Rare footage of a now-defunct Disneyland ride has resurfaced, showing the location where a tragic accident claimed the life of a young worker.
In 1974, 18-year-old Deborah Gail Stone took a summer job at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, hoping to earn some extra money before heading off to college.
Her role was straightforward, she greeted guests at the newly introduced ‘America Sings’ attraction, which had replaced the ‘Carousel of Progress’ after it was relocated to Magic Kingdom in Florida.
The ‘America Sings’ attraction was designed as a rotating theater featuring animatronic characters performing classic American songs. However, tragedy struck just nine days after the show’s debut on July 8, 1974.
At the end of each performance, there was a 45-second interval during which the host would guide departing guests out while preparing to welcome the next audience.
During this brief reset period, the theater would rotate into position for the next show. Tragically, just before 11:00 p.m., Deborah Gail Stone became trapped between a moving wall and a stationary one, leading to a devastating accident.
The attraction had a narrow gap between a stationary wall and a rotating wall, allowing for the theater’s movement. This space was left open, and it is believed that Deborah Gail Stone either stepped backward, lost her footing, or attempted to move between the two sections as the rotating wall shifted.
The young woman suffered a tragic and horrific death, crushed between the rotating and stationary walls. As the next group of visitors arrived for the show, many reportedly mistook her screams as part of the performance.
One audience member, however, quickly realized something was wrong and attempted to raise the alarm, but it was too late to save her.
At the time, The Los Angeles Times reported that Daniel Robison, a U.S. Air Force member, had been in the front row of an adjacent theater with his family when the incident occurred. He later told investigators that he saw what he initially believed was a child being pulled between the walls, accompanied by a chilling scream.
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Following Deborah Gail Stone’s tragic accident, ‘America Sings’ was temporarily closed for a few days before reopening on July 11 with added safety measures, including warning lights and redesigned walls that allowed for easier escape in case of an emergency.
Stone’s parents reportedly filed a lawsuit against Disney and received only a ‘modest settlement’.
Despite the incident, America Sings remained in operation for nearly 14 more years before closing permanently on April 10, 1988. Many of its animatronic figures were later repurposed for Splash Mountain.
Since the attraction has been out of operation for decades, footage of America Sings is scarce. However, some clips of the show in action continue to circulate online.
