JULY 18 Disney History

1989:

Splash Mountain, a log flume attraction, officially opens to the public in Disneyland. The ride presents scenes taken from the animated segments of the 1964 feature Song of the South.

1944:

Mouseketeer Bonnie Lynn Fields - who joined The Mickey Mouse Club for the 1957-1958 season - is born in Waterboro, South Carolina.

2004:

The Walt Disney Family Foundation and the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society celebrate the 5th anniversary of Walt Disney's Barn in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. (In July 1999 the barn, which was the centerpiece of Walt's miniature backyard railroad, was relocated from the family's Holmby Hills property to Griffith Park. Since that time more than 10,000 Disney fans have visited the barn!)

1910:

Musician Charles LaVere, the man who wrote the Golden Horseshoe Revue music, is born Charles LaVere Johnson in Salina, Kansas. A jazz pianist, saxophonist, trombonist, cornetist, accordionist, singer, arranger and composer, he sang in the 'Golden Horseshoe Revue' at Disneyland until 1960.

1913:

Marvin Miller, the narrator of Disney's 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty, is born in St. Louis, Missouri. Possessing a deep, baritone voice, fans of the sci-fi feature Forbidden Planet will know Miller as the voice of Robby the Robot.

Legendary funnyman Red Skelton is born in Vincennes, Indiana. He will appear on the 1976 TV special Monsanto Night Presents Walt Disney's America on Parade.

1932:

Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey in Arabia is released. Directed by Wilfred Jackson,

Mickey and Minnie are on vacation when Sultan Pete (an evil sheik) tries to capture Minnie for his harem!

1955:

Monday

Disneyland in Anaheim, California first opens to the general public at 10 a.m. on this humid day with admission costing $1.

1956:

Disney's animated Jack and Old Mac (a combination of 2 nursery rhymes) is released.

1967:

Actor Vin Diesel, the star of Disney's 2005 comedy The Pacifier,

is born in New York City.

1992:

Animator, director and producer Rudolph Ising passes away in Newport

Beach, California. He first worked in animation with Disney back in the silent era on the Alice Comedies

and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts. Ising then went on to co-found the animation departments of both Warner Bros. and MGM with partner Hugh Harman.

2003:

The Disney Channel Original Movie

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off debuts on television.

The first children to enter the park are cousins Michael Schwartner, age 7, and Kristine Vess, 5. Walt Disney himself poses for a photo with the

lucky two (who will both receive lifetime passes).

The park stays open until 10 p.m. and is visited on this day by some 50,000 people. Puffin Bakery also opens for business on Main Street.

The Los Angeles Times announces the opening of Disneyland when it runs "Dream Realized ... Disneyland Opens," a full page article (with photos) in its Part 2 section.

Also visiting this day is a young boy named Ron Schneider and his family. (Ron's father had done some of the air conditioning work on one of the buildings.) Ron will go on to become Epcot's original Dreamfinder!

Dave MacPherson, a 22-year-old college student from Long Beach, is the first paying guest into the new park (he has waited on line all night to purchase the first ticket). MacPherson will win lifetime passes (good for any three persons and himself) to the Anaheim park (and eventually the Florida and France theme parks as well).

1962:

Actor Lee Arenberg - known for his role of Pintel in both Disney features Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - is born in Palo Alto, California.

1952:

Uncle Donald's Ants, a Disney short directed by Jack Hannah, is released by RKO.

In this cartoon, ants follow Donald Duck home by following a leaky sugar bag and eventually begin to take over

his house!

1965:

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opens to the public (the day

after its official dedication) at the new and specially constructed

Opera House on Main Street USA at Disneyland.

Also at Disneyland, the Red Wagon Inn re-opens as the Plaza Inn,

a cafeteria-style restaurant. The Red Wagon Inn, opened since July

17, 1955, was the park's top restaurant and Walt's personal favorite.

Actor & Disney fan

John Stamos was the

winning Ebay bidder

for the galvanized steel

Disneyland sign that stood

in front of the park from

1989 to 1999. He paid

$30,700 for the marquee.

"You might say that 1955 was a very good year for a youthful Scotsman!" -Dave MacPherson

2006:

Disney opens an English-language production of The Lion King in Shanghai, China at Shanghai's Grand Theatre.

1867:

Socialite, philanthropist, and activist Margaret Tobin Brown is born in Hannibal, Missouri. Later referred to as Maggie (and Molly) Brown, she will become famous as one of the surviviors of the RMS Titanic sinking. The riverboat at Disneyland Paris (which runs on the Rivers Of the Far-West) is named the Molly Brown!

1993:

The MTV Movie Awards are presented. Robin Williams wins

Best Comedic Performance for his role of Genie in Aladdin.