Walt Disney Family Museum - September 2010

[Merry Mousketeer]

Hey DISers,

Put on yer coonskin cap and grab ol' Betsy - it's time to revisit the King of the Wild Frontier at the Walt Disney Family Museum in September. Here's a rundown of activities:

Film of the Month: September 1 - 30, 2010
Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
1:00 and 4:00 pm (daily except Tuesdays and September 12, 18, 19, and 25)

Watch Fess Parker fight for freedom at the Alamo in this classic Disney Film. Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier is a memorable live action movie about a legendary American folk hero

Sunday September 12, 2010
REEL LOCAL with Jan Wahl
3:00pm, Special Exhibition Hall

Join us for an afternoon of Bay Area film and food. San Francisco is the star of this Reel Local film line up. From Vertigo to Dirty Harry experience San Francisco through the eyes of Hollywood while you snack on unbeatable Bay Area bites, wine, and brews.

Saturday September 18 and Sunday September 19, 2010
A Tribute to Fess Parker

Join us for a one-of-a-kind celebration of the life and career of one of the most popular and renowned of Disney's players, Fess Parker. Jeff Kurtti, one of the leading authorities on The Walt Disney Company and its history, will moderate this special weekend.

Saturday September 18, 2010
Davy Crockett Marathon: Davy Crockett Season One
10:15am, Theater

"Davy Crockett Indian Fighter" (as originally broadcast December 15 1954/"Disneyland" Season 1, Episode 8), "Davy Crockett Goes to Congress" (as originally broadcast January 26, 1955/"Disneyland" Season 1, Episode 14), "Davy Crockett at the Alamo" (as originally broadcast February 23, 1955/"Disneyland" Season 1, Episode 18). Introduction by Disney Historian Jeff Kurtti.

Davy Crockett Marathon: Davy Crockett Season Two
3:00pm, Theater

"Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race" (as originally broadcast November 16, 1955/"Disneyland" Season 2, Episode 10), "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" (as originally broadcast December 14, 1955/"Disneyland" Season 2, Episode 13). Introduction by Disney Historian Jeff Kurtti.

Sunday September 19, 2010
Our Dad, Fess Parker
3:00pm, Theater

The family of Fess Parker, Eli Parker, Ashley Parker Snider, and Tim Snider, will be on stage for a special tribute and panel discussion, featuring rare film footage and photos of Parker's days at Disney.

Tickets and memberships are available at the museum website: http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/index.html

My wife and I attended the REEL LOCAL event with Jan Wahl at the museum on Valentine's Day and really enjoyed it. Jan Wahl is a local "celebrity" in the SF Bay Area and it appears the locals either love her or hate her.

We met Jeff Kurtti and his family on the Disney Magic's last Panama Canal Cruise. He has written over 50 books, including several Disney-related books, and co-produced the documentary "The Boys" about the Sherman Brothers. He also helped to design the Walt Disney Family Museum. He was at the museum on August 21 to host the Tommy Kirk event (Tommy Kirk was in Old Yeller, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Shaggy Dog, etc). and proved to be one of the best interviewers the museum has ever had.

If you have access to the Fall 2010 edition of D23 Magazine with Rapunzel (Tangled) on the cover, there are two articles about Fess Parker you might enjoy.

I have tickets for all of the September events and hope to see some DISers there!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I've been wanting to see this musuem and still haven't. I've lived in the SF Bay Area (north bay) all my life, but I don't know who Jan Whal is.
Do you have to buy special tickets for these things or are they included in musuem admission?

BTW, how is parking there? I always hate going to SF because you end up driving around and around looking for somewhere to park. That drives me nuts! If you could just drive and park easily at the museuem, that would be awesome.

 

[Merry Mousketeer]

Hi Pinkbudgie,

Admission to the museum for non-members is $20 per person. The special events are separate ticketed events. The lectures/presentations are usually $12 per person. However, you can purchase tickets to a lecture without purchasing admission to the museum as long as you do not intend to enter the museum. You will still have access to the lobby area where you can view Walt's many awards, art from his private collection and original furniture from his Disneyland apartment. You will also be able to go to the snack stand, gift shop, restrooms and lobby area of the theatre that also has rotating displays. I have not been to a bad lecture. They are always outstanding.

Parking is free and not a problem at the museum. The parking lot is directly across the street from the museum. It's the old Presidio parade grounds. Once in a while there is a special event in the area that affects parking, but the museum usually posts a notice on their website informing guests.

Now I do need to warn you that Doyle Drive which leads to and from the Golden Gate Bridge is currently being replaced. As a result, there are detours between the bridge and the museum. For the most part, they are clearly marked but I was already familiar with the area which made it a bit easier to deal with.

The REEL LOCAL event is significantly more - $60, but food and beverages are included. Jan Waal, from what I understand, appears on a local SF television station, writes for a local newspaper and teaches college courses. She is known for wearing flamboyant hats. I don't know much else about her since she does not have a presence in the Sacramento area where we live.

I hope you will visit the museum. If you are a Disney fan and want to learn more about Walt Disney, you will really enjoy it. Please feel free to ask me any questions. I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Thanks for the info. My birthday is at the end of September. Maybe I can just insist that we go for my birthday. We are not very familar with SF and avoid it when we can. We know how to drive through it to get to the south bay, but that's it, so thanks for the warning about the streets. Hopefully they will be done we go.

 

[Merry Mousketeer]

Spending a day in SF and at the Walt Disney Family Museum sounds like a perfect birthday celebration!

I don't think the detours will be gone by the end of September. They are dismantling Doyle Drive, which is an elevated roadway/bridge. I think it will be a long time before the work is completed, but don't that that deter you from enjoying a wonderful museum in a parklike setting with magnificient views of the Golden Gate Bridge and SF Bay.