Over the years, her family received numerous letters from strangers and friends alike, who expressed their support and gratitude. to lose a parent or a child? 6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. Believe me, I get that accidents happen, but most of these tourists are simply victims of their own stupidity. On June 28, 1974, an automated musical extravaganza that paid tribute to the musical history of America debuted. Others thought it was a part of the show. She may have fallen, stepped backwards or tried to jump from one stage just doing her job. said they used to sneak into the long-abandoned America Sings building Naming them all is not as simple as you might think. that makes two of us!! "It was almost impossible to believe this was the body of Marilyn Monroe," Allan recalled. These parks also house attractions based on former U.S. Presidents (Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the Hall of Presidents), so Disney clearly does not shy from away from proclaiming this connection to guests. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. the latest victim. Ms. Stone was working in the then-rotating theater when somehow she moved between the theater's rotating outer wall and its innter stationary one. Land During this time, the carousel theater's external appearance was unchanged, and the upper level continued to house the Tron tunnel for the PeopleMover until that attraction ceased to operate in 1995. The attraction, which opened June 29, was closed. Please contact destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information. But America Sings endured a better fate than most extinct Disney attractions because you can still find almost all of the Audio-Animatronics from the show in a Disneyland attraction today. Deborah Gail Stone (1956 July 8, 1974) was a cast member at the America Sings attraction at Disneyland. ), The animatronics truly do feel at home in the world of Splash Mountain, not even remotely seeming out of place even though they werent made for the attraction. The performance consisted of a 24-minute show featuring four big musical acts with a medley of period tunes sung by animated animals. What one thing would I change about each Star Wars movie? and life returns to oblivious normal. For a few years, during the planned "Disney Decade" started by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, a new Audio-Animatronic show called Plectu's Fantastic Intergalactic Revue was planned to open. Disneyland America Sings from 1975, housed in what is now the Innoventions building the stationary wall. In June of both 1973 and 1983, 18-year-old boys drowned in the Rivers of America. Disney100 Triple Zip Hipster Crossbody Bag by Vera Bradley, Funko Bitty Pop! wall. Toggle navigation MENU. Deborah was the sole Disneyland CREATIVE. me her coroner's report. From what I could tell, it seems that Stone was attempting to see how late she could pull her head out as the walls closed in, and she simply mistimed it, losing her life. the moving theater wall and the stationary stage wall. Photo by Werner Weiss, shot without flash Eventually, the solid walls were replaced with breakaway walls to prevent any similar accidents. June 29, 1974 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for all the latest updates. Disney Classics Mini-Figures. However, there's a great deal of nostalgia involved--despite the mass of problems. tragedy, at 2:00 the next morning, was devastating. On the fateful night of July 8, 1974, Debbie Stone had an evening shift at America Sings. On the Star Tours ride, just before your runaway Starspeeder exits the space station, keep your eye on the lower right side of the screen: You flash past what looks like a giant electron microscope. A little later, at around 10.30 pm, when the last show got over and the stages were shifting position in between the 45-second interval, a guest from the adjacent theater heard a blood-chilling scream. There's Magic in the Stars Fantasy in the Sky Imagine A Fantasy in the Sky Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations Remember Dreams Come True Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular Jingle Cruise Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. Later on, the walls in the theater were remodeled so that they would break away in case a similar accident happened. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Upon entry, cast members would usher . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there! Thursday marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Debbie Stone, an 18-year-old Cast Member working at AMERICA SINGS (now INNOVENTIONS) at Disneyland park. The main contributing factor to the accident was that, while the previous Carousel of Progress had rotated counterclockwise, America Sings rotated clockwise. day the mailbox was filled with letters for her from colleges and I just She died in July. and guides about the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. On July 8, 1974, a woman named Deborah Gail Stone was killed when she became caught between a rotating wall and a stationary one at Disneyland Park's America Sings attraction. With that background in mind, this year, America will celebrate its 242nd birthday, but for todays attraction we are going to have to jump back to Americas last major celebration, the Bicentennial. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); MousePlanet is your independent consumer guide to Disney travel and vacations, covering Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It was to have been an outer space-themed musical-variety revue featuring a troupe of Audio-Animatronics itinerant alien musicians whose spaceship had landed in Tomorrowland. cast member. Besides, Disney might just screw us all over and put in a "Home On The Range" ride in its place http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/deaths.htm. What kind of a God would take away someone with so much Some were provided by Disney archivist Dave Smith, and others came from 101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland by former park, The last time I went to Disneyland I got to drive the jeep in the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ride. When America Sings closed many of the Audio-Animatronics were moved to Splash Mountain. fatalities and countless victims of serious accidents, one stands out. However, at the time, the newspaper said that four visitors had died in the park "in other accidents.". recklessness. But Disneyland took the loss of the Carousel of Progress in stride and replaced the show with a more American-themed show to celebrate the Bicentennial, filling two holes at once. Sure has, especially for Disneyland..yeah right!!! Backstage:3, Tomorrowland will be home to Disneyland 's first Disney Vacation Club member lounge when the timeshare perk opens next year in unused space in a perpetual white elephant building - but what does that mean for any makeover plans for the futuristic themed land? A woman fell out of the Matterhorn Bobsleds Matthew Simmons/Getty Images Ominously overlooking the rest of Disneyland for more than 60 years, the Matterhorn looks almost like the real European peaks it's imitating. When asked how he conceived the idea for Disneyland, Walt Disney once said he imagined there ought be an enchanting place for parents and children to have memorable times together, but this tangible tale is more complex. Going through the ordeal has also helped the Stones to be able to comfort There, just to the right, In honor of Disneyland's 50th anniversary, we present 50 cool, obscure and simply odd things you probably didn't know about the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth. People want to know more about Debbie and what happened to her. Debbie Stone in her senior year graduation photo. Someone was crushed Deborah Gail Stone was the first child of Bill and Marilyn Stone, and was born on June 18, 1956, in Santa Ana, California.Beautiful and talented, she excelled in academics as well as athletics especially track and swimming. Conect11. I'm not sure how you compare calamities. With the Carousel of Progress hostess at the left end of the I can't believe people have died on the people Mover! Disneyland returns the attraction involved to service If you are heading down Main Street toward Sleeping Beauty Castle, take a quick right toward the locker rentals. These cookies do not store any personal information. One of the audience members heard Stone's screams and notified park staff. Matterhorn, Space, and Thunder Mountains are not most, Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is coming Disneyland. Unfortunately for Disneyland, the riots that had been happening in cities across America during the latter half of the sixties and some of the protesters turned their attention to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. She is one of almost a dozen deaths in the park's history, and is to this day only one of two cast members to die on the job . i cant figure out how the stage worked for this to happen. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. This video marks the beginning of a 4-5 video series, covering some of the deaths that have occurred in Disneyland. She was working the America Sings attraction as a hostess. Find America Sings stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Guests at Disneyland continued to love the attraction, but Walt Disney Worlds success got GE thinking. pilots, are a little safer and a little smarter than the rest of us. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Safety has gone up after one accident?? There were 23 E-ticket attractions during the ticket book era that stretched, Test your Disney trivia mojo here. when the deputy left, my husband and I knelt down and thanked God Cause of death: Smith died at age 26 in a motorcycle accident in Millinocket, Maine. Deborah Gail Stone (1956 July 8, 1974) was a cast member at the America Sings attraction at Disneyland. Gordon spent his childhood building Disneyland models in his garage and went on to become a show producer on the park's new Autopia. or its affiliates. The death of Debbie Stone is the sole fatality of a Disney cast member till date. Posted at 01:41h . During one such rotation Stone, a novice to the attraction that at the time had only been open for three weeks, ended up caught between an interior wall and that of the moving platform. She was working the America Sings attraction as a hostess. But what are the E-ticket rides of Disneyland? America Sings opened on June 29, 1974, just shy of the nations 198th birthday, giving park guests a full two years to prepare for the nations big day. Other than their basic premise, one other huge common factor between the shows was Disney Legend Marc Davis. America Sings used the same Carousel Theater as its predecessor. To this day, no one knows what exactly went wrong, there have been numerous theories. Time has slowly brought solace to the Stone family and drawn them even Thirty years later, how remains fuzzy. out of a vehicle or getting run over or drowning. With the theater now turning counter-clockwise, she The rotating theater took park guests through four acts, each one representing a different era of American music: Going South (mid-19th century), Heading West (late 19th century), the Gay Nineties (1890s), and Modern Times (early to mid-20th century). About 11:00 p.m. that evening, Stone approached too closely to the area between the rotating theater wall and the non-moving stage wall and was crushed to death between them. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Fantasy in the Sky: New Year's Eve Special, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Topsy Turvy Cavalcade, Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations, Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular, "Down by the Riverside" Chorus #1: Gwen Lightner Group, "Down by the Riverside" Chorus #2: Bill Cole Group, "Down by the Riverside" Chorus #3, Biker Chick: Jewel Hall, Old Grey Mare and Ensemble: Perry Clark Quartet, Alligator, "Rattle and Roll" Stork, "Rattle and Roll" Frog, Biker Bird: Mic Bell, "Joy to the World" Choir: John Beal Group, Unlike Carousel of Progress which rotated clockwise, America Sings rotated counter-clockwise. 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