Interviews

Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman are not only legendary songwriters, but wonderful people I’m so lucky to have known

Below are the names of some of the wonderfully talented people I’ve recorded conversations with.  I’m in the process of posting the audio and text from my interviews. As they become available I will post them below.

The quality varies greatly with the audio, as I’ve done interviews on the phone, through Skype, in hotel lobbies, crowded restaurants, and even in Disneyland’s Frontierland with a gunfight show going on! But regardless of the quality, I’m sure you’ll find these stories as fascinating as I do.

Thank you all for your support of Mouse Clubhouse. It means a lot to me.

(Oh… and a special thank you to BILL ROGERS and CAMILLE DIXON, better known as “The Voice of Disneyland” and “The Voice of Disney California Adventure” respectively, for the intros and outros for my Mouse Clubhouse conversations.)

Jim Adams & Don Payne
Disneyland entertainers in the 1970s, who were involved in performing, writing and directing, and starred in the historic “Golden Horseshoe Revue,” alternating with the legendary Wally Boag
LISTEN: Career overviews

Sonny Anderson
Legendary director of talent booking for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, who began his Disney career playing drums in the Disneyland Band in 1956
LISTEN: Career overview (with additional commentary by Stan Freese)

John “Doc” Anello
Disneyland production manager, and manager of Disneyland entertainment education, who also led his own band at Carnation Plaza Gardens in Disneyland
LISTEN: Career overview

X Atencio
Disney animator and writer/lyricist for classic Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions with songs including Yo Ho (A Pirates Life For Me)
LISTEN: Career overview

Renie Bardeau
Disneyland photographer for almost 40 years, responsible for some of the most famous photos of Walt Disney
LISTEN: Career overview

Kathryn Beaumont
Voice of Alice in Alice in Wonderland and Wendy in Peter Pan
LISTEN: Walt Disney; Working on the Disney films

LISTEN: A unique visit with Walt Disney; Live action reference for animators

LISTEN : Being a child actress and becoming a school teacher; “Alice” in later years

Larry Billman
Writer/Director and producer of Disney Resort entertainment worldwide
LISTEN: Career overview

Wally Boag
Starred in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue from 1955 to 1982. Wrote Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room attraction and provided the voice of the show’s macaw emcee, Jose.
LISTEN: Career overview

Harriet Burns
Set designer/builder for shows and movies such as the original Mickey Mouse Club and Disney theme park attractions around the world
LISTEN: Disneyland’s Chinatown and Mister Lincoln

LISTEN: Working on the movies Babes in Toyland and Mary Poppins

Tim Conway
Comic legend who starred in several Disney films including The Apple Dumpling Gang and The World’s Greatest Athlete. Best-known for his roles on McHale’s Navy and The Carol Burnett Show.

LISTEN: Career overview

Chuck Corson
Director of entertainment for Disneyland and Walt Disney World and talent booker (who created the first Dapper Dans barbershop quartet)
LISTEN: Chuck’s start at Disneyland; The first Dapper Dans barbershop quartet; the start of the Osmonds; Walt Disney World entertainment

LISTEN: Chuck and Fred Waring and Pennsylvanians; Big Bands; The start of Disneyland nighttime entertainment

Marc Davis
Animator/Character Designer for Disney animation, including creating Tinker Bell, and contributing greatly to Disneyland’s classic attractions such as Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, and one of Walt Disney’s “nine old men”
LISTEN: His days in Disney animation

LISTEN: Designing for Disneyland attractions

Disneyland’s Opening Day
Harriet Burns, Jack Lindquist, Blaine Gibson, Miriam Nelson and Mouseketeers remember being at Disneyland in 1955 on opening day in these audio interviews
LISTEN: Memories of Disneyland’s opening day

Don Dorsey
Musician, director, producer, and audio engineer whose work for Disney includes the Main Street Electrical Parade, America on Parade, Reflections of Earth, Fantasmic!, and Sorcery in the Sky
LISTEN: Early career overview

LISTEN: Secrets of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot

Gary Dubin
Voice of kitten Toulouse in The Aristocats
LISTEN: Career overview

Bill Farmer
Voice of Goofy, Pluto and more
LISTEN: Bill’s start as Goofy

LISTEN: The recording process for Goofy; Other voices and projects

Orlando Ferrante
Vice President  of Engineering, Design and Production for Walt Disney Imagineering
LISTEN: Career overview

Stan Freese
The first leader of the Disneyland Band eventually became the director of talent booking for Disneyland
LISTEN: Career overview

Lee Fugal
Preshow entertainer at Disneyland’s historic “Golden Horseshoe Revue” show
LISTEN: Career overview

Blaine Gibson
Animator/Sculptor of classic films and theme park attractions
LISTEN: Haunted Mansion; Pirates of the Caribbean; If You Had Wings

LISTEN: His work in Disney animation, beginning in 1939

Jack Gladish
Mechanical Engineer for Walt Disney Imagineering (including the original Abraham Lincoln figure for the New York World’s Fair)
LISTEN: Jack’s career; Walt Disney;  Disneyland, and World’s Fair attractions

LISTEN: Creating animals in the 1960s for the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland

Jeff Hoffman
Vice President, Disney Worldwide Outreach,
Disney Legends founder
LISTEN: History of the Disney Legends Awards

SEE: Jeff’s last two days with Disney

Stan Jolley
Art director for Disney films,  TV the opening of  Disneyland. His credits include Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Elfego Baca, Zorro and Donald in Mathmagic Land
SEE: A tour of Stan’s 22,000 square foot home and his art galleries

Alyja Kalinich
Costume designer for Disney parks worldwide including characters such as Aladdin, Genie and Roger Rabbit and countless costumes for Disney parades and shows
SEE: Career overview

Gary Krueger
Disney photographer since 1967
LISTEN: Career overview

Barry Lane
1960s Disneyland tour guide and Jungle Cruise skipper
LISTEN: Barry’s time at as a Disneyland tour guide, Jungle Cruise skipper and in the Golden Horseshoe; Memories of Walt Disney

Jack Lindquist
Disneyland’s first President and head of Advertising / marketing guru for Disneyland, Walt Disney World and international Disney resorts
LISTEN:
Jack’s pre-Disney days in Hollywood
LISTEN: The opening ceremony for the class it’s a small world attraction
LISTEN: Creating the Walt Disney Travel Company
LISTEN: The opening of Walt Disney World; World Showcase; Jack’s work philosophy

Ron Logan
Executive Vice President/Executive Producer, Walt Disney Entertainment
LISTEN: Career overview

Rikki Lugo
Disneyland dancer in the Golden Horseshoe Revue and other shows and parades in the 1950s and the movie  Babes in Toyland, and choreographer of Disney events including the Disneyland Tenth anniversary television special
LISTEN: Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue; Babes in Toyland and more

Peter Marshall
Emmy Award winning television host, performer of stage and screen, and big band singer
LISTEN: His music work, his television work including the “Hollywood Squares” and “Big Bands at Disneyland”

Alan Menken
Academy Award winning composer of films such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “Tangled”
LISTEN: His music work and his favorite Disney memory

Jay Meyer
Singing statue in the Disney parks’ Haunted Mansion attractions performer in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, regular on the Jack Benny Show and numerous other performances in television and movies
LISTEN: Career overview

Marcia Miner Phillips
1967 Disneyland Ambassador to the World
LISTEN: Her Disney career and time as the Disneyland Ambassador

Kathleen Mitts Micalizzi
1993 Disneyland Ambassador to the World
LISTEN: Kathleen remembers her time as Disneyland Ambassador

Miriam Nelson
Legendary Hollywood choreographer who staged the opening day of Disneyland and choreographed Disney On Parade
LISTEN: Disneyland’s opening day and a bit about her career

Cicely Rigdon
Early supervisor of Guest Relations and head of the Disneyland Ambassador program
LISTEN: Ticket seller, tour guide, Guest Relations, Walt Disney

LISTEN: The Disneyland Ambassador program

Gina Rock
Flew as Tinker Bell in the fireworks shows at Disneyland for twenty one years starting in 1983following a successful career as an aerialist with the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey circus.
LISTEN: Flying over Disneyland as Tinker Bell

Jeffrey Sherman
Writer, producer and director for film and television. One of his Disney credits includes serving as story editor on the television series Boy meets World. He is the son of famed Disney songwriter Robert B. Sherman
LISTEN: Memories of his father and Walt Disney 

Connie Swanson Lane
1966 Disneyland Ambassador to the World
LISTEN: Her memories of working with Walt Disney and her Ambassador year

“Tangled” voice actors Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi
Singer/Songwriter/Actress Mandy Moore and actor Zachary Levi
LISTEN: Memories of working on “Tangled”

Ray Templin
Longtime member of the Disneyland Band and voice actor of several Fantasyland attractions including Stromboli in Pinocchio’s Daring Journey and the Circus Ringmaster on the Casey Jr. Circus Train
LISTEN: Performing with the Disneyland Band and other Disney music groups

LISTEN: Providing voices for Fantasyland attractions in Disneyland

Randy Thornton
Grammy Award-winning Producer, Walt Disney Records
LISTEN: His Disney career, and producing, restoring, and preserving Disney music

Carole Tully
Miss Disneyland 1964
LISTEN: Traveling the world and representing Disney as
Miss Disneyland, 1964

Valerie Watson
Disneyland tour guide, Miss Disneyland, 1962, and started Guest Relations for Walt Disney World
SEE: Valerie’s career and her reign as Miss Disneyland, 1962

Scott Weinger
The voice of Disney’s AladdinMiss Disneyland 1964
LISTEN: Scott’s memories of working on the Disney animated film, “Aladdin”

STILL TO COME

Sherry Alberoni
Original Mousketeer

Tony Anselmo
Voice of Donald Duck/Feature Animation – Animator

Terry Babcock
Dancer at Disneyland in the 1970s who appeared on television and in the Golden Horseshoe Revue

Shari Bescos Koch
1969 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Bobby Burgess
Cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club who later went to dance for decades on The Lawrence Welk Show

Page Cavanaugh
Singer in Disney animated short, The Truth About Mother Goose and popular singer with his trio starting in the 1940s

Peter Clark
Director of participant relations for Disneyland

Ellen Coleman Marchese
1984 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Jim Cora
Jim worked his way up from attraction host at Disneyland in 1957 to a founding part of the Disney University and ultimately chairman, Disneyland International

Mary Costa
Opera singer who started her career as the singing and speaking voice of Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty.

Joanne Crawford Duner
1982 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Dana Daniels
Star of Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Variety Show, performer in the Golden Horseshoe Revue and juggler and character. Recently voted Magic Castle’s Magician of the Year

Alice Davis
Costumer for films and classic theme park attractions

Carol DeKeyser Masters
1974 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Marva Dickson Thomas
1971 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Cami Dixon
The official voice of Disney California Adventure

Ron Dominguez
After living in a house on what would become Disneyland property, Ron worked his way up from opening day ticket taker to executive vice president of Walt Disney Attractions, West Coast (which included the never-realized Westcot)

Leona Dombroske
1979 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Susan Donald Edwards
1977 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Donnie Dunagan
Voice of Bambi in the 1942 classic film

Jennifer Faust
1990 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Wendy Freeland Schoeman
1989 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Paul Freeman
President of Audio By The Bay, the company responsible for recording and engineering many of the best known shows and parades for the Disney resorts worldwide

Ed Ghertner
Feature Animation Background Artist, Producer of TaleSpin television series

Howard Green
Vice President, Studio Communications

Shelby Grimm
Leader of Disneyland’s Dapper Dans barbershop quartet, performer in the Golden Horseshoe Revue

Bob Gurr
Created and built many of the vehicles of the Disney parks including the Main Street vehicles and the Haunted Mansion’s omnimover

Dick Hardwick
Wally Boag’s replacement in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue and one of four of the Guinness World Record holders for that show

Don Hahn
Academy Award nominated animation producer of Beauty & the Beast and The Lion King. Producer/director of Waking Sleeping Beauty, executive producer of DisneyNature Earth and Oceans

Bruce Healey
Senior Music Producer/Director, Disneyland Entertainment

Arlene Ludwig
Director, West Coast Publicity, Buena Vista Pictures Marketing and 50+ year veteran of the Walt Disney Company

Kaye Malins
Family friend of Walt Disney who currently resides in his childhood home in Marceline, Missouri

Leonard Maltin
Film critic, Disney author and historian, and creator of the Disney Treasures DVD sets

Gary Maggetti
Director, Parks Food & Beverage, Disneyland Resort

Marilyn Magness
Director, Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment

Joe Messerli
Designed the Twilight Zone logo for the classic Rod Serling series which now appears in the Disney parks Tower of Terror attractions. Also did art on various comic books and coloring for Disney and other classics

Jaye P. Morgan
Popular singer, guest on The Muppet Show and panelist on the original The Gong Show

Linda Mouron
Dancer for many Disneyland shows, parades and events, who later became a reporter for KABC news

Dale Olson
A foremost authority on trumpets, and Disneyland trumpet player including over 30,000 performances of the Golden Horseshoe Revue

Cubby O’Brien
Original Mousketeer

Suzanne Palmiter Campbell
1992 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Roger Pearsall
Disneyland Manager of Entertainment (1970s) and original Electrical Parade team with Bob Jani

John Ratzenberger
Actor whose voice is in every Pixar feature film and who has appear in several Disney shows and the popular sitcom Cheers for eleven seasons

Pete Renoudet
Actor in Disney films, and voice in theme park attractions including Henry and Max in the Country Bear Jamboree and the narrator in The Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh

Julie Reihm Casaletto
1965 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Terry Robinson
Disney theme park entertainment producer/director/performer, who also starred as Sluefoot Sue in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue and in Tokyo Disneyland’s Diamond Horseshoe Revue

Bill Rogers
The official “voice of Disneyland” whose voice you hear in opening/closing and in-park announcements

David Sacks
Was responsible for the infamous “Yippie invasion” at Disneyland in 1970, prompting the park to close for the day

Christina Schendel Walker
1976 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Peter Schneider
Former head of Disney Feature Animation and Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios

Ron Schneider
Performer (Wally Boag sub) in the Golden Horseshoe Revue, provided part of the voice dialogue of Dreamfinder in Epcot’s Journey Into Imagination and performed in the park as live Dreamfinder character

Russell Schroeder
Author of “Disney’s Lost Chords”, volumes 1 and 2, and Art Director, Disney Publishing

Richard M. Sherman
Academy Award winning Disney co-songwriter of songs for Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and It’s a Small World

Robert B. Sherman
Academy Award winning Disney co-songwriter of songs for Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and It’s a Small World

Mark Silverman
The voice of “Rod Serling” in the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Tower of Terror attractions

Dave Smith
Founder, Walt Disney Archives

Tom Tancredi
Parade Manager, Manager of Stage Management and Talent Operations, and Disneyland International, continuing his 40+ year Disney career

John Tartaglia
Executive Producer and star of Disney Channel’s Johnny and the Sprites and Lumiere on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast

Betty Taylor
Longest running member of Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, starring for 30 years as Sluefoot Sue and voice of a pig in singing America Sings

Melanie Taylor
Disneyland performer, one of the Kids of the Kingdom, a former Bette Midler Harlette and support singer for Barry Manilow

Nancy French Thompson
Dancer in films and Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, including an historical performance at the White House, personally requested by President Nixon

Willie VanderZwaag Burckle
1981 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Melissa Tyler Wackerman
1985 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Mindy Wilson Fisher
1983 Disneyland Ambassador to the World

Bob Wackerman
Former Manager of Disneyland’s Music Department, and Executive VP and Co-Partner of Audio By The Bay, the company responsible for recording and engineering many of the best known shows and parades for the Disney resorts worldwide

Kirk Wall
Star of Disneyland’s Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show and performer in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue