For many years it has been believed that the phone booth in Club 33 was the movie prop from The Happiest Millionaire, which was the last live-action movie that Walt Disney personally supervised before his passing in 1966.
As visitors reach the top of the stairs in Club 33, Royal Street, the ornate phone booth is just to the left of the landing. Many people pose in front or inside holding the phone. It’s a beautiful antique. In 2012, Lesley Anne Warren, who played ‘Cordy’, came to the Club and posed with Mickey Mouse.
A popular story about the phone booth is that it was used in the film The Happiest Millionaire. However, after studying stills from the movie and photos of the booth from the club, it seems that, although there are similarities, they are not the same antique.
The most obvious similarity is the leaded glass design with two circles which match the film perfectly.
Here are a list of the differences:
- The glass panels at the top of the door are different heights.
- The door opens to opposite sides.
- The Club’s booth has a knob to open the door on a long narrow plate and a keyhole, while the one from the film has a long handle with no plate and no keyhole.
- The top-to-bottom corner moldings don’t match.
- The diamond shape in the lower wood panel is not in the film.
- The top of the booth in the film has points and balls around the edge, while the Club’s booth has no ornamentation at all.
- There is no shadow box above the door in the film.
- The film’s booth has a seat, while the Club’s does not.
Although it’s nice to connect things we love, the phone booth in Club 33 and the phone booth in The Happiest Millionaire just don’t match.
Don’t let this revelation affect your love of the phone booth or Club 33 – and share your photos on Facebook – www.facebook.com/Club33RoyalStreet
Lesley Anne Warren, John Davidson and Walt Disney