Disneyland on TV: MIA
The Great Mystery of The Missing Theme Park
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
by Shoshana Lewin, staff writer
I was looking so forward to Disneyland's 50th anniversary. I
thought I would record all the specials and put them on a tape with Disneyland
Showtime, Disneyland: From Pirates of the Caribbean to the World
of Tomorrow, Disneyland's 25th and 35th anniversary specials and Ernest
Goes to Splash Mountain. The surprise was on me—along with several
thousand people who expected ABC or Disney to have something in honor of
the anniversary. Alas, July 17 came and went with nothing more than a sound
byte during the news.
What happened here?
Where was the 50th anniversary show, with Danny Kaye and Adam Rich (25th), John
Forsythe and Drew Barrymore (30th) or Tony Danza and the cast of Cheers (35th)?
Where were the star-studded renditions of Disney songs—one of my faves is
Jo Anne Worley singing Someday My Prince Will Come on the 25th
anniversary special—and where were the montages of attractions? Where were
the “Happy Birthday” greetings?
I felt like going outside and rigging up a huge spotlight with a cutout of
Mickey Mouse's head a la Batman: Where are you Vault Disney when we need you?
Yes, today Vault Disney is a page on the Disney Web site, but for those of us
who stayed up late at night or woke early in the morning, Vault Disney was a
way to remember the Disney shows of the past. Every night, from 1997 until
2002, The Disney Channel would end the “tween” programming and air
episodes of the original Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro followed by
a Disney movie or special from the 1950s to 1980s (everything from Bon Voyage
to Lots of Luck and One Hour in Wonderland to the 1980 Mouseketeer
Reunion with all 39 original Mouseketeers. Vault Disney would then
transition to The Ink and Paint Club (named for the night club in Who
Framed Roger Rabbit?), which featured classic “Fab Five”
cartoons that aren't shown today, outside of an occasional appearance on a DVD.
When the Disney Channel began in 1983, it was actually clear that you were
watching a “Disney” network. Remember Welcome to Pooh Corner with
its life-sized characters, You and Me Kid with Sonny, Mousercise with
Kellyn and her oh-so-cool headband, Mouseterpiece Theater with George
Plimpton, the Western series Five Mile Creek, and pre-Extreme Makeover
show Wish Upon a Star? In 1997 (coincidentally the last year the channel
produced its own magazine), The Disney Channel split itself into three blocks:
“Playhouse Disney,” “Vault Disney” and teen/tween
“Zoog Disney” (with programming that would eventually overtake Vault
Disney).
With a new century came a new attitude. What happened to adults and kids being
able to do things together? The Disney-themed shows became fewer and farther
between when Disney Channel moved from premium to basic cable in 2000.
(Remember all those cool gifts you could get if you were a subscriber?) We lost The
New Mickey Mouse Club—although several of its members can be found
on MTV. Disney also gained a stake in several cable channels—and began to
turn the Disney Channel into (dare I say it?) another Nickelodeon—minus
the green slime. How many adults have actually seen an episode of Phil of the
Future, Bug Juice, Smart Guy or The Suite Life of Zack and
Cody? I admit I do enjoy Lizzie Maguire and Dave the Barbarian—but
how many kids are awake at 2:30 a.m. to watch them? And what in the world is
“Jetix” doing here? Do the Power Rangers really need to
commandeer another channel? I really miss Disney Inside/Out, especially
the episode where couples shared there tips for best place in the park to steal
a kiss.
Now that Saturday morning cartoons are practically nonexistent, ABC becomes a
mini-Disney Channel every week with ABC Kids (formerly One Saturday Morning).
That's right, no more Capt. O.G. Readmore, either—although I do own a copy
of The Secret World of Og. Disney did spin-off Toon Disney, where you
can find Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan, Stitch, and Ariel. Right now one of the only
shows on the Disney Channel having anything to do with classic Disney is one of
my faves: House of Mouse. Disney in-jokes abound on this animated
program where Mickey Mouse plays host to his feature film friends (yup, every
last one of them—even Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar and Peg-Leg Pete)
while airing new and redone cartoons starring the Fab Five.
But it wasn't just the Disney Channel that was showing Disney-related programs.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the networks aired many Disneyland-themed specials.
In 1988 on NBC, you could have seen Disney's Magic in the Magic Kingdom,
where in they made Sleeping Beauty's Castle disappear or Disneyland's All-Star
Comedy Circus hosted by Rue McClanahan; Believe You Can… and You
Can, aired in syndication and starred Heather O'Rourke as a girl whose
family is moving to Minneapolis, which means she has to leave Disneyland (but
not before getting a tour of the revamped Fantasyland, thanks to Morey
Amsterdam as the Fantasyland problem solver); cut-ins, during the CBS All-American
Thanksgiving Parade, of the Pocahontas show and The Hunchback of
Notre Dame Festival of Fools, along with the Lion King Celebration
parade, and “mini-shows” of Come to the Kingdom and Adventures
in the Air (for the 40th anniversary), which were taped in front of
Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. KCAL in California aired several
syndicated specials, including 40 Years of Adventure, featuring the
opening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
Plus don't forget Mickey's 60th Birthday, where Mickey disappears and Yen
Sid punishes him for using the magic hat by making everyone forget what he
looks like; The Disneyland Story in 1990 with Harry Anderson, which
predicted the formation of Hollywoodland with a Baby Herman runaway buggy ride;
Walt Disney World's 15th birthday, hosted by Bea Arthur and Betty White; Celebrate
the Spirit on CBS, an all-star salute to the 4th of July from various
locations throughout the parks; and the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand
Opening with a plethora of Disney faces—including Dick Van Dyke
and the Creel triplets from Parent Trap III (remember that one?)
Many of the specials aired during Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Magical
World of Disney—which are no more. If you are counting,
practically the only time you'll see a Disney park these days—outside of a
special on the Travel Channel or a news report on an accident at one of the
parks—is during Walt Disney World's Very Merry Xmas Parade on ABC
(which has aired every year since 1983). And don't expect anything to air on
Saturday nights during The Wonderful World of Disney—that's where
you'll find movies like Toy Story 2, Princess Diaries and a host
of direct-to-DVD titles. They even stopped airing the Happy Easter Parade
on ABC a few years back. Why? It isn't like the programming Easter morning is
that earth-shattering—they couldn't possibly have run out of new
attractions to showcase.
So come with me, if you will, to a place of wondrous enchantment… where
Kurt Russell, Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk can be found once—sometimes
twice—a night. Just think, if Vault Disney were to return, here are some
of the Disneyland specials not available on the Disneyland USA DVD, you
might see on July 17, 2006:
Trip Through Adventureland (1956) – A voyage on the Jungle
Cruise and a look at the rest of Adventureland—before Tarzan invaded.
An Adventure in the Magic Kingdom (1958) – Tinker Bell takes
us on a tour of the park with a special performance by the Mouseketeers in
Holidayland.
Disneyland '59 – A look at the Submarine Voyage, Matterhorn,
Monorail, Autopia and Motor Boat Cruise.
The Golden Horseshoe Revue (1962) See comedy master Wally Boag as
Pecos Bill, Betty Taylor as Slue Foot Sue and Ed Wynn in this tribute to the
10,000 performance of a show that has since been replaced by Billy Hill and the
Hillbillies.
Disneyland Around the Seasons (1966) – The openings of
“it's a small world” and New Orleans Square, along with Walt showing
the plans for Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, Primeval World and Pirates of the
Caribbean, followed by a performance of the Christmas Fantasy parade. The show
aired three days after Walt died and was shown as a tribute to him.
Disneyland—From Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow
(1968) – Ambassador Marcia Miner hosts this special, which features Walt
Disney showing concept model of Pirates to the first ambassador, Julie Reihm in
1965; a peek at WED enterprises; a trip on the Peoplemover; and the opening day
festivities for Pirates onboard the Columbia Sailing Ship (complete with a New
Orleans Square in pre-bridge days).
Disneyland Showtime (1970) – Kurt Russell, EJ Peaker and the
Osmonds sing around the park as they try to track down Donny who just has to
ride the new Haunted Mansion. Includes an adorable version of the Kids in the
Kingdom singing This Land Is Your Land. (This is one of my favorite specials.)
Herbie Day at Disneyland (1974) – It was cheesy, yes, but
just think of all the PR Disney could have gotten for Herbie Fully Loaded if
they aired this one.
Christmas in Disneyland With Art Carney (1976) – A grumpy
grandfather learns about the magic of the season—Disneyland style.
Kraft Salutes Disneyland's 25th Anniversary (1980) – Sing
with me: And I will build it all in Anaheim, Anaheim California… And
everything I build will be, the grandest sort of fantasy. Imagination is the
key—to Disneyland. Adam Rich is disillusioned with Disneyland—that is
until Danny Kaye shows him the magic of the “F” ticket. Some of the
best songs about Disneyland can be found in this special, geared toward that
year's theme of “Family Reunion,” which features Michael Jackson
version of When You Wish Upon a Star, the Osmonds (all grown up) and a
great Disney music medley.
Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration (1985) – It started
with the Pointer Sisters' “I'm so Excited”, and included Marie Osmond
singing on a piano, Julian Lennon singing “Too Late for Goodbye”
along the Rivers of America and Donna Summer singing “She Works Hard for
the Money” with Cinderella. Who could ask for anything more?
Disney's Captain EO Grand Opening (1986) – Patrick Duffy
hosted this special and regardless of what you think of Michael Jackson, many
people would trade a day of showing Honey I Shrunk the Audience to see
Jacko take on the evil Anjelica Houston one more time.
Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain (1989) – It's splash to splash
coverage as Ernest prepares to test the Critter Country attraction—and
several reporters are there to cover it. Features an interview with show
producer Bruce Gordon.
Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special (1990). Woody from Cheers
shares his romantic experience in the Haunted Mansion; Miss Piggy becomes
Cinderella thanks to her “fairy god-thing”; Tony Danza takes a truly
adventurous ride on the Jungle Cruise with skipper Charles “Coconut
Charlie” Fleischer; Jim Varney (as Ernest) recalls a visit with his
grandpa (who remembers when he climbed the Matterhorn with Bette Midler and
Edmund Hillary); and Will Smith raps
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.
Rock 'n Toontown (1994) Craig & Co opens the land behind it's a
Small World with a fun kids concert and a look at everyone's homes.
Share your Vault Disney desires with Scott Garner, Senior VP of Programming,
Disney Channel, 500 S. Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521, so next birthday
we'll really have something to celebrate.
Thoughts, questions, or comments? Contact Shoshana
here.
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