Gina Rock flew across the skies at Disneyland as Tinker Bell for more than two decades.
AUDIO INDEX
1:08 How Gina got her start as Tinker Bell
4:00 Being pregnant and working
6:10 Gina’s sub, Patty
6:38 The end of Gina’s flights
7:40 A normal performance day, and what it was like to fly, crashing into a mattress
12:05 The brakes on the trolley that was on the wire
12:43 Getting stuck on the wire and crashing into the mattress
AUDIO INDEX
:49 How Ray went from playing piano at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor to becoming a Main Street pianist at Disneyland, the position ends
6:13 Returning to Disneyland for the Happy 25 Anniversary Disneyland character show at Carnation Plaza Gardens
9:00 Becoming a bass drummer for the Disneyland Band, coaxed to play a practical joke on one of the band members, the band performing as other groups
Harriet was a scenic designer/model maker working on projects such as the Mickey Mouse Club television show, Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
AUDIO INDEX
:53 Creating skin for Abraham Lincoln for Great Moment’s with Mr. Lincoln at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Using her home fryer to create it.
1:30 Disneyland’s Chinatown and the Chinese philosopher Audio Animatronics figure. The head had been created with latex skin.
3:17 More about Chinatown, the Chinese restaurant and the Chinese philosopher ideas for Disneyland and why Walt Disney decided not to do the Chinatown.
Bill is a voice actor, whose most popular character is Goofy, for which he has provided the voice for countless movies, toys Disney theme park stage shows and more.
AUDIO INDEX
:39 Discovering he could do various character voices, such as John Wayne and Walter Brennan, and getting into radio broadcasting in Kansas and stand up comedy.
2:45 Getting the role of Goofy’s voice
4:33 Studying under voice legend Daws Butler, the importance of acting in voice work
6:08 Stand up comedy as training for acting
8:10 Doing vocal impressions such as Johnny Carson, Edith Bunker and Jim Ignatowski
AUDIO INDEX
:56 How Ray became the voices for Disneyland’s Fantasyland attractions including Stromboli and the Coachman in Pinocchio, the Circus Ringmaster in the Casey Jr. Circus Train
3:00 Working with actor Candy Candido for the Fantasyland rides
5:53 Voices for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in Disneyland and the preparation for it, voices in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
7:41 Preparing to record the Circus Ringmaster on the Casey Jr. Circus Train, including the Spanish safety information
Valerie Watson was a Disneyland hostess, who had escorted numerous noted personalities, including three presidents, a prime minister, three kings, two queens, three princes and four princesses. To begin this conversation from 2010, I asked Valerie about her reign as the first “Miss Disneyland,” in 1962.
Valerie Watson: How that happened is I joined Disney in 1959, because I took a break from college to rethink my major. I took guided tours and then I had the good fortune to be selected to greet King Hussein of Jordan on his visit, April, 1959, for no special talent other than my height. I was 5’3 ½” and it was protocol that somebody should greet him that could look him in the eye – not overpower him. So that began a real wonderful career for me that lasted thirteen years.
After greeting King Hussein, I was made a VIP hostess along with a very good friend of mine, Donna Clark. She and I were in Guest Relations together. We were assigned to take the king and queen of Thailand through Disneyland, we were the hostesses, but always the U.S. State Department representatives were with us, and we were given protocol instructions before royalty arrived. And the crown prince and princess of Japan, and Thailand, and the three heirs to the throne of Scandinavian countries.
Among the VIPs that I took on tour was a man named Russell Downing and his wife Sally, and I spent two days with them, showing them every part of Disneyland. I had no idea why they were there, but he was president of Radio City Music Hall in New York and he was on a confidential visit to meet with Walt Disney on how best to market a new film that was going to be released, called “Moon Pilot.” They wanted to release it at Radio City Music Hall, and in the east coast there was no real familiarity with Pluto and Mickey and Donald Duck and so forth, the “live” characters, so a stage production was in the works to launch Disney in the east, this was long before Walt Disney World.
They decided, “How can we get the interest of the press in New York?” who was considered very jaded, having seen everything, so they came up with a tag of “Miss Disneyland.” They weren’t looking for a beauty queen. They were looking for someone who had knowledge of the organization and enthusiasm, and Russell Downing proposed by name, so he gave that idea to Walt Disney. It was quite a Cinderella story.
I worked for Disney in three different states. First of all California, then the New York World’s Fair, and then of all my jobs with Disney, my very favorite was working with WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering.) The best was at WED, I worked for the master planners of Walt Disney World and it was all secret. It was called Project X. At that time, at WED, under one roof were animators, sculptors, painters, model makers, the most incredible assembly of creative people you can imagine, and I worked there for three years.
It broke my heart to be promoted and sent to Florida. I didn’t even want to go. It was a great opportunity to start the Guest Relations department at Walt Disney World, but my heart was really always at WED.
To learn more about “Miss Disneyland,” be sure to hear my interview with 1964 Miss Disneyland, Carole Tully!
Chuck Corson was the director of entertainment for Disneyland and Walt Disney World beginning in 1959.
AUDIO INDEX
:57 Chuck’s early days at Disneyland, beginning in 1959
1:23 The creation of the Dapper Dans barbershop quartet, T.J. Marker, the Osmonds, Meet Me at Disneyland TV show, casting call for mermaids and other Disneyland atmosphere entertainment
5:09 Getting performers for Walt Disney World in 1971
6:08 Working with Sonny Anderson
Rikki Lugo, early dance captain in the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and dancer/choreographer in Disney television shows and films such as “Babes in Toyland.”
AUDIO INDEX
1:10 The Golden Horseshoe Revue 10,000th performance television special
2:19 Remembering working with Ed Wynn on Babes in Toyland
3:15 A fun story about Annette Funicello
4:14 Choreographer Tom Mahoney and the Disneyland 10th Anniversary television special and
performing as a dancing cake piece
5:17 Hanging out with Walt Disney at the Golden Horseshoe
6:28 Why she got cavities working at Disneyland
7:15 Performing at Holidayland at Disneyland, modeling for Pendleton and dancing the Can Can in parades
10:58 Swimming as a mermaid in the Submarine Lagoon
My Last Two Days as a Disney Cast Member
By Jeff Hoffman
February 2010
For an amazing 31 years, I was part of the Magic of The Walt Disney Company. Growing up near Disneyland, a job at the Magic Kingdom was always in my plan. I loved Disneyland, the movies and watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights with my parents. In December of 1978, while a freshman in college, my dream was realized as I was hired to play a role as a Merchandise Host in Adventureland and Frontierland. I felt so proud walking through the doors of 
The Disney University for orientation. Little did I know eventually I would be part of The Disney University at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank for 16 years of my career. In my 31 years, I spent six years at Disneyland in Theme Park Operations, my time at the University and ultimately my last nine years in Disney Worldwide Outreach. I was given an incredible opportunity to build upon my skills of selling rubber snakes and shrunken heads next to the Jungle Cruise on a journey that would ultimately lead me to having global responsibility for Disney’s Philanthropy, Community Relations, Volunteerism and Cause Marketing.
Continue reading “My Last Two Days as a Disney Cast Member” by Jeff Hoffman
Chuck Corson was the director of entertainment for Disneyland and Walt Disney World beginning in 1959.
AUDIO INDEX
:59 Production stage manager for Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians,
1:35 Disney Night at the Hollywood Bowl and “Tinker Bell,” Tommy Walker, casting shows such as “Mickey Mouse Club,” and “Elfego Baca,” Jimmie Dodd
3:40 Disneyland’s start of nighttime entertainment, the first fireworks at Disneyland
5:44 The big bands at Disneyland, Benny Goodman, a surprise for Benny wife
8:00 His start with Disney as an apprentice in casting at the studio
10:15 Working with Walt Disney, the Squaw Valley Olympics, getting stranded with Walt, getting big name performers for Disneyland, big band festivals