There was a small expedition to Disneyland yesterday -- Jean Berman, Len Bailes, Don Simpson, Jim Schumacher, and myself -- and here's a report on the current state of things: the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is now open, completing the new Orleans section except for the Haunted House; and Tomorrowland is to reopen, at least partially, on June first, in plenty of time for any WesterCon trip. Also, there are no discernable signs of Disney's death in the park, except for the presence of a sign on one particular record album being sold at all the souvenir stands, stating that all proceeds of the sale of this album are being donated to the California Art Institute as provided for in Disney's will. The sign is really quite inconspicuous.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is possibly the best thing in the park yet, and is certainly going on my list of favorite attractions. In fact, it's good enough that I actually feel as though I'm getting a bargain for my 75¢ E ticket, which is saying something! Over the past decade, Disneyland has been coming to feel more and more expensive, as the prices on the top tickets -- the C, D, and E -- have been climbing ever higher for the same old rides. But the new attractions coming are of a spectacular complexity of such a degree that I can't feel that I'm being cheated by being charged 60¢ or 75¢. (Even the ones that I don't particularly like, such as the Mr. Lincoln exhibit, are involved enough that I feel the price charged is not unfair.) The audioanimatronic work in the Pirates ride has to be seen to be believed, and makes you wish that Disneyland would rip up all of its other audioanimatronic exhibits and do them over again, now that it's found how to use them right. After going on this ride, and the Small World ride, and a few others of the newest ones, I'm looking forward more than ever to the new Tomorrowland. I won't be surprised if it's the most impressive thing of its sort that any of us have ever seen.
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Upon such fabulous foundations, California was founded.
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Dave VanArnam and other out-of-town WesterCon attendees take note of the above, and leave enough time on your schedules for a Disneyland trip when you get out here in the next three months.
-- BEING COMMENTS ON LAST WEEK'S DISTRIBUTION
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But soon law and order took over --
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Dian Pelz -- As you've probably already guessed, I'm opposed to the concept of charging for Apa L, even when it's going to non-contributors. Apa L has always been free to all LASFS attendees for as long as the supply holds out, and I think that this image should be maintained. I think it'd be preferable, even, to cut back the copy count again so that only contributors are guaranteed of getting copies if the supply runs short. As to defraying expenses, I think you can pass the hat often enough to make your costs back, and I suspect that a fairly large percentage of the non-contributors wouldn't mind making fairly frequent voluntary donations, while they'd object to being flatly charged for something they should be able to get for free. This is how I vote, anyhow.
Tom Digby -- Possibly you can explain why a cable car with a church choir on it should have been trundling down 6th Street at about 9:30 last night? That seems a bit much, even for Easter week. ## I think the relationship of red to danger has more to do with it's being the color of blood than its being the color of fire.
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Needless to say, vice and crime ran rampant --
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I almost forgot: Andy Porter keeps telling me to stick free plugs for DEGLER! In RR. Okay, EVERYBODY GO OUT AND SUBSCRIBE TO DEGLER! (Now quit bugging me, Andy.) No, seriously, DEGLER! is well worth reading if you're at all interested in fannish or stfnal news. So is RATATOSK, of course; and I think the two fanzines should have a circulation building contest to prove which one is better. Circulation building contests are a great thing; comic strips might've never been born if it wasn't for a circulation building contest 70 years ago. Possibly Bruce and Andy can, between them, come up with a brand-new concept that will be the equivalent of the comic strip of 2040; there's a stfnal enough goal for anyone. ## I note in the sample DEGLER! that Andy sent me that the Nebula Award this year has resulted in a tie for Best Novel between Keyes' Flowers for Algernon and Delany's Babel-17. It seems to me that there's been an awful lot of tie votes for Best This & that over the last couple of years, and I rather hope that this new trend comes to an end soon. It sounds sort of cheap to have two "Best" of everything all the time.
Ken Rudolph -- You sound as though you're about ready to begin letterhacking to the genzines; it's too bad that the genzines are almost dead these days. Seriously, you could do worse than get YANDRO, NIEKAS, AMRA, and some of the other good ones. You might also apply to some of the apa waiting lists; I know it'll take a couple of years for you to get in the good ones, but I think you'd enjoy SAPS and FAPA in particular. And, of course, there's always the NFFF and its Correspondence Bureau... ## Well, when you consider that "Rabbit Hill" is the only dramatized version of a beloved book that measured up to the book that I've seen, I'm not all that luckier than you. I'm looking forward to the screen version of Dr. Doolittle too, though; it sounds as though it might be a good fantasy movie, even if it won't bear too much relation to the original book. Actually, from what I've heard of it so far, the biggest change seems to be in the person of Dr. Doolittle himself, rather than in the plot of the first book. When I first heard the news, I said, "Rex Harrison as a shy, pudgy, 5'2" little man?" But I like Harrison, and I feel that he'll turn in a performance worth seeing, even if he won't be our Dr. Doolittle.
