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Disneyland's Silver Banjo Barbeque Restaurant
Silver Banjo Barbeque
How Ozzie and Harriet's Neighbor Ended Up Running a Restaurant in Disneyland
By Alison Dasso | September 15, 2023
Classic TV sitcom fans will know Don DeFore as the next door neighbor “Thorny” on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and “Mr. B” on “Hazel”. DeFore was also the president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences starting in 1954 and he was also responsible for the first Emmy Awards Broadcast in 1955.
Walt Disney had previously tried to arrange to broadcast the Emmys and was so impressed that DeFore was able to accomplish the feat that he invited him to tour the Disney Studios. The two struck up a friendship and Don attended the grand opening of Disneyland in 1955 and can be glimpsed riding an Autopia car during the live broadcast for the opening of the park.
Verne DeFore (left) and his brother Don DeFore outside of their restaurant at Disneyland.
In 1957, the Casa de Fritos restaurant moved to a larger location in Disneyland’s Frontierland and something was needed for the old space. Disney approached DeFore to open up a restaurant and the Silver Banjo Barbecue was born. The name came from a gift that DeFore’s father had brought home during his job as a train engineer. The restaurant served ribs and chicken cafeteria-style with a special sauce recipe that was “borrowed” from Love’s BBQ in Encino California. Don’s brother Verne managed the eatery.
Reportedly one of Walt’s favorite places to eat in Disneyland, the undoing of the restaurant ended up being its tiny kitchen. It was so small that DeFore stored supplies at a nearby house that he rented. The restaurant ended up closing in 1961 due to the size of the kitchen not meeting Anaheim’s fire codes and was absorbed into the Aunt Jemima Pancake House next door. The building that housed the Silver Banjo remains at Disneyland to this day, with many guests not realizing that there is a secret piece of TV history hiding in plain sight.
A postcard from Disneyland promoting the Silver Banjo Barbeque that spells out Don DeFore's name.
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