Okay. There are ten of thousands of us now who can say that we once attended “Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party.” Either in its East Coast or West Coast incarnations.
And there are thousands of people who can claim that they once attended the “Little Monsters on Main Street” event. Which used to be held after-hours at “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
But how many of us can say that we actually went trick-or-treating at Disneyland with Walt Disney himself? Not once, but twice?
Only one man that I know of can claim these particular bragging rights. And that’s Jeffrey Ford, the son of the late singer, Tennessee Ernie Ford.
How did this happen? Well, you have to understand that — back in 1955 — Tennessee was at the very height of his fame. His recording of “16 Tons” was sitting at the top of the charts. And Ford’s cover of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” was also hugely popular with record buyers at this time.
Now I don’t know if it was because of Tennessee’s fame. Or maybe it was just because Walt really liked his version of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.” But either way, the Ford family got an invite to that oh-so-exclusive event: the grand opening of Disneyland.
Now I know. A lot of people refer to July 17, 1955 as “Black Sunday.” The day that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But Jeffrey Ford doesn’t remember it that way. He and his younger brother, Brion, had a really fun time at Disneyland that day.
Copyright Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, LP
In fact, Tennessee’s son looks back on July 17, 1955 with much fondness. Because this was the day that really founded the friendship between the Ford family and the Disney family. A connection that would stay strong in the years to come.
Walt so enjoyed Tennessee’s company that he would regularly invite the Ford family to come on down to Anaheim. Where they’d stay as his guests at the Disneyland Hotel, be given free passes to the theme park, sometimes even dine with Mr. Disney.
One particular Sunday morning sticks out in Jeffrey’s memory.
“We were supposed to be having lunch with Mr. Disney. In fact, he had sent a car over to the Disneyland Hotel to pick us all up. Which was then supposed to take Dad and us over to Disneyland.
But the moment we stepped out of the lobby, Dad got mobbed. We were surrounded by people who wanted autographs or to have their picture taken with Dad. And Dad — who always tried to be gracious with his fans — signed every piece of paper, posed for every picture. As we slowly tried to move toward that car that was parked at curbside.
But after five minutes of this, we really weren’t making much headway. The crowd was just too big. That’s when the door to that car opened. And who sticks his head out but Walt Disney?
You see, Mr. Disney had come over with the car himself in order to surprise my Dad. But what with the crush of the crowd, we now weren’t able to get to the car. Which is why Walt then decided to take matters into his own hands.
So Mr. Disney now wades into the crowd in order to try and rescue us. But because everyone’s focused on my Dad, no one recognizes that it’s THE Walt Disney who’s now pushing his way through that mob of people.
Copyright Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, LP
Walt finally makes his way to the center of the crowd and signals to my Dad that the car’s waiting and it’s time to go. It’s then that this breathless 18-year-old girl thrusts a Brownie camera into Mr. Disney’s hands and says: “Would you please take a picture of me with Tennessee?”
Walt says: “Okay.”
The girl aks: “Do you know how to work that camera?”
Walt then smiles and says: “Yeah, I think I know something about working a camera.”
So the girl smiles and poses with my Dad while Mr. Disney takes the picture. And my Dad. He just can’t believe that this girl hasn’t recognized who Walt Disney is. So he turns to the girl and says: “Do you know who just took your photograph? That man is the most famous camera operator in the world. He’s Walt Disney.”
The upshot is … The girl now grabs the Brownie camera away from Walt and thrusts it in my Dad’s hands. She then asks if he’d take a picture of her posing with Walt Disney. Which — of course — my Dad did.”
That’s a funny story, don’t you think? But the Ford family … They had lots of fun times at Disneyland. Where Tennessee delighted in being just your garden-variety father. Doing all the typical Daddy things like taking pictures of Jeffrey and Brion as they posed in front of various Disneyland attractions.
Copyright Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, LP
But that was pretty typical of the Ford household. In spite of Tennessee’s fame, the family worked hard to make sure that the boys had an average childhood. Which brings us back to that whole trick-or-treating-at-Disneyland thing.
Here. I’ll let Jeffrey explain:
“In 1956, my mom was concerned that — given how famous my Dad was back then — that our house was going to be mobbed. Which meant that my brother and I wouldn’t really be able to have a typical Halloween experience.
Well, my mom was telling this to Mr. Disney. And Walt says: “Well, Betty, why don’t you bring the boys down to Disneyland that night? We’ll have them go trick-or-treating inside the park.” And — from 1956 through 1959 — that’s just what we did.
Typically, we’d each be allowed to take a friend along with us. My mom would drive us down to Disneyland earlier in the day. We’d already be wearing our costumes. And once the park got dark, we’d start going door to door in the place, collecting candy.
Copyright Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, LP
And all the people who worked in the shops or at the rides would be wearing these aprons. And the pockets of the aprons would be absolutely stuffed with treats. And they’d dole out the candy to any kid who came along.
Even the costumed characters in the park would help out with the candy distribution. I remember walking through the castle and having characters handing me candy. It was a pretty magical time.
I also remember Walt joining us on at least two Halloweens at Disneyland. Once he wore a pair of Mickey Mouse ears as he trailed along with my Mom, helping her to hand out candy from this big basket that she’s brought along. Just so my Mom would also be able to hand out treats to any other kids that they’d encounter in the park.”
Of the four years that Jeffrey & Brion went to Disneyland for Halloween, perhaps the most memorable time was when they went to the park wearing authentic LA Dodger uniforms that had been personally provided to the Ford family by baseball legend Don Drysdale.
Copyright Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, LP
Those are all great stories, don’t you think? Well, Jeffery Ford — just like his Dad — is a great storyteller. Which is why I now urge you to head on over to ErnieFord.com, a website that Jeffrey rides herd on that celebrates the career and the entertainment legacy of Tennessee Ernie Ford. ErnieFord.com is well worth a visit if you’re as fond of the old “pea-picker” as I am. Here, you can flip through scrapbooks, listen to audio clips of classic Ford recordings, even purchase copies of DVD versions of the old “Tennessee Ernie Ford” TV show.
In the weeks ahead, Jeffery will be sharing even more stories about his family’s association with Walt Disney with JHM readers. But — for now — why don’t you give yourself a real Halloween treat by doing some poking around ErnieFord.com?