1958:
Disneyland's ship Columbia is officially christened on the Rivers of America. Joe Fowler
(Disneyland’s construction supervisor and a former naval admiral) is on hand dressed as a sailing captain of the
1700s, with the Mousketeers appearing as his crew! The attraction will officially open 10 days later.
2005:
The Disney Magic sets sail from California on the second of 12 cruises to the Mexican Riviera this season.
Key members of Hong Kong's travel industry visit the Hong Kong
Disneyland site to experience first-hand the progress behind the
first Disney theme park in China.
"Disney's First Customer Still Uses His Lifetime Pass" an
article by Tom Wharton appears in The Salt Lake Tribune.
It tells the story of Dave MacPherson, Disneyland's very
first paying customer.
1924:
Actor Dennis Weaver is born in Joplin, Missouri. He was the voice of Abner in Disney's 2004 animated feature Home on the Range and appeared in The Wonderful World of Disney's "Gallegher Goes West" 1960s serial as George Tucker. (TV fans know Weaver best from the hit series Gunsmoke, Gentle Ben, and McCloud. In 1961 he appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "Shadow Play" where
he was trapped inside his own dream!)
Walt Disney is awarded his very first honorary degree, a Master of
Science degree from the University of Southern California.
1968:
Actor Scott Wolf - the voice of Scamp in Disney's 2001 Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure - is born in Boston, Massachusetts. (TV fans may recognize him from the series Party of Five and Everwood.)
1990:
The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel (a Starwood-operated hotel) opens at
1800 Epcot Resorts Blvd. between the Disney MGM Studios & the Epcot resort
area. Featuring a twenty-seven story main building and tower with four nine-story wings, the resort offers over 1,500 guest rooms, including luxury suites. Designed by Michael Graves, the hotel is adorned with two iconic
56-foot tall dolphins.
At Disneyland, the Bengal Barbecue a quick service food location in
Adventureland opens.
1992:
Euro Disneyland reports that since opening, 1.2 million people have visited.
1999:
Walt Disney World's newest attraction The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh debuts in the Magic Kingdom. A dark ride based upon the film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, it is located on the spot once occupied by Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It will officially open to guests the following day. (Versions will later open at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.)
2000:
Cirque du Soleil, the internationally acclaimed producers of permanent and
touring shows around the world, including La Nouba at Downtown Disney West
Side, hold auditions in Orlando, Florida.
Disney's Broadway musical Aida wins 4 Tony Awards at a ceremony televised from
Radio City Music Hall. Heather Headley wins for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (for
her role of Aida). Elton John and Tim Rice are awarded for Best Original Score Written for the Theatre. Broadway
veteran Bob Crowley is awarded for Best Scenic Design, and Natasha Katz earns a Tony for Best Lighting.
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2006:
Disney's All-Star Music Resort at Walt Disney World opens their new family suites. Nearly 400 guestrooms have been converted to 192 family suites.
Disney's Broadway hit The Lion King gives its last performance - number 3,571 - at the New Amsterdam Theater. It will shut down for one week and reopen at the Minskoff Theater (on June 13). Beginning this fall, the
New Amsterdam will be home to Mary Poppins.
1991:
At Walt Disney World, the Company D Cast Member store opens in the Team Disney Building. The building, located at 1375 Buena Vista Drive, was designed by architect Arata Isozaki.
Disney World's "The Many
Adventures of Winnie the Pooh"
attraction is built on the former
location of "Mr. Toad's Wild
Ride." It contains a picture of Mr.
Toad presenting the Toad Hall
deed to Owl (look to the left
behind the car immediately
after
the ride
begins).
JUNE
1938:
Walt Disney's Snow White wrap party - also known as Walt's Field Day - is held at the Norconian Hotel in Norco, California.
1956:
Actor Keith David - the voice of Apollo in Disney's animated Hercules - is born in New York City. His Disney voice credits also include House of Mouse, The Legend of Tarzan, Gargoyles and The Princess and the Frog (as the voice of Dr. Facilier).
2008:
A U.K. tour of the London production of Mary Poppins begins.
The show is scheduled to play through April 2009, with stops at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Birmingham
Hippodrome, Edinburgh Playhouse, Palace Theatre, Manchester, and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
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JUNE 4
Today is Hug Your Cat Day
JUNE 4
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wins Tony Awards
THIS SITE MADE
IN THE
USA
"In 1938, Snow White was a huge hit. You can’t believe how big it was. Walt and Roy announced that they were going to throw this huge, incredible “thank-you” party for everyone who worked for them. Wives, husbands, children, friends…all of them were invited to a weekend at the Norconian Hotel on Lake Norco."
-Animator & Imagineer Bill Justice
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1993:
Disney's Hollywood Pictures releases Guilty as Sin a thriller starring Don
Johnson and Rebecca De Mornay.
2004:
Disney-MGM kicks off the start of the fourth of five consecutive Star Wars Weekends. Celebrity guests include Warwick Davis (who was only 11 years old when he donned the furry mask and costume of the inquisitive Ewok, Wicket W. Warrick) and Mike Quinn (a puppeteer from the original saga that assisted in bringing Yoda to life in Return of the Jedi).
2011:
Betty Taylor, who played Slue-Foot Sue in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, passes away at the age of 91 at her home in Washington (one day after the death of Wally Boag, her longtime performing partner in the show). Taylor began playing the role in 1956, one year after Boag started, and continued until the show ended almost 31 years later. Born in October 1919, she was inducted a Disney Legend (alongside Boag and tenor Fulton Burley) in 1995, 8 years after her retirement.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of a second Disney Legend in just two days – Betty Taylor. Betty’s role as leading lady in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue helped turn it into the longest-running stage show in entertainment history. It is a tragic coincidence that her
passing comes just one day after the death of longtime co-star Wally Boag." -Disneyland Resort President George A. Kalogridis
