There’s only one way to open a Halloween post: TRICK OR TREAT! Metaphorically speaking, of course. Although if you come to my house I’ll give you a chocolate peanut butter pumpkin. Offer good while supplies last!
For those of us who can only grasp hands through the magic of the internet, however, I offer you an alternative. Behold: a 1977 “Wonderful World of Disney” episode entitled “Halloween Hall o’ Fame.”
That’s right, kids, it’s a Thoughts While Watching installment! In this long running series, we unearth old Disney media and react in real time. And I, for one, am very excited to find out what constituted wholesome All Hallow’s Eve entertainment in the wilds of the ’70s.
IT’S A ONE-MAN HALLOWEEN SHOW
“Halloween Hall o’ Fame” stars an actor named Jonathan Winters and, arguably more importantly, his beagle sidekick. Unfortunately the beagle does not have a Wikipedia page, so all I can tell you about him is his name on the show is Peanuts.
As for Jonathan Winters, he seems to have had an extremely prolific comedy career for a man I’d never heard of before. While he appeared on any number of mid-century variety shows including his own, a scan of his filmography reveals scant connections to the Walt Disney company. You may perhaps know him best for his work with the Smurfs franchise. He also did a lot of impressions, which are featured – for better or worse – in “Halloween Hall o’ Fame.”
Ultimately his legacy would appear to be that of a comedian’s comedian, with many Disney regulars looking to him as an inspiration – including no less a luminary than Robin Williams.
I did find this interesting article featuring some behind the scenes action of Winters in his alter ego of Jack o’ Lantern if you’d like to learn more! I snagged a couple photos from there, as they were much better quality than on YouTube, so please do click through that link in thanks.
ICHABOD! ICHABOD CRANE
The conceit of this “Wonderful World of Disney” episode is that a security guard is working Halloween and stumbles into a sort of junk room filled with props. In playing around with them, he discovers a crystal ball containing a crotchety pumpkin head. This Jack o’ Lantern feels that Halloween has gotten way too commercialized. To prove that everything was scarier back in the day, he then shows the security guard a series of… Disney cartoons?
The Disney shorts included in this episode are “Trick or Treat” with Donald and his nephews plus the famous Witch Hazel, alongside a rather questionable Pluto torture cartoon and – wait for it! – “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Yes, the Headless Horseman rides again!
Apparently an additional Mickey cartoon called “Lonesome Ghosts” was also shown in the original broadcast, but the syndication version I tracked down doesn’t have it. In fact, I couldn’t find many versions of this one on YouTube, and even the most complete video seems a bit janky. Heck, given that the vast majority is comprised of various cartoons, I didn’t even wind up with all that many thoughts.
“Halloween Hall o’ Fame” is nonetheless a fun little show to watch while waiting for trick or treaters, if only to revisit Sleepy Hollow and enjoy the spooky Disney vibes. Go ahead, click play!
8 THOUGHTS I HAD WHILE WATCHING “HALLOWEEN HALL O’ FAME” (1977)
1 Wait, do security guards normally work with dog partners? I would’ve made different career choices if I’d known.
2 Oh, good. He’s doing accents and it’s the ’70s. Nothing can go wrong here.
3 Admittedly “Don’t correct me; I’m a nonconformist” is a good line.
4 Oh man, are we about to learn about how the spirit of Halloween lives inside us?!
5 Halloween Ghost/Devil/Witch Huey, Dewey, and Louie race costumes, anyone?
6 Wow. This Pluto torture short might be the darkest Disney cartoon I’ve ever seen. I thought we were having Halloween fun, not scarring the children for life.
7 Ichabod Crane! Does that mean Thaddeus Toad is joining us? (I doubt it but a girl can dream.)
8 Did the pumpkin just say the Headless Horseman “couldn’t scare flies off a roller coaster”? Was that a common idiom in the ’70s?
IN CONCLUSION
Anyway, that’s all from me this Halloween season! I wish you a safe and happy holiday with no bizarre pumpkin head-switching. And if you’re looking for more scary fare to keep you occupied in between candy distribution sessions, check out these:
Halloween Horror Nights reviews
Jack Skellington, exemplary manager
Ron Howard goes to the Haunted Mansion
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!