Once Upon A Time...In Anahiem III

 

Part III: TV Saves Disneyland

Our Story So Far: A site has been selected for Disneyland and we now know what the place is going to look like. Depsite his best efforts, Walt Disney has been unable to secure enough financing to begin serious construction of Disneyland. Now, help will come from an unlikely source.

Walt Disney was in trouble. His funds for the building of Disneyland were quickly dwindiling away. Unless he came up with some serious backing, his park would never see the light of day. The banks had all refused to help Walt so where was he going to get it? Luckily for him there was one company that was just dying to get into business with Disney and would do just about anything to do it.

The ABC Network had long been after Walt Disney to produce programs for its network. Desperate to win ratings, ABC offered to help with the costs of the park in exchange for a weekly program. Keep in mind that in this era, TV was still a relatively new technology.The networks were all looking for some sort of outstanding content and programs to keep people watching. Many Hollywood filmmakers were strongly opposed to television because they feared it would keep people from going out to the movies and watching their films. However, Walt was the first producer to see the possiblities in television as far as adverstising and creating public awareness. Walt quickly agreed to the deal and he would soon have some serious funds at his disposal.

In exchange for the weekly program, ABC agreed to invest $500,000 for a 34.5% interest in the park. The company also agreed to loan Walt up to $4.5 million to cover costs of the park. Each television show would be one hour and would be hosted by Walt Disney himself. The first show put out was all about creating awareness for Disneyland. The episodes would be built around providing a different story from one of the themed lands in Disneyland (Adventureland,Tommorrowland, Fantasyland and Frontierland). Naturally the show was titled "Walt Disney's Disneyland".

The Premier Episode

The premier episode of "Disneyland" debuted on ABC Sunday, October 27, 1954. This was the public's first real look at Disneyland the place. People around Southern California had been hearing for months how Walt Disney was planning on building an "amusment park" in Anahiem, but now they would actually get to see the place. Walt was about to take them on a little journey.

The show opened with Walt in the "Disneyland Planning Room" at the Disney Studio's in Burbank. After a brief intro, Walt Disney unvieled Disneyland to the American public. Using a beautifly drawn map of Disneyland by Disney artist Peter Ellenshaw, Walt described what the park was to be.

Walt Disney presents Disneyland to the world

Aerial footage of the Anahiem site was shown along with a huge model of Disneyland that Walt used to describe the layouts of the park.

Walt describes the different lands in Disneyland

The show also included a promise by Walt that the park would be open in approximatley one year. Pretty bold statement, considering that much of the park was still just orange groves.

Reaction to the show was overwhelmingly positive and the public wanted more.

Meanwhile, down in Anahiem, construction of the park was proving to be more difficult and costly than they thought it would. No one had ever attempted anything quite like Disneyland before and crews were begining to realize why. Would Walt's team of construction men and artists be able to pull this project off? The story continues..

Up Next: Building the Dream

Delayed

Hello out there

For those of you tuning in to see Part III of the "Once Upon A Time..In Anahiem" series, I'm sorry to say I've been having some problems uploading. I will have it up either later today or tommorrow. My apologies for the delay

 

DQ

BREAKING NEWS: July 17th info

Hope you are all enjoying the "Once Upon A Time..In Anahiem" series. The best is yet to come.

Disney has finally spilled the beans as to what is going to happen the morning of July 17th before Disneyland opens for its big 50th bash. So for those of you planning to attend, here it is:

1. DCA will open at 2:00 am 7/17 for the purpose of holding guests waiting to get into Disneyland. - valid 7/17 DL admission will be required to enter DCA and ticket booths will be open. When guests queue up they will get their commemorative ears and whatever other gifts will be given out on the 17th. The commemorative ears are not the regular ones currently sold in the park, and they can not be embroidered. Limited refreshments will be available for sale inside DCA - Smoozies, Award Wieners (limited menu), ODV. Restrooms will be open. NO entertainment. It's a line, not a party. When guests enter the park they will receive a wristband. If they leave for whatever reason, they will lose that wristband. If they return, they will have to rejoin the line wherever it currently is at that time.
2. The Timon lot will be open, with tram service, for those who wish to camp out in DCA the morning of 7/17. The Mickey & Friends parking lot will open at 6:00 a.m.
3. DCA will stop admitting people around 6 a.m. Guests who arrive after that will queue outside of the security checkpoints at either end of the Esplanade.
4. Disneyland will open at 7:00 a.m. for an "unpublished opening." The DCA crowd will be escorted into Disneyland at that time. The security checkpints will re-open once the DCA crowd is inside Disneyland, bag check's will resume and people will be allowed to go right into Disneyland. It is estimated that it may take as long as an hour to get all of the DCA crowd into Disneyland, so the 8:00 announced opening time might be accurate for those who do not camp inside DCA.
5. They probably will not do the softer, staggered closes we're familiar with as attendance increases. There is a maximum capacity number, which has not been disclosed, and the park will close when that number is reached. When the gates close, it will be a hard close - NOBODY gets, regardless of their story.

A very special thank you to mouseplanet.com for providing the info.

 

DQ

Once Upon A Time..In Anahiem II

Part II: Financing a Dream

Our Story So Far: Walt Disney is planning on building a theme park dedicated to family fun and Disney. When the original site in Burbank, CA proved too small for the project, Walt began looking at other parcels of land that would be able to hold his vision. After searching all of Southern California, his research team has finally settled on a orange grove in the sleepy farming town of Anahiem, CA. Now comes the challenging part: Making this dream..a reality.

Walt knew that there was NO WAY his dream would get off the ground without money. His brother, Roy O. Disney who basically took care of the money side of the Disney Empire, had only allowed Walt to use $10,000 for the development and construction of Mickey Mouse Park. Of course, that amount was nowhere near the amount he would need to build and complete the newly dubbed "Disneyland" project in Anahiem. Roy however, was not convinced that Walt's theme park would prove to be financially feasible, and refused to allow Walt to use anymore of the company's funds. Walt would have to look elsewhere for money.

One group that initially helped Walt out was the "Disneyland Backers and Boosters". This group, made up entirely of Disney Studio employees, chipped in money to help Walt with start up costs. As more and more employee's started contributing, Roy began to take notice and the more people began to take Walt's project seriously, the more he began to reconsider his original opinion of the park being a failure.

Even with his modest employee only fund, Walt knew that the details he wanted to include in his park-that would make it different from other parks-wouldnt come cheap. The problem was he needed some sort of visual refrence to show the accountants that his park was feasible and unique.

On the morning of Saturday, September 26, 1953 Walt Disney placed a call to noted artist (And former Disney employee) Herb Ryman. Ryman, who at the time was working at 20th Century Fox, was surprised to be getting a call from Walt Disney himself. Walt asked Ryman if he would come down to the Disney lot and discuss a project with him. Ryman agreed and headed down to meet Walt.

Once he arrived and settled in, Walt began talking to Ryman about his vision for Disneyland. As Herb recalls, "I asked 'So what does this have to do with me?' and he said 'Well Herbie, my brother Roy is going to New York on Monday morning. He's meeting with the bankers for financing of this park. Roy's got to take this stuff back and show them what this is going to look like. You know bankers, no imagination whatsoever. They have to see something before they back it.' and so I got excited and said 'Well gee, I'd like to see it too.' and he said 'You're going to do it." Ryman's first reaction was "No I'm not." But after Walt agreed to stay with him the entire weekend to help him out, Ryman relented and agreed.

With Walt describing what the park was to look like, Ryman set to work sketching out Walt's ideas. "It should have a castle and a railroad track circling the park." Walt said to Ryman. Walt wanted each area of the park to have a theme. The castle itself would be the icon of the park and the orienting point for guests. Many people wonder why the original castle is much smaller than the castles that have followed Disneyland's construction. There are two stories as to why that is. The first is that Walt didnt want the castle to be large and imposing like most castles of the middle ages. While the second story is that their simply wasnt enough money to make the castle any bigger. We may never know for sure.

So after working through the weekend and throwing idea's around the first official plan for Disneyland was created

 

Walt literally took the finished plan off the drawing board, rolled it up in a shipping tube and handed it to Roy to take with him to New York.

Walt also had a booklet describing the park written for the presentation of the plan. The introduction read:

 

The idea of Disneyland is a simple one. It will be a place for people to find happiness and knowledge.

It will be a place for parents and children to share pleasant times in one another's company: a place for teacher and pupils to discover greater ways of understanding and education. Here the older generation can recapture the nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savor the challenge of the future. Here will be the wonders of Nature and Man for all to see and understand.

Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and hard facts that have created America. And it will be uniquely equipped to dramatize those dreams and facts and send them forth as a source of courage and inspiration to all the world.

Disneyland will be something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic.

It will be filled with the accomplishments, the joys and hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make these wonders part of our own lives.

This description was the basis for the opening day dedication (Which we'll talk about later).

So with Herb Ryman's drawing and Walt's booklet describing the park in hand would it be enough for the bankers to front Walt the money? Unfortunately, despite Walt's success with movies and his reputation as a showman, the banks simply weren't convinced of the possibilities of a true theme park.

This should have put an end to Walt's plans, but he was determined to see his dream through. He sold one of his vacation homes and cashed in his life insurance. Even with this though, he still didnt have enough to cover the costs of the park. Luckily for Walt, one company DID have faith in his idea. And agreed to kick money into the park. What company was crazy (according to industry experts) enough to throw money away on a theme park?

You'll find out in part III

DQ

Once Upon A Time..In Anahiem

(NOTE: Hello all! I jumped the gun a bit, but here is the first part of my multi-part history of Disneyland. I had some trouble's adding pics to this first chapter, but I will be posting them soon. Enjoy!)

Fifty years ago, a magical place called Disneyland, was born in a orange grove in the farming town of Anahiem. They didnt know it then, but this place would grow to become one of the most beloved places to visit of all time. Disneyland is many things to many people. For some its a place to go on rides not offered at traditional amusement parks. For others, its a place that holds special memories and moments shared with loved ones. For others, it's the only place to see Mickey Mouse and other favorite Disney characters. Disneyland's history is as rich and colorful as the place itself. Over the next serveral days, I will be sharing with you the story behind the Magic Kingdom. You'll learn what spurred Walt Disney to take such a risky venture and how the park came to be. So sit back and hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Over the years I have read tons of stories concerning Disneyland and its history. This is the first time I will attempt to cram all the tidbits and stories into one cohesive story. So if I tend to lose my train of thought or not make sense, please bear with me. On with the show:

IT ALL STARTED WITH A MOUSE

The year is 1953. Walt Disney and Walt Disney Productions (Now known as The Walt Disney Co.) is flying high as the number one family studio in town. One Sunday afternoon, Walt took his two daughters down to Griffith Park to ride the carousel there as he always did. As he sat down at a nearby bench and watched other parents watch their kids go round and round he thought to himself, "There should be a place built, where the kids and grownups can have fun together." Keep in mind, there were amusement parks around at this time. But he felt that those places were too shady and run by individuals that were more interested in making money than providing wholesome entertainment for a family. Walt began thinking that maybe he should be the one to solve this dilema. He rounded up a research team and set them out to interview various amusement park operatorson their opinions about running a family friendly park without the traditional carnival rides and midway games and such. They of course all told him that such a park would fail.

Undaunted, Walt pressed on with his idea. He and some of his artists began sketching out ideas for a small theme park that would be built adjacent to the Disney Studio lot in Burbank. Walt dubbed the park "Mickey Mouse Park". The reason Walt wanted the park built next to the studio was to also incorporate a lot tour into the total experience. Walt felt that people could come see how their favorite cartoon characters are brought to life and then go next door to the park and visit the real life version of them.

This building stands where Disneyland was originally planned to be built.

Walt wanted his theme park to be different from other parks in the area. The original idea's included a train, a steamboat ride, a petting zoo and an island for children to run around and play. Walt wanted the park to be broken up into different themed "lands". These included a western style town and tribue to midwestern main streets.

As his ideas and dreams grew, it became apparent that the parcel of land across from the studio would be too small to accomodate this ambitious undertaking.

A new site would have to be found and soon. In July 1953, Walt commissioned the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) to help choose a location. One location Walt DIDNT want for his park is by the beach. He wanted his park to have nothing to do with the image of boardwalks and ferris wheels and such. Things like freeway access, smog, future population growth and local government support were all factors in deciding a spot. The SRI searched all of Southern California looking for the ideal locationa and sites as varied as Chatsworth, Tustin and Balboa were all considered, but passed on for various reasons.

Finally, they settled on four locations: An Orange grove in Anahiem, Santa Ana, La Mirada and an area that is now where Valley View Ave and the I-5 South meet.

Anahiem was selected due to is future population growth potential and the fact that newly constructed Santa Ana Freeway stood just blocks from where the main entrance of Disneyland would be. Keep in mind that at this time, Anahiem is nothing but orange groves and country roads. Why in the world would anyone want to build a theme park out here in the middle of nowhere? How would Walt convince people to drive from Los Angeles to farmland in Anahiem? Walt's dream may just turn out to be that. A dream.

(Coming Up Next: The Saga Begins)

Mid-Week Update

Hello everyone! Welcome back to the drill!! Yes, its been along time coming, but finally an update!

Space Mountan is bbaacckk

Visitors to the Disneyland resort this past weekend got a special treat for braving the 4th of July crowds. Space Mountain opened for previews and while reviews have been mixed thus far, everyone seems to agree that its just good to have this Disneyland classic back.

Below are some shots of the ride

Its not Space Mountain. Its Space STATION

the new ride vehicles (I hope those speakers work now!)

The "Launch" tunnel

What ride would be complete without a gift store?

 

The plan is to have soft openings up until July 11. The grand re-opening of this ride is set to take place July 15th.

Still no hard details as to what exactly is going to happen the 17th of July but once they are released I'll post them here.

Profiles in History, an auction site specializing in the auctions of movie and tv memorablia is set to auction the lightsabre's used by Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films.

The COA for Luke's sabre

So if you've got an extra 60,000 dollars and you're a Star Wars fan, then by all means go for it!

OK, sorry to cut it so short, but I'm still working on my multi part series for next week. Til the next time we meet.

DQ

 

TGIF!!!

Wow, back to back updates!! Do you believe in miracles?!

Long weekend ahead, hope its fun and full of good times. On with the show

Aruba Drama

Natalee Holloway has been missing since May

Holloway has been missing since May 30

So after weeks and weeks of shady investigations and what not, the government in Aruba has released a statement saying that the 3 teens that are being held in connection with the disappearance of an 18yr old high school student, have been charged with her murder. This whole case has seemed strange from the begining. First they arrest two guards who apparently had NOTHING to do with the case. Then after a few weeks, they finally arrest the 3 people who last saw her alive. Throw in a party DJ and a former guard and you've got quite a cover up going. The government has refused to release any information beyond what the media is allowed to report. There is no evidence to suspect that Natalie Holloway is dead, but she has been missing for more than a month now. The possiblity of her being alive are remote. But you just never know. Lets see where this case goes next.

Los Angeles Today, Tommorrow..THE WORLD

Earlier today, the first Latino Mayor of Los Angeles in over 100 years, was sworn in. Antonio Villaraigosa took the oath of office and pledged to unite the city and help re-establish itself as the premier city in the U.S. Villaraigosa not only carries the weight of Los Angeles on his shoulders, but also the weight of the entire latino community that see his election as proof that Latino's will soon wield more politcal clout than ever before. .

In theatres this weekend is Tom Cruise's "War of The Worlds" and the Martin Lawarence comdey "Rebound". Two guesses as to which film does better. Industry insiders are hoping that "War" can pull the box office out of its rut. The movie itself looks promising. It no doubt will have a HUGE box office take.

Land of the Lame

In case you dont know already, DO NOT watch George A Romero's Land of the Dead. This was by far the worst film I have seen this year. It has SOME scares and yes there's lots of zombie gore...But the ending TOTALLY ruins the movie. When the movie ended everyone in the theatre shuffled out in stunned silence. Oh well, live and learn.

OK, that will do it for now. Hope you all have a fun and safe 4th of July Weekend. Til next time

DQ