What all-female rock band from the 70s was kicked out of Disneyland?

The Runaways was an all-female group created in Los Angeles in August 1975. The band began with only three members and saw several lineup changes before signing with Mercury Records in 1976. The Runaways were well known for their rebellious behavior and, in 1977, were kicked out of Disneyland for some questionable acts.

The late Kim Fowley, record producer, songwriter, and musician, would introduce Joan Jett, a guitarist, and Sandy West, a drummer, who, along with Micki Steele on bass, would make up the original lineup. They would eventually add Lita Ford, who would take over lead guitars with Jett playing rhythm, and Peggy Foster, who would leave within a month, would replace Steele. At 15, Cherie Currie would become lead singer, and Jackie Fox would be added to play bass. This would be the lineup on the debut album, The Runaways. In the summer of 1977, Vicki Blue would replace Fox.

The Runaways are kicked out of Disneyland

Reports circulated that the group was thrown out of Disneyland in 1977 during a photo shoot. According to a representative of Disneyland, "One of the girls threatened one of our people with a homosexual act. They were fondling one another or something." There was also a mention of a weird act with French fries and gesturing with their middle fingers. Lita Ford would later clarify that Cherie wasn't hugging her but instead had her arms around her like she was strangling her. She would also state they had no French Fries. While the girls may have done some questionable things during the photo shoot, reports suggest the whole incident was exaggerated.

Blue, whose real name is Victory Tischler-Blue, would create the documentary Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways, a project in which all members but Jett participated. The film documented The Runaways' career, and Fox describes who the band members' stage personas were based on, Currie as David Bowie, Jett as Suzie Quatro, Ford as a combo of Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore, West as Roger Taylor and herself as Gene Simmons.

"I was mesmerized by Blue's wonderfully raw look at what a group of young teenaged girls went through in the late 1970s. It is a real and unvarnished account of a truly dysfunctional band."

Rob Reiner

The 2010 biographical film, The Runaways, was directed by Floria Sigismondi and based on Curries' memoir Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway. Jett would serve as an executive producer for the film, and Kristen Stewart would portray Jett, with Dakota Fanning as Currie and Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley. The film focused on the formation of the band and Jett and Curries' relationship.

Due to differences in the direction they wanted to take the music of The Runaways, the band would play their final performance on New Year's Eve 1978 at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, and officially break up in April 1979. The band would release six albums, two of them live, and "Cherry Bomb" would be the highest-ranking single, climbing to No. 6 on Billboard Hot 100.

The Runaways were trailblazers of the era and opened the world of rock to other all-female bands in a predominantly male rock music genre.

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