2002:
Mannheim Steamroller make their Disney World debut at Epcot - as part of the Flower Power Concert Series. They perform at the America Gardens Theatre. (In 1999 Mannheim Steamroller released Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse, a unique collection of well-known Disney tunes).
"Walt Disney loved America because his dreams came true ... The entire world owes Walt a great debt. He achieved much, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment is that he made children of us all."
-Bob Hope
1904:
Don Brodie, the voice of the Carnival Barker in the 1940 Disney classic
Pinocchio, is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A veteran actor and director of more than 250 film and television productions, he played bit parts like the gasoline attendant in Disney's 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain. Brodie also
portrayed the "Old Hag" for Disney animators working on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
1903:
Legendary comedian, actor and entertainer Bob Hope is born in London, England.
(His family immigrated to the U.S. in 1908 and settled in Ohio.) Hope's first of many connections to Disney was in
1939 when he presented the Short Subject Award and personally handed Walt the Oscar for Ferdinand the Bull.
In 1965 Hope appeared on the television special Jack Benny Visits Walt Disney,
and in 1971 took part in NBC-TV's Grand Opening of Walt Disney World. Hope
was at the Walt Disney World Tencennial in 1981 where he helped lead a
thousand piece marching band and eight years later spoke at the ribbon
cutting for Disney-MGM Studios dedication. He also left his hand prints in the
cement of the forecourt of The Great Movie Ride. Hope later was a guest on
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of WDW and in 1999 participated in the very
first Disneyland Christmas lighting ceremony (one of his last official
appearances). Bwana Bob's a small, freestanding store in Walt Disney World's
Adventureland (originally called the Adventureland Kiosk) is actually a tribute to
him! With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than
70 short and feature films. Between 1941 and 1991, Hope made 57 tours for the United Service Organizations (USO), entertaining active duty U.S. military personnel around the world. Leslie Townes Hope passed at age 100 in 2003.
"This is the biggest vacation-entertainment complex in the world. And to think it all started
with a gentle mouse, a bad-tempered duck and seven mixed-up dwarfs. It's a fantastic achievement. They took a swamp and
turned it into a Magic Kingdom. It wasn't easy. Have you ever tried to relocate 8,000 angry alligators?" -Bob Hope (1971)
1906:
Author Terence Hanbury White (also known as T. H. White) is born in Bombay,
India. One of his most memorable stories "The Sword in the Stone" (a 1938 fantasy of the boyhood of King Arthur) was the inspiration for Disney's 1963 animated feature The Sword in the Stone.
1937:
Disney's Donald Duck short Modern Inventions, directed by Jack King, is released.
Donald (voiced by Clarence Nash) visits "The Museum of Modern Marvels," and experiences various futuristic electronic appliances and inventions. This short is Donald's first solo appearance and the
first time he exhibits his trademark fist-shaking temper tantrum!
1953:
Composer Danny Elfman is born in Amarillo, Texas. His unique music can be
heard in such Disney/Touchstone films as the 2010 Alice in Wonderland, the 2007 Meet the Robinsons, the
1997 Flubber, the 1993 Nightmare Before Christmas, and the 1990 Dick Tracy.
(As a singer-songwriter, Elfman led the rock band Oingo Boingo from 1978 until its breakup in 1995.)
1957:
The Disneyland television series airs "The Liberty Story" (essentially a promotional film for the upcoming Disney theatrical release Johnny Tremain).
1959:
The television series Walt Disney Presents airs the episode "I Captured the King of the Leprechauns." It features Walt Disney himself throughout the entire program, playing a rare starring role
along with actor Pat O'Brien.
Actor, writer and singer Rupert Everett is born in Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk, England.
His Disney credits include Inspector Gadget and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
1963:
Actress Lisa Whelchel, a member of the 1977-1978 TV series The New Mouseketeers (and the 70's sitcom Facts of Life) is born in Texas.
1973:
Carl Barks - Disney Studio illustrator & creator of
Donald Duck comic books - states:
"The thing that I consider most important about my work is this: I told it
like it is. I told my readers that the bad guys have a little of good in them,
and the good guys have a lot of bad in them, and that you can't depend
on anything much; nothing is always going to turn out roses."
1989:
The Disney Channel airs the 26th episode of MMC. Today is Music Day!
1991:
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 100-millionth guest!
2000:
Singer Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night) brings his Joy To The World
2000 tour to the Walt Disney World Resort for three days.
2006:
Today is Memorial Day.
The Disneyland Resort hosts the premiere of Disney/Pixar's Cars.
1928:
A gag meeting for the second Mickey Mouse short is held at Walt Disney's house. Walt tells Wilfred Jackson and other members of his staff the idea of producing a sound cartoon.
Grauman's Chinese Theater - the
replica that has been standing in
Disney's Hollywood Studios since
opening day, was built from the
original blueprints of the real
thing in Hollywood. The copy is
so good that the owners of the
original theater asked Disney to
borrow molds and other
fabrication tools to be used in the restoration of the real theater.
1917:
John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth United States President, is born in
Brookline, Massachusetts. The youngest elected to office, at the age of 43,
events during JFK's administration include the Space Race. One of the 10 wealthiest U.S.
Presidents, visit him and all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney World's The Hall of Presidents.
2008:
Disney and NASA announce that Buzz Lightyear (the Disney/Pixar character) will
visit space for real when he becomes part of Discovery's crew on May 31. Lightyear is
scheduled to take to space on Discovery’s STS-124 mission stowed inside a locker in the space shuttle's crew
compartment. The toy astronaut will mark an educational partnership between NASA and Disney.
Versatile Emmy-winning comic actor Harvey Korman, best known for his funny
contributions to TV's "The Carol Burnett Show," passes away in Los Angeles,
California at age 81. His Disney credits include voice work for Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, the
1980 feature film Herbie Goes Bananas, the 1965 television episodes of The Adventures of Gallegher, and an
uncredited role in the 1963 Son of Flubber. He also appeared in the Disney Channel film Gone Are the Dayes
and was cast in the 1989 short-lived Mel Brooks' Touchstone/Disney sitcom The Nutt House. (Korman
appeared in many of Brooks' films such as Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety.) Cartoon fans know Korman as
the voice of the The Great Gazoo on countless episodes of The Flintstones during the 1960s.
"He always made it real, always made it work." -Mel Brooks
1984:
Actress, singer, and dancer Kaycee Stroh is born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fans of all
3 High School Musical films know her as Martha Cox. She also had a recurring role
in the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody as Leslie.
Illustrator, muralist, writer, and director Aurelius Battaglia passes away at age 74 in Massachusetts. Starting work at Disney on January 6, 1937 as an in-betweener, he soon moved to the Story Department, where he worked as a sketch man contributing ideas to Dumbo, Fantasia, and Pinocchio.
1998:
Mulan merchandise debuts in Disney Stores. (The film will premiere June 5.)
MAY 29
Bob Hope born
 | ||||
2009:
Disney's interactive 40-city train tour, to promote the upcoming movie Disney's A
Christmas Carol, pulls into Williams Depot in Arizona for 3 days. The free traveling experience
includes a 3D sneak peek of the film (to be released in November), carolers, decorations, authentic artifacts (on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum of London) and giveaways.
Thousands of fans turn out at Disney's Hollywood Studios to see singer
Kris Allen celebrate his crowning achievement as the new American Idol.
The 23-year-old singer from Conway, Arkansas takes part in a party-filled procession through
the Florida theme park followed by an appearance at the American Idol attraction.
On the same day, Disney's Hollywood Studios hosts the second Star Wars Weekends
of the 2009 season. Celebrity guests include Peter Mayhew and Matthew Wood.
Disney/Pixar's Up is generally released in North America. Directed by
Pete Docter (of Monsters, Inc. fame), Up features the voices of Edward Asner as Carl
Fredricksen, Christopher Plummer as the villainous Charles F. Muntz, animator
Bob Peterson as Dug a golden retriever, and young Jordan Nagai as Russell.
Docter himself voices Kevin, the "Beast of Paradise Falls." A 78-year-old balloon
salesman named Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house, so he may fly away
to the South American wilderness. But his worst nightmare comes true when he
discovers a little boy named Russell is a stowaway aboard his balloon-powered house!
Up features a musical score by Michael Giacchino (his third Pixar film). It is Pixar's
first film to be presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film will win two Academy
Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and will be nominated for three more,
including Best Picture, making it the second animated film in history to
receive such a nomination, following Beauty and the Beast (1991).
Included is the very first teaser trailer for Toy Story 3 (to be released in June 2010.)
Playing in front of Up is the Pixar CGI animated short film Partly Cloudy. Gus,
a lonely and insecure gray cloud, sculpts dangerous babies to be delivered by Peck,
his stork partner. As Gus' creations become more and more rambunctious, Peck has to
figure out a way to handle his cargo and his friend's bad temperament.
Cars premieres
1941:
Disney animator Eric Larson arrives at work to discover his wing of the Disney Studio empty! Some 300-plus employees are outside on a picket line participating in a labor strike against the studio.
The strikers are mostly assistant animators, inkers, and painters who want union representation, higher wages,
and job security. None of the animators who are Walt's Nine Old Men - which include Larson - join the strikers.
Disney is in the midst of production on Dumbo. (The strike will last for 5 weeks.)
SEASON 3 EPISODE 25
| ||||
MAY 29
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
1961:
Singer-songwriter and musician Melissa Etheridge is born in Leavenworth, Kansas.
She contributed 3 songs to Disney's Brother Bear 2 soundtrack in 2006 - "Welcome To This Day," "Feels Like Home"
(with Josh Kelley), and "It Will Be Me". (A Grammy and Academy Award-winner, Etheridge has sold
over 27 million albums worldwide.)
Hope (left) with Walt Disney
2011:
A new immersive water play area opens at the newly enhanced Disneyland Hotel. The centerpiece of the improved pool area reflects Disneyland's nostalgic iconography with a
classic Disneyland block signage and monorail replica.
MAY
Comedian Bob Hope spoke at the ribbon cutting and dedication of Disney-MGM Studios (along with George Burns) in 1989. Both men's handprints are in
the cement in the forecourt of the Great Movie Ride. Hope was also on hand for the theme park's groundbreaking back in March 1985. He was no stranger
to the Florida resort ... in October 1971 Hope took part in Walt Disney World's 3-day opening festivities.
| ||||
Photo by Bernie at Disney.Rocket9.net
May 29
1992:
The musical comedy Sister Act is released by Touchstone Pictures. The film stars Whoopi
Goldberg as a lounge singer named Deloris Van Cartier who is forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness
protection program. Directed by Emile Ardolino, the cast includes Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary
Wickes, and Harvey Keitel.
2017:
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S.A.
The 2017 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival ends.
1912:
Actress & dancer Iris Adrian is born in Los Angeles, California. Best known for her work as a character actress, her Disney film credits include That Darn Cat! (1965) as Landlady, The Love Bug (1968) as Carhop, The Barefoot Executive (1971) as Woman Shopper, Scandalous John (1971) as Mavis, The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) as Poker Patty, No Deposit, No Return (1976) as Housewife, Gus (1976) as Fan's Wife, The Shaggy D.A. (1976) as Manageress, Freaky Friday (1976) as Bus Passenger, and Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) as Loud American Wife.
2018:
Disney-Pixar's animated Coco starts streaming on Netflix.
2019:
Billy Dee Williams, George Lucas, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill attend the pre-opening launch event for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland. The new land will be dedicated and
open to the public the following day.
2021:
Actor Gavin MacLeod passes away at age 90 in California. Best known from The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977) as Murray Slaughter, he also starred on ABC's The Love Boat (1977–1986), in which he was cast as Merrill Stubing, the ship’s captain. Featured in over 20 films during his career such as The Sand Pebbles and Kelley's Heroes, MacLeod also appeared in episodes of such television shows as McHale's Navy, The King of Queens, and That '70s Show. In 2009 he appeared on 2 episodes of Disney Channel's The Suite Life on Deck as Mr. Barker.
2023:
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S.A.
