I can identify Goofy in front of the camera, but as to the short gentleman with the leafy outfit, could that be Peter Pan? Are the dates right? I’m no expert but I have a new friend who is – Martin Turnbull, author, fan of all things Hollywood, are you out there?
The first Disney show I remember was in 1955 when he did the tour of the just about to open Disneyland. I went insane right in front of the T.V. set. Then when we went the headhunters in the Jungle Ride scared the heck out of me. I wouldn’t ride it (Or the Snow White) ride for years.
The rides turn me green and I get cranky in crowds. Someone is going to revoke my California card, but, the only part of Disneyland I like is Club 33.
To me it was a little taste of the back lots of the studios…All fakery and magic. I loved it. I still do.
I occasionally wonder what ol’ Walt would make of the Disney Channel and the tripe it produces today. Methinks he’d be less than pleased.
The “creatives” are even less in control of content now than they were under Walt – although Walt really was an animator, the people running the show now are generally “suits” who wouldn’t know narrative structure if it bit them in the kneecaps.