For many years it has been believed that the phone booth in Club 33, Royal Street 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 the club, the ornate phone booth is just to the left of the landing, on the right wall. 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 film’s booth open to the left. The Club’s booth opens to the right.
- The film’s booth has a long handle with no plate, and no keyhole. The Club’s booth a long narrow plate and round oval door knob.
- The top-to-bottom corner moldings don’t match.
- The diamond shape on the Club’s lower wood panel is not in the film.
- The top of the film’s booth has points and balls around the edge, while the Club’s booth has no ornamentation at all.
- The film’s booth has a shadow box right above the door. The Club’s booth has no shadow boxes.
- The film’s booth has a seat, while the Club’s booth 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
