50 things you didn't know about Disneyland

DentonRC.com ^ | Wednesday, November 23, 2005 | By JOHN FLINN

[youthgonewild]

Thanks for this informative thread. I just got done reading Disneywar, a crazy book about Disney in the Eisner years, its an excellent book and I definitely recommend it. The weirdest thing I did not know about Disneyland not mentioned here is that before one can become an executive, they work in a Disney costume in a park interacting with people to understand the "Disney Magic".

[woofie]

Since 1955, 3562 divorces were initiated in the Disneyland parking lot

[BurbankKarl]

I had dinner at Club 33 once....it was interesting...nice story about the mounted animal heads!

[BurbankKarl]

A basketball court can be found within the top of Matterhorn mountain at Disneyland. Status: True.

Origins: A small, attic-like space near the top of the Matterhorn structure does indeed contain a basketball rim, backboard, and floor markings. (This cramped area is smaller in size than a regulation half-court, so the term "basketball court" is used rather loosely here.) This common piece of Disney lore has it that Disneyland's Matterhorn house a basketball court because at the time it was built, an Anaheim city ordinance prohibited the building of structures exceeding a certain height — with the single exception of sports facilities. In order to skirt this law, crafty ol' Walt Disney supposedly had a "basketball court" installed within the Matterhorn so that he could claim the structure to be a sports arena and thereby avoid the height restrictions. This legend is nothing more than a bit of fanciful fun: the Matterhorn was finished in 1959, but the city of Anaheim did not have regulations restricting the height of structures until the 1970s (and even if they had, they wouldn't have allowed Disney to get away with such a blatant violation of them based on semantic trickery). The small area atop the Matterhorn is used as a rest and preparation area for the costumed climbers who sometimes entertain park guests by scaling the mountain. According to the Disney Channel program "Inside Out," the basketball court came to be when one of these climbers brought in and installed a basketball hoop and backboard for use as an amusement to pass the time when inclement weather or other conditions prevented the climbers from working outside the mountain.

[woofie]

Anyone want to invite my wife and I to dinner at Club 33 ?

I'll tip you

[Loud Mime]

51. The name of the song for the Electric Light Parade is Baroque Hoe-down.

52. There's lots of plain clothes Disney people present. Ond day in the California Adventure some girl got hurt from a fall, people with hidden walkie talkies were there immediately.

53. How much does that new fireworks display cost, anyway?

[Loud Mime]

I went to college near disneyland. My biology lab partner, Trish, worked on the Matterhorn ride. I used to pay general admission, go the the Bobsled ride, and get Trish to take tickets. She once gave me over a hundred E coupons.

I wonder what ever happened to her....great lady.

[Jeff Chandler]

My steady girlfriend and I snuck two pints of vodka into the park, for my HS graduation party, June 1965.

Dang. I thought we had an original idea. We didn't start doing that until 1972.

[Jeff Chandler]

The weirdest thing I did not know about Disneyland not mentioned here is that before one can become an executive, they work in a Disney costume in a park interacting with people to understand the "Disney Magic".

Well, that's interesting. We had several friends who worked at Disneyland, and the ones who worked in costume were, for the most part, shall we say..."creative".

[Loud Mime]

When I saw the Newschwanstein it was winter. The clouds obscured the castle. Suddenly they opened a bit, and there was the castle, looking like it was floating on clouds.

What a beautiful sight!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

As seen in the movie CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.

[Jeff Chandler]

And don't forget: Yesterland.

[Phsstpok]

I too visited the Worlds Fair that year and was also age 9 the first year (for those that don't know, the NY Worlds Fair ran the summer of 64 and 65). My dad was an executive that dealt with almost all of the corporate sponsors and we got VIP tickets for most of the rides. For Carousel of Progress that included walking on a catwalk over the animatronnic characters on their stages. Did you know that they didn't bother making the parts of the bodies the audience couldn't see? Very disturbing to a 9 year old.

I think you're combining two rides in your memory. I'm pretty sure Small World, sponsored by Pepsi, always used boats. Either Ford or GM was right across the 'street' and it used cars. That's the ride that had the animatronic dinos, I think.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I always like to ask this question about Disney.

Why was he not given he proper credit for his OSWALD THE RABBIT creation?

Boop boop bedoop, boop boop bedoop, boopboop bedoop. That's Oswald!.....From the old cartoon song

[Jeff Chandler]

The weirdest thing I did not know about Disneyland not mentioned here is that before one can become an executive, they work in a Disney costume in a park interacting with people to understand the "Disney Magic".

Speaking of the "Disney magic", Mrs. Chandler and I once went to a Holloween costume party where most of the party goers were Disney parade workers. There was one beautiful young woman there dressed as a 'southern belle'. She came with a short black female servant, kind of an "Aunt Jemima" type. Well, the short black servant was really white and the girl friend of the southern belle, who was really a man!

If you ever get invited to a party with Disney costumed personnel, don't pass it up!

[Lockbar]

In 1965 my family took a road trip from Chicago of Calif. and spent the Fourth of July At Disneyland. I was vividly remember a street performer doing a Banjo-Comedy act on Main Street. 20 years later I found out that it was a young Steve Martin.

[Swordmaker]

We got stuck on the It's A Small World ride for 2-1/2 hours when I was about 14. To this day that song still sends chills up my spine.

One definition of Hell that keeps me somewhat good is that Hell is being stuck for eternity on the "It's a Small, Small World" ride at Disneyland with no exit...

[Lurker]

The worst part about it was that we could see the exit to the ride, but park employees wouldn't let us get off!

L

[Political Junkie Too]

Does anyone remember Michael Iceberg and his Iceberg Machine in Tomorrowland? Here's a link to a copy of a 30-minute show.

-PJ