The Dapper Dans
I used to haunt postcard & paper collectibles shows a lot, mostly looking for Disneyland postcards, and other park ephemera. I hardly ever looked at the boxes and vintage photo prints that some sellers had, but on one trip I was accompanied by a friend who kept bringing me snapshots that were too good to pass up! All of today's examples are from that one day, and they all happen to feature the Dapper Dans!
My Dad was in a barbershop quartet when he was growing up (you should see the photo of him with fake muttochops!), and he listened to albums by the Buffalo Bills (made famous in "The Music Man") when I was a kid, so I have a real fondness for good barbershop quartet singing. Here are the DDs, performing with Vesey Walker and the Disneyland Band over at the Carnation Plaza Gardens. The rope was necessary because the dapper boys would be swarmed by throngs of swooning girls!
Thanks to the "Nature's Wonderland" banner in the distance, we can date this black and white snapshot to 1960. It looks like the quartet has found a fifth member who brought his own impressive mustache. It's like discovering a long-lost brother!
I feel like this next example is probably older than the previous print, though you can see that all of the members of the DDs are the same, as far as I can tell. Here they are inside the Upjohn Pharmacy, which is pretty neat.
20 comments:
Nice Dapper Dan photos, Major!
I don't think I've ever seen an "America the Beautiful" lamppost shield/placard before. I'm assuming that is what we are seeing on the far right of that second photo, since there appears to be a little drawing of the Capitol dome on it. The film is also mentioned on the Nature's Wonderland banner.
As much as I love your site, Major, I've never contributed anything to it except for a few, very rare, comments, but I always enjoy the content. Disneyland and World's Fairs and other great old fun attractions from a more innocent time, smiling kiddies, what's not to like?
My own website is this thingy (I'm Pilsner Panther, not to be confused with the Pink one).
All you vintage music fans (a dozen or so, I'll guess) please come back on the first of every month when I post a new playlist!
https://pilsnerspicks.com/
There were always comments among the hairless males who would rant on about the guys in Entertainment getting to grow their mustaches and even in some cases...beards. These were the same ones that would go on about how "Walt had a mustache so why can't I!?" I was one of those guys too when I actually was ABLE to grow one! When your career starts at a mustache-less 17 I didn't find much use complaining about something until it was time! There was a couple of guys in maintenance that had a mustache- I questioned a painter once- who did have the most perfectly bushy yet groomed 'stache- he told me that there was some special rule for him..grandfathered union by-law? I don't know...in any case: the Dapper Dans: as a sometimes singer I truly admire those who have the ability to harmonize without encumbrance. It's like listening to other people without listening to them, so you can sing your part without getting caught up in theirs. It's hard...for me anyway! God bless the Osmonds of the world and the Dapper Dans. NATURES WONDERLAND!...and america the beautiful (in small case.) I guess Natures Wonderland ranked higher as it had a bigger ticket. It is nice to see the interiors of shops like the pharmacy with so much attention to detail- it does look like an Emile Kuri production- such a talented set designer for the elaborateness of the Victorian period. Then there is the story about the dumping of the leeches in the Rivers of America- I've told that one before. It's nice to see a wall of "story" rather than a wall of plush Mickey and Plutos- who can all go back to the Wally Crump Character Shop where they belong...and where they ONLY belong...(well....maybe the Emporium...maybe.)
My dad was in a BSQ (as all the hep cats call it) too! When I think of it, I immediately think of "Yes Sir,That's My Baby" or "Five Foot Two" In fact, my grandfather was in a gospel barbershop group. You can't get more clean cut than that! I never thought much about it. It was just a part of the times, I guess.
And, of course, the greatest quartet of all was the Be Sharps!
Fun pics and fun memories!
Major-
So, were they singing “A Spoonful of Sugar…” in the Upjohn Pharmacy-? (I know it’s too early, but).
Thanks, Major.
By, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw these was whether or not the Dans used to tease the workers who weren’t allowed to grow mustaches!
I’m pretty sure Ive commented here before about my high school Sweet Adelines group and the time I stalked the Dapper Dans halfway around the Magic Kingdom to make sure I didn’t miss their set,
I think my favorite of this group is the shot with the mustachioed guest. Their smiles just leap off the screen.
“Come for the photos, stay for the comments…”
My Dad sang gospel songs for a radio show for a while. I imagine it somewhat like the scene in “Brother Where Art Thou”, local station sourcing local talent. I can’t “carry a tune in a bucket”, to use my mother’s phrase.
This group was very much part of the theming, maybe more so than any other land till NOS. Nice to see the early documentary info. Hope someone who knew them finds this and chimes in with their names.
Thanks everyone for your memories.
JG
The Dapper Dans were always a favorite of our family back then. Mom loved music of all kinds and she passed that on to us. Many hours of watching Mitch Miller on the TV. Until the Beatles, Dave Clark Five and the Stones came along and I got sucked in, like most every teen back then.
I happen to know you are not the only person who stalked the Dapper Dans. Trust me.
Wow, JG. That's a great story about your Dad. He got to sing in a can for a radio show. So very cool.
Thanks Major
@ TM!-
I noticed that America the Beautiful lamppost sign, too. It would make sense, as the film America the Beautiful replaced A Tour of the West, in March of 1960 in the Circarama Theatre.
JG, my high school group sang on local radio a few times, too! It was a lot of fun. The broadcast was from a Saturday brunch in the upstairs ballroom of a hotel in Niagara Falls with an amazing view. We were just a bunch of kids from a rural school in the middle of a literal cornfield; we felt so swanky!
DrGoat, we had a whole bunch of Mitch Miller records when I was growing up. It was like karaoke before it was a thing.
I have the Christmas Singalong with Mitch and the Gang on reel to reel. It's a Christmas tradition!
TokyoMagic!, I just sent you an email with a nice color photo of one of those America the Beautiful lamppost signs. You’re right about it being mentioned on the banner; I know that the banner also mentions some other attraction - I think it might be the Columbia.
Pilsner Panther, I’m glad you like GDB. I hope people give your website a look!
Bu, it really was a bit funny that Walt thought that men with mustaches looked like “city slickers”. Um, Walt, baby, have you looked in the mirror lately? I suppose it must have been easier to just make a draconian rule (“NO mustaches”) and then let some people get away with it on a case-by-case basis. We’ve seen photos of Stagecoach drivers and other Frontierland cast members who had mustaches, and sometimes even a big bush beard. Black Bart had a mustache and beard. My dad was in a barbershop quartet when he was a boy, and he listened to BQ albums when I was growing up. Some of the harmonies were really incredible and complex. You make a good point about the interior of the Upjohn Pharmacy - NO obvious merchandise in sight. In fact it would make a perfectly good backdrop for an old-time drama. That would never fly today.
Stu29573, my dad especially love The Buffalo Bills (you can see them in the movie version of “The Music Man”), I can still hear those songs vividly in my head. When the internet came along, I found albums by that group that my dad never owned, and he was thrilled to have some “new” music from them.
Nanook, there was no “Mary Poppins” just yet! How about “A Bag Full of Leeches”?
Melissa, I hope the Dans were magnanimous and did not tease their coworkers. I want to believe that they were fun-loving and nice. How long did you have to stalk the Dapper Dans for? Hours? It is fun to see them yukking it up with that guest!
JG, fun that your dad sang on the radio! My father loved to sing, and was in his church choir for decades. He was musical in a way that I am not. In a way I prefer the Dapper Dans without those hand chimes that they so often carry nowadays - it seems unnecessary. But that’s a nitpick!
DrGoat, I wonder what your mom thought of The Beatles! “They’re so loud! And look at that long hair!”. Or maybe she actually like them! I first heard “Sgt. Pepper” because my mom bought it and played it on our hi-fi. My dad eventually liked Queen because he admired their harmonies!!
Nanook, I have often wondered if “A Tour of the West” still exists - it would be fascinating to see all of those places as they looked over 60 years ago.
Melissa, well now I feel like a real loser. I’ve never been on the radio, OR television. What kind of songs did you sing for the radio show? Mitch Miller, I’ve only seen clips of his show, it seems so corny today! But I know he was hugely popular.
Stu29573, I didn’t know Mitch Miller was in a gang! I’ll bet he used to terrorize the local neighborhoods.
@ Melissa-
Extra points today for using the word 'swanky'-! (It makes me want to get all 'duded-up'. OUUhh-!)
Major-
In actuality, Mitch Miller merely 'harmonized' the local neighborhoods-! It was a modified form of feng shui. [You had to see the results. Trust me].
Mitch was head of A&R for Columbia Records during the 1950's and early 1960's, and as such, was hugely influential in what/who was heard on [Columbia] records, at least.
As a non-musician, but HUGE music lover, the sound of an all-male chorus (essentially) singing the same note, produced a feeling in this listener more of disgust and disbelief than the joy that should have emanated from that massive choral grouping. But who am I to argue with that 'MOR sound' of the 1950's that evidently pleased many-? (Many "what", I'm still a bit uncertain).
I thought the rest of the Junior Gorillas might enjoy browsing this Disneyana auction catalog as much as I did. They’ve got a bit of everything from parks and resorts around the world, from ephemera and signage to furniture, costumes, and ride vehicles, from the 1950s to the 2000s..
https://auctions.potterauctions.com/mobile/catalog.aspx?auctionid=1117&fbclid=iwar3r0ltoursh9bu0bz6kthmyvk9qgxrsqh_ctcwfs2cguls6c1dirnbqi30
Melissa, thanks for the link. Love looking through that kind of stuff.
Major, my uncle loved the Beatles, but he was like that. Mom didn't think much of them, but in the 60s, she was playing violin in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, so she was really into classical music (duh).
And remember, follow that bouncing ball!
Nanook, I encountered Mitch Miller in Gary Giddins' biography about Bing Crosby, it's the first time I was aware of his position at Columbia Records. And I have to agree, the Mitch Miller "sound" is not something that I personally enjoy.
Melissa, thanks for the link to that auction! I wish I could afford some of those higher-price pieces.
DrGoat, I wonder what other music your uncle liked that one might expect him to NOT like? Impressive that your mom was a violinist for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra! Did she ever warm to the Beatles? Sometimes it just takes a while.
Major, she did think the Beatles were much better than any other of the groups we listened to. She disliked Led Zeppelin etc.
My uncle was one of those older people that liked progressive music. Some jazz, and he liked the more off the wall rock groups like Jethro Tull etc. He came with us to a Jethro Tull concert in 1969 or '70. He had a blast.
How long did you have to stalk the Dapper Dans for?
I don’t think it was hours, but it did involve waiting out the afternoon parade.
What kind of songs did you sing for the radio show?
The only numbers I can remember are “Aura Lee” and “Scarlet Ribbons,” but I know we must’ve done a few more than that. I am sure they were in the same vein. We used to joke about “Aura Lee” - yes, we’re singing it orally and you’re hearing it aurally! We got all our tunes out of a set of books called Young Women in Harmony.
DrGoat, it's one thing to have your mom like the Beatles - but to make the leap to liking Led Zeppelin... well, that's a lot to expect! I think my mom likes a couple of Zeppelin songs she's heard (Going to California) but there are many she does NOT care for! Wow, your uncle went to see Jethro Tull! Amazing.
Major, dr. Goat, Melissa, thanks for your responses. How fun to hear your memories. I only remember my dad singing in church and sometimes at home. Never in a choir.
All my dads radio time was long before my time.
The station (then) was KNGS, 620 AM, Hanford CA. All gospel, Christian music, etc. That frequency is still on air, with different call sign and programming now.
He had some Mitch Miller albums and I remember watching him (Mitch) on TV.
I can’t stand rock n roll, or the Beatles, sorry. Music ended for me with Lawrence Welk.
Some people enjoyed my singing in church, In spite of my harmonic challenges. I got dads voice without his sense of music, I guess. Haven’t sung a note for decades now.
JG
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