Rediscovering (Walt) Disney

We heard from the New Scotland Historical Assoc. yesterday. It looks VERY promising for an interview on the Mayfair Drive-In and for photographing and scanning Indian Ladder Drive-In memorabilia. Guess I'll need to plan a trip to V'ville!

I finished the latest in a series of retro sci-fi inspired posters. This one is a movie one sheet and has more of a fifties/sixties vibe to it.

[If this looks familiar its because it originally appeared at FILM+TV. I am re-posting a few entries here to add them to the archives.] Because somebody on the west coast wanted to see them, I scanned few more of the Topps "The Rocketeer" cards. Enjoy! And remember just click on the image to see a larger version.

[If this looks familiar its because it originally appeared at FILM+TV. I am re-posting a few entries here to add them to the archives.] "How do I look?" "Like a hood ornament." As we close in on the departure date for our Walt Disney World trip, I'm getting more excited to visit ' Peevy's Polar Pipline ' at Disney's Hollywood Studios . At Peevy's you can down a Cosmic Coca-Cola or Minute Maid Raspberry Lemonade Launcher and gander at some swell "The Rocketeer" memorabilia including Cliff's helmet and jetpack! In the meantime here's a little teaser (literally) with the original theatrical trailer... Video Copyright © The Walt Disney Co. Uploaded with ImageShack.us

When I was down at Walt Disney World in 1991 there was still a lot of evidence of "The Rocketeer" at the Disney/MGM Studios, after all it had just been released that summer. I remember seeing the Spruce Goose model hanging from the ceiling of one of the restaurants, lots of posters and other collectibles of course and seeing many props and vehicles on the backlot tour. A large part of the original Backlot Tour and Residential Street were razed to make room for the new attraction: "Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show". Anyway... I was cleaning up my home office and uncovered a box of Topps "The Rocketeer" Trading Cards - Its an almost complete set (I don't have the 11 stickers)! I flipped through them and quickly realized why they won't fetch much on the memorabilia market... they kinda stink! Many of the scenes are unremarkable and many of the iconic scenes are missing. Oh well, I still heart "The Rocketeer" and they did bri...

PART 2 Yesterday I put up the postcards from the '78 trip to WDW. Today I'm putting up the postcards from my 1991 trip. Can you see a difference in the cards my parents bought and the ones I bought? I wonder what we were thinking about when we made our selections? Again, the description from the back of the card is included and you can click on the image to see a larger version. As always, enjoy! On The Magic of Disney Animation, guests meet and talk to Disney artists while observing first-hand the fascinating, multi-faceted process of creating Disney animated films. New York Street, part of the Backstage Tour, provides a versatile, fascinating setting for the filming of everything from flashy dance numbers to sinister spy thrillers! Attention Star Tours visitors! Fasten your seat-belts and prepare for take off. Tours depart every five parsecs from the Star Tours Space Port for hundreds of thrilling intergalactic destinations. The Moon of Endor, home to the resou...

In Rediscovering [Walt] Disney: Part 1 I included two images from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. One of the Nautilus submarine from the 20k ride and another of the "Banjo Kings" on Main Street USA. What I didn't mention is that these two pix are actually postcards that we picked up on our trip in '78. I did post them on my facebook page along with the others from '78 and 1991. So now I am going to post them here for your enjoyment, and under each card is the description from the back of the card. Click on the postcard to see a larger version. "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" - Mysterious sunken worlds and strange deep sea creatures lie ahead for guests joining Captain Nemo aboard the submarine Nautilus, for a voyage 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. "Cinderella Castle" - Beautiful Cinderella Castle, with spires reaching to the sky, marks the gateway to the happiest land of them all... FANTASYLAND "The Country Bear Jamboree...

Here are a few more photos from the 1991 trip... The Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Riding Tour. From left to Right: The cabin section of "Blue Thunder", assorted military vehicles, the Blackbird boat from "The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage". (Now gone!) The Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Riding Tour. The Bulldog Cafe and the Gee Bee from "The Rocketeer". (Now gone!) The entrance to Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios. The Adventurers Club on Pleasure Island. (Now gone!) Here's a blast from the past...

Not a full blown post but I found a bunch of photo negatives from my '91 trip to WDW. They were taken with a now missing Kodak panoramic camera. I scanned a few of them in but did very little Photoshop work on them. Click on the image to see a larger version... This obviously is EPCOT, looking at Spaceship Earth from Japan. The queue for the old Backlot Tour at Disney-MGM Studios. From left to right, the sand skiff from "Return of the Jedi", a snowspeeder from "The Empire Strikes Back" and the Hughes Aircraft gyrocopter from "The Rocketeer". The final act of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.

The first time I visited Walt Disney World was in 1978. My parents, my mother's parents, myself and a friend made the long drive from Albany, NY to Orlando, Florida in my fathers van. I'm sure the trauma of having to drive that far to Disney has been blocked out as a survival mechanism by my brain! But drive we did. And as with a lot of things that happened prior to say yesterday, I don't remember much about it. I do have some memories that stick out still, Space Mountain, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Skyway ride. Two out of these three experiences are now gone from WDW. Skyway closed in '91 and 20K closed in '94. I was terrified of Space Mountain, but my friend and I had met a couple of girls and well, I wasn't about to wimp out at that point. But please note I have never ridden another roller coaster since then, and probably never will. The Skyway was a very low-key, non-scary ride that allowed us to fly over WDW from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland....