The Dapper Dans are a fascinating curiosity of theme park folklore. They debuted on television in 1961 on the counterintuitively named “The Bell Telephone Hour,” they appeared on “The Tonight Show” back when Johnny Carson was still the host, and a tertiary Modern Family character got to play one for an episode. They even provided the vocal accompaniment for Baby on Board, arguably the most famous song ever from The Simpsons.
If you’ve ever bumped into The Dapper Dans at a Disney theme park, you had to wonder about how these a cappella wunderkinds grew to become an iconic part of the experience. It’s a little weird, right? Even in a post-Pitch Perfect world, strangers don’t bike down the street as they bust out harmonies. At multiple Disney parks, however, it’s a perfectly normal part of the day. Here are several facts about The Dapper Dans you might not know.
1. A distraction with a personality
Image: Disney
The introduction of The Dapper Dans happened by design rather than kismet. Chuck Corson held one of the most important jobs at Disneyland during its early days. He was the director of entertainment starting in 1959. Before that, he worked for Tommy Walker, who held the same position from the start of Disneyland until Corson replaced him. The two gentlemen are ultimately responsible for the legacy of The Dapper Dans.
During the first years of Disneyland, holding the position of entertainment director was a massive task with nebulous job duties. As Corson described it, Walt Disney requested that he spend some time unearthing “atmosphere entertainment.” That’s a type of pageantry whose primary purpose is to distract park guests.
Think about atmosphere entertainment from the perspective of a park planner. They understand that the Happiest Place on Earth can feel like a misnomer for bored visitors, particularly when they’re standing in line or tired after walking all day. Intermittent performances function as pleasant distractions that will draw attention away from one’s boredom and aggravation. A live show is basically a quick hug from Disney.
In 1957, Walker and Corson decided that Main Street didn’t quite live up to its setting of the late 19th and early 20th century. They sought to add some local color to the festivities. Corson deduced that he could emphasize one of the staples of Disney animation. He could hire a barbershop quartet to perform a cappella versions of popular songs from Disney movies plus some classic turn of the century tunes for even more atmosphere. Compared to one of his other jobs, the hiring of beautiful women to act as mermaids, assembling a group of four talented singers wasn’t that difficult. It’s easier to find men who can carry a tune than to convince Miss Arizona that she won’t drown in a mermaid costume, after all.
The head of Disneyland entertainment didn’t even have a complicated strategy. He simply poached his first group of singers from a local company that wasn’t paying them as much. The Fred Waring Chorale’s loss is the theme park industry’s lasting gain.
One of the first four, T.J. Marker, proved the most important as he invented the name that stuck, The Dapper Dans. As Anderson later recounted, Marker and his team were an important addition since they do more than stand around and sing. They introduced a heightened level of showmanship thanks to their charisma and creativity. The Vaudevillian act proved much more engaging than basic singers, and the rest was history. Walt Disney himself delivered the ultimate seal of approval for the barbershop quartet. He purchased the four-seater bicycle that has become an integral part of The Dapper Dans act.
2. They’re purely American but they weren’t always that way
Image: Disney
Theme park tourists fell in love with The Dapper Dans from the start. The thrill of handsome young men crooning classic Disney hits caused women to swoon and men to smile. The singers in the barbershop quartet learned over 100 songs, any of which they could add into their set on the fly. Plus, their stylish pinstriped vests and matching hats enhanced the overall experience of visiting a Disney theme park. Meeting a member of The Dapper Dans is an unforgettable moment.
When Walt Disney World debuted in 1971, park planners unanimously decided that The Dapper Dans would make their way east to Orlando, Florida. They would also stay behind in Anaheim, California, thereby creating two versions of the group. When Disney expanded across the ocean at Disneyland Paris in 1992, The Dapper Dans stamped their passports and headed across the Atlantic to their new home. There, they gained a new name, the Mainstreet Quartet. Alas, their popularity proved less appealing internationally. Only three years aft the Mainstreet Quartet harmonized for the first time, their Euro Disney act closed for good.
A similar situation unfolded at Hong Kong Disneyland. On opening day, the Dapper Dans dressed in their resplendent outfits and introduced Chinese citizens to their renditions of Disney musical standards. Yet again, the a cappella group failed to win the hearts of the locals, and only lasting three years before Disney pulled the plug. Today, The Dapper Dans are a decidedly American experience, something that only guests of Disneyland and Walt Disney World can enjoy. And if you’re wondering if Shanghai Disneyland will give them a three-year tryout, the answer is no.
3. Auditions are tough, and a feeder system is in place
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In addition to Marker, the other three original members of The Dapper Dans were Roger Axworthy, John Borneman, and Ted Nichols. Each vocalist played a specific role within the group. Axworthy was the lead, Borneman performed as the tenor, Marker provided baritone and Nichols delivered the bass. The originals anchored Disneyland’s “streetmosphere” performances on Main Street for many years.
When the company attempted to expand on the premise and plan replacements for the originals, they developed a system. In the early days, Disney leaned on a local educational facility named Chapman College. It enjoyed acclaim for its music arts training, and they became a sort of feeder system for would-be Dapper Dans. You can read some of recollections from former graduates/cast members at the college’s website. To this day, the school still has the occasional student earn one of the roles. The process is much more challenging, though.
In 2012, a Chapman College student won a role as a baritone. To get it, he had to best over 100 other performers, all of whom were acclaimed vocalists in their own right. He also needed to memorize multiple parts for more than 40 songs. Over the course of two days, he sang individually as well as part of a foursome, working with three people he’d never met previously. It’s the sort of challenge that Disney cast members face regularly. A virtual stranger becomes their inescapable work partner.
When a musician earns a spot as one of The Dapper Dans, the work is only beginning. Training is a full-time job for 21 straight days. A singer must learn not just their singing sections but also those of their cohorts so that they’ll have a better understanding of how to harmonize properly. Generally, only one member of the barbershop quartet is new, so the onus is on that person to fit into an already-existing system. Finally, the performer also has to learn how to play the organ chimes, the unusual signature instrument of The Dapper Dans.
Becoming a part of Disney lore as a member of The Dapper Dans is a stressful and demanding endeavor. It’s all worth it the first time a singer brings smiles to the faces of strangers, though.
4. The group has to adapt their music
Image: Disney
While the library of Disney classic music approved for singing at the parks is largely finite, The Dapper Dans don’t always sing the same songs. During their nine performances a day, they default to park favorites such as When You Wish upon a Star and Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. Their staple, the one that they claim they have performed more than 50,000 times, is Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby.
Despite the consistency of their body of work, The Dapper Dans have to stay alert to what’s trending with Disney fans. One of the most popular songs from their 2000 album, Shave & A Haircut, is Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid. That film wasn’t even released until 1989, three decades after the act performed at Disneyland for the first time. It’s not even the timeliest recent example, though. During 2014, The Dapper Dans surprised theme park tourists with the occasional performance of Let It Go, the blockbuster song from Frozen. They even sang it on a plane to celebrate the introduction of new Southwest flights to Orlando.
The barbershop quartet also switches their music style during the fall each year. Most of the time, they sing classics celebrating Disney heroes. When Halloween approaches, their songs become more ghoulish in tone. Villainous anthems and macabre selections such as Grim Grinning Ghosts are par for the course in October. And their version of This Is Halloween is a triumph. If you’re considering a visit to an American Disney park during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, The Dapper Dans (who change their name to ‘The Cadaver Dans’) alone are worth the price of admission.
5. Simpsons fans know The Dapper Dans by a different name
Image: Disney
Baby on board. Something something, Burt Ward. If these lyrics aren’t complete gibberish and actually mean something to you, you’re a Simpsons fan. What you probably don’t know is that the band Homer Simpson founded, the Be Sharps, needed a little help in harmonizing the actual singing parts of the show.
The voices you hear are not just cast members of The Simpsons. They’re also Dapper Dans from the early 1990s. Jim Campbell provided the singing voice for Seymour Skinner, Mike Economou for Apu, and Dan Jordan for Homer Simpson. Dapper Dan tenor Shelby Grimm had the trickiest job. He had to sing badly as Chief Wiggum and then like an angel as Barney Gumble. Universal Studios in Orlando and Hollywood might have Simpsons Land, but Disneyland has performers who have actually loaned their voices to a Simpsons episode.
