My Parents Went To See Those Damn Yankees

This is the program from the play Damn Yankees.  

It was in my folks stuff at the old homestead when I was last there in January for my mothers funeral.

You learn a lot of stuff about your folks after they're gone.

Which is too bad because I would have asked them about this when they were living.

I knew that they liked plays and musicals but I would have asked them if they remembered anything specifically about this one.

The play was at Melodyland Theatre, a circular theatre across the street from DisneyLAND (not that fake in Florida) on Harbor Boulevard, in Anaheim, California.  The theatre opened in 1963 and was eventually demolished in 2003.  It was a church for most of those years. There's no date in the program but I'm figuring the play was in late 1964 after the baseball season...you'll see later how I figured that out.

I remember as a elementary schooler going on a field trip to Melodyland, which was maybe 5 miles from our home.  That would have been around 1971.  Can't remember what we saw then, must have been a play of some kind, but I can visualize some clown telling jokes or doing tricks or something.

This is cool part now about the program, and the play.  Check out who had parts in it!

Dean Chance played for the Angels from 1961 through 1966.

Bo Belinsky played for them from 1962 to August 1964 when his future with the team became uncertain after a fight with a reporter, hence the "temporary retirement".  He was then traded to the Phillies in December of that year.

The mention of Chance's 20 wins was the first clue that lead me to 1964.

The Angels didn't start playing in nearby Anaheim until 1966 (they were still at Dodger Stadium, or Chavez Ravine as the Angels called it) but I know that my folks knew who these guys were, and were probably thrilled to see them up close and in action, although out of their element.

I'm sure they had a great time.

For you youngin's unfamilair with Damn Yankees I included the programs synopsis of the story.