A traveling exhibit arrived at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum yesterday. It is about the S.S. United States, the largest and fastest luxury liner ever built in the U.S. It is a wonderful maritime exhibit for our lighthouse.
But for me it is something totally different. Having been born in 1957, I am a Mouseketeer from way back. Sunday night with the “Wonderful World of Color†(later “Wonderful World of Disneyâ€) was the best part of the week. Old Disney is where I go to relax. For some guys it might be fishing or hunting or sports, but if I even step into a Disney Store my troubles just all melt away. When I say “Old Disney†I mean before Walt Disney’s death on Dec. 15, 1966. I thrive on the history of the studios, the production art for the classic animated features, and especially the live action movies from the 1950’s and early 60’s. One of these movies is “Bon Voyage†(1962) starring Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran. A good portion of the movie was shot on board the S.S. United States. The scenes where the cast is boarding the vessel show her massive scale, and the “on deck†scenes really showcase what it would have been like to sail aboard her. It is funny that no matter where I go I can usually find evidence of the influence of this amazing American.
At least Walt was always consistent… he always did everything first class!
We miss you Walt!
P.S. Do you know what Disney movie combined live action with animation, and featured a lighthouse in the town where the story took place (I also love Disney trivia)?
