Today we take a look at pieces of Rolly Crump's Museum of the Weird that are still inside the Haunted Mansion. Inspired by Rolly's sketch of a plant man for the Museum of the Weird, are the faces Claude Coats came up with for the final design of the wallpaper, still used in the Mansion to this day. The chair to the left of the Endless hallway scene, obscured by darkness but is another hidden face. This chair is a reference to the Living Chair that was going to be featured in the Museum of the Weird. It was actually going to be an animatronic and would speak to people as they walked past it or tried to sit on him. The demon clock is the most obvious of Rolly Crump's created face within the entire attraction. The point of the clock is for it to look like a demon which is why it's called the demon clock. It's not really hidden, but it is a face on an inanimate object that did stem from the Museum of the Weird. Here is the earliest form that the demon clock takes in this concept art and a piece known as the grandfather coffin clock. In this image, from the TV special, Walt is showing off the concepts for the Haunted Mansion. Rolly holds a slightly different version of the clock, it's more of a zombie ghoul head. Other things meant for the Museum of the Weird pictured below includes the candle man and the chair. When we fall, or are pushed out of the attic window, we arrive at the graveyard scene. But before we go too deep into it, just above you at the gates next to the caretaker, there's a face peering out at you from the darkness. And let's take notice of the amazing wall sconces as you exit back to New Orleans Square.
Let's explore the story of Captain Gore the first resident of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion. After the World's Fair had concluded Walt Disney had a pretty good idea that he wanted to do something New Orleans related with the old mansion that they had built on the riverside. The Mansion had already been here for years years and they still didn't have an idea of what they were doing. Ken Anderson and a group of Walt Disney imagineers were tasked to go to New Orleans to figure out what the local stories and legends were to bring back home Disneyland. Who Is Captain Gore? It wouldn't stay this way forever, but for a while imagineer Ken Anderson was in charge of creating the backstory for the Haunted Mansion. He wouldn't be the imagineering team that would finish it but he was where it started and some of the original pieces and storylines that he crafted are still a part of the Mansion over 50 years later! Off of the side of New Orleans Square not too far away from the Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt wanted to build a house for a famous pirate Bartholomew Roberts AKA black Bart and he wanted it to be a home that had a legend or rumor that it was haunted by the wickedness of its owner. However Ken Anderson thought Bartholomew Roberts just was too plain of a name so he came up with the idea of Bartholomew Gore AKA Captain Gore who as Legend would have it would be the cruelest meanest pirate to ever sail. This would begin in the relationship between the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean because after all it would be a pirate Captain Gore there would be the resident of Walt's Haunted Mansion. Let's look at Ken Anderson's best version of the story. Captain Gore dreamed of retiring and he wouldn't retire to this quiet Seaside Community where he could maybe escape from being a fearsome pirate and just live out the rest of his years as a regular guy. He changed his name, moved to the seaside community and created a new identity and he funded it all with the blood money that he had made as a pirate. After he turned himself into a respectful Citizen and purchased a house, having it built perfectly positioned on the river's edge. The mansion had a sailing ship as a weather vein, a spy glass on the balcony and an attic full of all kinds of treasures. Captain Gore wanted to bring on a young bride so she could bear him lots of children and he could live out the rest of his life not like a pirate but like a normal man. In an attempt to make his life feel more complete he took on a young bride by the name of Priscilla and he would share with her his wealth and beautiful mansion all based on one small agreement. She was never to step into his attic! This was the only part of the mansion that was off limits. Of course the bride on her wedding day, in her wedding dress was far too curious and she went into the attic. She opened up a large chest and inside she found all of Captain Gore's secrets. She learned that he was a bloodthirsty pirate! Once Gore had realized that she had betrayed his wishes, he fell into a rage, lost his mind and she lost her life. He threw her out the window. When we go through the attic scene our doom buggy turns as we are falling out of the attic just like Priscilla his bride fell out the window. She however got revenge on him, haunting him until he lost his mind and eventually he hung himself. As the attraction begins, the man hanging in the stretching room from the rafters is Captain Gore the original resident of the Haunted Mansion. And we hear that woman scream that's Priscilla laughing and shrieking knowing that she finally got revenge on the man that killed her. The man that threw her out of the window of the Haunted Mansion.
More Pirates of the Caribbean discoveries inside of the Haunted Mansion include Mark Davis character sketches. He based the auctioneer off of the idea of Captain Gore. Also when you go through the ballroom scene in The Haunted Mansion that same animatronic comes out through the graveyard and is chased by a bride. The fact that that character is in both Pirates and in the Haunted Mansion means that Captain Gore truly was the original resident of the Haunted Mansion. Constance Hatchaway was a beautiful woman born in Money County, California supposedly in the year 1851. By 1869, an 18-year-old Constance had moved to Secret County, California where she became engaged to a young farming-heir named Ambrose Harper. Not long into their marriage, the teenage Constance murdered Ambrose with a hatchet via decapitation. Being Harper's wife, she inherited much of his estate while also keeping his severed head within a hatbox as a twisted souvenir. The murder of Ambrose Harper was the first instance of Constance's modus operandi as a serial killer. Constance would target wealthy men and murder them with her hatchet before stuffing their heads inside of hatboxes as trophies. Through this habit, Constance would garner more and more wealth and status. An apparent affiliate of hers, at some point in her criminal career, was a man of unknown identity who came into possession of her hatboxes at some point in time. Constance's next victim came in 1872 in the form of Frank Banks, an eastern banker, and community pillar. Two years later, Constance married the foreign diplomat and Chinese military officer the Marquis de Doome and in doing so presumably became the Marchioness de Doome herself. A year later she married celebrated railroad baron, gambler, and world-renowned gourmand, Reginald Caine. All of these husbands would fall to her blade and have their belongings and heads become part of Hatchaway's collection. In 1877, the now 26-year-old Constance married one George Hightower of the wealthy Hightower family. By this time, Constance had left California and went on to move into a grand manor which George came into possession of. This manor was however haunted by many spirits and deemed, "The Haunted Mansion" by locals. Regardless, Constance used the mansion's attic to hide away her many incriminating belongings.
Disneyland is expanding the grounds of the Haunted Mansion adding handicap accessibility. Renovation plans include a new garden, a new gift shop near the attraction's exit and an upgraded plaza for live entertainment. According to the Disney Parks Blog: “In 2024, the additions will build on the story and lore of the Haunted Mansion and include an expanded outdoor queue to immerse guests in enhanced theming, as well as a new retail shop adjacent to the attraction’s exit. Local legend suggests the manor known today as the Haunted Mansion was first built by a prosperous sea captain. To this day, the mansion’s staff faithfully maintains the happy haunting grounds. The expanded queue will tie into these stories and more, including new gardens inspired by Master Gracey, Madame Leota and the one-eyed cat.” "Each of the gardens will feature unique elements ranging from a water fountain and gazebo to themed statuary and landscaping,” Disney said. “In fact, guests will be able to see a new greenhouse where the groundskeepers for the Haunted Mansion grow their plants. The pet cemetery and horse-drawn funeral hearse will continue to reside on the attraction’s grounds.” "And about Madame Leota, we felt it was time to continue her presence beyond the walls of the Haunted Mansion with an all-new retail shop. This carriage house of the mansion, belonging to Leota, will be a standalone shop that we are just ‘dying’ to tell you more about in the future.” Walt Disney Imagineers will make “enhancements” to the plaza adjacent to the all-new Tiana’s Palace restaurant, further expanding New Orleans Square. Bu what does this mean for the beautiful Magnolia Park? Well it will change drastically as half of it will be used for the queue line of the Haunted Mansion. It simply will not look the same and this is very sad. Madame Leota's Wagon has been outside the exit of the attraction for quite some time and you can read about it in a PREVIOUS POST.
Ever wonder how Disney managed to create real see-through animatronics for the Haunted Mansion attraction? Most of the special effects in that ghoulishly delightful attraction were pulled off using old vaudeville illusions.
In the case of the translucent specters, Imagineers turned to a classic magic trick known as Pepper’s Ghost. A giant pane of glass is placed between the audience and the stage. A light is shined on an unseen object (for example, an animatronic). And if the angle is set just right, a translucent reflection of said object should be clearly visible to your astounded object. The largest current usage of the Pepper’s Ghost illusion is in fact in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion, where a pane of glass 90 feet long and 30 tall separates your Doom Buggy from the reflection of over 12 animatronics hidden in a secret room beneath the track on which you travel. |
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