"Spirit of America" Parade, Part 4 - March, 1988
Today I am sharing the last of a big batch of photos featuring the "Spirit of America" parade at the Magic Kingdom (see PART ONE, PART TWO, and PART THREE). These are from Lou and Sue of course!
Let's start with this magnificent calliope, elaborately-carved, and pulled by six strong horses. The music it plays is so tooty! What's not to love? I wonder if this is one of the circus wagons that Walt acquired back in the 1950s for the Mickey Mouse Club Circus?
Even though there are eight more photos in today's post, there is only one more float. Lou must have really been knocked out by this one, and it does appear to be the "grand finale" for the parade. Since the theme of the parade is "patriotic America", it seems a little odd to see that series of blue Gothic (?) spires - I think I've seen those in other parade photos, but it's possible that those other parades were from a later date. I guess those spires echo Cinderella Castle.
To the left we can see some of the helpful mice who helped Cinderelly make her dress for the royal ball, while Robin Hood's green cap can be seen just to the right of the float.
Speaking of Cinderelly, there she is, along with her Fairy Godmother, Dopey, and even some Gummi Bears from the "Disney Afternoon" television program.
Aha, there's the back of Snow White too. All the characters are holding American flags. Gummi Bears, you were an odd addition to the Disney family, but I'm glad to see you here (for posterity's sake).
Pretty Alice waves from the back of the float. We see the oversized top hat of the Mad Hatter (I think?) in the lower right. Is that another Gummi next to him?
Dumbo really gets the most prominent seat, way up high. I guess he can fly up there, and he called "dibs". Plus he already owned a stars-and-stripes hat, it would be a waste not to use it. Hey, there's the White Rabbit!
At the bottom of the frame, ladies carry a rope (with banners) demarcating the very end of this elaborate parade. to the left we can see Prince John, and another character I can't quite ID to the left of him. I think Mary Poppins might be just to the left of Alice, too. There might be other characters on that float that we just couldn't see from our angle.
As the parade ends, the masses crowd the streets, slightly woozy from excitement. I get it. Notice the banner for the "sneak preview" of the Disney-MGM Studio park on the Hospitality House (to our right)! That opened in May of 1989.
MANY THANKS as always to Lou and Sue!
20 comments:
In the 3rd photo, the costumes of the dancers reminds me of those old "air mail" envelopes with the red, white, and blue diagonal stripes around the outer edge. Pinocchio and Geppetto are also in the picture.
Dopey was Cinderelly's Fairy Godmother? ;-) That must be from the 'director's cut' of the film; never released in theaters.
Interesting how the Fairy Godmother has a masked face rather than a live actor's face, like Snow White and Cinderella.
The spires and towers look especially nice in the Alice/Mad Hatter photo.
I wonder if they also had this parade at night? The towers and spires of the 'castle' would look great all lit from within, like lanterns.
An excellent set of photos from Lou Perry; thank you. And thanks to Sue and Major.
That character with the green hat is Jiminy Cricket, and the character behind him is Gideon.
The character behind Prince John is the Sheriff of Nottingham. Friar Tuck can also be seen in between Robin Hood and Prince John, in a couple of the pics.
Oh, and I believe that calliope is the same one used at the very end of Disneyland's 25th Anniversary "Family Reunion" parade. And if I remember correctly, I think they said at that time that it was used at Disneyland on opening day.
Thank you Lou, Sue, and Major, too!
I know there was a photo of that calliope in an issue of Disney News Magazine. I just can't find it. But I did find an article about the horses that pulled the calliope, and within the article, it gives a brief history of the calliope and mentions that after being used in DL's 25th parade, it was going to be sent to WDW the following year, for it's 10th anniversary parade. It looks like WDW held onto it for another 7 years and used it again in this 1988 "Spirit of America" parade. I wonder if they still have it. And I wonder if they've destroyed it, like they destroyed our Omnibuses.
Here's that article about the horse, which includes the history of the calliope. And it does state that it was at DL on opening day, in 1955:
https://meettheworldinprogressland.blogspot.com/2008/08/disneyland-paris.html
Now after rereading that article, I wonder if the horses in Lou's first pic are Dick, Jack, Mike, Lad, Prince, Jim, and/or Nipper? It states that the horses were also being sent to WDW in 1981, along with the calliope.
Poor horses sweating in the Florida heat...I worked a horse in training at Medieval Times in rehearsal hard...they do like to work and play btw. He was covered in sweat. I honestly had no idea. He enjoyed the playtime though being out of his little pen. What a very sweet horse: "Gonnadero." I remember the stories about the Calliope. Yes, it was used in the 25th, yes it was at opening day, and yes it was part of the MM Circus and Yes...it went to WDW for the 10th, and then...now here...and now: who knows. Sweating to the oldies with the horses :) Those rope girls are a "thing"...and for some reason, the crowd seem to be like sheep and will follow the parade down. There are leaders and followers in this world. Disneyland had those same glassy sparkle floats...I wasn't a huge fan...I thought they could be more inventive...but that's just me...never satisfied. Dumbo for president: Yes! I like it. He flys! As a weird teen a friend and I made a big bus stop poster that said "Annette Funicello for President"...it was the late 70's..so whoever was running, Annette is always the better choice. Pineapple Princess and the Vice Pineapple...or would it be like "first Guava".... or maybe it's Pineapple Princess and Tall Paul. Pooh for President (great promo) and Fantasyland is closed. Thanks Lou and Sue for the photos!
Wow, the Grand Finale, in the best Old Disney tradition.
No fog machines, laser beams or projections, how did we survive?
An interesting assortment of characters also, some of what’s hot, but a real mix of old school favorites.
Contrast Alice’s modest garb with splendid Cinderella. Of course Cindy had to impress a Prince and dressed for the occasion. Snow White’s gear always seemed complex to me, reminds me of Robin in Batman with the yellow cloak.
I think Godmother is a mask since she is such a bit player we might not recognize her otherwise?
JB, airmail skirts FTW.
Dopey was originally cast as the sympathetic mentor in Cinderella, but he was replaced by the Fairy Godmother when he took a role in one of the Bond films and had to drop out.
Dumbos ears are all flopped out from the flight up to that perch.
Thanks Lou, Sue and Major. This is a good start to the week.
JG
I believe the horse drawn calliope was performed live during each performance of the Disneyland 25th Parade …. But for the WDW TENCENNIAL it was programmed to release steam as a special effect and played a recording of the parade theme. I believe this was the case for SPIRIT OF AMERICA as well.
Many thanks to Lou and Sue. Always pictures of great interest to us all. Now I'm wondering was Sue with Lou every time??? I remember hearing the Calliope..live as it rumbled down Main Street. Very distinctive and colorful. Forgotten until I see the pics here. Now I have to find where it is today. KS
Here's a little more about it...
https://allears.net/2013/11/04/jims-attic-the-dragon-calliope/
@ Bu-
When it comes to Annette, you know it's always going to be ¿Cómo está usted? I just can't help myself. (Work that one into a presidential campaign...)
Thanks to Lou and Sue.
I was going to mention that I saw the Calliope at Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Fort Wilderness at WDW a few years ago, but the link Mike added shows pictures of it there.
JB- I would suspect that while Disney can find actresses who look reasonably close to Alice, Cinderella, Snow White, but one who looks like the Fairy Godmother who wants to do parades and meet & greets.
Definitely Gothic. My Grade 10 social studies teacher was a frustrated art historian; I may have had to fill in what happened in Europe after WWII by myself, but dang it, I'll never mix up Gothic and Romanesque architecture.
Ladies and gentlemen, the backside of Snow White!
When I saw the Fairy Godmother at WDW in 2012, she was a non-mask face character. Her distinctive cape and hairstyle are pretty recognizable.
It's amazing how much more generic and everybody-looks-alike the guests' clothing is compared to 1970's pictures of similar crowds.
Many thanks to Lou's photographic eye for another glimpse at this fun parade.
JB, I tried mailing one of those dancers, and they went through via Air Mail with no problem! The Fairy Godmother’s name was “Dopamina”, but they called her “Dopey” for short. I always assume that parades ran twice a day, but I don’t know. Lou didn’t take pictures of it, so it didn’t happen!
TokyoMagic!, OH YEAH, Jiminy, gosh I feel dumb. You can even see his green face. I figured that the character next to Prince John was from “Robin Hood”, but I couldn’t tell. That’s one of those Disney features that I was never that crazy about, when you could feel them cutting corners as much as possible. Thanks for the info about the calliope! Pretty cool if it really was used on opening day. They probably bought it at Calliope City.
TokyoMagic!, I probably even have the issue of Disney News that you mentioned… I remember getting issues with the 25th Anniversary logo. I’m sure that WDW left the calliope out in the rain in a back lot for years while raccoons lived in it. Who cares, they can just go to Calliope
City and buy another one!
TokyoMagic!, I am a big fan of Nipper and have several autographs.
Bu, it does seem mean to put animals to work in the Florida heat and humidity, but then again, SoCal can get nasty on certain days. “Gonnadero” I wonder what the origin of that name is? Maybe it’s a pizzeria in Anaheim. I think there were “rope girls” at the end of the most recent parade that I saw (or mostly avoided, to be honest), though some of the girls might have been boys. Who pays attention to such things? I think Irene has photos of the tower float in a Disneyland parade, so either it’s the same float, or they built two of them. Annette for President, I’d vote for her. I remember thinking she was hot in those old Skippy commercials, and my best friend thought I was crazy. What can I say? I love me a Pineapple Princess.
JG, I am trying to figure out a way to add laser beams and fog machines to my daily commute. Everyone around me will love me! I do love that they had some old-school characters, though I am still baffled by the Gummi Bears. Why, Michael Eisner, WHY? I’ve never seen the show, maybe it was charming. Alice’s garb might be modest, but I know more than a few guys who have a thing for her, so what she’s got is working! I saw a thing on Facebook where a woman met the Fairy Godmother at Disneyland (this character showed her actual face), and recognized her as the same woman who had played Snow White many years before. I think she had a photo of her, so maybe she was expecting her to be there?
Mike Cozart, do you have the steam calliope in your collection? Right next to the Peoplemover car?
KS, thanks for the link to the article about the Dragon Calliope!
Nanook, I don’t know, I still think of Annette singing, “Ska, ska, ska….”. I think Doctor Demento used to play that one.
Dean Finder, the Fairy Godmother who I mentioned in my comment to JG looked a LOT like the animated character. I think they put a gray wig on her, and of course the cloak, and it worked great! Sounds like the calliope is still in Florida, boo.
Melissa, I envy you your frustrated art historian teacher! I’d happily take a good art history class (or two or three), I took some in school and what could be better, learning history through art! Of course I’ve forgotten 90% of what I learned. But during my first trip to Europe, it was thrilling to see paintings, sculptures, and cathedrals that I’d already studied!
Jiminy Cricket, Major - how could you mis-identify Jiminy Cricket?! I want to make a wisecrack involving “I’m No Fool,” but it’s too mean-spirited. Besides - I know you and and you are no fool. No foolin’!
Thanks again, Lou and Sue!
Interesting stuff provided in the links by Tokyo! and Ken S. - Thank you!
Dean Finder, that post also adds, at the bottom, that the calliope is no longer on display at Fort Wilderness. Hopefully, it's still in good shape and being cared for.
Melissa, "Ladies and gentlemen, the backside of Snow White!" You succeeded in getting a grin out of me. It was a big toothy one, too. Thanks!
Major, Disney briefly tried out the name "Rotenonea" before going with "Dopamina", but neither played well with the target audience.
Chuck, I only wish I was no fool! But after a meeting with Mr. T, I realized that he pitied me. And that was a real eye-opener.
JB, they could replace that calliope with a Casio electronic keyboard. Of course they'd have to painted it purple, blue, and gold (with some pink), but everyone would love it! "Rotenonea", what a beautiful name.
Personally, my favorite is "Dance Annette." Dance Annette, dance Annette! I like to daaance! Dance Annette, dance Annette! Dance every chaaance.....
Thanks KS, for that additional info on the calliope! Yeah, if it isn't on display at WDW anymore, they probably did exactly what Major said....left it out in the rain for the raccoons, possums, alligators, and brain-eating amoebas to take refuge.
I just now remembered that back in 2011, I posted a pic of the calliope being used in DL's 25th Anniversary parade:
https://meettheworldinprogressland.blogspot.com/2011/07/disneylands-25th-birthday-parade.html
When I was a kid, our local TV station re-ran episodes of the original Disneyland/Mickey Mouse Club show on Saturday mornings, and my little brain couldn't reconcile young Annette with the big-haired lady in the peanut butter commercials.
I seem to remember someone saying the calliope was used in the Toby Tyler film before it ended up at Disneyland. I know it went back and forth between Land and World a few times during the ‘70’s & ‘80’s, as it was also used at Disneyland in the Circus Fantasy parades in the mid - late 80’s. It was definitely used at World through the mid 1990’s and even went to New Orleans when they did the Hunchback Festival of Fun parade through the French Quarter.
The castle float was made for Fantasy on Parade in the mid 1980’s. Both Land & World had one. They were very impressive float(s) and a great opening or finale!
Thanks for sharing!! Always very entertaining!
"Now I'm wondering was Sue with Lou every time???"
KS, no, I wasn't always with my dad on these trips. But I did give Major a couple goofy pictures of me to post, from one of our DL trips together from around 1971.
"I’m sure that WDW left the calliope out in the rain...."
Major, I can't help but hearing:
I don't think that I can take it
Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again...oh, no.
Thank you, everyone, for so many nice comments - and fun insight into today's parade from the great 80s!
Sue
Very late to the party, but when I went to the new Tri Circle D Ranch at Fort Wilderness (Oct 2020), the Calliope was well protected in a beautiful glass display for all to see. As there's a whole "museum" type presentation around it, and Disney actually produced a short video of it's installation, I would bet it's still there.
Post a Comment