Deserted Oasis

It’s so Hollywood. The deejay at the Disneyland Hotel is none other than the namesake son of the dimpled actor known for hosting a syndicated game show pitting other celebs against contestants from Oshkosh.

The show: “Hollywood Squares.” The host: John Davidson. The deejay: Duh! It’s John Davidson Jr. The dance club: Neon Cactus.

The club opened a quarter-century ago as Sgt. Preston’s of the Yukon (to complement Frontierland), going cowpoke during the early ‘90s craze, only to tack Sports Bar & Grill to its countrified name when the fad faded, says management.

The latest plan, still tentative, has the bar being razed for a House of Blues. One way or another, the Cactus is supposed to close in June. That’s showbiz, folks, something that Davidson Jr. evidently knows whole bunches about.

The 28-year-old father and Newport Beach resident, who works for a nationwide collection agency during the day, said he has been spinning hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s for 11 years throughout Southern California, at weddings, corporate events, you name it.

Likewise dimpled, he says he dabbled in acting as a teen but wanted a career with a steady income. He’s been house deejay at the Cactus (blocks from the former Celebrity Theatre, which Dad helped inaugurate in ‘87) for four years, working Sunday through Tuesday.

How’d he get the gig? Forty-six phone calls to the front office.

“Persistence breaks down resistance,” Davidson Jr. said from his deejay booth. He’s also emceed such Disney events as the premiere of the park’s (disastrous) defunct Light Magic Parade and hosted a cable TV show.

“I’m kind of an old dog at this,” said the sandy blond, presiding over the crowd with a smile and a Mickey-fied name tag.

Actually, there was no crowd. During peak party hours, two couples occupied the modest floor, which is surrounded by log-cabin-like logs on the ceiling and walls and tiki-like totem poles. Davidson Jr. was forced to play to the barflies.

“All right, ladies and gentlemen! Get on that trivia,” he said. “We compete nationally!” In fact, there weren’t many barflies either. And the menu, while deep and wide, charges tourist prices. $5.25 for a shot of vodka, $4.95 for a hot dog.

Plenty of reasons for a visit, however. Real dancers love empty floors, and Davidson Jr., who said the club usually lags during summer when families visit Matterhorn heaven, knows how to rotate.

He sailed expertly from disco (the Commodores) to ‘80s pop (Gloria Estefan) to hip-hop (Wyclef Jean). Diggity! Shake that booty in painted-on jeans.

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Plus, the bar draws an interesting mix of international tourists; there’s rarely a line for two pool tables, and Davidson Sr. has reportedly been spotted on the premises during football season.

(It really is all in the family. Senior, who has taken to musical theater of late, appeared in two Disney movies three decades ago: “The Happiest Millionaire” (1967) and “The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band” (1968).

Lastly, without paying a cent extra--and there’s no cover anyway--you can grab a good view of the park’s nightly fireworks display through Sept. 9 from the hotel parking lot.

BE THERE

Neon Cactus Sports Bar & Grill, at the Disneyland Hotel, 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim; (714) 778-6600. John Davidson Jr. deejays Sunday through Tuesday, 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m. No cover.