For a little over a year, our beloved Disneyland has been closed, but that’s been the least of these trying times. So it just didn’t feel like the right time for April Fools pranks. As a result, we’ve decided to rerun a post from Al Lutz from last April 1st (with a few little updates) which still applies today. The big difference from one year ago, when none of us knew what to expect and fear was running high, is that we can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. Disneyland will hopefully reopen on April 30th, and millions are receiving vaccines. One year from now, we hope the trials of today are far enough in the rearview mirror that we can join you in a healthy dose of tomfoolery. – Dusty
Now, a word from Al Lutz…
After the Rain, the Rainbow
It’s funny what sticks in your brain about a place. For me, one of those details was hearing announcer Jack Wagner use the line in the title of this article from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to introduce Disneyland visitors to rainy-day operational procedures. For such a minor item I admired its aspirational tone, starting with the quote, Jack’s slick delivery of the info (especially his ability to say something with a ‘smile’ in his voice), and how something that at most other theme parks would be posted on a sandwich board besides the entry gate was so well produced.
For me at least, this level of attention to detail is what made me such a fan of the park. It’s just one tiny part of all the elegantly assembled components that made your visit to the Happiest Place on Earth so unique.
“Into each life some rain must fall…” – Longfellow
Disney’s version (until the rebranding of the Resort when California Adventure opened):
Now that you know a little about the quote I chose to start today’s column with, I’ll fill you in on why:
Try as I may, especially considering how difficult it is getting for me nowadays to get my thoughts into print due to a progressive illness, the trials of the pandemic made it clear that my yearly April Fools piece would be inappropriate.
Not that I didn’t try mind you…
As you regulars have come to know over all the years I’ve been online, I try each April 1st to make a point with this post, and do it with some humor and in a way that readers can identify with the sometimes completely absurd decisions that the Disney Company can make sometimes.
Here are a few of my attempts in previous years, some better than others:
Usually Dusty and I exchange a few emails starting in late January, and it gets massaged and tweaked quite a few times until it gets posted on April 1st. But this year just doesn’t feel like the right moment to prank those who are already on edge.
The Rainy Day
For those who may be interested, the complete original Longfellow poem is shown below:
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [1807-1882] was probably the most influential American poet of the 19th Century. Many consider his most famous poems to be ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’ and ‘The Song of Hiawatha.’
Give Your Family a Little Happy!
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Let’s Hear From You
On what would normally be a day for me to do a little good-hearted ribbing of Disney, I’d rather just let you know that I’m thinking about you and look forward to a day we have the luxury of taking our entertainment for granted. And I reserve the right to do a surprise April Fool at any time I want for the rest of the year, god willing.
But that isn’t to say we don’t think folks need a bit of comic relief. We’ve got a special edition of “You’ve Got to Be Kidding,” that scratches just the right itch:
You’ve Got To Be Kidding: 22 Ways of Coping with Disneyland Withdrawal
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