T-Shirts at the Carthay Circle

The Carthay Circle Theatre was one of Hollywood's most famous movie palaces and will always be remembered as the location for the 1937 world premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This historic landmark no longer exists, but the Spanish Colonial Revival stylized building design with its iconic octagonal tower is coming to Disney California Adventure as part of that park's $1.1 billion expansion plan.

But one does not have to wait. The Carthay Circle facade came back into existence during the 1994 expansion of Sunset Boulevard at Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando...

The elegant interior of the building houses a gift shop which among other things, sells appropriately enough--Snow White tees...

While many a guest may pass by the "theatre" without ever realizing its significance, inside there are a few clues to its past glory in addition to its historically correct architecture...

On the wall behind the check-out counter are three photographs. The images from left to right, include Walt and Lillian Disney on premiere night, the Carthay Circle all aglow in lights, and the odd-looking "dwarfs" mingling with VIP guests...

Zoom-ins on the three photos...

The Disney theme parks are certainly filled with enchanting rides and attractions, but it's interesting to think of how they also serve--in the name of entertainment--as a quasi-historical repository for a bygone era.