Tag Archives: disneyland

Interview: Jack Gladish (His career; Walt Disney; Disneyland and World’s Fair attractions)

Jack works on a caveman for Disney's Magic Skyway attraction for the World's Fair, working Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and a 2014 visit to Walt Disney World
Jack works on a caveman for Disney’s Magic Skyway attraction for the World’s Fair, working Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and a 2014 visit to Walt Disney World

Jack Gladish worked as an engineer, responsible for submarines, dinosaurs, railroad locomotives and much more. Attractions include the “Carousel of Progress,” “Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room” and much more.  During his career he headed the plastics and fiberglass shops at the MAPO department of Walt Disney Imagineering.

AUDIO INDEX
:56 How he got his start with Disney in the late ‘50s; Precision camera machinist, including work on the multi-plane camera; Mary Poppins’ robin for “Spoonful of Sugar”

3:06 Audio Animatronics; Abraham Lincoln’s head, including tongue, smile and expressions; Programming the movements;

9:50 The atmosphere at WED; Walt Disney; Walt making money

14:00 Roger Broggie; Troubleshooting at Disneyland; skins for Jungle Cruise animals; problem with zebra stripes

18:02 Railroad locomotives and submarines for the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World; how we became stationed permanently in Florida

21:12 World’s Fair; Primeval World; Carousel of Progress

Interview: Wally Boag (Golden Horseshoe Revue; Tiki Room; Absent-Minded Professor)

Wally Boag at home
Wally Boag at home

Wally Boag starred in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue stage show from 1955 to 1982. During that time, some of his other contributions include appearing in some of Walt Disney’s movies, entertaining the troops in Iceland, performing in a Walt Disney stage show at Radio City Music Hall, writing Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room attraction and providing the voice of that show’s emcee macaw, Jose.

 The original cast of the Golden Horseshoe Revue (Donald Novis, Judy Marsh, Wally Boag)
The original cast of the Golden Horseshoe Revue (Donald Novis, Judy Marsh, Wally Boag)
 Wally receiving a Disney Legends Award at the Walt Disney Studios
Wally receiving a Disney Legends Award at the Walt Disney Studios
 Fulton Burley and Wally Boag in the Golden Horseshoe Revue
Fulton Burley and Wally Boag in the Golden Horseshoe Revue
 Wally (with mask) filling in as stuntman for Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor
Wally (with mask) filling in as stuntman for Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor
 Publicity photo for tour with Wally Boag to promote the Walt Disney film, The Jungle Book
Publicity photo for tour with Wally Boag to promote the Walt Disney film, The Jungle Book

AUDIO INDEX

2:35 His start in showbiz

9:26 Donald Novis; Golden Horseshoe Revue audition for Walt Disney

11:59 Fulton Burley; writing Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room; under contract with MGM; bring Fulton to the Horseshoe

14:03 History of “spitting out teeth” as Pecos Bill

16:33 More about the Tiki Room and writing for WED (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering); the Tiki Room in Tokyo Disneyland; the barker bird in Disneyland; his involvement in the Haunted Mansion

19:43 Stunt double for Fred MacMurray in the Absent-Minded Professor

Interview: Marcia Miner Phillips (1967 Disneyland Ambassador to the World)

Marcia hosting an episode of "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color," at the grand opening the "new Tomorrowland," and with Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie
Marcia hosting an episode of “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color,” at the grand opening the “new Tomorrowland,” and with Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie

 

Marcia Miner Phillips was a Disneyland tour guide, VIP hostess and the 1967 Disneyland Ambassador to the World.

AUDIO INDEX

2:03 Her start with Disney as a tour guide; memorizing the script; about the tours; a tour for a sight impaired Guest

6:35 Walt Disney; the grand opening of “it’s a small world”

8:43 A finalist for the 1965 Disneyland Ambassador, and that ceremony at Sleeping Beauty Castle; Walt Disney’s passing; Honorary Ambassador of Orange County

15:08 Re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs press tour

16:50 Her Ambassador year; Working at home without a Disney office

21:06 The opening of Pirates of the Caribbean and getting into photos; Roy O. Disney

23:49 Ambassador description; Walt Disney; Hedda Hopper; Peter Ustinov

27:08 “A day in the life of” the Ambassador; President of Turkey, Cevdet Suney; Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie

Interview: Kathryn Beaumont (How the Disney staff involved her in the film process; working with other voice actors)

 

Kathryn Beaumont interview
Kathryn Beaumont, with Alice in Wonderland co-stars Jerry Colonna and Ed Wynn 

Kathryn Beaumont was a child actress at MGM and went on to voice Alice and Wendy in Walt Disney’s animated versions of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan” respectively

AUDIO INDEX

:56 Working for MGM and then Disney

1:39 Already familiar with Alice in Wonderland

2:34 The audition for Alice, getting a contract with Disney

3:25 Remembering Walt Disney, the atmosphere at the Walt Disney Studios

6:05 Storyboard conferences with artists, writers and Winston Hibler; Ink and Paint and other departments sharing the progress of the film

9:05 Involvement in Peter Pan vs. Alice in Wonderland

11:55 Working with other actors such as Hans Conreid

Interview: Carole Tully (Miss Disneyland 1964; Tivoli Gardens tour guide exchange; Walt Disney)

Carole Tully with Hanne Plath, Walt and Lillian Disney Carole Tully in Lappland as Miss Disneyland 1964

Carole was a ticket seller and tour guide at Disneyland, beginning in 1962, and was Miss Disneyland 1964, representing Disneyland and Walt Disney himself

AUDIO INDEX

:52 Her start with Disneyland; Donald Novis in Guest Relations; Becoming a Disney tour guide; Becoming Miss Disneyland, 1964

4:54 Miss Disneyland and the Tivoli Gardens tour guide exchange; Tivoli Gardens tour guide Hanne Plath; touring internationally as a goodwill ambassador

11:23 Visiting Lappland as Miss Disneyland

15:47 Walt Disney

Interview: Bill Farmer (The recording process for Goofy; other voices)

INTERVIEW-bill-farmer

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
:44 Bill’s version of Goofy compared to the original, voiced by Pinto Colvig

1:25 Work besides just the animated films, including Disneyland and Disney World live shows, games, toys, etc.

2:00 When Bill began doing the voice of Pluto

2:15 The soundtrack recording process and sessions done solo vs. group ensembles, and the job of the voice director

4:45 Disney’s Character Voices department

6:15 Recording thousands of names for personalized CDs

8:01 The loop group, looping, background voices and other work, including Disney-Pixar Toy Story, Cars, Monster’s, Inc. Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast as well as other characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

9:44 Bill’s work on the English-dubbed Japanese TV series Astro Boy, as well as redoing lines for Goofy

11:25 Bill as the original voice of Horace Horsecollar and his inspiration for that character

12:30 How Bill describes Goofy

 

Interview: Ray Templin (Performing with the Disneyland Band and other Disney music groups)

Ray Templin - Disneyland 25th Anniversary Character Show

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

Interview: Ray Templin (Providing voices for Fantasyland attractions in Disneyland)

Ray Templin

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

Interview: Valerie Watson, Miss Disneyland 1962

Valerie Watson, Miss Disneyland, 1962, "Disneyland News" clipping
Valerie Watson, Miss Disneyland, 1962, “Disneyland News” clipping

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.

Valerie Watson with King Hussein of Jordan
Valerie Watson with King Hussein of Jordan

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.

Valerie Watson, with the characters of Walt Disney's "Disneyland, USA" stage show at Radio City Music Hall
Valerie Watson, with the characters of Walt Disney’s “Disneyland, USA” stage show at Radio City Music Hall

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.

Valerie Watson as Miss Disneyland, 1962
Valerie Watson as Miss Disneyland, 1962

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.

Valerie Watson with John F. Kennedy at the New York World's Fair
Valerie Watson with John F. Kennedy at the New York World’s Fair

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.

Valerie Watson with the first tour guides of Walt Disney World
Valerie Watson with the first tour guides
of Walt Disney World

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!

Interview: Chuck Corson (Dapper Dans; the Osmonds; Walt Disney World entertainment)

Chuck Corson
Chuck Corson (left), Chuck’s Disneyland business card, window tribute to Chuck at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World

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