Q : We have been enjoying your sharing of Disney knowledge for many years now and have a question we hope you can answer for us. There is a clock hanging in the walkway through Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland that has stopped. Some have said the stopped time refers to the time Walt Disney passed away or the time of his Disneyland inauguration speech. Both ideas have been dismissed by Disney fans. Is there a special reference for the time on this beautiful timepiece?
Matthew and Cynthia, Damascus, Maryland
A: There is plenty of discussion of this clock chandelier on the Internet. The clock doesn’t seem to always be stopped at the same time, but recently it was around 12:23, and another time at 1:25, so those two suggested rumors would be incorrect—that the time relates to the time of Walt’s death (which was actually 9:30 a.m.) or to the time Walt gave his Disneyland dedication speech (which would have been mid to late afternoon). The position of the clock hands actually is just random; there is no significance to the time on which it has stopped. According to Walt Disney Imagineering, the clock was installed in a 1996 refurbishment, and has never worked since it was acquired.
Q : I was listening to my recently purchased album of Four Parks: One World, and I could have sworn that I heard Fantasmic! playing. I checked the name of the song, and it was the entrance melody to Epcot. I just got back from Disney, so I know that the opening notes of Epcot’s theme are extremely similar if not identical to Fantasmic!. Is there any connection between the two songs, or am I just hearing things?
Jonathan, Aiken, South Carolina
A: That track, known as “Legacy,” is by composer Steve Wood; you can find out more about him at http://www.stevewoodmusic.com/stevebio.htm. The Fantasmic! theme was by Bruce Healey.  According to Epcot composer Russell Brower, the “Legacy” track introduction is similar to John Williams’ Star Wars or Superman openings (a fanfare technically known as a “brass pyramid”), with a melody harkening back to The Rocketeer, Soarin’, and Fantasmic!.
Q : Back on Memorial Day weekend either in 1965 or 1966, as a teenager, a girlfriend and I saw the Golden Horseshoe Revue. We went back after equipping ourselves and had a squirt gun fight with the man portraying Pecos Bill. He and the woman playing Sluefoot Sue were perplexed, but played along. The piano player that day said it was the funniest thing he ever saw. I have wondered for years if those actors and piano player remember that.
Sue, Atascadero, California
A: Unfortunately, the actors, Wally Boag and Betty Taylor, are no longer living. A number of different piano players were used through the years that the show was performed.
Q : This may sound like a strange question, but I was wondering when did the Mickey Premium Bar first hit the Disney parks?
Samuel, Faribault, Minnesota
A: The current Mickey Premium Bar (ice cream) is a Nestlé product; Nestlé first joined Disney to sponsor The Land at Epcot in 1992. Before that ice cream bar, there was an earlier one, with only the Mickey Mouse ears covered in chocolate. Gold Bond Ice Cream was licensed in 1975 for a Mouseketeer Bar; Gold Bond was acquired by Good Humor in 1989, and they continued selling the bar as part of their Mickey’s Parade line until Nestlé came out with theirs.
Q : What became of the Mary Blair murals that used to be in Tomorrowland at Disneyland? I cannot remember if they were tile or paint; were they simply painted over, or was some attempt made to preserve them in some way?
Heather, Santa Clarita, California
A: The two tile murals were covered over in 1986 and 1997. According to Imagineering’s Marty Sklar, “Mary Blair’s murals were not damaged or painted on, but the decision was made for cost reasons to leave them in place—hidden treasures at Disneyland!”
Q : I was recently accepted to the Disney College Program at Disneyland. Is there anything special I should do while I’m there?
Jonathan, Albany, New York
A: Congratulations on your acceptance into the program. The Disney College Program, at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, is an excellent program for college students who want to learn more about The Walt Disney Company and how it operates. Take advantage of the seminars, lectures, and tours (some visit the Walt Disney Archives) that are offered, and if you are interested in an eventual Disney career, arrange some one-on-one informational interviews with company leaders in your field. Hopefully your time in the College Program will bring you much satisfaction.
Q : I have a memory of riding Jungle Cruise as a kid (I’m now 35). I remember that toward the end of the cruise, a cast member dressed as a native would yell at the boat and shake his spear and shield. It could have been Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Did this really happen, or do I have an active imagination?
Jason, Tampa, Florida
A: According to a former Jungle Cruise skipper, the end of the Jungle Cruise has always featured figures of Trader Sam and attacking natives, but he is unaware of cast members ever being stationed there. Trader Sam appeared among the natives when the Jungle Cruise premiered, but he was not named and repositioned to be by himself until later years.