I'LL GO BACK AND FILL THIS IN (WHAT HAPPENS LEADING UP TO THIS) LATER - VERY SOON. BUT RIGHT NOW, I'M INSPIRED TO SKIP AHEAD A BIT AND WRITE ABOUT MY DISNEYLAND EXPERIENCES...

                         CAST MEMBERS ONLY

Ever since my family and I went to Disney World back in 1982, I had been all too curious about the doors that read "Cast Members Only". I wanted so badly to go through them and explore the behind-the-scenes of the park. I knew I would find it just as fascinating as the public areas of the park. The same curiosity hit me again as an adult when I finally got to to go to Disneyland for the first time - and many times after - now being a "cast member" of The Disney Company. But, since I wasn't a "Disneyland cast member", I still couldn't see what was beyond those beckoning doors. But that was soon about to change!

I went with a friend to Disneyland once again. (I couldn't get enough of the place!), and it hit me...why don't I transfer here to the park?! It would sure be a lot more fun than what I was currently doing! Yes! That was it! I made up my mind right then and there. I would do it! I would make this place part of my destiny! I took a short leave of absence and transfered to Disneyland.

I went to the office, and before I knew it, they had taken me on! Already that first day, one of the office staff said to me - without my dsaying a word - "You know, you look like Peter Pan! Unfortunately, we don't have a Peter Pan right now, but we might later. You should go for it!" That would HARDLY be the last time I would hear that throughout my years at Disneyland. I couldn't audition for ANY characters when I first arrived because the auditions weren't due for quite some time and I didn't want to wait that long to get my foot in the door here. So...what would the next best / most fun jobs be here besides character work...? Attractions! I could still deal with and entertain the public that way and thusly, keep myself entertained!

                            SPLASH MOUNTAIN

I was first put in Splash Mountain. In time, I would wind up nearly everywhere, but this was where I was to start. THis was the famous water ride that was based on "The Song Of The South" - Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, Brer Fox...these were the characters featured throughout the attraction. My first day, I was sent to explore it by walking through the attraction in order to memorize the posts. It was 6am and it was dark throughout the attraction. . It was amazing to get to walk rigt in front of all the animatronic figures as they moved and sang. Kind of creepy in a fun sort of way, too. But how many people can look back and say they've done this?! How many people get to satisfy their inner child so deeply and so often?! Well, this went on for a couple days. It was great fun, but I felt pulled toward the area of the park that was much more geared to emulate the films we all grew up on - Fantasyland.

                                FANTASYLAND

I voiced my wishes and they accomodated me, which I heard was rare for them to do. I remember the morning of my first training day. It was all quiet - no guests. It was immaculately clean. Just ahead now was the drawbridge of Sleeping Beauty's castle and the entrance to Fantasyland. I imagined the history behind this very area - the day of its opening...how everyone must have felt - the first reactions. As I heard the music to "When You Wish Upon A Star" as I walked through it, I got chills down my spine picturing the the excitement from so many years ago. And I was getting to be a part of this! I was going to be able to tell my grandchildren about it all someday.

I took to it right away. They made me dress as if I had stepped right out of the film "Pinocchio" Oh, well...it added to the "character feel". But even though I wore "Pinocchio Village" clothes, I got asked daily by kids and parents alike if I was Peter Pan - especially when I worked the "Peter Pan's Flight" attraction!! Whoa! I forgot to list all the attractions that are in Fantasyland:

"Peter Pan's Flight" (Which Is The Most Popular)

"Pinocchio's Daring Journey"

"Snow White's Sacary Adventure"

"Dumbo"

"Casey Jr."

"Alice InWonderland"

"The Tea Cups"

                                          101

The code 101 was when a Disneyland Attraction goes down...usually a technical thing...occasionally a foul upof a Cast Member, but usually a technical mishap. Guests, understandably so, did not like it when this happened. Boy is that an understatement! After awhile, I learned to use my love for entertaining the masses on the mike to calm them down. I thought, "Hey...if there was an opportune moment to rally the guests and make them laugh, it's NOW!" I told more jokes, asked more trivia questions, and just generally goofed off for all to hear. I remember once at "Peter Pan's Flight" when we went 101 once and I did this. Leads were everywhere, but did that stop me? No! In fact, I cracked THEM up, too, and I got praised for it. I remember we had to count down the ships as they got sent off with the lights on. IWe had to count them down to one on the mike so all the Cast Members at assistance station areas would know when they were coming. This one time, as I got to 10, I let my voice get "all excited" as I counted down. Once I got to "o", I shouted over the mike, "Happy New Year!", and started to sing...Huh...that's funny...I forgot how to spell the name of that song! Ol' Lang ...I do NOT remember! But you know what I'm talking about! (It was summer!). The one lead nearest me almost doubled over laughing. The guests were cracking up. Some actually starting singing WITH me! The lead, Bill, came up to me shook his head still laughing, and said, "Only YOU! You are TOO much!" Well, goofing off got the guests through it AND me through it! Didn't exactly want them to start throwing tomatoes at me or anything! There were times when we went 101, I KNEW that if they HAD tomatoes, they WOULD have thrown them! So, after a few experiences of catching the brunt of their anger and frustration, I decided I was going to do my best to make their wait so much fun that they might get disappointed when the attraction DID get back up and running!

                    My Famous Tiki Room Scare

I feel strongly compelled to share my hilarious Tiki Room scare! One of the days I was scheduled to open the Tiki Room, I was doing the usual morning routine. I checked at the Jungle Cruise station for the check-off sheet (on which I was supposed to check off that everything was in place and working properly), but it was not ready yet. So, I went back to the Tiki Room to run the show to make sure everything WAS working properly before opening it for the day for the guests. When you work the Tiki Room, you work it by yourself...one Cast Member per shift. I walked around the room watching all the birds and the tiki's do their thing. As always, I was fascinated by everything. I loved getting the chance to experience the show by myself. Some would find it creepy, but not me. I watch it and imagine what it must have been like for the Cast Members and guests experiencing it back when it was brand new. I enjoy putting myself back in time and into the minds of those lucky people....that makes me enjoy it even more.

So there I was, mezmorized and very wrapped up in my own little world watching the show when it got to the point where the lights went completely out and the thunder and lightning commences. A SECOND before that instant, I was completely alone in the room. It is not a room anyone can easily get into when the show is running. There were no guests outside yet. The park wasn't open yet. Then the room goes completely dark. Then, in the flashes of lightning, I see the shadow of the figure of a person coming right for me - arms outstretched - just a few feet from me! My heart fell right into my shoe, and I must have jumped nearly right into the ceiling! For those several seconds, I could have sworn it was a ghost of some former Cast Member or former guest that I had somehow summoned up because my mind had been so deeply in the past at the moment!

When the thunder and lightning stopped and the lights came back, it turned out to be one of the Jungle Cruise ladies come to give me the check off sheet!! She had slipped in from the back all-too-quietly at precisely the WRONG few seconds! During the moment, when I thought that lady was a ghost, I was convinced it wasn't coming up to me to "socialize"...or to "PRETEND to terrorize"! It was doing a pretty good job of the actual act! She found me backed into a wall, looking absolutely horrified!! (Ironically, I am FASCINATED by true ghost stories and had twice tried to put together a ghost hunting group, but couldn't properly promote it in the local magazines. As long as there is ONE other person with me, I have not an OUNCE of fear at all! But if something were to happen when by myself, I would be just as terrified as the next person!

Anyway, still looking somewhat horrified, I let out a sigh of relief and started laughing. I told her what her "appearance" had just done to me, and shecracked up, too. It became a true story that other Tiki and Jungle Cruise Cast Members loved to pass around....especially ME!

Another funny thing....I called the Tiki Room (affectionately) the Orgasm Room. Have you ever noticed how everything gets faster and faster and faster - the upper tikis beating the drums almost look like they are doing "something else" to themselves! The whole thing comes to this climax - where the thunder and lightning kick in....followed by a VERY large "spurt" from the fountain, and, suddenly, everything slows to a calm. It's just like an orgasm, and now, I almost SWEAR it is secretly meant, as a private inside joke of the Imagineers, to SYMBOLIZE one! Everyone I mentioned this to fully agrees and cracks up - saying they never noticed that before, but always do now!

TO BE CONTINUED VERY SOON!