Louis Armstrong
For many, many years I thought this story happened when I was six or seven.
A little bit of fact checking and I found this happened when I was 9.
I’m a little embarrassed by my panic in the story
This is just one story that helps define a big relationship.
Disneyland has always had a lot of good music going on. This particular summer, Louis Armstrong and a trio were playing on the little stage on the middle deck of the Mark Twain River Boat. You could hear his music as the boat went around Tom Sawyer Island, and on the river bank as the boat was passing by.
My family got on the crowded boat. The floor area in front of the bandstand was very crowded. I pushed my way through the crowd, and sat on the step of the stage, just feet away from the music.
The boat must have stopped, there must have been an announcement, I didn’t notice the great movement of people until the music stopped.
I turned and no one was there. I jumped up, I think I was running in circles, I was in a panic. Louis Armstrong stepped down and talked to me.
“Hold on there, Face.”
He calmed me down, we talked, and after a minute or so he said, “I’ll take care of it.” He went up to the microphone and said,
“Hello folks, we have a lost boy up here by the band stand.”
He told me, Your folks will be right here.
We hear my mom’s heavy feet coming up the stairs. His eyes give me a smile.
She turns the corner, grabs me by the arm, and slaps me.
Leave the man alone!
“No, Hold on there lady!”
She drags me down the stairs.
On the speakers I hear,
“Have a nice life, Face.”