New Book: Hollywood Madonna: Loretta Young

I just became aware of a new biography of one of my favorite actresses: HOLLYWOOD MADONNA: LORETTA YOUNG, by Bernard F. Dick.

It was published a few weeks ago by the University of Mississippi Press.

Dick has previously published biographies of Claudette Colbert and Rosalind Russell. I'm unfamiliar with his work and would appreciate feedback from anyone who has read his books. So far I've found one brief review, at a blog called Novel Chatter.

I own two good previous books on Young: FOREVER YOUNG, an authorized biography by Joan Wester Anderson, which was written with Young's cooperation, and UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE by Young's daughter, Judy Lewis. I highly recommend reading these books in conjunction with one another for a more complete story of Loretta's life, particularly the decision she made as a young unmarried woman to secretly give birth to the child she raised as her "adopted" daughter. One can certainly question Loretta's decades-long deception, and yet I find her rather brave in refusing to have an abortion, then finding a way to continue her career and provide for her daughter.

As a side note, Loretta's lifelong charity work included supporting St. Anne's, a hospital for unwed mothers. Take a look at this great photo of several famous ladies at a fundraiser sponsored by Loretta. (Update: I'd love to know where some of the items donated by Hollywood stars to this auction to benefit St. Anne's ended up!)

I'd be very interested in reading more on Young so I have hopes that HOLLYWOOD MADONNA will prove to be worthwhile!

This and That

I've been buried under a large pile of work for the last couple days, coming up for air periodically to enjoy many great new posts! The week has just begun and I've already come across more than enough posts to fill next weekend's roundup -- so instead, here's a roundup of interesting links to start off the week!

...50 Westerns From the 50s has just celebrated its second bloggiversary! Toby is a terrific blogger, and he's also been a great friend who has been a pleasure to become acquainted with over the past couple years. His site has also become an excellent place for many folks with great knowledge of the genre to share their insight and recommendations in the comments. Here's to many more years of great blogging on Westerns and success on his coming book! And while I'm at it, thanks to Toby for linking to last Saturday's review of SHOTGUN (1955)!

The photo at the above left is a great publicity shot of Van Heflin and Yvonne DeCarlo in TOMAHAWK (1951), which I've previously admired at Toby's site and borrowed in honor of the celebration!

...Leonard Maltin previews a number of new film books. One of the books Leonard mentions is James Garner's memoir, due out on November 1st. Lou Lumenick of the New York Post had an interesting piece on the book today -- Garner rates his own films in the book. He gives THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964) and THE NOTEBOOK (2005) five stars. Sounds like he's pretty hard on many of his movies.

...Another book Maltin mentions, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE FABULOUS FACES, is going on my youngest son's Christmas list. He has an amazing memory for the names and faces of character actors and loves the Universal Holmes films. Author Michael Hoey is the son of Dennis Hoey, who played Inspector Lestrade in the series.

...It was wonderful to discover a new post by Moira today at Skeins of Thought, interviewing John Ford scholar April Lane, who has a website titled Directed by John Ford.

...What a great photo-filled post on JANIE (1944) at Greenbriar Picture Shows! I recently linked to a review of the same film by Mark at Cin-Eater. Really looking forward to catching up with this one, which I recorded from TCM some time ago.

...At Motion Picture Gems, Tom shares the interesting news that Dolores Hart, who has been a nun for the past half-century, will appear at an autograph show in New Jersey this weekend. My review of WHERE THE BOYS ARE (1960) links to a great interview with Hart about her two careers, first as a movie actress and then as a nun.

...Today KC had two links I especially enjoyed at Classic Movies: a review of Dyan Cannon's book on Cary Grant at Sittin' on a Backyard Fence and Judy's review of LAUGHTER (1930), starring Fredric March and Nancy Carroll, at Movie Classics. Check 'em out!

...The Lady Eve's Reel Life has a lovely post on the Victor Young musical score for the great chiller THE UNINVITED (1944), starring Ray Milland and Gail Russell. The haunting "Stella By Starlight" turns a very good film into a great film. THE UNINVITED next airs on Turner Classic Movies October 30th.

...Netflix has lost 800,000 customers in recent months. Wow. Unfortunately I still don't have a sense that CEO Reed Hastings "gets it," if his recent interview with the New York Times is anything to go by. He made a "mistake in underestimating the depth of emotional attachment to Netflix"? He seems to confuse "emotional attachment" with customers preferring superior service and convenience, which would both cease to exist if Netflix is divided in half.

...At Immortal Ephemera Cliff has a terrific, detailed post on THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1947), which stars a bunch of my favorite actors, including Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, and Herbert Marshall. And yet I've never seen it! As Cliff notes in his comment at the end, the movie is on TCM this Wednesday evening, as part of a night devoted to the first films made by Power, Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, and Robert Taylor after their service in World War II.

...London's Daily Mail takes a photo tour of the interior of actress Andie MacDowell's Asheville, North Carolina mansion, which is currently on the market.

...Raquelle has continued to work through her big stack of new books and reviews the new Patrick McGilligan book on director Nicholas Ray at Out of the Past.

...The new biography of Steve Jobs has just been released. Author Walter Isaacson received the cooperation of Jobs and his family; Jobs apparently promised he would only meddle with the book's cover. It received an excellent review from Janet Maslin in the New York Times. The Washington Post review also describes what sounds like a very interesting book.

...Notable Passing: I was sorry to learn of the death of former CBS News correspondent Robert Pierpoint at the age of 86. Mr. Pierpoint was a graduate of my alma mater, the University of Redlands, and his daughter was a contemporary of mine who was in several of my classes at Redlands. Her older brother, Eric Pierpoint, another Redlands grad, has enjoyed a successful career as a steadily working actor.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Shotgun (1955)

SHOTGUN is a solid, well-acted Western with beautiful Sedona locations and an appealing lead trio of actors in Sterling Hayden, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Zachary Scott.

Hayden plays Clay Hardin, a lawman with a wild past who is determined to track down the man who murdered his boss, Marshal Fletcher (Lane Chandler). As Clay searches, he meets up with Abby (DeCarlo), a saloon girl, and Reb Carlton (Scott), a bounty hunter.

Clay and Reb form a wary alliance, periodically brawling or threatening to shoot one another, but backing each other up when it matters most. Clay and Abby also start out at odds but slowly develop an affection for one another.

The rocky relationships of these characters are what make the film particularly interesting and worthwhile. The movie did have a couple scenes of over-the-top violence which I found quite unpleasant and disconcerting in a mid-'50s Western -- parents with sensitive children may want to exercise caution in that regard -- but other than that, it's a well-scripted, action-packed Western.

(Speaking of something unusual for a mid-'50s Western, the poster art is also rather...eyebrow-raising.)

The screenplay, in fact, was cowritten by frequent Western actor Rory Calhoun, teamed with Clarke Reynolds. This was Calhoun's only script; he is also said to have been the uncredited writer of the story for his own film DOMINO KID (1957). Calhoun wasn't the only Western actor to double as a screenwriter in the '50s; Western regulars Michael Pate and Leo Gordon also worked as writers.

Calhoun, incidentally, gave DeCarlo away at the wedding ceremony when she married stuntman Bob Morgan the same year SHOTGUN was released.

DeCarlo doesn't get to exhibit much of the humor which is one of her strong points, but she's good as a tough, occasionally wild woman struggling to survive on the frontier. Hayden is also very good as the implacable lawman who refuses to be dissuaded from his mission, and the charismatic Scott enlivens the proceedings considerably whenever he's on screen. No one did slimy sarcasm better than Zachary Scott!

The vast majority of the movie was shot outdoors on location, and it's perhaps worth noting that the actors are all rather filthy in this film, with stained, soiled clothes; it's much more realistic in that regard than many Westerns. (If only DeCarlo weren't saddled with such an unattractive, short hairstyle, which unnecessarily ages her beyond her 32 years.) The following year the Richard Widmark Western THE LAST WAGON (1956) was also filmed in Sedona.

SHOTGUN was directed by Lesley Selander. The supporting cast incudes Robert J. Wilke, Angela Greene, and Guy Prescott. It runs 80 minutes.

SHOTGUN is available on DVD in the six-film set Darn Good Westerns, Vol. 2. As I write, Amazon has such a low price that this set is a steal, at just a couple dollars per movie. Paul Mavis reviewed the set at DVD Talk in 2009.

Unfortunately the DVD has gone into the no man's land of the "saved" section at Netflix, so unless their recent practice changes, don't expect it to be available there again in the future.

October 24th Update: Welcome to visitors from 50 Westerns from the 50s, and thanks to Toby for the link!

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Today is Joan Fontaine's 94th birthday! (Her sister Olivia is 95.) Last year's birthday tribute has been updated with links to four additional Fontaine films reviewed in the past year. Three of those films are available on Netflix's Watch Instantly streaming service -- why not celebrate the day by watching a Fontaine film?

...Visit additional Fontaine tributes at Shadows and Satin, Backlots, and Olivia and Joan: Sisters of the Silver Screen, which recently ran a terrific post with photos of the actresses in their early childhood and youth.

...Today is also the annual big game between the University of Southern California Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In honor of the occasion, here's a link to a full orchestral performance of USC's "Conquest" march, originally composed by Alfred Newman for Tyrone Power's CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE (1947). (Update: USC won, 31-17.)

...New book: HAVE YOURSELF A VERY VINTAGE CHRISTMAS by Susan Waggoner has just been released. I love Waggoner's books UNDER THE TREE, CHRISTMAS MEMORIES, and IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS. Anyone who likes graphic art of the '50s and '60s is sure to enjoy these books as well.

...Leonard Maltin writes about seeing the reconstructed and restored "lost" Ernst Lubitsch silent film THE LOVES OF PHARAOH (1922). A few days ago the film was screened with a live orchestra at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

...Kevin reviews Fred MacMurray in THE TEXAS RANGERS (1936) at Kevin's Movie Corner. I reviewed the film in 2009, finding it fairly enjoyable, if slow-paced.

...Raquelle reviews the new biography of actor-director John Huston at her blog Out of the Past. Raquelle's got more reviews coming in the future!

...Don't miss Kristina's latest link roundup at her blog Speakeasy. The Ann Dvorak website she mentions looks interesting! Kristina also has a new shopping list feature focusing on classic films on DVD.

...Use Twitter? Tweet along with the Drive-In Mob, sharing real-time comments while watching classic horror films on Turner Classic Movies and Netflix Instant. This Thursday's lineup includes CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), which it just so happens I'll be seeing in 3-D that evening at the Egyptian Theatre.

...Interesting new releases from Warner Archive include a Falcon Collection of films starring George Sanders, who later handed off the series to his real-life brother, Tom Conway. The Archive has also remastered DEATH OF A SCOUNDREL (1956), which stars Sanders, Conway, Yvonne DeCarlo, Nancy Gates, and Coleen Gray.

...Musical fans may be interested in the remastered THE STUDENT PRINCE (1954), starring Ann Blyth and Edmund Purdom, with Mario Lanza dubbing Purdom's singing.

...Here's an interesting story on the unusual discovery of a collection of classic film posters.

...The cost of postage stamps will go up yet again next January, increasing from 44 to 45 cents.

...Barrie Maxwell has a new batch of Classic Coming Attractions reviews at the Digital Bits, including Twilight Time's THE EGYPTIAN (1954) and TCM's Audie Murphy Westerns Collection.

...Here's enjoyable reviews by Sean Axmaker of "B" film noir titles on DVD, including THE THREAT (1949), FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949), and THE CAPTIVE CITY (1952).

...Critic David Edelstein wrote about the thrill of guest hosting this past week on Turner Classic Movies. He wrote 29 intros!

Have a great weekend!

Notable Passings

...Silent film actress Barbara Kent has passed away at the age of 103.

Kent appeared in silents such as FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1926) with Greta Garbo and MODERN MOTHERS (1928) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. She later appeared in sound films, including the Harold Lloyd talkies WELCOME DANGER (1929) and FEET FIRST (1930).

To learn more about Barbara Kent, visit the tributes at Immortal Ephemera, Self-Styled Siren, and Strictly Vintage Hollywood.

...Composer-arranger Pete Rugulo has died at the age of 95.

Rugulo, perhaps best known as the longtime arranger for Stan Kenton, wrote theme music for several TV series, including THE FUGITIVE.

...Leonard Maltin pays tribute to the late Norman Corwin, a "radio poet" who recently passed on at the age of 101.

The Mary Blair Centennial

October 21, 2011, marked the centennial of the birth of a true Disney Legend, artist Mary Blair.

Blair's influential work has played a significant role in Disney films, theme parks, and resorts. Her art has also appeared in memorable children's picture books which have stood the test of time.

This week's tributes to Blair included yesterday's "Google Doodle"...

...and a celebration on Thursday evening at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences titled "Mary Blair's World of Color: A Centennial Tribute."

The Academy website has video of the tribute, as well as a list of the prominent animators who participated; those honoring Blair included Pete Docter, the director of UP (2009), and Michael Giaimo, the art director of POCAHONTAS (1995).

Susan King wrote an article on Blair in last Monday's Los Angeles Times, and another article appeared in yesterday's Times.

Thanks to Google, my SiteMeter was spinning yesterday with visitors to my May photo post on Disneyland's exhibit "The Colors of Mary Blair."

My post on the Magic of Mary Blair website also received many visits.

Mary Blair's work can be seen in such films as SALUDOS AMIGOS (1942), THE THREE CABALLEROS (1944), MAKE MINE MUSIC (1946), SO DEAR TO MY HEART (1948), THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD (1949), CINDERELLA (1950), ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951), and PETER PAN (1953).

Blair also codesigned It's a Small World and created the beautiful tile murals on the Grand Canyon Concourse of Disney World's Contemporary Resort.

Chris Gaylord of the Christian Science Monitor wrote a good article this week on "Mary Blair: How She Changed Disney Forever."

The excellent documentary WALT AND EL GRUPO (2008) chronicles the South American trip undertaken by Walt Disney, Mary and Lee Blair, and other animators, a journey which significantly impacted Blair's future work. It can be seen on DVD and Netflix Watch Instantly.

THE ART AND FLAIR OF MARY BLAIR, by animation historian John Canemaker, is a "must read" for those who are interested in learning more about Blair's life and art.

Visit True Classics for a terrific tribute posted today by Brandie.

More Blair-related posts: In Disney News...; New Music: Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair; Today at Disneyland: It's a Small World; Disneyland's Renovated Small World Opens Friday; Coming to DVD: Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944); New Book: Walt Disney's Cinderella.

Tonight's Movie: Union Depot (1932)

UNION DEPOT would deserve to be seen if only for its amazing opening tracking shot and the train station sequence which follows, but the entire movie is a must for fans of the pre-Code film era, a crackling, gritty 68 minutes of tough Warner Bros. Depression drama.

As the film opens, the clock chimes 6:00 at Union Station. There are only two title cards, with the majority of the credits delayed till the end of the movie. The camera slowly swoops down, crosses a street, and goes through the doors of the station, taking the viewer all the way inside. After looking around the room, finally the shot cuts, but the camera then continues to explore the jostling mass of humanity gathered under a single roof, showing bits and pieces of various people's lives, with train whistles and "All Aboard!" sounding constantly in the background. This sequence can be seen online thanks to Turner Classic Movies.

Eventually we're introduced to Charles "Chick" Miller (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), a scruffy hobo, and his pal (Guy Kibbee). It's the Depression, Chick is hungry, and he thinks nothing of stealing a station employee's uniform or, even better, a suit from a bag belonging to a drunk (Frank McHugh). Chick hopes he can parlay a respectable appearance into a means of eating. Then he finds a wad of cash in the suit pocket...and Chick's very interesting day is only beginning.

Before long Chick is drawn to a down-on-her-luck chorus girl, Ruth (Joan Blondell), who hopes to scrounge up the money for a train ticket to a job in Salt Lake. He also becomes mixed up with a counterfeiter (Alan Hale) and some G-Men (David Landau and Earle Fox). The film's action never stops for a moment, building to a well-staged chase and fight sequence in a train yard.

This is a pre-Code film all the way, starting with the hero being a thief who steals on multiple occasions; when he meets Ruth he happily thinks he's picking up a prostitute, then he slaps her when he realizes she's really a nice girl. Normally a character like this would be the villain of the piece, but he's played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who manages to charm the audience and ultimately prove, past behavior to the contrary, that he's a decent sort of fellow.

There are all sorts of other bits which identify the film as being made before the dawn of the Production Code; those who aren't familiar with the films of the early '30s might find themselves quite surprised at times when watching this film. As Frank Miller writes in a post at TCM, "With its no-holds-barred story-telling...Union Depot remains a fascinating glimpse of how the studios handled the permissiveness of the early sound years."

Blondell is effective in a subdued performance, her big eyes carefully taking in everything going on and seeing through Chick's dubious exterior to the man underneath.

Familiar faces abound in small roles, including Charles Lane, George Chandler, Jason Robards Sr., Charles Coleman, Irving Bacon, Dickie Moore, and Sam McDaniel.

UNION DEPOT was directed by Alfred E. Green. The cinematographer was Sol Polito.

UNION DEPOT is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive. It can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

For more on this film, please be sure to visit Cliff's excellent, detailed post at Immortal Ephemera.

Tonight's Movie: Behind Locked Doors (1948)

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS is my kind of movie, a 62-minute "B" film noir starring two favorites, Richard Carlson and Lucille Bremer, directed by Budd Boetticher. Boetticher, who was billed with the first name Oscar at this stage of his career, was still a few years away from making standout films such as BULLFIGHTER AND THE LADY (1951) and his numerous Randolph Scott collaborations. The style and pacing of this early film reflects the up-and-coming director's talent and is well worth seeing.

Ambitious reporter Kathy Lawrence (Bremer) suspects that a judge on the run from an arrest warrant is holed up in the La Siesta Sanitarium, a mental hospital. She convinces broke P.I. Ross Stewart (Carlson) to fake mental illness in order to gain admission to the sanitarium, with the promise that they will share the $10,000 reward if they locate the judge and turn him in.

Ross finds the judge, all right, but he also finds out that the sanitarium is a pretty nasty place, and it may take Kathy's help if he's going to make it out of La Siesta alive.

It's interesting to note that a mental hospital was also a plot point in Carlson's earlier film noir, FLY-BY-NIGHT (1942), directed by Richard Siodmak. This was Carlson's third film following his service in World War II, coming after SO WELL REMEMBERED (1947) and THE AMAZING MR. X (1948). He's appealing as the earnest, determined detective who uncovers the unsavory goings-on at La Siesta. (Love that name!) Carlson and Bremer have good chemistry, as they pretend to be husband and wife and discover they might want to play the roles for real; there's a nice scene where he uses the excuse of being "married" to lay a whopper of a kiss on his "wife" when she visits him in the asylum.

I would have liked it if less of the film were set in the insane asylum, as it's a pretty unpleasant place, but I can't fault the film's pacing or performances. It's a well-done, tight little movie with some fantastic shadowy black and white cinematography by Guy Roe. Roe also filmed Anthony Mann's RAILROADED! (1947), Richard Fleischer's ARMORED CAR ROBBERY (1950), and Cy Endfield's THE SOUND OF FURY (1950), which is being restored by UCLA. In my favorite shot, a wall reflects the shadow of smoke coming from Carlson's cigarette, and then the actual smoke wafts into the picture, across the shadows. Brilliant!

Ambitious lady reporters seemed to be a trend in "B" films of the late '40s; Dorothy Patrick played a similar role the following year opposite William Lundigan in FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949). I wonder if there were other such characters?

This was the last film of Lucille Bremer's short, fascinating career. She achieved a level of cinema immortality due to appearing in one of the most perfect films ever made, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), in which she played Rose Smith, the older sister of Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien. From there she danced with Fred Astaire in ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (1945) and the underrated YOLANDA AND THE THIEF (1945); she also appeared in MGM's TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946). After that there were just four more films, including the well-regarded RUTHLESS (1948) with Zachary Scott. She married in 1948 and retired to raise a family.

The supporting cast includes Douglas Fowley, Ralf Harolde, Dickie Moore, Thomas Browne Henry, Kathleen Freeman, Herbert Heyes, Gwen Donovan, Tor Johnson, Trevor Bardette, and Morgan Farley.

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS has been released on DVD by Kino; it can be purchased as a single title or as part of a Kino film noir boxed set. It's a no-frills DVD, but it's a beautiful print which should please fans of obscure film noir.

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS is listed at Netflix, but unfortunately it's one of a growing number of DVDs which has moved into Netflix's "Saved" category. In recent months this seems to mean that Netflix's inventory of the film is gone, for one reason or another, and it won't be replaced.

Huge thanks to Kristina for sending me this DVD! I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to see it.

Tonight's Movie: Wives Under Suspicion (1938)

WIVES UNDER SUSPICION is a brisk little 69-minute "B" movie about an overzealous district attorney who neglects his wife. The story is only so-so, but it's a pleasant way to spend time with the excellent cast, including Warren William, Gail Patrick, William Lundigan, Ralph Morgan, and Cecil Cunningham.

District Attorney Jim Stowell (William) is so enthused about obtaining convictions to send murderers to the electric chair that he keeps track of his courtroom victories on an abacus with skeleton heads! His devoted, sensible secretary (Cunningham) is none too thrilled with the abacus and warns Stowell that he's just a little too preoccupied with his job -- especially considering that he has a very beautiful young wife, Lucy (Patrick), at home who'd like him to spend more time with her.

When normally mild-mannered, respected Professor Shaw MacAllen (Morgan) shoots and kills his notoriously unfaithful wife, Stowell refuses to consider reducing the charge from murder to manslaughter, to the dismay of many in the community.

And then Stowell suddenly starts to worry about the time his own wife is spending with handsome young Phil (Lundigan); his home life seems to be unfolding in an eerie parallel to the professor's situation.

The story feels just a tad skimpy; for instance, I would have liked to know more of the characters' back story, and I was also intrigued by Lucy's habit of listening to the recordings of the murder confessions her husband extracts. More character development would have been a good thing. However, I appreciated that for the most part the story moves like lightning, except for the drawn-out scene where MacAllen confesses to the D.A.

I enjoyed this film simply because I like the cast. Gail Patrick is exquisitely lovely -- and what a wardrobe! -- and it makes a nice change of pace to see her playing a character who is genuinely sweet, rather than the sharp-tongued type of character which was a Patrick specialty.

The young Lundigan had already racked up a dozen credits since entering the business in 1937. I always enjoy him, even when he's cast in a fairly bland role, as he is here. There are those who have asserted Lundigan is a bland actor, but I've always been fond of him, with my favorite Lundigan film being I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN (1951). Plain and simple, Lundigan is likeable, and his best performances, such as the minister in I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN, convey an appealing integrity.

Gravelly voiced character actress Cecil Cunningham is quite good as "Sharpie," Stowell's blunt secretary. The film doesn't really demand a great deal of any of the actors, other than Morgan, but they're good company.

WIVES UNDER SUSPICION is a remake of director James Whale's own pre-Code film, THE KISS BEFORE THE MIRROR (1933). It's interesting to note that while Ralph Morgan plays the murderer in WIVES UNDER SUSPICION, his brother Frank played the D.A. in the original version! Nancy Carroll played the D.A.'s wife in the earlier version. The 1933 supporting cast also included Paul Lukas, Gloria Stuart, Jean Dixon, and Walter Pidgeon.

This film is in the public domain. The Alpha DVD I rented from Netflix was quite faded but otherwise played smoothly.

This film is also available for Amazon Prime subscribers to watch online.

Today at Disneyland: Annual Passholder Private Party

Disneyland introduced a new perk for Annual Passholders this month, putting on two evenings of private parties at no additional cost to Passholders. All that was required was obtaining an advance reservation. Tonight's party happened to coincide with our oldest daughter's birthday, so a private party at Disneyland sounded pretty perfect!

The party ran from 8:00 to midnight, and it was an absolutely marvelous evening which was extremely well-run. We arrived before the party started and obtained wristbands. Once 8:00 rolled around, only guests wearing wristbands were allowed on the rides, and the daytime guests filtered out of the park.

In the last year or two there have been some complaints that guests without wristbands were allowed to participate in the after-hours Halloween parties, which require a separate paid ticket, but there were no such issues last night. Cast members were diligent about checking wristbands throughout the evening.

Main Street, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland were open for the length of the party, with most rides in those areas operating. A number of restaurants and shops were also open for the party.

I can't remember the last time we went on so many rides in a single visit! Lines were short, and some rides were even walk-ons. We managed to ride half a dozen rides in the first half hour of the party!

Best of all, there was a special nighttime presentation of the Soundsational Parade. We were sitting in front of Town Hall, and that part of the park was so empty it was almost like we were enjoying our own private parade. Our daughter was wearing a Disney birthday button, and numerous parade cast members wished her a happy birthday as they passed by.

Later in the evening the floats were brought back onto Main Street, and guests could pose for photos next to the floats with parade cast members. There was also a presentation about the creation of the parade at Tomorrowland Terrace. (We missed that part, unfortunately -- we were having too much fun on the rides at that point!)

MousePlanet describes last week's party, saying the event followed the business maxim to "under-promise and over-deliver." That was certainly the case. The entire evening felt similar to a D23 event and was a very nice "thank you" to Disneyland's most loyal guests. We hope this is a new trend and that we can look forward to more such events in the future!