Q : I recently found that in the early 1960s, Mr. Disney had considered the St. Louis riverfront as a possible site for Walt Disney World before settling on central Florida. Was this a serious consideration? Does the Walt Disney Archives have any plans or sketches of what he was considering?
Tracy, Lexington, Kentucky
A: There was indeed serious consideration of Disney doing a project in St. Louis, but not on the scale of Walt Disney World. For more details, I suggest that you find the book, Walt Disney’s Missouri, by Brian Burnes, et al., published in 2002. There is a chapter on the St. Louis project, including copies of plans.
Q : Was there going to be an attraction or land based on the film Island at the Top of the World at Disneyland?
Brett, Newport Beach, California
A: When Island at the Top of the World (1974) was in production, some executives in the company felt that it was going to be a huge hit, so the Imagineers began working on an attraction based on it. The company’s 1976 annual report had a description and drawings of what Discovery Bay, as the area was called, might be; besides Island, it was also meant to have a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction. The annual report said the area would “bring to life a time and place that climaxed an age of discovery and expansion.” For many reasons, Discovery Bay was never built. First and foremost, the company got busy with work on EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland, but also a partnership with George Lucas and suggested attractions based on Star Wars and Indiana Jones took precedence, with the feeling that they would have more interest to Disneyland guests. Of course, another reason was that Island did not do as well in theaters as was hoped. But some of the Discovery Bay ideas, including the Hyperion airship, were reborn in Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris.
Q : My grandma was cleaning out her cottage, getting it ready to be sold, and I came across an ashtray. When I looked closer, it turned out to have the Sleeping Beauty Castle on it. When I asked my grandma where it came from, she told me it belonged to my great grandma when they traveled to Disneyland. The question I want to ask is, when did they sell and stop selling ashtrays with the castle on it?
Chase, Pickering, Ontario, Canada
A: We know that there were metal and ceramic Disneyland ashtrays in the 1950s (a 1959 mail order catalog lists a porcelain smoker set with a cigarette box and two ashtrays for $1.25). By the 1960s, Disneyland had stopped selling ashtrays.
Q : I recently bought a CD made in 1996 that has music from the parks as performed by famous artists. On the CD is “Grim Grinning Ghosts” as performed by the Barenaked Ladies. It sounds very similar to the version heard in HalloWishes. Are they the ones who performed it? I always thought the same male vocalist could be heard in Fantasmic! Am I correct, or is that wishful thinking?
Erica, Antioch, California
A: According to Steve Davison of Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, the Barenaked Ladies recording was not used in HalloWishes. The male vocalist is Tim Davis, who served as the vocal/session director for Glee.
Q : I read in a magazine article recently that the idea for having roving photographers at Disney parks was suggested to Walt Disney by Art Linkletter. The article claims that Linkletter was touring Disneyland with Mr. Disney and, after seeing all the families walking in the park, Linkletter told Disney he ought to hire young adults to take pictures of the families and offer the photographs for sale. Disney liked the idea and began that program shortly thereafter. Is there any truth to this?
John, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey
A: I do not know about roving photographers, which did not seem to have been around Disneyland in the early days, but according to the story we have heard, Walt Disney asked Art Linkletter if he would participate in the Disneyland opening-day telecast. Since Walt was short of money, Art supposedly agreed to help; in lieu of a fee, he requested exclusive rights to the camera and film concessions for 10 years. So, while Kodak had a Main Street, U.S.A. shop beginning on opening day, that shop only provided service (quick camera repairs, help loading film, etc.) and information; adjacent to it was Linkletter’s separate shop that sold film, cameras, and photo accessories.
Q : We really appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions. With all the exciting additions to Disney California Adventure about to open, I’m curious—can you tell us some of the items from the original California Adventure that were removed from the park and are now at the Archives? What about the big “California” letters that used to stand at the entrance?
Robert, Kissimmee, Florida
A: The CALIFORNIA letters were too large and heavy for the Archives’ collection, but according to Kevin Rafferty of Walt Disney Imagineering, they have been donated to the California State Fair in Sacramento. The Archives did get the two Intolerance elephants from the entrance of Hollywood Blvd., some signage from Baker’s Field Baker and Bur-R-R-Bank Ice Cream, and the neon sign from the Golden Zephyr.
Q : I was reading the Disney A to Z encyclopedia, and I came across the fact that the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show replaced a show called Here Come the Muppets. I was just wondering what that show was about.
Allison, San Ramon, California
A: Here Come the Muppets was a live show at Disney-MGM Studios that operated from May 25, 1990 to September 2, 1991. For a summary of the show, you can check here. It was superseded by a different show, in another venue in the park, called Muppets on Location—The Days of Swine and Roses. That show lasted until 1994.
Q : I was reading the book The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and noticed something interesting. It mentions that they have a program where a guest can have lunch with an Imagineer in the Hollywood Brown Derby Bamboo Room. Is this program still going on? If not, is there another way to meet and talk with an Imagineer?
Melanie, Northfield Center, Ohio
A: This program is still being offered at the Walt Disney World Resort, at both the Hollywood Brown Derby and the Flying Fish Café at the Boardwalk Resort. For more information, click here.