On this day in 1962, theaters filled with glee when Almost Angels was released. The film tells the story of Toni Fiala (Vincent Winter), an Austrian boy who joins the Vienna Boys Choir, where he proves to be unusually talented. He dreams of being accepted by the choirboys, but to succeed, Toni must contend with …
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On this day in 1962, things were really swinging at Disneyland when the “Cavalcade of Big Bands” struck up the bands for the first time. For each night, seven nights a week, the original Magic Kingdom would feature the biggest of the big-name big bands, all hired by Disneyland talent booker Sonny Anderson. The big …
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When Harry Willard (Fred MacMurray) packs up his wife (Jane Wyman) and kids to set sail on a long-awaited “dream” vacation in romantic France, he and the family encounter some unforeseen adventures in Bon Voyage, which journeyed into theaters on this day in 1962. There’s plenty of amore in store for the Willard family, both …
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After a short monorail ride from the Disneyland Hotel, TV viewers arrive at the Magic Kingdom and are greeted by Walt Disney, right around sundown when the lights come on. “It seems like a new kind of magic takes over in Disneyland after dark,” was the way Walt described it in “Disneyland After Dark,” an …
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If you were a teen in Southern California during the 1960s, then Disneyland’s Spring Fling was the place to be. Young gals sporting bouffant hairstyles and peasant skirts and guys with polyester pant suits and thick turtlenecks danced the night away at Disneyland’s see-and-be-seen hot spots. It was not too uncommon that a celebrity performer, …
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On this day in 1961, thousands of people were invited to the Walt Disney Studios for a big party, but not literally, it was all through the magic of television. In “Backstage Party,” an episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, your virtual tour began at the entrance of the studio in Burbank, where …
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On this day in 1961, audiences first got a glimpse into Toyland, that “dear little girl and boy land,” with the release of Babes in Toyland, Disney’s first live-action musical fantasy. The film starred Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary and Tommy Sands as her sweetheart, Tom Piper. As the two are about to be married, …
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With the success of Disneyland Date Nites, which allowed the park to stay open until the wee hours, came Dixieland at Disneyland. Like Date Nite, guests could purchase tickets at a reduced price for nighttime access to the evening’s jazzy festivities. On this evening in 1961, the Second Annual Dixieland at Disneyland was held, with …
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The world is a carousel of color, yet for many years audiences had to watch Walt Disney’s television shows in black and white, which might have made Walt blue, as he long wished for color TV. That changed on this day in 1961, a red letter day for sure, when Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of …
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Houston, we have a problem! While the Flying Saucers attraction was Disneyland’s futuristic answer to bumper cars, floating Guests across a cushion of air, the attraction constantly had problems and was often breaking down. Technicians continuously tried to keep it optimally working, but even in the land of Tomorrow, it proved to be too much …
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