Disney Legends Spotlight: Steve Martin

I was listening to Disneyland park music the other day in preparation for our upcoming trip, and stumbled on the full audio from the show: “Disneyland: The first 50 Magical Years” (check out the full video here). It was really wonderful, and I started thinking about all that Steve Martin has done with the Disney company over the past few decades. Oh, hey – he would be a great next spotlight subject, I thought. 🙂

Martin’s first job was working at the magic shop in Disneyland in the 1950s. He credits the one and only Wally Boag for his early interest in comedy. He cites influences in his routine from his days selling wares in Frontierland.  He learned to juggle by hanging out with the park jester. (Apparently, there used to be park jesters – how fun!)

He then went on to guest star in the Muppet Show and Muppet Movie. He is one of the hosts of the movie Fantasia 2000, which I love because he has a relatively well-known music career despite his attempt to appear somewhat musically inept during the film.

Steve Martin is known for so much – his own brand of comedy, starring roles in a variety of movies, frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live, and even a Grammy award-winning career in bluegrass music. He may not have directly contributed to as much of Disney parks history as imagineers and other classic figures in Disney history, but his story is such an endearing one. With a love for Disneyland that began as a young cast member and lasted for decades after, I think he’s a great choice as a Disney Legend.