Mouse Clubhouse interviews

Jeff Hoffman’s began his Disney career selling merchandise at Disneyland shop and ultimately becoming vice president of Disney Worldwide Outreach. He was largely responsible for the Disney Legends Awards for more than two decades. (See below for more photos and audio index)

AUDIO INDEX

6:52 The original committee to choose the Disney Legends; Choosing the term “Disney Legend”

11:43 Continuing the Disney Legends Awards after the Fred MacMurray ceremony; choosing the next Disney Legends; Walt’s “nine old men” honored; Ward Kimball’s “six-fingered” handprints

18:06 Annette Funicello’s handprints in the rain; the Sherman Brothers’ handprints mishap

21:09 The Disney Legends Award statuette; Award sculptor and designer Andrea Favilli; a large scale Award sculpture and the Legends Plaza; the 75th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company; Roy E. Disney’s award

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

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

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.

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

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

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

:55 Being a child actress; becoming a school teacher

2:35 The students’ awareness of Kathryn’s voice work and a funny related story

4:22 Performing the voice of Alice as an adult; Alice’s voice for Disneyland and Disney park shows

6:30 Remaining involved with Disney

8:00 Appearances for the original release of Alice in Wonderland

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

1:00 After recording the voice for the films, Kathryn filmed live action versions of the live action footage of the films for the artists’ reference, the live action reference process including lip syncing the voice

4:08 Filming the “tea party” sequence for Alice in Wonderland with Jerry Colona and Ed Wynn, and scheduling around Kathryn’s schooling

6:08 A unique visit with Walt Disney and some Japanese dignitaries, and Walt’s small train

Born on January 26, 1922, jazz pianist Page Cavanaugh was the special guest in a concert I went to at the Greek Theater back in the 1980s. They mentioned that he performs at a club in Burbank, and that began a wonderful friendship. Every week I would go see Page, listen to him play and talk with him about music, learning about the great composers and performers of American music.

Page worked with everybody! Frank Sinatra, Chico Marx, Louis Armstrong and on and on. I miss Page and I miss his stories.

I had known Page for awhile before I learned that he provided his musical talents for a Disney cartoon short entitled “The Truth About Mother Goose.”

This animated short, featured segments explaining the story behind Mother Goose stories. Page and his trio introduced each segment in song. Here’s a clip from the opening of the film:

Although “The Truth About Mother Goose” was the only animated film Page appeared in, he was in a number of other movies including “A Song is Born,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” and “Romance on the High Seas.” In the latter, he accompanied Doris Day on piano and in voice for the song, “Put ‘Em in a Box.”

In that same film, Doris Day also sang “It’s Magic,” written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. That song was nominated for an Academy Award that year.

One of the last times I saw Page, I recorded him singing this parody, “It’s Tragic.”

Jack Lindquist came up with the idea for the opening ceremony for the classic “it’s a small world” attraction at Disneyland. He was also Disneyland’s first advertising manager, beginning in 1955. He continued with the company in marketing for Disneyland. Walt Disney World and international Disney resorts. His many accomplishments include the creation of the Disneyland Ambassador program, the creation of the Walt Disney Travel Company, the international waters ceremony for the opening of the it’s a small world attraction, Disney Dollars, and in 1990 Jack became the first president of Disneyland.

THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR IT’S A SMALL WORLD

AUDIO INDEX

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

Stan is the talent booking director for Disneyland and tuba soloist extraordinaire. He was the longtime conductor of the Disneyland band and the first full-time conductor of the Walt Disney World band.

AUDIO INDEX

4:40 His start with music and choosing the tuba

7:01 Entertaining for Lawrence Welk and performing on his show

8:30 Tuba soloist for the government cultural exchange program including Soviet Union and Siberia; Command performance at the White House for President Nixon

9:25 Starting with Disney; the first leader of the Walt Disney World band; problems with the first band

12:45 Moving to Disneyland

14:11 Involvement with Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea

15:40 Auditions and benefits of entertaining at Disneyland; Disney entertainment; the Trash Can Trio and the Mariachi Divas

20:28 Big bands at Disneyland