A Tiger Walks roared into theaters on this day in 1964, telling the story of an escaped circus tiger and a sheriff’s young daughter, who must convince her father and others not to kill the beast. While the film enjoyed only mediocre success, it boasted a wildly successful all-star cast. Vera Miles appeared in a …
See more
Harley, a city boy in a rural town, falls for a country girl named Willadean in this two-part series, “For The Love of Willadean,” which aired on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. In the first episode titled “A Taste of Melon,” Harley, joins a club with some other rural boys. But when he shows …
See more
“Ahoy, shipmates! You have just set sail aboard the proud Columbia, an exact replica of the first American vessel to completely circle the globe.” For many years, this narration was heard on Disneyland’s Columbia Sailing Ship, giving a brief history of the original craft on which it was modeled. From the day the Columbia first …
See more
The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, which aired in three parts beginning on this day in 1964 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, had the bare necessities for great popularity. As the theme song conveyed, “On the southern coast of England, there’s a legend people tell of days long ago when the great Scarecrow would …
See more
Do you know what I’m thinking? If you were Merlin Jones, you would! That’s because the scientific genius from Medvale College invented a device that can read minds in The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, which was released on this day in 1964. Starring Disney Legends Tommy Kirk as Merlin and Annette Funicello as his girlfriend …
See more
It was on this Christmas day in 1963 that the animated feature The Sword in the Stone finally materialized in theaters, although Walt had obtained the screen rights to T. H. White’s book in 1939 and story drawings were prepared as early as 1949. When it was officially decided to move forward with the story, …
See more
On this day in 1963, Bodger, Luath, and Tao began an incredible journey in movie theaters. Dogs Bodget and Luath and Siamese cat Tao were the animal stars of Disney’s The Incredible Journey, whose owners left them behind with a friend when they had to travel to Europe. The three animal pals set off on …
See more
The Horse Without a Head first headed to television on this day in 1963, originally airing in two parts on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. When a kindly junk dealer gives a group of poor French children a headless toy horse, the kids dub themselves “The Knights of the Headless Horse.” The broken toy …
See more
What’s summer without a little Disney magic? On this day in 1963, audiences got some magic in the form of the film Summer Magic, complete with Disney’s teen heartthrob Hayley Mills and original songs by the Sherman Brothers. The great folksinger Burl Ives played Osh Popham and introduced the world to the creepy-crawly tune “The …
See more
Wally Boag and Fulton Burley were birds of a feather when they collaborated on Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. Their friendship was hatched while appearing in bit parts in MGM’s Thrill of a Romance and both went on to star for decades in Disneyland’s hilarious live show, The Golden Horseshoe Revue. Wally recalls, “Walt called …
See more