They are the ones security use to check shop lifters or police use in
interrogation rooms (I know I have been watching too much TV :-) The
ghosts are in sync with the doom buggy going by and have a weak light
put on them. This allows you to see both your reflection and the ghosts
thru the mirror.
===================
16. What are some of the graveyard tombstone sayings?
Here is a complete list of WDW's Haunted Mansion tombstones, and in some
cases, which Imagineer they reference to.
RIP GOOD FRIEND GORDON now you've crossed the river jordan
RIP in memorium uncle myall HERE YOU'LL REST FOR QUITE A WHILE
(Chuck Myall - Art Director)
REST IN PEACE COUSIN HUET we all know you didn't do it
HERE RESTS WATHEL R. BENDER he rode to glory on a fender
(Wathel Rodgers - illusionist, mechanical genius)
HERE LIES GOOD OLD FRED a great big rock fell on his head
AT PEACEFUL REST LIES BROTHER CLAUDE planted here beneath this sod
(Claude Coates - Art Director, Master of Paint Effects and Lighting)
RIP MR. SEWELL the victim of a dirty duel
(Ted(?) Sewell - Engineer/Draughtsman(?))
IN MEMORY OF OUR PATRIARCH dear departed grandpa marc
(Marc Davis illustrator, idea man, funniest Imagineer)
REQUIESCAT FRANCIS XAVIER no time off for good behavior RIP
(Xavier Atencio - scriptwriter, and lyricist, Grim Grinning Ghosts
DEAR DEPARTED BROTHER DAVE he chased a bear into a cave
MASTER GRACEY LAID TO REST no mourning please at his request
(Yale Gracey - illusionist)
HERE LIES A MAN NAMED MARTIN the lights went out on this old spartan
(Bill Martin - Art Director)
One other stone has set in the area. After John Sullivan retired as
President of the Magic Kingdom, a tombstone was erected for approximately
two weeks.
Disneyland Haunted Mansion
Pet Cemetery
FREDDIE
the Bat
1847
We'll Miss You
OLD
FLYBAIT
He Croaked
August 9
1869
ROSIE
She was a poor little
Pig but she bought
the Farm
1849
BUDDY
OUR
FRIEND
UNTIL
THE END
Beloved Lilac
Long on Curiosity...
Short on
Common Scents
1847
There is a cat surrounded by little mouse grave markers.
One that says "Fi Fi"
Those below are found on the red brick wall.
In Memory My Rat
Whom I Loved
Now He Resides
in the Realms Up Above
Here
lies
Long Legged
Jeb
Got tangled
up in his
very own web
October 10
1867
(long snakey grave marker)
Here lies my snake who's fatal mistake was frightening the gardener who
carried a rake
July 11
1864
Over on the wall near the railroad:
Theo Later
U.R. Gone
Ray N. Carnation
Dustin T. Dust
Lev Itation
G.I. Miss You
I Trudy Departed
Rust in Peece
I.L. Beback
M.T. Tomb
===================
17. Was the pet graveyard moved?
No, copied!
Actually the old graveyard was not moved or changed, you can still see it
if you take the wheelchair entrance into the Foyer, see for yourself!.
They did pull molds off some of the animals to create a new graveyard out
front. This is just one of many "Show Enhancements" that Show Quality
Imagineers (like Kim Irvine) are continually doing. Like the Little
Mermaid and Aladdin scenes in Storybook, the Apple and Book in front of
Snow White, Music in New Orleans Square, penny pressing elephant and
Shrunken Ned in Adventureland Bazaar.
===================
18. Did the HM recently celebrates its 25th Anniversary?
On a hot Tuesday, August 9, Disneyland celebrated the 25th Anniversary
of the Haunted Mansion opening. The day started with Veteran Imagineers
"X" Atencio, John Hench, Sam McKim, Bill Justice, as well as current
Imagineers Dave Mumford, Russell Brower, and Archivist Dave Smith being
escorted to chairs set up in front of the Mansion gates.
The gates were closed and shrouded in spider webs and drapery. Dead
leaves were scattered in front and several big oval signs declared the
event. The Make-Believe-Brass was costumed in Mansion Host green butler
garb and began to play some dirgefull tunes. An "Undertaker"-looking
M.C. took the podium and proceeded thru some ghoulish pater with 2 cutsie
Mansion Maids. The Undertaker introduced "X" Atencio, who talked
briefly about designing and building the Mansion. The Undertaker then
brought out Mickey in a snappy tux. Mickey and the Undertaker opened the
locked gates and invited all to join them in a ride thru the Mansion.
I sat with "X", Sam and John as they reminisced about the early days,
the changes, the old stories. Moments of pure gold for me!
===================
19. Was there a CM in a suit of armor that walked around the HM?
Yes.
In 1986, a live person walked around the HM. He was in the area between
the coffin and Madam Leota's room. It was a great effect but one, it was
not cost effective and two, people were hitting and doing other things
to the CM and three, guest complaints. The CM had a remote to stop the
ride when this happened and it became such a problem it was discontinued.
===================
20. Can I get a copy of the music from the Haunted Mansion and where was it
recorded?
There are a few Haunted Mansion records out there. The best by far, is
ST3947, an LP w/ 12 page book. It features Thurl Ravenscroft as the narrator
Pete Rendouet as the Ghost Host, and Ron Howard as a teenager who (along with
his girlfriend) are forced to spend a night in the Haunted Mansion. This does
not have an orange cover though, it is blueish, with lots of ghosts and the
mansion on it. One big plus about this album is you get to hear Madame
Leota's complete poem.
The only thing you will find on CD is the Haunted Mansion song "Grim Grinning
Ghosts". It's on various Disney CDs.
DQ1257 Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of a Haunted House
1964 Disneyland Records Format: LP
ST3947 The Haunted Mansion
1969 Disneyland Records Format: LP, gatefold cover, 12 page book
(featuring Thurl Ravenscroft and Ron Howard)
LLP339 Walt Disney presents The Haunted Mansion
19?? Disneyland Records Format: 45 and book
Also, a couple of possibly interesting bits of info: According to Russell
Brower, Buddy Baker told him that the actual pipe organ used for the
recording of the HM music was located at MCA Whitney studios in Glendale,
CA (right around the corner from WED) but the building is now gone. (Russell
remembers seeing it once, but did not know at the time it was THE organ
:( ....) It was a huge theater organ with lots of stops and effects. Buddy
Baker went on to say that the Grand Hall organ solo (ballroom) was an
improvisation, and he told the organist to get wilder and wilder with it
each time he played it.
===================
21. What was upgraded during the Sept 1995 rehab?
Loren Wilton (lwilton@BIX.com) wrote:
The seance table was changed to float about 2 (or maybe more) years ago
when the head was changed from a front film projection to an internal video
projector. That was the same time Little Leota turned very green, when
they replaced her film projector with a video projector too. However, I
think the table has been broken for at least a year now.
Thankfully they have redone the LL video to change her face back to more
natural colors, which really does play better in that scene. As others
have mentioned, they also added long while hair, that practically forms
a bridal veil for her.
A non-inclusive list of the things I noticed being changed (and NOT changed)
when I went thru once a few days ago:
The new old hearse on the walkway outside. (Which according to
the CM newletter, carried Brigham Young)
The bunny graveyard is the same from the previous refurb.
A missing light fixture by the East door of the house.
Possibly new (and more appropriate!) wallpaper in the foyer.
(Much better than the last wallpaper, but still not as good as the
original custom flocked wallpaper.)
The scrim at the top of the elevator has been repainted. Not as good
as the original scrim; VASTLY better done than the previous attempt.
Newly done streching paintings on the walls.
The obvious sound system improvements.
Possibly a new wig on the corpse?
I did not see any sign that the corpse *physically* starts to fall just
before the lights cut, but since I was right under it I could have
missed this.
The screens for the paintings in the hall have been redone. I wish
though they would go back to the original effect where the paintings
*flashed* from new to old each time the lightning struck outside the
windows!
The path right at the enterance to the loading belt has been redone
slightly to make it wider and possibly easier for people to get on.
The collector rails and brushes for the doombuggy audio have been
refurbished, and the tracks have probably been moved to digital
repeaters from the old carts. I couldn't tell if the amps had been
replaced or not.
Not all of the cars have been sufficiently refurbished; of the three
speakers in the car I had, the right one was dead.
The audio tracks for the first segments up to the ballroom have been
remastered and probably moved to digital repeaters. I suspect that
the speakers in the doors have also been replaced.
There are no substantive changes up to the start of the ballroom.
Everything you see in those sequences was there before from the last
refurb; it has just been made to work again.
The audio in the seance room has been rebalanced slightly in favor of
some of the instruments. Probably new speakers and remastered tracks.
The first major change is the audio in the ballroom. I don't know if
the low voices at the start of the scene were there before, and have
now been turned up to the place where thay can be heard; or if they
have been added. Certainly I never remember hearing them before, and
many of the tracks have been rebalanced.
I don't recall any changed animation in the ballroom other than the
outfit on the organist.
Most of the attic animation is the same as it was. Added is the piano
(or is it a harpsichord? I forget) with the phantom player, and the
bride is finally an impressive and appropriate character. (I had
always before felt that she was totally inapproprate and out of place,
ever since they added her in 15 years back or so).
The popups have been redressed slightly, as has much of the attic itself.
The attic audio has been completely redone. *Very* *well*.
Nothing changed on the exit to the graveyard.
The dog still doesn't shivver like it used to, nor did I hear it whining.
The gravedigger's knees are knocking again. I don't recall if he was
following the cars with a startled expression as he originally did.
Only one owl on the branch over the jazz group.
More wigs; more veils.
Rebalanced (possibly *un*balanced) audio on the quartet.
Many audio levels changed and the sound cleaned up. I couldn't recall
if there were any added or changed tracks.
Nothing different on the playoff.
Little Leota now has long white hair and isn't green anymore!
From: stevez@rhythm.com (Steve Ziolkowski)
Just returned from a routine trip to Disneyland and I was amazed
by what I saw. It's only been two weeks since the last time
I was there, and the folks at Disney have truly outdone
themselves.
There is an old hearse out front which has a harness that appears to
be on a horse, but you can't see the horse. Neat.
In the gallery, (the stretching room) they have put up a new ceiling
that looks really great. It doesn't sag, or bunch like it
used to, and the paintjob on it is really convincing. (A tad
light in value, compared to the rest of the ceiling, but hey.
it's ok!) They also replaced the sound system, and used the
descent dialog from the Mansion in Florida. When the lightning
and thunder go off, you can feel it in your guts, and the
falling body screams so she gets louder as she falls. WOW!
The queue has been expanded where you walk on to the moving platform to
board your vehicles, there is now enough space for two to walk
abreast, instead of one, like it was before. This is great
as well.
They now use the *entire* recorded dialogue, instead of the abridged
version, including the quip about Madame Leota having a
remarkable head for materialising the disembodied... COOL!
But the best thing, better than anything else, is the attic scene.
They got rid of all those annoying and cheesey heads and
bodies popping out of various bric-a-brac in there (don't worry,
there are some left) and replaced it with an amazing scene
of a shadow playing a depressing wedding march on an old,
semi-destroyed piano. Unlike the shadows in Phantom Manor
and Florida, however, which uses a silly looking cardboard cutout
placed directly over the piano, they used what appears to be
a video projector that shows a live action person dressed up
who actually hits the notes correctly! It's a three quarter
view which adds to the realism! UNBELIEVABLE! AND that's
not all! The bride now looks really scarey. Her hair is white
and she looks really unhappy and dead, and there is
wind blowing and every now and then this voice intones...
"I DO".
===================
22. Are their web pages with pictures from all the differant HM's?
Yes! Steve Ziolkowski has put together two great web pages at:
http://www.rhythm.com/~stevez/hauntedMansion.html
http://www.rhythm.com/~stevez/phantomManor.html
And Kevin Anderson has:
http://www.erinet.com/nitebrdr/parks/attractions/mansion/haunted.html
