Town Square Ceremonies, Part 2
Here is the second helping of photos taken during the celebration accompanying the opening of "The Walt Disney Story" in 1973.
The cavalcade of olde-timey shenanigans continues, with Keystone Cops present to prevent riots, pie fights, or seltzer bottle-related mishaps. A yellow horseless carriage heads around Town Square in one direction, while an Omnibus heads the other way. Will they crash in front of Main Street Station?! Where is Buster Keaton when you need him?
The Dapper Dans are back, and the benches are full of couples. The men all wear cream-colored suits, while the ladies wear pastels, pink, blue and green. The cops are wishing everyone a good day - this is when Keystone Cops are the most dangerous!
Now everybody's dancing; who among us has not spontaneously busted a move on a busy street? I know I have.
I'm kind of surprised that there does not seem to be any existing footage of this event - please correct me if I'm wrong! Imagine all the work - costumes, choreography, music - that went into creating this performance that was done once, and then it was over forever.
Stay tuned for the third and final installment!
11 comments:
Wow. That first image is a beauty. Love those hairdos in the foreground. Kind of reminds me of MST3K. As Rodney Dangerfield would say, good crowd, good crowd.
If it's the same keystone cop in all these pics, he's pretty funny. He seems to be enjoying his role. Especially in the third pic. Agree with Dr. Goat on the hairdos. Thanks, Major.
DrGoat, one thing that amazes me is that they apparently put out MANY hundreds of folding chairs for guests. How often did that happen?! Today they just use bean bag chairs. Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy loved the parade.
K. Martinez, Keystone Cops always have a good time! Even when they're hitting someone with their batons. If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.
Perhaps the Anaheim light Opera company had a day off from their production of "The Music Man" and just got inspired hearing the Main Street soundtrack playing "SHapoopie":boy do I like that show...
Major-
You took the very words right out of my mouth: Folding chairs. Nowadays that would never fly.
@Patrick Devlin-
Me loves The Music Man too; but then again, I also love West Side Story also appearing on Broadway the same year. Who's to say which is the better musical-? (Kinda the same conundrum as with All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard when it comes to Best Picture nod).
A certain Hotchkiss mountain gun seems to have gone MIA.
This would be a good day/year to set the time machine to. The Carousel of Progress and the Pack Mules would still be there, plus you'd get to see this special grand opening ceremony. I guess it would be a bummer that they had gotten rid of Lincoln. I never did go in the Opera House when it was featuring only "The Walt Disney Story." Does anyone else remember going in there and seeing the movie in it's entirety?
Nanook, "Gloria Swanson was robbed of an Oscar that year!"
TM!, I remember several viewings of The Walt Disney Story w/o Mr Lincoln in '75 and/or '76 (in fact, I had to wait until 1994 to see Mr Lincoln in Disneyland). Those viewings helped spark an interest in Walt as a man and an understanding of just what an undertaking Disneyland had been.
@TM!-
Make that Bette Davis-!
You're right Steve. The cannon is missing.
Never saw that show in the Disney theater, or anywhere, for that matter.
I think I went to see Lincoln once with mom and dad when it was new, and then again once with my kids for a total of two visits.
I can't see the C&H drinking fountain, not sure if it' still there.
Still great pics of the (oval) Town Square.
JG
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