“The 1950’s & Walt’s ‘Special Arrangements’ For High School Graduates”
During the 1950’s, Walt Disney’s Disneyland (both the television program and the new Park in Anaheim, California) consumed the interests of people (including juniors and young adults) everywhere! As Disneyland continued to make headlines, certain special arrangements between Walt Disney Productions and educational institutions occurred. Through special arrangements with Walt Disney, many Elementary Schools were named in honor of him (beginning with Walt Disney Elementary of Tullytown, Pennsylvania). Through other special arrangements with Walt Disney, events were themed after Walt Disney or, (in the case of the University of Oregon’s Canoe Fete) with Walt Disney’s Disneyland.

Now, Walt often took a special interest in inspiring the members of tomorrow’s society - many senior graduating classes! Long before Disneyland began to offer Private Parties to organizations, some graduates of local Southern California High Schools celebrated their graduation at both Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel. For example, before the MAGIC KINGDOM® was even a year old, the 1956 senior class of John C. Fremont High School (of Los Angeles, California) visited Disneyland! They enjoyed many of the popular adventures and free exhibits of the five cardinal lands - Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland! Disneyland also hosted the first “Back to School Dance” on September 12th, 1958, which several schools attended. Then, Fullerton Union High School attended a “Graduation Dinner-Dance” at the Gourmet Restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel on June 18, 1959, from 8:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. - for a donation of $4.00 per guest. The following year (in May of 1960), Disneyland hosted their first Private Party in the Park. At that event, Park operating hours were reserved for a specific group and not open to the general public. At this time, it became clear that Disneyland had the ability to serve as a venue to entertain and celebrate large parties (including those of young adults’ successful completion of their studies).

The senior graduating classes of schools (as the Chowchilla Union High School Class of 1956, the John C. Fremont High School Class of 1956, the West Virginia Cedredo-Kenova High School Class of 1957, the 1957 graduates of Mocassin Fallbrook, California, the 1957 graduates of Paramount Senior High School (in Paramount, California), the Texas Amarillo High School graduating class of 1958, or the Lemoore High School Class of 1959) published yearbooks featuring licensed Walt Disney characters in a Walt Disney or Disneyland theme, “by special arrangement with Walt Disney.” Perhaps your old senior high school yearbook also carried a similar Disney theme! Or maybe the students of your alma mater did something like The Girls Association of one school (Alameda High School) who presented “When You Wish Upon a Star” - a musical tribute (in the form of a stage production) to Walt Disney’s Disneyland, held March 27, 1958.

“1961 - The First Annual Grad Nite Party At Disneyland”

The following year (with audiences in mind), Milt Albright (the Disneyland employee previously behind the success of Holidayland), orchestrated and sold the first official all night annual Disneyland Grad Nite Party - “the biggest happiest Grad Nite party ever” held in the United States! This was held for more than 8,500 students from 33 schools, on June 15th, 1961. Admission at the time was $4.64 (plus 36 cent Federal Tax and the $1.00 price of a Souvenir Photo). Special performances included Benny Goodman (who, only just previously drew a great attendance of guests during Memorial Day Weekend of 1961), Teddy Buckner, Arvon Dale, The Elliott Brothers, Tommy Sands, and Annette Funicello! Souvenir Photos (included with ticket price), Souvenir Autograph Books and Souvenir Programs (containing the names of schools attending, and performer biographies) helped guests commemorate the evening!

1962 : The staff of Disneyland was prepared (as much as can be expected) for the graduates according to Doris Klein of the Associated Press. “Here’s the 1962 version Disneyland style : A stalwart senior climbs onto the electric monorail. Fortunately the current’s turned off. Some early birds go into the park the day before and stash a few 80-proof pints in the bushes. But the security guards remember last year ‘and all the places,’ says a grad, sipping coffee. A couple of rugged types try to climb the Matterhorn. But the roller coaster shooting out of the make-believe mountain - and the guards below - cut them short of the summit. It was all part of the hijinks at the famed amusement park’s blockbuster all-night graduation party.”

According to the same reporter, “Everyone had to be dressed up. ‘Man, if we could come in Bermudas and sweet shirts, this place would really be a roust,’ said one dark suited grad. For the price of admission, they could go on all the rides for free and twist all night to any one of the eight bands. And they were locked in until the busses could pick them up again at 5:30 a.m.” During two all-night Grad Nites, more than 26,000 appropriately attired ladies and gentlemen (Southern California High School Graduates from some 79 schools) arrived by bus or authorized chaperone, ready to dance and enjoy select attractions of a moonlit magic kingdom, for two nights, from 11p.m. to 5a.m. Among these (on June 14th alone) were the graduates of Arcadia, Aviation, Bell Gardens, Birmingham, Bonita, Burbank, Burroughs, Compton, Colton, Corona, Dominguez, Duarte, Eagle Rock, Edgewood, El Segundo, Fallbrook, Ganesha, Hueneme, La Habra, La Puente, Los Altos, Mar Vista, Mayfair, Mira Costa, Needles, Newport Harbor, Orange, Oxnard, Palos Verdes, Pasadena, Pomona, Redlands, Redondo, Santa Ana, Santa Ana Valley, Temple City, Tustin, Van Nuys, Verdugo Hills, Victor Valley, and Yucaipa.

Music, as a basic ingredient of showman-ship, covers the Park. During 1962, a special “Grad Nite at Disneyland 1962” album starring the Elliott Brothers orchestra was released thru Buena Vista records. Three tracks (“La Raspa”, “That’s All”, and “Goodnight Sweetheart”) preserved “musical memories of that most wonderful night of your life”. “As you play this record in years to come, these…and other…wonderful memories will love again as you listen to the tunes of Grad Nite at Disneyland played by the Elliott Brothers Orchestra.”

“GRAD NITE PHOTO LOCATIONS!”
What Grad Nite would be complete without a commemorative photograph? “Have your picture taken early! No photos after 4 a.m. You may have your souvenir photograph taken at any of the special locations set up in Disneyland. Please have your photo ticket stub and a completely filled-out return photo card with you before reaching the photographer.”

“GRAD NITE RULES”

“Our discussions with graduates, parents, and faculty members indicate the necessity to once again stress the importance of the following in regard to proper dress :

(1) Boys must wear coats and ties.

a. Only suit coats or sports coats permitted.

b. Sweaters or jackets are prohibited.

(2) Girls must wear date dresses

a. No mini-skirts are permitted. It is felt that skirts should be no shorter “than 1 inch above the knees”. [This rule was a result of a meeting between Disneyland representatives and school officials and senior class representatives from 250 Southern California high schools, during the year 1967. The decision was announced, and published in local newspapers during May of 1967.]

ANYONE NOT DRESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE, WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.”

Strict dress codes were in force, and (no matter the decade’s trending styles), many graduates dressed accordingly as you will see in the following photographs!

Another rule - “No alcoholic beverages are allowed in Disneyland at anytime” was printed on Disneyland Grad Nite tickets printed in 1969. It was important that guests adhere to this rule, because at this time, “no alcoholic beverage…[was] sold in Disneyland” for the good of the “wholesome environment of Disneyland,” according to “Disneyland U.S.A.” (published 1958).

Disneyland’s annual Grad Nite event was expanded to three evenings for 1963! One publication prepared in 1963 (and published in 1964) mentioned “three high school Grad Nights, marathon affairs that last until dawn,” according to the author of “Walt Disney Disneyland,” pages 51 & 52, printed by Officine Grafiche Arnoldo Mondadori - Verona; first published 1964.

Just one evening alone saw the following twenty-four schools attended Grad Nite (Friday, June 21, 1963) - Bell High, Canoga Park High, Crescenta Valley High, Susan Miller Dorsey High, Granada Hills High, Ulysses S. Grant High, Hollywood High, John Francis Polytechnic High, Abraham Lincoln High, Los Angeles High, Manual Arts High, James Monroe High, Reseda High, San Pedro High, Santa Monica High, South Gate High, Sylmar High, William Howard Taft High, Van Nuys High, Venice High, Venice High, Verdugo Hills High, George Washington High, Westchester High, and David Starr Jordan High.

Perhaps you were a Graduate of one of these High Schools, enjoying unlimited use of your favorite Disneyland attractions (shooting galleries excepted, of course), enjoying the evening’s entertainment, and dancing to your favorite popular songs (perhaps with your Grad Nite date)!

After the third evening, “40,000 happy high school graduates” had attended Disneyland’s Grad Nite of 1963! According to “The Disneyland Diary” some “35,000 celebrants” attended Grad Nite of 1963.

The Elliott Brothers Orchestra at the Plaza Gardens, Jimmy Henderson and His Orchestra in Tomorrowland (opposite “Art of Animation”), The Spacemen with Kay Bell at the Space Bar in Tomorrowland, The Young Men from New Orleans aboard the Mark Twain, The Firehouse Five + 2 on the Oak Tavern Patio, the Yachtsmen aboard the deck of the Columbia, The Strawhatters at the Plaza Gardens and Tomorrowland, the Royal Tahitians at Tahitian Terrace, Ward Singers (directed by Gertrude Ward) at Slue Foot Sue’s Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland, and the Gonzales Trio in Frontierland! All the while those swingin’ DJs of KFWB Channel 98 Radio broadcast live on-the-air from the Plaza “Hub” at Grad Nite at Disneyland! Just take a look at the following handbill administered at the Disneyland Main Entrance Gate during the event.

One publication described the previous year’s festivities: “three high school Grad Nights, marathon affairs that last until dawn. These special events have been highly successful,” according to the author of “Walt Disney Disneyland,” pages 51 & 52, printed by Officine Grafiche Arnoldo Mondadori - Verona; first published 1964. So successful were the 1963 Grad Nights, that as early in 1964, plans were being “laid for four Grad Nites with schools as far away as Lake Tahoe in Nevada scheduled.” And so, in just one night alone (June 18, 1964), 30 schools attended Grad Nite at Disneyland! More than 50,000 High School seniors (from 130 high schools) attended all four Grad Nite Parties in June!

For their entertainment pleasure, many of what would become standard bands at Disneyland Grad Nites would perform for guests. Entertainers for the evening included the Young Men From New Orleans, Denny Brooks, the Elliott Brothers, the Strawhatters, Hootenanny, the Ward Singers, the Astronauts, the Mad Mountain Ramblers, the Spacemen with Kay Bell, and the Royal Tahitians! For the first time ever, an exciting prize “gift of major dimensions” was awarded to one lucky graduate - a brand-new white 1964 Mustang, and KFWB channel 98 was live and on the air for this promotion!

The “Tencennial edition” of Grad Nite Party at Disneyland (1965) featured a number of performers for the graduate’s entertainment pleasure - Bill Elliott and the Date Niters, The Vibrants, Young Men From New Orleans, Bud and Scott, The Yachtsmen, The Strawhatters, Mickey and the Invaders, Stewart Clay, Royal Tahitians, Clara Ward Singers, and the Disneyland Humdinger starring Eddie Hodges and Kelly Garrett. A special highlight of the evening’s entertainment was the “sentimental journey of swing” by Les Brown and His Band of Renown (featuring Butch Stone, Susan Mario, and Stumpy Brown from the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea stage in Tomorrowland. Local radio personality and DJ Larry McCormick broadcast the sounds of the gala gradation on station KFWB channel 98, live and direct from Disneyland from midnight to 6a.m. In addition, one flashy new 1965 “mighty Mustang” (along with its gold exterior and black vinyl top) was the exciting prize for one lucky Grad Niter. (A fun sidelight, is that the Mustang was also “the modern Cinderella Coach”, in synergistic promotion of Walt Disney’s latest silver screen sensation.)

Souvenir programs contained the following special message from Walt Disney :

According to “The Disneyland Diary,” “more than 50,000 celebrants from 138 High Schools attended four all-night Grad Parties.”

This was the year of Disneyland’s Tencennial Celebration and the 6th Annual Grad Nite at Disneyland! $7.00 Admission included ($5.55 estimated admission, .45¢ Federal Tax, $1.00 photo), unlimited use of rides and attractions (excluding shooting galleries), dancing, entertainment! The sounds of the two-night, all-night party celebration was hosted “live and direct from the hub of Disneyland” by KFWB’s Genial Gene Weed, and lasted from 11p.m. to 5a.m. The nightly entertainment included many top name performers - the Disneyland “Humdinger” at the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit Stage (starring Mel Carter with H.B. Barnum, Tina and the Mustangs, the Humdinger Dancers, and the Womenfolk), the Association from the Golden Horseshoe Stage), the Royal Tahitians (at Tahitian Terrace), the Young Men From New Orleans (abroad the Mark Twain), Bill Elliot and the Disneyland Date Niters (at the Plaza Gardens), Deep Six (at the Oaks Tavern), the Clara Ward Singers (at the Fantasyland Theater), the Regents (at the Space Bar), Bud and Len (at Coke Corner), Hearts and Flowers (near the Mine Train), and the Port Royal Steel Drums (aboard the Pirate Ship)!

Lastly, guests had the chance to win a grand prize (tickets advertised a brand new 1966 Pontiac GTO - “the official car of Grad Nite ‘66” and “a gift of rare dimension,” as well as the 1965 Ford Mustang, and the 1966 Ford Mustang)! One grand prize was awarded on June 5th, 10th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. Each car was “fully equipped and rarin’ to go”!

Approximately 60,000 Seniors of 33 High Schools attended five all-night Grad Nite ‘66, including Arcadia High School, Aviation High School, Bell Gardens High School, Burbank High School, John Burroughs High School, California High School, Colton Union High School, Compton High School, Corona Senior High School, Costa Mesa High School, Dominguez High School, Duarte High School, Edgewood High School, Hueneme High School, La Habra High School, La Jolla High School, Mayfair High School, Mira Costa High School, Orange High School, Palos Verdes High School, Pasadena High School, Poway High School, Redlands Sr. High School, Redondo Union High School, Reseda High School, Santa Ana Senior High School, Santa Ana Valley Senior High School, Santa Fe High School, Sierra High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Tustin High School, U.S. Grant High School, and Verdugo Hills High School.

To these graduates of 1966, Walt Disney gave the following special message (published within Grad Nite ‘66 souvenir programs):

“Today we live in uncertain times which offer unlimited challenges to your generation. We are now on the horizon of space and the threshold of new discoveries in science. These conquests lie within your reach, if you are willing to take on the obligations of the future.

On this, your most important step in life, let me take the opportunity to wish you the best in the future.

In the years to come I hope you will look back on Grad Nite ‘66 at Disneyland as a happy and memorable experience. We’ve enjoyed having you.”

As late as May 5th, 1967, it became apparent that the new Tomorrowland Stage areas would be unavailable for the Grad Nite Humdingers. So, Bill Sullivan and Ben Harris scheduled the use of the Fantasyland Theater for the live entertainment shows!

It was a challenging month, as the Fantasyland Theatre was being used for several events during the month of June 1967. There were the Grad Nite Humdinger Shows, and the preview week of Humdinger, Vaudeville, and Country Jubilee. After all the Grad Nite performances, Card Walker’s staff needed the theatre for a special event presented for the top theater chain owners across the country. So, time was clearly of the essence. By June 9th, repairs were underway on the old curtains, teaser, and old blue cyc (which has worn out). Preparations like staging, lighting, and rehearsals took place inside the small theater.

On June 15, 1967, local radio station KFWB’s Tom Murphy and Bill Taylor broadcast live from Disneyland’s hub. One lucky Grad Niter would win his or her own “Grad Nite Special” - a brand new 1967 Mercury Cougar - “the car of the year”! Other acts included Coke Corner Duo (at Coke Corner), Dobie Gray and His Band (at the Oaks Tavern), Aunt Dina’s Quilting Party (near the Mine Train), Bill Elliott and the Disneyland Date Niters (at the Plaza Gardens Stage), Ward Gospel Singers (at The Golden Horseshoe), The Regents (at Plaza Inn), The Royal Tahitians (at Tahitian Terrace), The Aggregation (at The French Market), The Young Men (on the Mark Twain), and The Individuals (in the Fantasyland Entertainment Area). The Fantasyland Theater hosted the “Disneyland Humdinger” show starring a slew of performances by Randy Sparks and the New Society, Tammi Terrell, The Aubrey Twins, and The Mustangs!

“Our discussions with graduates, parents, and faculty members indicate the necessity to once again stress the importance of the following in regard to proper dress :

(1) Boys must wear coats and ties.

a. Only suit coats or sports coats permitted.

b. (Casual) sweaters or jackets are prohibited.

(2) Girls must wear date dresses.

a. No mini-skirts are permitted. It is felt that skirts should be no shorter than 1 inch above the knees.

ANYONE NOT DRESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE, WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.”

At the end of the 1967 “Grad Nite Parties” in June, some 250 high schools from “Needles to San Francisco” and their 75,000 high school seniors celebrated at Disneyland. According to another source, “more than 76,000 high school seniors celebrated their graduation at Disneyland…at five special all-night ‘grad parties.’ Better than one of every three high school graduates in Southern California were inside Disneyland on these five evenings alone”, according to “You’re In Good Company - A Report To Disneyland Lessees, Summer ‘68”.

This was the eighth annual Grad Nite at Disneyland! More than 300 High Schools were represented in the all-night 1968 Grad Parties, 2,000 grads traveling by air from Northern California to Disneyland! This number would increase greatly by the following year (1969), when more than 100,000 high school graduates would attend one of seven all-nite Grad Parties. Some High Schools (like local La Puente High School) would even memorialize their visit to Disneyland with photographic imagery appearing in their class of ‘68 yearbook.

For your dancing and entertainment pleasure, enjoy the live sounds of the Joe Tex Orchestra, Revue, the Levee Loungers, Bill Elliott and the Disneyland Date Niters, the Five Americans, Sam the Sham Revue, the Clara Ward Gospel Singers, the Honey LTD., the Royal Tahitians, the Mustangs, the Young Men from New Orleans, the Spats, and the Enchilada Brass!

Nine photo locations include : Carnation Cafe (Main Street U.S.A.), Plaza Pavilion, Right of Sleeping Beauty CastleEntrance, Left of Sleeping Beauty Castle Entrance, Frontierland Entrance, Sleeping Beauty Castle Courtyard Exit, New Orleans Square Riverbank, It’s a Small World in Fantasyland, and Bell Telephone’s America the Beautiful!

Some 90,000 high school graduates (from 58 schools) attended seven All-Nite Grad Parties in June. On June 11th, 1969 alone, were the graduates of Albany High School, baxter High School, Bloomington High School, Bonita High School, Chaffey Union High School, Channel Islands High School, Colton Union High School, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Del Oro High School, Eisenhower High School, El Segundo High School, Foothill High School, Galileo High School, Glendora High School, William S. Hart Senior High School, Harvard Military School, Holy Family High School, Leland High School, Lincoln High School, Lowell High School, Montclair High School in Montclair, Montclair College Prep of Van Nuys, Newbury Park High School, Newport Harbor High School, John W. North High School, Northview High School, Oakmont High School, Ontario High School, Orange Glen High School, Our Lady of Loretto High School, Pacific High School, Petaluma Senior High School, Romona High School in Riverside, Rancho Cotate High School, Rio Mesa High School, Riverside Polytechnic High School, Rubidoux High School, St. Andrews High School, St. Francis High School, St. Joseph High School of Santa Maria, St. Joseph High School of Lakewood, St. Mary’s Academy, Saddleback High School, San Bernadino High School, San Gorgonio High School, San Jacinto High School, San Marcos High School, Sir Francis Drake High School, Sonoma Valley High School, South High School, South Hills High School, Summerville Union High School, Torrance High School, Vista High School, George Washington High School, West High School, Westmoore High School, and Ygnacio Valley High School.

Guests may have remembered thrilling to Disneyland’s Rocket Jets as they soared over Tomorrowland and the Matterhorn Bobsleds zooming high over Fantasyland. All the while, The Righteous Brothers Starring Bobby Hatfield, Tommy Roe, Shango, Merrily Rush and The Turnabouts, The Willie Mitchell Soul Review, The Friends of Distinction, Pak, The Young Tahitians, Los Gallos, and The Sound Castle entertain the future graduates of 1969 in a night to remember!

Forty schools attended Grad Nite Disneyland ‘70 on June 10th, 1970. For their “listening pleasure”, there are performances by The Raiders Featuring Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay, The Friends of Distinction, Billy Joe Royal, Jackie De Shannon, Rufus Thomas with the Bar Kays and Sunday’s Child, The Clara Ward Singers, Teddy Buckner, Tahiti Revue, and Los Gallos!

According to one source: “the 90,000 mark was topped in number of High School students celebrating all-night Grad Nite Parties at Disneyland. As of this year over half a million graduates had observed commencement celebrations at Disneyland since the first Grad Nite in 1961.” [The Disneyland Diary] “Disneyland Dimensions” (prepared for 1970) reported a more specific figure: “Through 1970, 549,094 grads from 2,114 senior class have celebrated commencement at Disneyland during 45 all-night parties.”

On June 11, 15, 16, 17, 1971, Sixty-one schools attended Disneyland’s Grad Nite 1971 - “an evening just for you”! Admission (plus tax and a photo) was $9.00, for six hours in Disneyland, from 11p.m. to 5a.m.!

Prohibited attire for the gentlemen was adjusted to include “sandals and canvas shoes” and “jackets and sweaters (including turtleneck and letter sweaters)”. For the ladies, the length of the miniskirts “should be no shorter than 4 inches above the knees while standing”. Another fascinating list of regulations included Ladies pantsuits, which were now permissible, but restricted to the following : “Fabric should be of dressy material as velvet, crochet, crepe, satin, polyester, etc. Jacket and pants must match. Jacket must cover derrière. Jacket must be worn at all times to retain formal appearance.” Other prohibited attire included “slacks and slack suits, capris and capri sets, hip huggers, jeans, jumpsuits, culottes, pedal pushers, and mumus.” “Anyone not dressed in accordance…will not be permitted.”

Live evening entertainment for your enjoyment includes Smoky Robinson and the Miracles, Linda Ronstadt, Mark Lindsay, the Staple Singers, We Five, the Kaui-Pono Polynesians, Teddy Buckner, The New Dixie, Rebellion, and the Sound Castle Ltd.!

Friday, June 11th, 1971, 100 schools attended the party!

Grad Nights were held June 2, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 1972.

Schools attending Grad Nite ‘72 included: AGOURA

ALTA LOMA

ATASCADERO

BANNING

BASSETT

BLOOMINGTON

BONITA

CAJON

CANYON

CHAFFEY

COLTON

COSTA MESA

DOS PUEBEOS

EISENHOWER

EL MODENA

EL SEGUNDO

ESTANCIA

FONTANA

FOOTHILL

FOUNTAIN VALLEY

GAHB

W. S.HART

HAWTHORNE

DAVID STAR JORDAN

JOHN F. KENNEDY

LAKEWOOD

LAWNDALE

LEIGH

LENNOX

LEUZINGER

LONG BEACH POLY

MILLIKAN

MISSION VIEJO

MONTCLAIR

NEWPORT HARBOR

NORCO SR

NORDHOFF

NORTHRIDGE MILITARY ACDY

OAKHURST

ONTARIO

ORANGE

PACIFIC

PARK AVENUE

PATTERSON UNIFIED

PETALUMA SR

PIEDMONT

POMONA UNIFIED

ROOSEVELT

JOHN A. ROWLAND

ROYAL

ROYAL OAK

RUBIDOUX

SADDLEBACK

SAN BERNARDINO

SAN GORGONIO

SAN MARCOS

SANTA BARBARA

SANTA PAULA UN

SIMI VALLEY

SOUTH

TORRANCE

TUSTIN

TWENTY-NINE PALMS

UNIVERSITY

UPLAND

VILLA PARK

WEST

GLEN A- WIESON

WILSON

WORKMAN

Yucca Valley

Atmosphere entertainment included the Coke Corner Piano Player, Los Camperos at the Mine Train Station, Banjo Kings on the Mark Twain, and Kaui Pono's Polynesians at Tahitian Terrace. Dancing/Atmosphere included The Grass Roots and Sound Castle Ltd. at Tomorrowland Terrace, the The Great Crowd at Plaza Gardens, Teddy Buckner Band w/ vocalist Jewel Hall at French Market, and Wild Oats at Bear Country.

Admission was $9.00 for six hours, from 11a.m. to 5p.m. Admission included a free color photo at one of twelve locations to serve guests. Grad Nite 1975 occurred May 30, and June 11, 1975

The following guidelines have been established to help maintain the Grad Nite Party atmosphere. A reminder was adjusted to read : “No alcoholic beverages, marijuana, or dangerous drugs are allowed in Disneyland at anytime.” Inappropriate attire for the ladies was adjusted (in accord with changing fashions) to include “hotpants, separate sets, jeans, jump suits, bare midriff outfits, and tennis shoes”.

Entertainment for the evenings included The Hues Corporation, The Jimmy Castor Bunch, The Pointer Sisters, Skiles and Henderson, The Four Tops, B.J. Thomas, Teddy Buckner and His Jazz All Stars, Arthur, Hurley, and Gottlieb, and Gloria Gaynor. Other acts included the Polynesian Revue, Sunshine Balloon, and “Class of ‘27” (the newest show at the Golden Horseshoe).

Disneyland’s Grad Nite ‘76 presents live entertainment from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., on Friday, June 4th and Thursday 17th, 1976.

Appropriate attire guidelines were adjusted with the changing fashions of the era. If ladies selected “a sleeveless jacket”, “it must be of the same fabric and color of the slacks and should be hip length. Brushed blue denim pant suits are acceptable as long as they are not tie dyed or faded styling. Dressy shoes, boots, platform shoes, sandals should have straps.” The inappropriate ladies attire was adjusted to include : “separates (i.e. vest/slacks/blouse ensembles), bare midriff outfits, jeans, jean jackets, rubber thonged sandals, hiking boots, fur or fake fur jackets worn as a substitute for pant suit jacket, jumpsuits, culottes, hot pants, or shorts.” For the gentlemen, attire regulations were also adjusted to include “leisure suits worn with shirt and tie”, “waist length” or “maxi length” “sport coats” with lapels.

The following acts appeared - Natalie Cole (on Tomorrowland Terrace), Miracles (in Town Square), Larry Groce (in Plaza Gardens), Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids (on Tomorrowland Terrace), Cecilio and Kapono (in Town Square), Papa Doo Run Run (in Plaza Gardens), Mission Mountain Wood Band (at the Golden Horseshoe), Teddy Buckner and His Jazz All Stars (in the French Market), Sunshine Balloon (near Its a Small World), Ray Stiles (at Coke Corner), and the Polynesian Revue (at the Tahitian Terrace)!

Before the night slipped away, this lucky couple captured their memory of “Disneyland Grad Nite ‘76” at 1 of 12 photo locations.

“It [certainly] takes people”, and The Disneyland Line (June 22, 1978) showed gratitude for the individuals that made the last Grad Nite for 1978 happen. Underneath a cover photo of two sleepy-looking Cast Members, the headline read : “everyone can finally get some sleep. Cast Members deserve a special thanks for staying awake to make Grad Nite ‘78 a success.”

During the late 1970’s, Senior Sales Representative Jane Weber (who joined Group Services in 1976) was responsible for arranging Disneyland Grad Nite parties! How was a Grad Nite Party “sold” to school representatives during this era? “A final meeting with school representatives is held in the early spring here at Disneyland and in San Jose. A basic outline of the party, a slide show and an in-house band performance are presented at this time along with distribution of tickets and promotional materials”, according to Disneyland LINE magazine (published March 8, 1979). There were a total of 58 schools (on Wednesday, June 11th, 1979), and a total of 73 schools (on June 8th, 1979) that attended Grad Nite ‘79 at Disneyland, finding that “It’s electric!” The “night to remember” included entertainment provided by Rose Royce and The Glass Family (on the River Stage), First Choice and The Raes (on the Space Stage), Arpeggio and Sunshine Balloon (on the Tomorrowland Terrace), Papa Doo Run Run (at the Plaza Gardens), The Bill Martinez Disco Show (on The Golden Horseshoe Stage), the Polynesian Revue (at Tahitian Terrace), and the Coke Corner Pianist (at the Coca-Cola Corner)!

Kool & The Gang, Shalamar, Papa Doo Run Run, Montezuma’s Revenge, Tierra, Seawind, Fantasy, and Sunshine Balloon put Grad Nite ‘81“In a class by itself?” Forty-two schools attended June 19th, 1981!

These included Agoura High School, Alhambra High School, Phineas Banning High School, Bell High School, Belmont High School, Birch High School, Calabasas High School, Carson High School, Cerritos High School, Cleveland High School, El Camino Real High School, El Monte High School, Fontana High School, Benjamin Franklin High School, James A. Garfield High School, John Glenn High School, Alexander Hamilton High School, Huntington Park Adult School, John Burroughs High School, David Starr Jordan High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Le Grand High School, Locke Senior High School, Maranatha High School, Monrovia High School, Morningside High School, Mountain View High School, Nathaniel Narbonne High School, North Hollywood High School, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Rosemead High School, John A. Rowland High School, San Fernando Valley Christian High School, San Leandro High School, Santana High School, George Miller Schurr High School, Sylmar High School, Trouble Free Ed School, University High School (L.A.), West High School, Westchester High School, and Woodrow Wilson High School.

Do you remember those adorable Winnie the Pooh stuffed Grad Nite souvenirs?

By 1985, Disneyland (since Grad Nite of 1961) had hosted 2,351,185 grads from 13,509 senior classes, through 159 all-nite Grad Parties.

During 1987, eight Grad Nite Parties were attended by seniors and their dates from 1,022 high schools, totalling more than 130,000 participants. Schools from 13 states and Mexico were represented. The figure brought the 27th year Grad Nite totals to 2.7 million students during 175 all-night parties.

Four years later (in 1989), the 29th Grad Nite brought 2.9 million students - seniors and their dates - (from 1,002 schools; from 16 states and Mexico) during 192 all-night parties.

In 1996, Marty Sklar (Walt Disney Imagineering President) commented on the Grad Nite program: “Grad Night is an effort by parents to provide a safe and sober on-site celebration for all of the graduating high school seniors. Our goals are to entertain the seniors in a fashion unparalleled by anything they have experienced, provide them an evening to share with just their class, and send them away from high school with a positive feeling. All this while keeping them sober and safe.”

“Admission Thru the Years” - The Admission Price Generally Included Admission to Disneyland, unlimited use of all rides and attractions (disclosing shooting galleries and arcades), and entertainment and dancing!

1961 : $6.00

1963 : $6.00

1965 : $7.00

1966 : $7.00

1967 : $8.00

1969 : $9.00

1971 : $9.00

1972 : $9.00

1973 : $9.00

1975 : $9.00

1976 : $9.00

1979 : $10.00

1981 : $11.00

1982 : $11.00

1984 : $12.00

1985 : $14.00

1986 : $16.00

1993 : $28.75

1998 : $45.00

2020 : $92.00

So, perhaps you decided to order reprints of your photographs. Maybe you, your parents, your girlfriend, or your boyfriend wanted a reprint of your Grad Nite Photo. They could be ordered by completing this form and mailing it (with full payment) in the envelope provided.

Photographs generally arrived in manila-colored envelopes with Disneyland mailing stickers on them.

Grad Nite at Disneyland is still a Private Party featuring Disney Enterprises, Inc. products like merchandise and entertainment specifically designed for graduating high school seniors.