With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Art Show Revisits The Lost Disney Attraction, 'Museum Of The Weird'
This weekend a Burbank gallery will be paying tribute to a spooky, yet whimsical Disney attraction that never came to be. This Saturday, Creature Features is hosting an art show curated by Rebecca Lord and Ken Daly featuring work from about 60 artists inspired by a lost Disney Attraction, 'Museum of the Weird.' The attraction's imagineer and designer Rolly Crump will be in attendance at the opening reception, signing copies of his biography It's Kind of A Cute Story, with co-author Jeff Heimbuch.
Back in the '60s, Disney imagineers were working on concepts for The Haunted Mansion, and two of these artists were Rolly Crump and Yale Gracey.
"Rolly was was the imagineer who was the sort of beatnik who came up with all these crazy ideas," Lord said.
When Walt Disney saw Crump's designs, he asked Crump about them. Crump showed them to the team—a talking chair, a lizard with bells on his tails, two-headed dragons—but the rest of the crew wasn't on board, thinking his ideas were too odd.
Support for LAist comes from
But the next day, Lord said, "Disney was still standing there, wearing the same clothes, saying, 'Rolly, this stuff is great, we really want to use it.'"
It was decided that these designs would be incorporated into 'The Museum of the Weird,' a collection of curiosities in the Haunted Mansion's spill area. But when Walt Disney died in 1966, enthusiasm for the project faded and it never manifested, though some of Crump's designs were interpreted in various ways in the Haunted Mansion, or have appeared in other iterations throughout the Disney universe.
Lord said this show will be a celebration of Crump and his work. "He's inspired so many things," she said, mentioning how he hand-carved the tiki sculptures at the Enchanted Tiki Room and designed the face of Small World. It's also the 45th anniversary of Haunted Mansion and the 50th anniversary of Small World this year.
Lord said attendees can expect lots of paintings and models, as well as a kinetic sculpture called 'Tower of the Weird' from artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daly.
Creature Features Presents Museum of the Weird: Group Art Tribute Show. 2904 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. Opens Saturday, September 13, 6 - 10 p.m. Free. This show will be on display through September 28 during the gallery's standard hours.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight. -
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures.
Best of LAist