I listened, and in came
tidbits and tales
from all corners of the Happiest Place on Earth...
Dateline: Main Street and Fantasyland
A cast member trumpets:
A little bit of trivia from a reliable source concerning one of the
horses in the Princess Royal Fanfare. The white horse that Snow White
rides sidesaddle on is a movie star. This horse is real mellow and is
used to having people around him (unlike the horses that pull the carriages).
One of the films Blanco appeared in is City Slickers. Remember
that scene where Billy Crystal is on the cattle drive and he spots that
white horse up on the cliff? That's Blanco.
Dateline: Tomorrowland
A few weeks ago, a cast member wrote:
Sunday, the resort was overrun by bugs. Tiny gnats were swarming all
over, much to the distress of cast members and guests. A cloud of these
insects forced the cancellation of the first Club Buzz show of the day.
There was a concern that the lead singer in the show might ingest them
while performing.
A week later, he added:
Remember that bug problem we are having? Well, it got really bad this
past Friday. The tiny critters swarmed in such numbers that the Astro
Orbiter and the Autopia went 101 [shut down]. The 12:30 Club Buzz show
was also canceled. The first Princess Royal Fanfare got hit, too. The
bug cloud hit the Royal Court just as the princesses arrived at the
end of their parade. Much to their distress and the guests'.
A cast member quipped, “With the way these bugs are swarming on
us, it reminded me of one of the plagues that Moses brought upon Egypt.”
Dateline: Critter Country
A reader shares:
I heard from a good source a story regarding the new
Pooh ride. It seems someone sneaked in the ride somehow and
was photographing the interior. Cast members found this intruder and
removed the film from his camera. I heard they are charging this person
with the trespassing and with copyright infringement or something for
taking pictures.
I also heard the
three heads from the Country Bear's show (Melvin the Moose,
Buff the Buffalo, and Max the Deer) that are in the ride are in their
original spot they were in from that show. WDI did not move them.
Dateline: Frontierland
A cast member divulges:
A few weeks ago, I was walking through the park along the Rivers of
America, when I saw two big red balloons go up at either corner of Tom
Sawyer Island (the River has been recently drained). I asked one of
the guys what those balloons were for, and he said it had something
to do with The Pirates of the Caribbean movie premiere. I then
looked over at one of the other gentlemen and noticed that he had a
binder that said, “Pirates of the Caribbean Premiere.” He
also had several pictures of a giant screen rendered on the Island where
those two balloons were. They were talking about using the [Sailing
Ship] Columbia for it, as well.
Does this mean they're planning on holding the premiere for the Pirates
movie at Disneyland?
Dateline: New Orleans Square
Merchandise hostess Beverly Butrum with
Tony Baxter, Mike Vaughn and Mark Zimmer. The three men, Beverly's original
"fan club" from the early 1970s when they all worked at Disneyland, celebrated
Beverly's 35th anniversary with the park in July 2001. MousePlanet photo.
One of my favorite Disneyland cast members, Disney Gallery hostess Beverly
Butrum, returned to work at the end of January after a several months
absence. A mutual friend writes:
Our beloved Gallery storyteller, Beverly, has decided to retire from
her post. Her last day will be March 3, 2003 (3-3-03, she engineered
it that way). She was fighting off an illness of some kind. She will
be missed, not just by the cast, but by the many annual passholders
and day-trippers who make it a point in their trips to come up to see
Bev. Some have known her for many years, and introduced their children
to Bev. Like Rod Miller, she is a Disneyland legend in every sense of
the word.
There is an effort going on, as far as I've heard, to give Bev a window
in the Gallery, or on Main Street. Also, the cast members are hoping
to give her a huge send-off. They want everybody to come, former cast
members, APs, friends, etc. I'll let you know when I have a definitive
date.
Beverly will be working the first few days of the Pirates of the Caribbean
exhibit in March. So, if people can't make the celebration, they can
still say “good-bye” when they say “hello” to the
new exhibit.
Dateline: Yesterland
Finally, my prayers are with the families of two Disneyland old-timers.
The first week of February the park lost Hank Block, of Operations and
the Order of the Red Handkerchief, and Dorothy Eno, who served as Dick
Nunis's first secretary. Sigh. Club 55 keeps getting a little bit
smaller.
You can write to David atthis link..
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David Koenig is the senior editor of the 80-year-old business journal, The Merchant Magazine. After receiving his degree in journalism from California State University, Fullerton (aka Cal State Disneyland), he began years of research for his first book, Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland (1994), which he followed with Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks (1997, revised 2001) and More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland (1999); all titles published by Bonaventure Press. He lives in Aliso Viejo, California, with his lovely wife, Laura, their wonderful son, Zachary, and their adorable daughter, Rebecca. You can contact David here. Click here to go to David's main page for a list of archived articles. Visit MouseShoppe to purchase copies of David's books. (Clicking on the link opens a new window.) 
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