Dispatch From Disneyland
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Alexander's Ragtime Band
The history of Disneyland has always been closely tied to music. From the Disney animator's band The Firehouse Five (sometimes plus two) and the Golden Horseshoe shows, to The Mickey Mouse Club, the park has always featured great music and entertainment. There is also a long history of inviting guest performers from the likes of Louis Armstrong, the Osmonds, and more recently Barrage, to serenade guests with their unique talents.
In recent years this list has included talented local swing bands like the War Time Radio Revue and Red and the Red Hots; up and coming talent such as B*witched, Youngstown, and Nobody's Angels (all of which have their fan base, although you can't count me among them); and even tribute groups such as the wonderful Fab Four.
Yes, there is something about music at Disneyland that takes me back and lets my spirit free. From ragtime piano with Rod Miller to the slow jazz of Edwin Pleasant's solo saxophone my soul is enriched with each visit to the park.
Still there are some experiences I feel I have missed out on. I never saw the Firehouse Five. I can barely remember the Golden Horseshoe shows. I long for a ride on the Mark Twain in the evening hours with a Dixieland band playing songs that would take me back in time....
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Waiting at the dock with only wilderness ahead of you and the last outpost of civilization behind you can be a frightening proposition. You, your parents, and your little sister have packed all your worldly belongings and are preparing to migrate west in search of a new life.
Waiting to carry you away is the great sternwheeler, the Mark Twain. Its picket fence white glory is renowned up and down the river. The steam whistle that signals its approach means new supplies for farmers, new goods for the local stores (always with the latest fashions from New York), and usually a host of adventurous stories told by the brave men who serve aboard her.
You've dreamed about the day you'll get to live your own true life adventure and discover a new life out west. But first you have to travel north up the muddy Mississippi to St Louis, the departure point for every journey west, and the Mark Twain is to be your vessel.
The shiphands have finished moving your possessions on board and it's time to step over the threshold. Once the ship departs, there is no turning back. Pausing, you turn around and see behind you the familiar wooden buildings of your hometown.
There's the log cabin candy shop where you and your childhood friends hung out and sucked on jawbreakers and licorice ropes. Across the way, adjoining the general store, is the Golden Horseshoe Saloon (and sometimes Opera house). You think about all the times you snuck in with your best friend just as the Can Can dancers came on stage and marveled at the amazing Slue Foot Sue and her gals. Even though her show has moved on, you still have sweet dreams about them.
Do you leave all that behind? Your friends, memories, and familiar streets? It's a tough call. While you're pondering your choice, your little sister bumps into you and you fall together onto the first deck of the sternwheeler. Decision made.