December 25: Holiday Greetings

On this Christmas Day in 1950, Walt Disney's very first television special "One Hour in Wonderland" aired on NBC-TV.
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the gang took viewers on a trip into the Hollywood magic land of Walt Disney Studios to attend a Yuletide party. Hosted by Walt himself, special guests included Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.

Learn more about "One Hour in Wonderland" (and other December 25 events in Disney history) by clicking HERE.

December 15, 1966

(1901-1966)

"I'm not Walt Disney anymore.

Walt Disney is a thing. It's grown to

become a whole different meaning than just one man."

Click HERE for more December 15 Disney history.

December 07: I Wanna Be Like You

Singer, actor, songwriter, bandleader and trumpeter Louis Prima was born in New Orleans, on this day in 1910. Best known for his hit versions of "That Old Black Magic," "Just a Gigolo," and "Jump Jive an' Wail," Prima was the voice of King Louie the orangutan for Disney's animated The Jungle Book. His distinct voice can be heard on the film's song "I Wanna Be Like You."

Click HERE for much more about Louis "The King of the Swing" Prima and December 7 Disney history.

December 01: Volume 1, Number 1

"The Disney News will take you behind the scenes for fascinating stories of people and places which make possible the kind of entertainment that you have come to expect from Walt Disney. This is Volume 1, Number 1 and we hope you like it."

With those printed words, the Disney News was first published on this day in 1965. Just 16 pages long, articles included:
Walt's cruise on the U.S. Coast Guard's training vessel, Eagle
Disneyland's new Miss Ambassador Connie Swanson
The return of Maurice Chevalier to the U.S. for his role in Monkeys Go Home!
Schedule of movie releases for 1966
New attractions that would debut in Disneyland the following year

A free benefit for members of the Magic Kingdom Club during the 1960s, the Disney News would become the Disney Magazine in 1994.

Click HERE for more December 01 Disney history.

For an in depth view of all the Disney publications, visit Tim's Disney News Archive.

November 18: Their Happiness Castle

On this day in 1957, LIFE magazine ran this full-page color advertisement for Insurance By North America. Part of an ad campaign (running since Summer 1956), it features a vacationing family of four in front of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. A nostalgic example of Disneyland's early days, travelers could actually purchase insurance at the Carefree Corner Information Center on Main Street, USA.
The ad campaign ran well into the 1960s, always featuring a happy American family standing in a different location at Disneyland.

Click HERE for more November 18 Disney history.

(Happy Birthday Mickey!)

October 28: Birth of a Character Actress

Born this day in 1902, this actress (first known for her performance in the 1935 The Bride of Frankenstein) went on to appear in a handful of Disney live-action feature films and television episodes during the 1960s.


Who was she?

Just click HERE.

October 24: Home Movie Maven

It was on this day in 1908 that Robbins Barstow was born in Vermont. An amateur filmmaker (since the age of 10) whose camera documented every aspect of his Connecticut family's life for decades, Disney fans know him best from his film Disneyland Dream.
By day Barstow was the director of professional development for the Connecticut Education Association ... but by night and in retirement he was the auteur of tenderly shot documentaries, many of them travelogues chronicling the ordinary doings of everyday people.
With more than one hundred films to his name, Barstow garnered an online following with his Disneyland Dream, first shot in the summer of 1956 and starting in 2008 - downloaded some 76,000 times.

Learn more about Robbins Barstow HERE.