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Niwel
09-20-2003, 08:50 AM
Hey all ...
I was watching TCM this week and they were showing some old "Nancy Drew" movies starring Ms. Bonita Granville. If the name strikes a chord, her husband was businessman/millionaire Jack Wrather -- original owner of the Disneyland Hotel as well as the "Lassie" tv show. So both the Bonita tower and Granville's Steakhouse are named after his wife. She later became an executive in his corporation. Something to keep in mind next time you're in the area :D

rexfarms
09-20-2003, 05:44 PM
Niwel that is acutally really interesting. Thanks for telling us all that. Keep them comming.

Morrigoon
09-20-2003, 11:58 PM
That's really cool.

Niwel
09-21-2003, 12:09 AM
I love finding out the people (or person) a place or character is named after -- especially Disney items.... So here's two more!

Hallmark showed a Disney movie today from 1975 called "One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing" starring Peter Ustinov and Helen Hayes. The name of one of the storefronts is The Reluctant Dragon!

In "Parent Trap II," the names of Sharon's boss and his wife are Walter and Lillian Elias.

Niwel
09-21-2003, 08:51 AM
Just woke up -- realized last post was slightly OT ... so here are a few more more Disneyland connections. If anyone has any more of these, feel free to add:

Westward Ho Trading Post (or Fry Cart) in Frontierland - possibly connected to "Westward Ho! The Wagons," a live-action film in the 1950s featuring several of the Mouseketeers.

Fowler's Harbor along the Rivers of America - named for Rear Admiral Joseph Fowler (Ret.) who Walt selected to build DIsneyland. He would also go one to build WDW.

Blue Bayou - As well as being one of the coolest restaurants ever, "Blue Bayou" was also segment in the 1940s animated compilation, "Make Mine Music."

rexfarms
09-21-2003, 09:56 AM
Originally posted by Niwel
Westward Ho Trading Post (or Fry Cart) in Frontierland - possibly connected to "Westward Ho! The Wagons," a live-action film in the 1950s featuring several of the Mouseketeers.

Do you know where to get this movie? I've seen segments of it at the Walt Disney's 100th Birthday celebration thing that the Acadamy put on. They talked about the backgrounds that were painted on glass and they looked really cool. The theme song was cool too. I doubt that it will be on video any time soon but does anybody suggest where I could find it? Thanks.:)

tod
09-29-2003, 08:26 AM
Originally posted by Niwel
Hey all ...
I was watching TCM this week and they were showing some old "Nancy Drew" movies starring Ms. Bonita Granville. If the name strikes a chord, her husband was businessman/millionaire Jack Wrather -- original owner of the Disneyland Hotel as well as the "Lassie" tv show. So both the Bonita tower and Granville's Steakhouse are named after his wife. She later became an executive in his corporation. Something to keep in mind next time you're in the area :D

Walt Disney and Jack Wrather were longtime friends. Walt once said to Jack, "You know, you ought to build a hotel here. We can put it right over there, by the exit, so people will see it as they're leaving and they can stay there."

"Gee, Walt," Jack said, "I don't know anything about running a hotel. You ought to get Hilton or Sheraton to do that."

"I talked to them. They aren't interested," Walt replied.

[All quotes approximate]

Walt eventually talked him into it, and the rest is history.... as is the Disneyland exit that leads to the Hotel...

--T
:fez:

UncleGDogWord
09-29-2003, 12:13 PM
Originally posted by tod

"Gee, Walt," Jack said, "I don't know anything about running a hotel. You ought to get Hilton or Sheraton to do that."

"I talked to them. They aren't interested," Walt replied.

[All quotes approximate]

Walt eventually talked him into it, and the rest is history.... as is the Disneyland exit that leads to the Hotel...

If you watch the orignal brodcast of "Dateline Disneyland" (Now on Disney DVD) they not only show Jack Wrather but also the owner of Knott's Berry Farm.