NE should have had a HM theme, pirate or Tiki Room bird.
That would have been a nice tribute to Thurl Ravenscroft, who is from NE.
"Thurl is undoubtedly best-known as the voice of Tony the Tiger and as the singer of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," but his career in radio, film, and television has spanned more than 60 years."
"Thurl's involvement with
Disneyland goes back to opening day, when he was the announcer for many of the events, including the opening of Fantasyland. His voice may be heard on many Disney attractions, some which have since been retired. For example, the Mellomen were heard on Adventure Through Inner Space (1967-1986) singing the song "Miracles to Molecules". Also, Thurl was the original narrator on Submarine Voyage (1959-1998). Below is a list of some of the places where you can still hear Thurl in the Disney theme parks.
The Disneyland Railroad (1955)
Thurl has been the onboard narrator since Disneyland opened in 1955. He was also the voice on the Walt Disney World Railroad, but has since been replaced. I am told that his voice can be heard at Tokyo Disneyland.
The Mark Twain Steamboat (1955)
Thurl does the voice of the First Mate on the Mark Twain. Listen to his opening and closing lines from the Mark Twain.
The Enchanted Tiki Room (1963)
At Disneyland, in the waiting area just outside the Tiki Room, Thurl is the voice of Tangaroa. Inside, he is Fritz, the German parrot. He also does the voices for other parts of the show, including some of the masks on the wall.
At Walt Disney World, the Tropical Serenade was renamed "The Enchanted Tiki Room, Under New Management." Thurl, Wally Boag (Jose), and Fulton Burley (Michael) all came back to the studio to reprise their roles for the new show. Ernie Newton (Pierre) had passed away and was replaced by Jerry Orbach.
Pirates of the Caribbean (1967)
Thurl makes several vocal appearances in Pirates of the Caribbean. He is part of the group that sings the theme song, "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me". He also does the voice for a drunken pirate singing along while leaning on a lamppost. In the trio of minstrels, Thurl is the voice of the concertina player, wearing the black hat in the picture to the right, and he does the vocalization of the dog that is "singing" along with them.
The Haunted Mansion (1969)
Without Thurl and Paul Frees, the Haunted Mansion would not be the same. Paul Frees is of course the Ghost Host throughout the ride, but it is Thurl's voice that makes "Grim Grinning Ghosts" so memorable. The Haunted Mansion may be the only Disney attraction where guests can see Thurl's face. He appears as one of the singing busts in the graveyard scene. For anyone who is not sure, he is the second bust from the left, the only one which is broken off its base. The others in the group are Chuck Schroeder, Bob Wright, Jay Myers, and Vern Rowe. They are not the Mellomen, as some people have reported.
Country Bear Jamboree (1971)
Unlike most of the attractions in which Thurl has a featured role, Country Bear Jamboree debuted at Walt Disney World, not Disneyland. Walt Disney World was patterned after Disneyland's successes. However, when the Florida theme park opened in October 1971, there were several new attractions. At Disneyland, Country Bear Jamboree did not open until March 1972, when Bear Country was created from a portion of Frontierland.
Thurl voices the buffalo head on the wall. Though the attraction closed at Disneyland in early 2002, the show at Walt Disney World is still going strong."
