeper named Helmuth. Arthur, who had yet to learn my name when we first met, would always, always ask me: "Where's Yomo? Heoff today? Heezoff. Heezoff."

"Yomo" was Arthur's best attempt at pronouncing "Helmuth." Arthur would then dutifully ask me, "You busy today?" and note: "Busy day" or "Slow today," depending on the number of guests in the Park.

Arthur was a character. A little slow and in his early 70s, he had a great smile, even despite missing several teeth. A stroke and the aforementioned dentition problems combined to contribute to his unique speech pattern, which sometimes made him hard to understand, but never detracted from his warmth as a person or from his acceptance into the Disneyland family by the Cast Members who knew him. This simple man was much loved. He was at home in the Park and he connected with all who had encounters with him there. Perhaps you met him yourself or walked by as he sat on the curb waiting for the next parade. As a guest, you might have thought him to be a little "off" or perhaps a wayward transient that had somehow gotten past Security. If you noticed him at all it was probably because of his blanket spread out on the ground (he always spread it out enough for two people, even though he only occupied one half of the blanket), his checkered hat (with "Arthur" written across the front) his red windbreaker jacket, and his open-toothed smile. In any event, he was there most days and chances are you may have run into him as you walked along Main Street as a guest in the early to mid 1980s. Hopefully you said hello. He definitely would have responded with a hello of his own.

I came across this article from Ken Pellmanand was happy to see that someone had memorialized Arthur in print and---as shown in this photograph from Ken's article---in brick (apparently, several Cast Members chipped in and bought the brick to honor Arthur---whose full name was Arthur Holmson):
Arthur, I expect you are somewhere right now, enjoying a parade on Main Street or chatting with a cast member at the Park, since Heaven for you must certainly include Disneyland. Here's to you, old friend!

Disneyland Hotel - Summer 1980 Article Brings Back Memories

Today we are beaming back to the Disneyland Hotel of the late 1970s, early 80s. Clicking on the photographs above should bring you to larger versions of the article about the hotel that appeared in the Summer 1980 issue of Disney News.

The photograph of the boy in Mickey's Corner (or perhaps in the Small World of Toys) on page 11 shows a shelf full of future Disneyana merchandise from 28 years ago. For the "Yesterland" types among us, the listing of the hotel shops on page 11 gives us a glimpse of what is no longer there for us when we exit the Monorail outside the berm.

For those without Club 33 passes or membership, one of the only ways to end a dry day at the Park in the early 1980s was to board the Monorail and head to the Disneyland Hotel. There you could step up to the bar at places like the Shipyard Inn or Sargeant Preston's Yukon Saloon and Dance Hall. You could enjoy a cocktail, perhaps more than one, and then amble back to the Monorail to return to the Park.

Of course, before returning to the Park you could also take in the shops, which were not far from the Monorail station at the hotel. They were very quaint and it felt like you were stepping back into the '60s or '70s as you walked there. It was also nice to get away from the crowd over at Disneyland and walk the grounds of the hotel. You could stroll past the marina and over to the waterfalls and walkways of the Bonita Tower. At least the waterfalls are still there (though the Bonita has been renamed the Wonder Tower).

In any event, Don Ballard is the man (and his site is the site) to go to for information and photographs documenting the Disneyland Hotel's history. Check out his site (http://www.magicalhotel.com/) and maybe think about buying a copy of his book, Disneyland Hotel: The Early Years, 1954-1988, if you wish to learn more. Thanks for the great work, Don!

Disneyland Musings - Volume 3 - Nights In The Wheelhouse

[Thanks to John Perry for his clear scan above].

The Mark Twain costume consisted of a crisp white shirt, a red string tie, a navy vest, navy pants, and a captain's cap. On cold evenings in the fall, a wool pea coat rounded out the costume. Up in the wheelhouse, I would wave down to the guests on the Frontier Landing. As we got under way, we would let a family come up and join me. I would let their child (or children) have a crack at "steering" the vessel with the large wooden wheel. They would be permitted to tug at the steam whistle as we rounded the New Orleans bend and then they would pull on the bell rope. Such simple events were universally (and deeply) enjoyed by both the kids and their parents. It made my job enjoyable (as if it weren't already). At the end of the trip, I'd pull out a "Pilot's Certificate" from the desk in the wheelhouse and fill it out for my most recent "assistant." This little "plus" made the attraction all the more special for those few guests who had the opportunity to come up and steer for a while. Here is a nice photo essay on the view from the wheelhouse.

On a slow night, we would pick up a small group of passengers and steam gently down the Rivers of America. Our proud sternwheeler was sparkling with lights along its decks. The water was dark and still and reflected our brightness in swirling, sparkling waves that fanned out from our bow. I would listen to the narration and dutifully sound our whistle and bells (one short blast and one long one as we got under way, with a round of bells following). Upon our return I would blast the whistle and ring the bells as we neared Cascade Peak. Then it was down the stairs to the main deck where I would help our guests disembark.

During those magical night trips around the river, there were some wonderful quiet moments, especially as we floated by the Hungry Bear restaurant and into the "wilderness." We would wave at the passengers on the Disneyland Railroad as their train clicked by along the river's edge. Our lighted decks illuminated the trees and fauna along the banks. There was the old Chief raising his hand slowly in solemn greeting atop his fine horse. The warm glow of the flames from the settler's cabin appeared on our starboard side and the wheelhouse filled with orange and yellow. For a few moments out there in the back country, you were immersed in the experience. You really were on some American river, on a sternwheeler, seeing Indians and wildlife on your way to a river port with a load of cotton. You heard the steam churning the pistons that powered our massive propulsion wheel. You heard the water splashing behind us and saw the reeds of the shoreline slipping past. On all decks, no matter where you were, you felt it. It was real. If only for a time.

In the summer, we would stop our vessel out here in the back country. It was dark and wonderful. Above the trees to the port side, the sky would erupt in explosions of color and sound as the Fantasy In The Sky fireworks show began. The Fireworks Cruise was one of those Disneyland "secrets" that even seasoned cast members relished. I always hoped that my place in the rotation would have me piloting the Mark Twain for the Fireworks Cruise during my shift. As I think of it now, there was no better spot in all the world to view the fireworks. We were stopped and we shut off our lights. The trees in that area of the river were tall, established and kept things nice and dark. Consequently, the bursts of fireworks above the tree tops were all the more brilliant. Most of our passengers were in the know, but the few who weren't were instantly amazed and pleasantly surprised when they learned why the ship suddenly stopped and went dark. No, were weren't "101." We were providing a special "plus" to our guests.

After Fantasmic arrived on the scene, the Fireworks Cruise ceased to be. Indeed, nightly cruises were almost completely a thing of the past. This lessened the magic of the river. New Orleans at night without the Mark Twain rolling into view, with its decks ablaze in lights, is missing something. The throngs massed along the river's edge for the nightly Fantasmic showing don't know what they're missing. For those of us fortunate enough to have made one or two Fireworks Cruises on the Mark Twain in our day, the memories are sweet.

Disneyland - Tahitian Terrace - Summer 1980 Article

Today's post takes us back to the Summer of 1980 and a brief article about my beloved Tahitian Terrace that appeared as a two-page spread in both the Disneyland Vacationland magazine (Summer 1980, Vol. 24, No. 2---at pages 14-15), published 3 times a year by Walt Disney Productions, Disneyland Division, and in Disney News (the official magazine for the Magic Kingdom Club - Summer 1980, Vol. 15, No. 3---at pages 2-3, shown below)---Note the identical cover photographs; the content of the two publications was not completely identical, however.
The above article ignited my nostalgia. Ah, there was definitely excitement in the air in Adventureland when the drums of the Tahitian Terrace Polynesian Revue began their rythmic rumbling. The smell of chicken teriyaki and pineapple drifted through the foliage as you made your way into Adventureland, just past the Enchanted Tiki Room. The Tahitian Terrace was sponsored by Kikkoman International, Inc. and its famous soy sauce. The article provides a nice one-paragraph history of soy sauce ("undoubtedly man's oldest prepared condiment") for those who need to fill in this blank in their knowledge base.

As for me, I love the photographs, which detail the stage, the dancers and, of course, the food. The fire dancer depicted at the top right of page 1 is a bit smaller than the fellow who was performing in that role at the time of the infamous "black footed rock hopper" incident at the Jungle Cruise, as chronicled earlier in this blog.

Of course, for those of you who long for a taste of the Tahitian Terrace, the article offers us a culinary time machine by providing a recipe for Chicken Teriyaki like that served at the restaurant.

Leafing through the Summer 1980 Vacationland magazine also called to mind a list of places, people and things that aren't here anymore:

• Wonder Bread
• Disneyland ticket books (Big 11 - $8.50/adult; Deluxe 15 - $9.25/adult; General Admission - $7.00/adult)
• Harvey Korman (who starred in Herbie Goes Bananas alongside Cloris Leachman---the movie was released in 1980)
• Movieland Wax Museum
• Hanna-Barbera's Marineland
• the Main Street Electrical Parade---on Main Street (nightly at 8:50 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)
• the shops of the old Disneyland Hotel
• a good portion of the "New York Street" area of Universal Studios' famous back lot (lost to a recent fire)
• Walt Disney Productions (now known as The Walt Disney Company) and, of course,
  
• the Tahitian Terrace itself.

Later, I'll try and post some of the old ads from the magazine---they're a real treat.

As for now, a fond Aloha! to our lost (but never forgotten) friend, the Tahitian Terrace.

Disneyland 1987 - The "Disney Look" For Cast Members

Well, Disneylanders, if our time machine has dropped us in 1987 and we want to work at the Park, let's make sure that we at least meet the grooming requirements. To help you in this process, please review the brochure below entitled The Disney Look. I actually worked with several of the folks pictured in these pages, by the way. See anyone you recognize?


[By the way, it took WED's resources and a talented team of Imagineers to develop and maintain Robert's hair---pictured above. It's hard to find that kind of Disney magic today].

Disneyland Cast Members 1987 - Outdoor Vending Yellows; The Disney Look

An earlier poster, "Yellows," from Outdoor Vending ("ODV" for you few Disneyphiles who might be out of this loop) recalled her costume and this made me run and dig up my 1987 version of "The Disney Look," the Cast Member manual that set out Disney's expectations for maintaining your costume and appearance while On Stage. The young woman in the photograph above represents not only "The Disney Look," but also demonstrates the yellow costume worn by ODV types in the 1980s and earlier. It is clear that this shot was taken in or near Matterhorn Alley, just east of the Hub (the benches in the background give it away---as well as the fact that most balloon vendors were stationed near the Hub and, of course, Town Square, when they were on Main Street). The Yellows were often the subject of moaning and ridicule by Cast Members who wore them, but, looking back, those costumes were bright and friendly and tres Disney. I dare say that the polo shirt was a bit more comfortable than the thin, starchy custodial whites. On the other hand, Day Custodial's white cotton pants were quite comfortable and forgiving come July and August, I must say. My next post will be an upload of the 1987 "Disney Look," for those who did not have the good fortune to attend the Disney University back then (and for those who DID but forgot to keep their New Cast Member materials!).

The Great Gray Beauty - Disneyland's Parking Lot; What Ever Happened To Slow Days?

A shot taken in the Pinocchio area of the Disneyland parking lot circa 1980-ish (long before Whoopi Goldberg invaded). This view is from the Thumper/Tinkerbell sections, looking north toward the west side of the Park (those are Jungle Cruise trees ahead of you there past the Monorail tracks. The parking lot's wide open expanse of asphalt stood in sharp contrast to the bright colors of Disneyland. Walt and the gang knew their stuff. The gray of reality was left behind as you entered the turnstiles and strode through the tunnel onto Main Street.

In 1984, I worked many shifts as a sweeper out at "Main Gate." This was the area comprised of the ticket booths and the main entrance (where the Mickey flower display is located). For one thing, "Main Gate" was a hot assignment in the summer. All that concrete and not a lot of trees added up to some serious ambient temperatures. By mid-day, "Main Gate" was pretty slow. Most guests were well into their visit and there were not many who would leave or enter the park at that time. I would chat with my fellow cast members at the turnstiles, ticket booths or strollers as I made my rounds. I got to know a few of the security guards out there, too. Those poor guys drove up and down that massive parking lot in un-air conditioned carts looking for law breakers. Talk about hot!

I like seeing the old tram in this photograph. The light blue seats and yellow trim stood out nicely against the asphalt. You also did not have to walk as far to get to a tram stop as you do with the new Mickey And Friends monolithic parking structure.

Better still, as a cast member, when you pulled into work from Harbor Boulevard and entered the employee parking area (on the northeastern side of the old parking lot), you could gaze across the guest parking area and get a visual indication as to how crowded or busy the Park was going to be that day. It's harder to do this today, because you can't easily see if all levels of Mickey & Friends are full.

Back when everyone parked in one big lot, you knew right away if you were facing a 25,000 day or a 60,000+ day.

Which brings me to my next point: slow days. One of the things I miss most in "modern" Disneyland is a true "slow" day. To stumble upon one is indeed a rarity. I mean a day when there is a small number of guests in the Park. A day when you can see lots of pavement. It's really difficult for a cast member who has worked opening or closing shifts (and consequently was able to amble through a completely open and empty Disneyland) to battle the maddening and seemingly omnipresent crowd. This is especially true at that "pinchpoint" located just in front of the River Belle Terrace, the Bengal Barbeque, the entrance to Indiana Jones, the entrance to Tarzan's Treehouse (gack!) and the eastern end of the bridge walkway that crosses over the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean. Next time you're in the Park, see if you can navigate through this dense spot of humanity without taking an elbow (or throwing one for that matter). It is usually filled with guests moving in all different directions and often has a number of simple-minded folk who have decided that the middle of this major walkway is a great spot to stop and have a group meeting to decide what attraction to visit next. Aarrrgggh! Does common sense EVER kick in with some people?? Doesn't it ever occur to them: "Hey?! I am creating an embolism, a thrombosis, in a main pedestrian artery! Maybe I should stop and have a chat someplace OTHER THAN HERE!"

In the end, it really isn't the guests' fault that this area is so susceptible to congestion. The guests didn't decide to locate the entrance to Tarzan's Treehouse at this ridiculous spot. The guests didn't build the bridge in front of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Nor did they have a say in the placement of queues and tables and all sorts of other contributing factors that make this spot possibly the worst pedestrian location in Disneyland. In fact, I state quite clearly---this IS the worst pedestrian location in Disneyland (followed closely by the Adventureland entrance near the restrooms and the south entrance to Frontierland).

Give me a slow day once in a while, where I can see my surroundings! I love my fellow guests and all, but the Park becomes a bit less of a...well...a park when it is so crowded you can't move.

Done with my mini-rant.

Disneyland - Tomorrowland Entrance - 1979-ish - Cast Member Photo

Look at this! Isn't Tomorrowland radiant? You simply could not take this photo today because the Astro Orbiter and its queue would be in your way. This is an "Area Shot" of the cast members taken in the early morning prior to opening. It is a gem and I thought I would share it with you, dear Reader!

How about old Adventure Thru Inner Space shining in the background!? I also love how the sun is reflecting off the pavement in Tomorrowland, as well as the old cobblestone walkway where the entrance to Tomorrowland met Main Street (i.e., under the folks in the photo).

Adventureland - Swiss Family Treehouse (Walt Disney World) June 21, 2008

On its own island in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom's Adventureland stands the Swiss Family Treehouse. We had the original at Disneyland until it was Eisnerized into Tarzan's Treehouse. My stomach has churned just a touch ever since. In a way, I felt transported back to Disneyland's Adventureland circa 1986-87. WDW's Treehouse is a bit different in its layout from Disneyland's original version, but the feel is very much the same. The Swisskapolka tune bounced from the organ in the treetop above and stirred fond memories of the past. As we scaled the tree, it was amazing how perfectly it fit into its surroundings. Talk about theming!
The walkway and stairs wind their way up through the branches, allowing us to peer into the Robinson's arboreal home. Each of their "rooms" is tucked into the branches and topped with a thatch of palm fronds for a roof. It is the realism of the Treehouse that helps sell its charm, in my opinion. You can imagine a family actually living in this space (the bed upstairs sure looks comfortable). In the story laid out in both the book and movie, the Robinsons used salvaged portions of their wrecked vessel to build their home (somehow they got the organ ashore AND about four stories up into a tree---thank Providence for all those pulleys, block and tackle they were able to retrieve from the wreck!).Central Florida's climate is utterly conducive to foliage that blends perfectly with the Treehouse. Take a look. It is tropical and beautiful.
In order to get to the base of the tree (on its own island) one must cross this bridge.
Of course, the ingenious system of running water remains impressive. The waterwheel, powered by the stream, operates pulleys that carry the water in bamboo "cups" high up into the tree, where it is deposited into a bamboo flume.

The Treehouse remains a gem. Thank Goodness attractions like the Swiss Family Treehouse, the Carousel of Progress and The Country Bear Jamboree remain unchanged at Walt Disney World so that those of us who loved them when they were part of Disneyland can still experience them.

Mike Fink Keel Boats - May 1997 Accident

Well...there went the Gullywhumper. On May 17, 1997, this overloaded Keel Boat was rocked side to side and then rolled over, with 49 guests aboard. The vessel was not designed to hold this capacity, especially with guests seated on the highest deck.

The photograph above shows the Disney team taking a look at the wreckage. This dumb accident led to the complete closure of the attraction. Now the Gullywhumper rots along the Rivers of America as a "prop." Doh!