1982:
Wally Boag (the original Pecos Bill) gives his 39,522 and last performance at the
Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland. He has done the show almost continuously since its opening in 1955, thus putting him in the Guiness Book of Records for the most number of performances of a
show! A party for Boag with friends, family and celebrities takes place after the show, where he is presented
with gifts and honors including his very own window on Main Street.
It took more than 650
Walt Disney Imagineers more than 350,000 hours (the equivalent of 40 years of time) to develop
Epcot's Mission: SPACE!
1942:
A press release from the federal government announces that Walt Disney has presented
to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard an emblem designed for use on
labels and markings of containers to identify anywhere in the world the food they
hold. The Lend Lease insignia - created by Disney artist Hank Porter in December 1941 - features the United States
Eagle (suggested by Roy Disney) protecting a cargo ship from an Axis bomber. Also included are four stars symbolizing
the four freedoms pledged in the Atlantic Charter - freedom of speech and expression, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
2005:
Aliens of the Deep, a Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media Presentation, is
released to large format/IMAX theaters. The documentary, about a team of
oceanographers and NASA scientists who investigate ten hydrothermal vents in both the Atlantic and Pacific, is directed by James Cameron.
1932:
The Mickey Mouse short The Duck Hunt, directed by Bert Gillett, is released. Mickey and Pluto find that duck hunting is not what it's quacked up to be!
1939:
Imagineer and Disney Legend Ralph Kent is born Ralph Kwiatkowski
in Buffalo, New York. At age 10, Kent created a giant mural of Disney
characters in his family's basement! First arriving at Disneyland as a marketing
production artist in 1963, he went on to design the first limited-edition Mickey Mouse watch
for adults and in 1971 began designing souvenirs for Walt Disney World. In 1990, he joined
the Disney Design Group as a Corporate Trainer, mentoring new artists and creating an
extensive reference collection of character model sheets. After 41 years with Disney, Kent
retired in May 2004.
1946:
Academy Award nomination are announced with The Three Caballeros picking up two nominations and the short Donald's Crime receiving one. Oscars will be presented March 7.
1962:
The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs part 2
of "Sancho, the Homing Steer," about a Texas longhorn that sneaks away from
a cattle drive to find his way home again, traveling 1,200 miles in a year.
1965:
Disney's live-action feature film Those Calloways, directed by Norman Tokar, and starring Brian Keith, Vera Miles, and Ed Wynn is generally released. The film tells the story of Cam Calloway
(played by Brian Keith) and his family, who live in a densely wooded area in New England. He dreams of building a sanctuary for the geese that fly over the area each year, and tries several schemes to buy a nearby lake for his feathered friends.
Also released is the live-action short A Country Coyote Goes Hollywood. Narrated by Rex Allen, it features a coyote who
is chased into the back of a moving van and later accidentally left in the Hollywood hills ... where he learns the ins and outs of being an urban coyote.
1979:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs part 1 of "Shadow of Fear." This the 12th episode of the
25th season of Disney's weekly series. Part 2 of "Shadow of Fear" will air February 4.
1988:
Groundbreaking for the Dolphin Hotel and Swan Hotel complex begins in Disney
World. Michael Graves of Princeton, New Jersey is the master architect behind these unique structures.
1997:
Tragedy strikes when Bub Thomas, a fixture on Main Street for over 25 years
singing and joking with Disney World's Dapper Dans (the famous barbershop
quartet), is killed in a car accident in Orlando, Florida. He is 85. Wearing a yellow stripped
vest, Thomas (an original WDW Dapper Dan) was instantly recognizable to hundred of thousands of Magic
Kingdom regulars. He brought a touch of Vaudeville to the Dapper Dans performances as he sang, danced, told
jokes, and even drew caricatures! Thomas was also responsible for introducing the Deagan Organ Chimes to the
Dapper Dans. (The unique instrument, first introduced to Thomas by entertainer Billie Bird, is a series of spiky
hollow tubes connected to each other, that when shaked in specific combinations produce melodies and chords.)
1999:
Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based touring circus that combines acrobatics, theatrics, special effects and original music, officially opens its third permanent U.S. facility at Downtown Disney West End in Florida.
1990:
At Super Bowl XXIV (in New Orleans) quarterback Joe Montana of the San
Francisco 49ers shouts "I'm going to Disney World!" after his team defeats the
Denver Broncos, 55–10. It is the second year in a row that Montana appears in the Disney ad.
1996:
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith declares "I'm going to Disneyland!"
following his team's 27-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Super Bowl XXX
(played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona).
Jerry Siegel, comic book writer and co-creator of Superman (along with Joe Schuster), passes away at age 81 in California. Siegel began working for DC Comics (then known as National Allied Publications) in 1935. This was later followed by work with Marvel Comics, Archie Comics, and various military magazines (such as Stars and Stripes). In 1968, Siegel worked for Western Publishing, for which he wrote (along with Disney cartoonist Carl Barks) stories in the Junior Woodchucks comic book. In the 1970s, he worked for Mondadori Editore (at that time the Italian Disney comics licensee) on its title Topolino. Siegel and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.
2001:
At Super Bowl XXXV (played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer exclaims "I'm going to Disney World!" after his team defeats the New York Giants, 34–7.
2007:
Actor Jacob Young (who recently appeared as Lumiere in Broadway's
Beauty and the Beast) hosts an exclusive event and raffle at World of
Disney’s 5th Avenue Flagship Store in Manhattan, New York. A raffle of rare
and unique Disney items include signed posters from the Broadway companies of Disney’s Tarzan and Mary Poppins. The event helps to raise awareness and funds to support the Sunday, February 25 “ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS” concert at Town Hall in New York City. (The Emmy Award-winning Young is best known to fans of All My Children as JR Chandler.)
1968:
Twilight Zone creator and alumni Rod Serling delivers a commencement speech to January graduates at Binghamton Central High School in New York.
JANUARY 28
1978:
At the Golden Globe Awards, Best Original Score - Motion Picture goes to
John Williams for his Star Wars music, beating out Al Kasha & Joel
Hirschhorn nominated for Disney's Pete's Dragon.
1989:
At the Golden Globe Awards, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is edged out
by Working Girl for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. Although
nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical, Bob Hoskins
(from Who Framed Roger Rabbit) is beat out by Tom Hanks (for his performance in Big).
1977:
Singer, actor, and television personality Joey Fatone is born Joseph
Anthony Fatone, Jr. in Brooklyn, New York. First known as a member of the pop
group 'N Sync, Fatone has done voice work for Disney's Kim Possible and has appeared many
times at Disney World for special events. In 2018, he narrated Epcot's Candlelight Processional
for two evenings, and in 2019, hosted the Mickey Mouse Club 30th Reunion (also held at Epcot).
Years earlier, he appeared in both the 1999 and the 2007 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade
TV specials and even a 2008 episode of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana (portraying Joey Vitolo). In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing With The Stars, and starred as a baseball player in a 2009 episode of Imagination Movers on Disney Channel. In 2020, he ran a half marathon and a full marathon at Disney World in the same weekend, and in 2022 performed as part of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series as Joey Fatone & Friends.
It's Showtime Day on The New Mickey Mouse Club.Trudy Stolz, a young flutist from Sepulveda,
California, and Christi Christofferson, a country western singer from Modesto, California, perform.
Character actor Burt Mustin passes at age 92 in California. A late bloomer, Mustin began acting professionally at age 67. In his 25-year career, he appeared in nearly 400 television shows, 70 movies and dozens of commercials. His Disney credits include Son of Flubber, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, Now You See Him Now You Don't, Herbie Rides Again, and The Strongest Man in the World. (Fans of classic TV will remember Mustin for his countless roles in such series as "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.," and "Leave It to Beaver.")
Wally Boag gives final performance
In Memory of Bub Thomas (1911-1997)
2009:
At Epcot, the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure debuts. A treasure hunt with
high-tech spy gadgetry, the interactive game is based on the Disney animated TV series
Kim Possible. Using a hand-held “Kimmunicator” device, Epcot visitors receive clues and
trigger hidden surprises on a series of missions in seven World Showcase pavilions: Mexico,
Norway, China, Germany, Japan, France and the United Kingdom.
An 80-foot-tall hot air balloon, shaped like Epcot’s Spaceship Earth, floats
above the Magic Kingdom, carrying the Birkett family, of Scottsdale, Arizona. The
special flight was one of the dreams awarded as part of Disney Parks’ 2008 “Disney Dreams Giveaway”
(which ended December 31). Last September 17, Christian Birkett was chosen at random as the dream
recipient while riding The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at Disneyland Park in California. In addition to
the tethered balloon flight, Birkett’s dream includes this VIP vacation to Walt Disney World!
At Disneyland the five Disneyland Railroad trains that circle a one-mile perimeter of
the park begin running on cleaner burning biodiesel ... made with recycled
discarded cooking oil (originating from the resort’s restaurants and hotels).
1944:
Disney's Goofy cartoon How to Be a Sailor, directed by Jack Kinney, is released. Goofy (voiced by Pinto Colvig) takes viewers on a cruising history of sailing from the first prehistoric use of floating logs to the modern battleship. The only wartime entertainment short from Disney that involves the Navy, it is narrated by John McLeish.
"I always wanted to be Geppetto." -Ralph Kent
2010:
Walt Disney World's 220-acre sports complex is rebranded when an ESPN logo is
lowered into place on the complex's entrance sign. Officially relaunching February 25 as "ESPN
Wide World of Sports Complex," the updated venue will also feature more than 40 high-definition and robotic video
cameras, plus 10 handheld cameras, and 40 high-definition video screens, including two Jumbotrons.
1998:
Actress Ariel Winter, best known for her role as Alex Dunphy on the ABC comedy
series Modern Family, is born in Los Angeles, California. She is the voice of Gretchen
for Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb, the title character in the Disney Junior show Sofia the First, and
Thumper's sister in the 2006 Bambi II.
JAN
JAN
"Graduates, ladies and gentlemen, faculty, friends and old acquaintances—unless you've reached my age and are as familiar with the taste of Serutan as you are with bourbon, it's unlikely that you can understand what kind of bitter-sweet poignance attends the return of a man like myself to this city ... this school ... this room. In its aged mustiness, in its archaic ugliness, in its depressing sameness ... it is nonetheless filled with ghosts and certain haunting memories that conjure up faces and names, sights and sounds, laughter and events—almost too sweet to be bearable." -Rod Serling (Sunday January 28, 1968)
2013:
Starting on this day, an on-air collaboration between Disney and Wheel of Fortune kicks
off a week of programming. America's favorite game show features a custom set including three different
scenes depicting Sleeping Beauty Castle, Cinderella Castle and the Disney Dream Cruise Ship. Hosts Pat Sajak
and Vanna White are greeted by Disney characters. Viewers can tune in every day to watch
"Making Disney Memories Week."
1980:
The Industrial Bank of Japan announces it
and nearly 30 other Japanese banks have agreed to lend money to the Oriental
Land Company to build a $300-million Disney theme park in Tokyo.
January 28
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2015:
Media and guests gather on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland park to view a
demonstration of new projection technology planned for "Disneyland Forever."
Celebrating 60 years of magic, "Disneyland Forever" is one of three new nighttime spectaculars using traditional pyrotechnics, innovative projection mapping technology and surprising special effects. The Diamond Celebration
at the Disneyland Resort begins Friday, May 22, 2015.
2018:
"How Far I'll Go", by Lin-Manuel Miranda from the animated Moana,
wins Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
1991:
Actor, writer and producer Calum Worthy is born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Known for his role as Dez on the Disney Channel series Austin & Ally, he also guest-starred in episodes
of Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie, and Disney XD's Zeke and Luther.
1994:
Actor and voice actor Hal Smith passes away at age 77 in Santa Monica, California.
Best known for his comedic role of Otis Campbell on CBS's The Andy Griffith Show, Smith voiced Owl in the first
four original Winnie the Pooh Disney shorts. He also voiced the Disney cartoon character Goofy (after Pinto Colvig
died in 1967). In 1981, Smith reprised his role as Owl and voiced Winnie-the-Pooh in the short Winnie the Pooh
Discovers the Seasons (replacing Sterling Holloway; the original voice of Pooh). Smith's voice credits also include
Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
1936:
Actor, director, and screenwriter Alan Alda is born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo in
The Bronx, New York. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role
of Hawkeye Pierce in the war television series M*A*S*H (1972–1983). Alda directed and starred in Touchstone's romantic comedy Betsy's Wedding (1990) and played the role of Thomas Watters Jr. in Bridge of Spies (2015), an historical drama starring Tom Hanks and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
1956:
Steve Alcorn, an engineer, inventor, author and teacher best known for his involvement in the theme park industry, is born. In 1982 he joined Walt Disney Imagineering (then known as WED Enterprises) as a consultant, where he worked on the electronic systems for Epcot Center. During his two years with Imagineering he designed show control systems for The American Adventure, wrote the operating system used in the parkwide monitoring system, and became Imagineering’s first Systems Engineer. Today he is CEO of Alcorn McBride Inc, a manufacturer of
show control, audio, and video equipment that’s used in nearly all of the world’s theme parks. He is also the author of several books, including "Theme Park Design: Behind the Scenes With an Engineer" and "Building A Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot."
1966:
Disney story artist and director Stevie Wermers is born in California.
Together with Kevin Deters she co-directed the traditionally animated shorts How To Hook Up
our Home Theater (2007) and The Ballad of Nessie (2011), and the computer-animated ABC
television specials Prep & Landing (2009), Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa (2010),
and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (2011). Her credits also include Pocahontas (in between
artist: Grandmother Willow), Tarzan (story), Fantasia 2000 (story artist, story development:
Pomp and Circumstance), The Emperor's New Groove (story artist), Brother Bear (story),
Zootopia (additional story artist), and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (co-director, additional voices).
1972:
Actress, comedian, and screenwriter Gillian Vigman is born in Morristown, New Jersey. Starring in the ABC comedy Sons & Daughters (as Liz), she also appeared on such sitcoms as According to Jim and The Goldbergs.
1981:
Actor Elijah Wood is born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He played Pinocchio in the 1990 edition of You and Your... Five Senses, Huckleberry "Huck" Finn in the 1993 adventure film The Adventures of Huck Finn, and voiced Beck in the Disney XD animated series Tron: Uprising. Wood also portrayed the Artful Dodger in the 1997 television film adaptation of Oliver Twist, supplied the speaking voice of Tom Thumb in The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, and portrayed Willard Young in the 1991 Touchstone Pictures film Paradise. (Best known for his role as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Wood also voiced Mumble the Emperor penguin in Happy Feet.)
JANUARY 28
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
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