1969:
The historic Apollo 11 moon landing is televised on
Disneyland's Tomorrowland Stage. Neil Armstrong
(who in July 2005 will take part in the re-opening
of Disneyland's Space Mountain) becomes the very first human to
set foot on the moon. Buzz Aldrin, the Lunar Module pilot, becomes the second
human on the lunar surface. (He will be the inspiration for the Pixar character Buzz
Lightyear.) Also playing a key role in the lunar landing is Stephen Bales, a member of
mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He was inspired to become an
aeronautical engineer by a 1950s Disney television show that predicted how men might
travel to and explore the moon.
1890:
Actress Verna Felton, best-known for
providing many female voices in numerous
Disney animated films (as well as voicing
Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law Pearl
Slaghoople for Hanna-Barbera) is born
in Salinas, California. Starting her career on stage
and radio, Felton's distinctive husky voice and no-nonsense attitude helped her
become one of the premier character actresses in film and television. Fans of I Love
Lucy, may recall Felton for her guest appearances in 1953. (Sadly Felton died of a
stroke on the evening of December 14, 1966, only hours before the death of Walt
Disney early the following morning.)
2000:
Artist, author and illustrator Eyvind Earle, known for his beautiful background
paintings for such Disney animated films as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan and Lady
and the Tramp, passes away at age 84. He also created the look of the Academy Award-
winning Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom and designed five murals for Disneyland.
(Although much of his work was not exhibited in his lifetime, today such museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Rahr West Art Museum in Wisconsin have purchased Earle's works for their
permanent collections.)
1923:
Journalist-turned-publicist and Disney Legend Charlie Ridgway is born in
Chicago, Illinois. As a news reporter he wrote some of the first articles about Disneyland - before &
after its opening. (Ridgway was at the park's grand debut!) Starting as an employee in 1963 he helped
promote more than 150 major press events for Disney theme parks. In 2007, his book Spinning
Disney's World was published.
1955:
The Tomorrowland Boats (later named the Phantom Boats) debuts in Disneyland's Tomorrowland Lagoon. The attraction features 14 brightly painted gas-powered fiberglass boats. (Poor mechanical design will cause the ride to be the park's first permanent attraction to close.)
1981:
TIME magazine runs an article titled
"The Great Era of Walt Disney" in this week's issue.
1985:
Seven-year-old Virgil Waytes, Jr. of Virginia becomes the 200,000,000th guest at Walt Disney World! He is presented with a commemorative plaque and a lifetime Disney pass for his family.
"For 70 years I've painted paintings, and I'm constantly and everlastingly overwhelmed at the stupendous infinity of creation ... Art is the search for truth."
-Eyvind Earle
1975:
Actor Jason Raize is born in Oneonta, New York. He is best remembered as the original adult Simba in the Broadway stage musical production of The Lion King and as the voice of Denahi in the Disney animated feature Brother Bear.
1945:
Visual effects supervisor and matte artist Harrison Ellenshaw is born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Son of legendary Disney matte painter Peter Ellenshaw, Harrsion's Disney credits include No Deposit, No Return, Gus, The Shaggy D.A., Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Pete's Dragon, and Captain EO.
From the Earth to the Moon,
the Space Mountain attraction
in Disneyland Paris, was built
by coaster designers Vekoma
(who also designed
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster).
1969
1995:
The Walt Disney Company signs a 49-year lease with the 42nd Street Redevelopment Project to manage and operate the New Amsterdam Theatre (which is in need of
restoration) in New York City. Located at 214 West 42nd Street in the heart of Times Square, the theater
will officially reopen on April 2, 1997 and in 2006 debut the musical Mary Poppins.
JULY
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JULY 20
Today is Moon Day
JULY 20
THIS SITE MADE
IN THE
USA
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1951:
The Donald Duck short Lucky Number is released. Directed by Jack Hannah - Donald wins
a car from a sweepstake ticket, but trouble starts when Huey, Dewey, and Louie decide to pick it up for him.
Moon landing televised at Disneyland
"Disneyland is like Alice stepping through the Looking Glass; to step through the portals of Disneyland will be like entering another world." -Walt Disney
1948:
The Chicago Railroad Fair opens at 10 o'clock on this morning on the lake front in
Burnham Park, Chicago, Illinois. The following month Walt Disney and Ward Kimball will visit the event -
and be greatly influenced by the collection of steam trains and the design and layout of the fair itself.
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1879:
Joel Chandler Harris publishes "The Story of Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Fox as Told by Uncle Remus" in the Atlanta Constitution. It is the first of 34 plantation fables that will turn into Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings in 1880. The stories, mostly collected directly from the African-American oral storytelling tradition, are revolutionary in their use of dialect, animal personage, and serialized landscape. In 1946, Disney will produced a film based on the Uncle Remus tales called Song of the South.
101st Donald Duck cartoon
Felton's Disney credits:
The Jungle Book -
Winifred the Elephant
Goliath II - Eloise
Sleeping Beauty - Flora
Lady and the Tramp -
Aunt Sarah
Alice in Wonderland -
Queen of Hearts
Cinderella - Fairy Godmother
Dumbo -
Elephant Matriarch/Mrs. Jumbo
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"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon--July 1969 A.D--We came in peace for all mankind." -plaque left on the surface of the moon
