1955 Disneyland Expense Authorization Davy Crockett Museum Wax Figures Stuberghs

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1955 Disneyland Expense Authorization Davy Crockett Museum Wax Figures Stuberghs:
$795.00

1955 Disneyland Expense Authorization Davy Crockett Museum Wax Figures Stuberghs Product Description

\"SATURDAY\'S TOYS Presents...\"from a collection of rarepre-opening documents to emergefrom Disneyland\'s historic beginnings.... dated May 9, 1955 (just over two months prior to the grand opening and dedication).

Features an original typed carbon document; 8.5\" x 11\"; representing expenditure authorization (E.A. 239) for Frontierland\'s \"Davy Crockett Museum.\" The document provided for creation of the two iconic wax figures of Davy Crockett and George \"Georgie\" Russell (in the likeness of Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen); as ordered from Stubergh\'s in Los Angeles, California. In the early days of Disneyland\'s operation, these wax figures were the central attraction at a photo exhibit inside the Davy Crockett Museum (shown below for illustration only; not included with sale). The museum exhibit also featured a firearms display on loan from the National Rifle Association.

As a third generation wax sculptor, Katherine Marie Stubergh (1911 - 1996) was well known as America\'s foremost talent in creating exact likenesses of Hollywood\'s most notable personalities as well as of world political leaders. As such, she was the logical choice for the team responsible for the development of Disneyland\'s exhibits and attractions.

The Stuberghs\' studio is noted on the document as located at 3680 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles (original building demolished in the early 1990\'s). The two wax figures (without costumes) were estimated at $832.00.

Account to be charged for this expense was 3606-502 (3606 was for Frontierland; 3605 for Fantasyland; 3503 for Tomorrowland, etc.)

While there is no reference to the person requesting the authorization, it was undoubtedly requested by George Whitney, Jr. the Disneyland manager with the most experience in amusement enterprises of this type. The lack of signatures is not unusual in this case, in that this represents the file copy of the document that would have been circulated for approval among key Disneyland personnel, including Joe Fowler, Dick Irvine and C.V. Wood. The whereabouts of the signed copy is not known and is believed to have been discarded decades ago.

George K. Whitney Jr. (1922 - 2002)was an experienced amusement park operator. His family owned and operated San Francisco attractionssuch asWhitney\'s Playland and the Cliff House. His father, George Whitney, Sr. created the world famous ice cream treat, \"It\'s It\" at the San Francisco amusement park, \"Playland at the Beach\" in 1928. Decades later, after providing Walt Disney with an extensive orientation on the operation of Playland, George Jr. was hired as the Disneyland Director of Ride Operations from 1954 thru 1958. He was the only amusement industry hire that Walt would depend on for advice and counsel in planning throughout the creation of Disneyland.

Includes signed Certificate of Authenticity from Saturday\'s Toys and Disneyana sales

(additional images for illustration only; not included with sale)

Two-hole punched at center of top margin; adjacent to the Disneyland, Inc. \"Form 10-07\". Document is the typed original carbon. Charged to Disneyland account number 3606-502; and reflects Expenditure Authorization #239.

This document was initially held by Disneyland\'s first generation of managers; then through a subsequent \"Magic Mountain\" storybook Victorian shopping and entertainment development near Denver, Colorado (most recently known as Heritage Square; since closed); untilthe document\'sfinal destination at the $4 million dollarresort designation called \"Pleasure Island\" near Boston in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

For the past several decades, the document was preserved within the personal archives of Pleasure Island\'s founder and publisher of \"Child Life\" magazine, William S. Hawkes (Nov 12, 1921- Apr 7, 2007). While he would resign from that park\'s leadership team after only one year, he maintained a life-long interest inthe park\'sunique placein theme park history.

Upon leaving Disneyland\'s employment in 1956, the park\'s first vice president and general manager, C.V. Wood, establishedMarco Engineering and committed to a string of theme park developments includingthe \"Magic Mountain\" theme park near Golden, Colorado. Along with former Hollywood studio art directors and WED Enterprises / Disneyland designers Wade Rubottom, Dick Kelsey and others... they would bring their accumulated experience (and work product)from Disneyland in hopes of establishing the same formula elsewhere within the United States. C.V. Wood would later contribute to the development of Freedomland, Six Flags Over Texas, and Lake Havasu City (including relocation and construction of England\'s own \"London Bridge\") and Australia\'s Warner Bros. Movie World.

The history of America\'s 20th century theme parks was significantly influenced by the form and function of Disneyland\'s operation... but without the creative andguidinginfluence of Walt Disney, along withthe necessary capital to survive their parks\' infant years, many of these parkswould eventually slipfrom view.

Disneyland\'s story, however,survives (and thrives)as the North Star of theme park development. Only a few of Disneyland\'s originating documents survive in the public arena; and the documentrepresented here is among the rarest to surface in recent years.

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