Part IV: Building the Dream
Our Story So Far: Now that ABC has jumped in to help cover some of the construction costs of the park, Disneyland can now jump from the drawing board and start taking shape in that Anahiem Orange Grove. In exchange for the money, Walt has agreed to produce television shows for the network. The first series, titled "Disneyland", has just premiered and has people clamoring over what Disneyland will turn out to be.
When construction crews began working on Disneyland, they faced many daunting challenges and questions. Walt wanted to find the perfect crew for the job, but according to him, none existed. Instead the crews working in that orange grove found out how to make things work, by trial and error. This way led to many interesting mishaps that occured during initial construction of the park.
Take for example the Rivers of America in Frontierland
After the riverbed had been dug out and ready to be filled the crews opened the water pipes and let the water flow. Unfortunatley, when the water rushed into the riverbed, it was quickly soaked up by the soil! The construction crew was shocked. How would they keep a river from "runnning away?" Luckily the problem was solved when the workers lined the riverbed and shore with clay. The water was once again released and this time it stayed put. This same method was used around the park in The Jungle Cruise riverbeds and the moat outside Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Another issue arose when it came time to clear the orange groove of trees. Because landscaping was expensive, Walt wanted to save some of the older trees that were already there. Jack and Morgan Evan, who were put in charge of the landscaping of the park, went tree to tree tagging which trees were to be saved and which trees were to be bulldozed. Green tags signified the tree would stay and red tags signified the trees would go. The bulldozer operator got to work and began destroying EVERY TREE in his path, with no regards to the ribbons. When asked why he would do such a thing, the operator responded that he was colorblind.Makes you wonder why he didnt ask what the ribbons were for before he started destroying everything!
When buildings first began to rise over the site, Walt learned a new lesson about building construction. He initially wanted to use exterior set type buildings for the park such as the ones you see on studio backlots. He felt that this was cheaper and would save valuable construction time. However, he was in a for a shock when he was told he would have to build complete buildings and not just facade's. Walt didnt like the idea of using more of the already limited funds to construct the buildings but he had no choice.
Of all the lands, Adventureland was the one that had little to no issues in the construction process. Because of this, Walt would showcase this land mroe than others during future broadcasts of "Disneyland".
Because it was being completed so quickly, Walt was able to show an almost completey built Jungle Cruise ride and took viewers on a "dry run" of the ride during a later broadcast of the show.
One of the lands that proved to be the most difficult was "Fantasyland". The most challenging rides proved to be the dark rides (Peter Pan, Snow White, Mr Toad). The track layouts proved simple enough, but because of labor shortages, some of the same animators that worked on the cartoons that inspired the rides, were forced to work on the rides themselves! The animators became painters and setbuilders! Some would argue though that having workers so closely attatched to the products, helped the overall quality of the finished ride. I mean anyone can draw Peter Pan, but someone who actually worked on Peter Pan the movie, is going to do a better job overall.
Dumbo also had its share of problems. The original motor was not powerful enough to make the fiberglass elephants go round and round. They were simply too heavy for the machine to take. After some reworking, the ride opened one month after the grand opening.
But by far the most troubled land was "Tommorrowland". Construction on that part of the park didnt begin until six months before opening!! It was part of the original plan to have Tommorrowland in the park, but as the money for the park grew tighter and tighter, Tommorrowland was scratched off the list. The original plan was to build Tommorrowland AFTER the park had opened and became profitable. However, Walt and his team soon realized that the concept of Disneyland, would not work without Tommorrowland there, so after more budget slashing it was rescued and put on the fast track for opening day.
Besides the different construction issues with the lands, there were other issues that sprang up as well. Take for instance that in 1955 Anahiem was going through one of its wettest rainy seasons ever. With the rain pouring constantly, there were fears that construction would be delayed and the opening pushed further back.
Another pressing issue was the strike involving local plumbers. With so few plumbers available, Walt would have to decide whether or not to have more water fountains or more bathrooms. He choose bathrooms and at opening was accused of trying to get more Pepsi and Coke sales out of the paying public by offerring less water fountains.
But as Walt explained, "People can buy Pepsi, but they cant pee in the street!"
Despite all these issues and many more, Disneyland's construction sped along. Walt was almost always seen walking around the construction site and making sure things were being built to his satisfaction. When he wasnt in Anahiem, he was at the Disney Studio Lot in Burbank, checking out the construction of the trains, ride vehicles and the Mark Twain Riverboat. After the ride vehicles and trains and yes even the Mark Twain were completed, they were all driven down the I-5 to Disneyland. (Which I'm sure freaked out the SoCal drivers of that era!)
Finally, on July 13, 1955 after many a mishap and running through $17 million a nearly complete Disneyland opened for its first special event. On this day, Walt and Lillian Disney would celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary inside the park. After taking their guests on a trip around the Rivers of America in the just completed Mark Twain, they were all ushered into the Frontierland Theater for a dinner and reception. Afterwards, Walt stood up on stage and was just beaming. He couldnt believe that his dream had finally become a reality. Disneyland was set to open in two days and he couldnt wait. With all the issues and problems that arouse during its construction, opening day would be a breeze right? Right???
Coming Up Next: Showtime At Disneyland
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