In The Beginning...

... Halloween was something celebrated by little children in home made costumes. One of my most memorable ones was of John the Baptist. My dad cut a neck sized hole in a plate, then cut it in half and cut while my mom sewed a table cloth out of an old sheet to cover a cardboard box. A little home fake blood around my neck and baby powder on my face to make me look dead, and Ta Da!

The best year was when my older brother went as Frankenstein (complete with large blocks screwed to the bottom of his tennis shoes), and I was Superman complete with blue tights, red shorts, red rubber rain boots and a smile a mile wide.

Things changed one Sunday night, March 22, 1970 to be exact, when at 7:30pm NBC aired "The Wonderful World of Disney" featuring an episode called: 'Showtime Disneyland'. 

The Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) described the episode this way:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046593/episodes?year=1970

Disneyland Showtime

The Osmond Brothers, accompanied by Kurt Russell and E.J. Peaker, come to Disneyland to perform at a show being held there. But Donny and Jay Osmond go off to explore the park. Worried that they will miss the performance, the rest of the cast go to try and retrieve them before it is too late. They also visit the then-newest Disneyland attraction at the time, the Haunted Mansion.

 

Look at that last sentence.... "the Haunted Mansion". How can one phrase change forever my views of Halloween?  Watch the episode here and draw your own conclusions...

http://youtu.be/zYbFTkYtHjY

 

Here, let me save you some trouble, fast forward to 36 minutes in. That's were the part about the Haunted Mansion begins. 

 

Still want me to make it easier? Go directly to 44:45 and listen carefully. That's how it all began. What began you may say? The answer to that question and more awaits you next time at 1313 El Potro.

Stay Spooky Orange County