I tolerate a parade! I admit it's not as catchy as "I Love a Parade", but I cannot tell a lie. Parades from 1968 might get special dispensation based on their antiquity, I can almost imagine televised footage of the event pictured below with Walt Disney's narration (though of course he was gone by then).
When we last checked in, Baloo and King Louie had just marched by, and now we have the Three Little Oinks and the Big Bad Wolf . Mr. Smee is just behind, I assume Captain Hook is hidden by the BBW. Further back, Gideon, Honest John, and Pinocchio follow!
Seeing all Seven Dwarfs together is practically like a Beatles reunion. For a while they didn't get along, but after all, time heals all wounds, and now they're pals again. They don't wash much anymore, much to Snow White's chagrin, but she's not the boss of them! She's living in the castle, while they remain in their smelly cottage in the forest.
Lastly, here's Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox, from that movie that must not be named. I'm not crazy about the movie, though I do like the animated segments. It looks like the Strawhatters are trailing behind, possibly playing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah". And way, way in the distance, I think I see Donald Duck!
I hope you have enjoyed this vintage character parade.
Major-
ReplyDelete"...from that movie that must not be named."
Is this akin to "that TV show that must not be named"-? (I'm beginning to be concerned about you, Major). Perhaps you're not drinking enough.
Thanks, Major... and get some rest.
That's right....after Snow White moved out, the Seven Dwarfs went back to living in total squalor. Just like Big Edie and Little Edie, of Grey Gardens. Now I have an off-key version of "Tea for Two" playing in my head.
ReplyDeleteOMG! The Little Oinker closest to us has lost a leg! Maybe he got it caught in a streetcar track (like someone else we know) and had to chew his leg off to free himself before the Big Bad Wolf gobbled him up for lunch! (I know the 'missing' leg is behind his other leg.) I think the Mad Hatter is back there too. And look! Another sighting of a rare albino Mickey balloon! (on the left).
ReplyDeleteWell it's no wonder the Dwarfs' cottage is smelly... it's got all those birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other forest vermin running around inside!
Is the kid (on the right) in the Madras plaid shirt part of the parade? He looks like he's marching along with the rest of the characters. Maybe he's one of the Lost Boys... who got lost. The two little boys behind him are wearing short shorts that look as if they were painted on.
Yep, there's Señor Duck back there. We can call him "Señor" because he was one of the "Three Caballeros". The 'neck hole' on Br'er Bear is pretty well hidden here... or maybe that's his tracheotomy scar... I think Br'er Bear was a heavy smoker.
Fun parade photos, Major. Thanks.
Well it's no wonder the Dwarfs' cottage is smelly... it's got all those birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other forest vermin running around inside!
ReplyDeleteJB, just like Grey Gardens! I bet the Dwarfs fed all of those animals with canned cat food, and then never picked up or discarded the open cans!
This looks like one of those "we aren't doing a real parade, but let's throw some characters out there who are working anyway...and some band members: same...and have them walk from Town Square to Small World without bodyguards and ropes to keep the great unwashed away". In the 80's we had these too. I think they called them a "cavalcade" rather than a parade so guests wouldn't be expecting the Electrical Parade or something else on that level. Note to whoever ended the Electrical Parade for "Frights of Fantasy" (Flights of Fantasy): that decision was not popular....at all...to anyone. The Electrical Parade should be a normal "every Summer this happens into eternim as long as the Park is there". DISNEYLAND...NOT the former parking lot, now a theme park. That something endures for so long is a testament to great ideas: thanks Bob Jani (RIP) and others. A famous actress/singer once said "does this parade EVER end"....well...it's a bit long, yes. And too long for me too....normally in the Park this is when you got a mental "break" with so many people out of the environs and onto the parade route. As a guest then and now: parades were the time you headed to the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, or Big Thunder. I don't get lining up hours before, but people seem to make it part of the experience: so good for them. Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow - Disneyland staged a parade to celebrate my birth!
ReplyDeleteI think Captain Hook is obscured by the photographer to the extreme left in the first photo. You can see the top of his hat above the shutterbug's head.
One of my favorite views from the back of Fantasyland with the Skyway in the distance. I love a Disney parade full of Disney characters.
ReplyDeleteOh look! It's Brer Bear and Brer Fox from "Song of the South". One of my favorite characters has always been Brer Fox. I always loved that he was in an excited, agitated and frustrated state.
Like you, Major, It's the animated segments from the film that I enjoyed. The live-action part is pretty creaky.
Thanks, Major.
I seem to remember that the Dwarves walked in step, the photo looks like they are too.
ReplyDeleteI sort-of remember most of these characters walking around, definitely Fox and Bear, and the Pinocchio villains. The Big Bad Wolf’s tongue was slick red vinyl upholstery fabric and he looked pretty moth-eaten.
This pic, taken in 1968, is late enough in the decade for the classic clothing styles to emerge, notice the lady in the patterned sack dress. I miss Melissa providing sewing and fashion commentary.
Thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, in this case, it’s not ME who is averse to naming that movie; but you have to admit that it has become off-limits! And you’re right, I’m not drinking enough.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I’m aware of that Grey Gardens movie, but have never seen it. I hate movies about gardens.
JG, the pig’s other leg is there, it has just slipped into the fourth dimension. The dimension of TIME! The idea of a white Mickey balloon is just wrong. “I can’t decide on a color, so I’ll choose NO color”. If you look closely in the 1937 Snow White movie, you’ll see little rat turds on every surface. It’s pretty gross. I kind of like how the crowd is barely making way for the parade, everyone is encroaching on the path because they are so darn excited. If Br’er Bear smoked, you know that Br’er Fox put him up to it.
TokyoMagic!, you are supposed to discard the empty cat food cans?
Bu, I agree, this is a very “shaggy” parade, really just a host of characters walking one after another. I wonder if music played to accompany them? The thing is, you know this parade cost next to nothing, but I guarantee that the guests liked it a LOT. So it’s sort of a genius idea. A “cavalcade”, I’ve always liked that word. The Electrical Parade was my favorite Disneyland parade, I guess I appreciate that at some point they wanted to do something new, but they never came up with anything as dazzling. Which is why it seems to still exist in some form to this day (as far as I know). Who was the famous actress? Faye Dunaway?? Jean Stapleton?? Rula Lenska? Like you, I can’t imagine sitting in one place for hours before a parade, but if that’s what a group wants to do, hey, whatever makes them happy.
Chuck, after doing a little research, I have learned that this parade was called, “The Chuck Celebration of Magic, Wishes, and Dreams”. I thought it was just a coincidence!
K. Martinez, I’d rather see all of my favorite characters, but I suppose all the local dancers need jobs, and those floats need somebody to writhe around on them. For me, the animated segments of “Song of the South” are really the reason to watch the movie, the rest is a nicely-produced snooze (though I do like James Basset).
JG, it makes sense that the Dwarves would walk in step just like in the march home from the diamond mine. Did Dopey do his little out-of-step skip? I saw Pinocchio the last time I was at the park, and Geppetto too (over by Storybook Land). Is a patterned sack dress a “classic clothing style”? It sounds like something from the Great Depression. And yes, I miss Melissa too, I know that Sue worked tirelessly to try to find her, running into endless roadblocks.
Just a reminder that the two-disc DVD of the original "Alice in Wonderland" (and the Blu-ray? Somebody check) includes "One Hour in Wonderland", Walt's 1950 Christmas Day special. It includes the whole "Zip Pa Dee Doo Dah" number and the Brer Rabbit segment that follows it, along with other prime bits (the show is in B&W, but the animated clips are in color). Plus Charlie McCarthy, Hans Conried as the Magic Mirror, and the Firehouse Five Plus Two. A personal tradition, along with Mister Magoo as Scrooge.
ReplyDeleteA memory: Some years ago went to WDW, and was sitting on a bench in Fantasyland eating a sundae before seeking out the shortest ride line (pre-Fast Pass, app, and everything else). The Dwarfs paraded by, followed by a mob of giddy, mostly grownup fans. Reflected that everybody present had paid princely sums to access the state-of-the-art attractions and lavish entertainments, but were now ignoring all else to follow seven guys in costumes back to the Cast Members Only door.
DBenson, I love your story about the 7 dwarves!
ReplyDeleteI do recall ‘getting all giddy’ seeing the characters go marching past, unannounced and not on a schedule, back in the old days. You never knew when or where they were going to show up. That was half the fun of it.
DBenson, I’ve still never seen “One Hour In Wonderland”, though I’ve been aware of it for many years. It sounds pretty fun. I was confused at first and thought that you were saying that Mr. Magoo was a part of that special, which made no sense! :-) I like your story about grown adults happily following the seven Dwarfs. It reminds of a when I went to the celebration of the Disneyland Hotel’s 50th anniversary. At some point, Mickey walked into the room to cut a hotel-shaped cake, and you should have seen the genuine smiles on so many adults! They were truly thrilled. It was kind of sweet.
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, as you know, you might still just happen upon a random character at Disneyland, and it really IS a lot of fun.
Major: See it, ideally on a quiet afternoon during the holiday season. And be sure to have bottles of refreshing Coca Cola on hand so you can sip along with Walt's wholesome teen guests (Sponsor Coca Cola is very much in evidence).
ReplyDeleteSince we're all thinking about [and missing] Melissa, I just wanted to mention that I haven't given up trying to get back in contact with her. I have more information on her sister, and am now trying to reach her. . Hopefully and prayerfully, all is well. Will keep you posted.
ReplyDelete