Disney on Parade presented in USA Sports Arenas [1969 - 1973]

Q: Before "Disney On Ice" there was "Disney On Parade," which ran from 1969 to the mid-1970s. There were many segments through the years and some Disney Legends like Ward Kimball and Bill Justice worked on it. Can you please shed a little history and some facts about "Disney On Parade"?
Richard, New York, New York

A [Dave Smith]: "Disney on Parade" was affectionately known around the company as "Disney on Wood," to differentiate it from the later "Disney on Ice." I recall attending a preview performance in Long Beach, California, shortly before I turned in my proposal for the Walt Disney Archives. The show, with lavish production numbers reminiscent of an ice show, was presented in sports arenas all around the country, beginning in Chicago on December 19, 1969. There were four versions of the show, with the last in 1973.

[Marcio Disney]

Michelle Randell and Ron Cisneros taken in 1974 in Australia. Michelle was trained by the original show's Snow White, Yvonne Green, who would later go on to take the role of Mary Poppins in the fourth and final installment of the show.

Major production numbers, like this Pinocchio number in the Snow Unit, emphasized the importance of dancers and skilled gymnasts/artisans.

Sets and props like this used in Alice in Wonderland were often painful to haul from city to city.

Photo by Dave Singha

http://www.superbeetles.com/herbie/herbie.htm

"In 1969, Walt Disney Productions produced a traveling show called, "Disney on Parade". This was an arena show that showcased the Disney characters in various production numbers and  Herbie was in it! This was the Disney Studios way of promoting their new star. Herbie was the Disney Studios first live Disney character. Meaning, Herbie wasn't an animated character drawn with ink/paint. He's a real object that Disney's amazing special effects artists created. I believe that is one of the many reasons Herbie is so popular. You don't have to go see Herbie just in a theater, you can see him in real life. I've seen children and adults get so excited when they see Herbie in person. Their faces light up with delight. The adults become kids again because they are reliving what they experienced when they first saw a Herbie movie. It's a wonderful thing to see that excitement in people. Even if you see a VW that isn't detailed like Herbie, we still refer to it as a Herbie. I mean, come on. Volkswagen is known as "The People's Car". And that's what Herbie is too."

 - By Hugh Chitwood

 Disney News Magazine - Winter Edition 1969/70 - Disney on Parade Cover

The Secret of Boyne Castle

Q: There was a Disney movie in the late '70s that was about a spy from America who was visiting a friend in England and their adventures. I would love to find out the title and see it again. Can you help?

Troy, Apple Valley, California

A [Dave Smith]: You may be remembering The Secret of Boyne Castle, a three-part television show from 1969 starring Glenn Corbett and Kurt Russell. The plot concerns an American agent trying to meet a defecting scientist in Ireland, with the Russians trying to prevent that meeting. It was repeated in 1978 under the title The Spybusters. The film is not currently available.

[Marcio Disney]

This three part Disneyland movie from 1969 runs somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 minutes! That’s something like 20 minutes longer than Citizen Kane! For a movie starring Kurt Russell as an American exchange student running around Ireland trying to avoid getting caught by Commie secret agents!


The 140 minutes includes the opening and ending credits for each individual episode as well as a “last week on Secret of Boyne Castle” recap that played before parts 2 and 3, but even if you cut out those 15 minutes or so, you’re still left with a movie that’s easily a half hour too long.

Click Here to read a great article about this movie at monsterhunter.com

This is a scene from Walt Disney's 3-part, made-for-TV feature, "The Secret of Boyne Castle". Originally shown on Disney's "Wonderful World of Color", then re-edited into a feature film for European theatrical release under the title, "Guns In The Heather". Filmed in Ireland in all of its rugged beauty with gothic castles, quaint villages and lively pubs.