By fluke (I was born in the Sixties), I never got the chance
to visit Disneyland in its infancy. Back in the 1950s, the whole park
was like one giant Frontier Land—dirt and freshly planted trees were
everywhere. Guests and cast members alike stumbled around, wide-eyed,
not sure what each day would bring. Something new and surprising was around
ever corner. In fact, Disneyland was adding new attractions at the rate
of one every other month.
Uncle Walt breaks into hysterics after a cocksure “rookie skipper”
points out, for the first time, “the back side of water.” Photo
courtesy David Koenig.
What an exciting time. For years, my dream has been to visit that Disneyland
that I never knew. I never had the chance to stretch my imagination at
Space Station X-1 or try my luck at the Main Street Shooting Gallery or
risk my life on a Disneyland stagecoach. I’d gladly trade my current annual
pass for just one day at the park as it was in Year One.
Natually, I had high hopes that for its 50th anniversary, Disney would
make my fantasy come true. That the Magic Kingdom could find a way to
let us to step back in time and revisit the Disneyland of our youth—or
before our youth.
Now, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) tried. Imagineers had multiple proposals
on the table, including converting the Innoventions building into a Disneyland
museum with two full stories of interactive displays, some of which would
re-create entire sections from long-gone attractions.
I was told that my own blue-sky wish list for re-creating the park of
the past (see “Golden Dreams” from July
17, 2002) even made it to the desk of Marty Sklar with a note attached
along the lines of, “See, Marty. There are people who really want
to see this kind of stuff!”
Alas, due to time and budget constraints, a full-scale re-creation would
not come to be. Management decided instead to install a series of shiny
commemorative plaques in front of the Carrousel, the Monorail and other
aging attractions.
Brave “passengers” head out on the unreliable, short-lived Phantom
Boats. Never to be seen again. Photo courtesy David Koenig.
They’ve also taken to putting gold paint on everything in sight. The
rumor now is that they’re considering repainting the lampposts on Main
Street gold, which has generated such comments as:
“Instead of spending money for a quality celebration, it’s spent
on gold paint.”
“I am so sick of gold.”
“It just looks tacky.”
“The place is beginning to look like something Scrooge McDuck would
enjoy. I can see the suits in Burbank and [Team Disney Anaheim] screaming,
“Gold! More gold!’”
So my dream won’t come true. No matter, this year does promise a few
new ways to step back in time and relive the Disneyland of 1955.
1. Heirlooms on display
Although far less ambitious than other proposals, there is the historical
display that’s being installed in the Main Street Opera House over the
next two months. A 15-minute movie featuring Disneyland alumnus Steve
Martin and Donald Duck (in 2-D, not 3-D) will play in Mr. Lincoln’s theater.
Although the film follows Disneyland through all of its 50 years, extra
time is devoted to the park’s beginning.
Guests can also peer at long-archived artifacts and displays in the preshow
and postshow lobby areas. The highlight: a scale model of Disneyland in
1955. Weaned on black-and-white aerial photos, I’ll finally be able to
view the primitive park in color and three (albeit miniature) dimensions.
2. Read all about it
Remember the days when the only books about Disneyland were the photo-rich
yet text-deficient hardcovers the park published once every five years
on its anniversaries? Then, in 1987, they finally gave us Randy Bright’s
Disneyland: Inside Story. Unfortunately, when the coffee table-sized
tome didn’t immediately fly off bookstore shelves, it was dumped into
remainder bins and lost all hope of a second printing.
Not surprisingly, when an agent began peddling my first book about Disneyland
to publishers 15 years ago, the number one rejection he got was, “Disneyland?
Who wants to read a book about Disneyland?”
Well, those days have long since ended, primarily thanks to a flood of
independently produced books. This year brings a record number of Disneyland
titles. Those with special emphasis on the first days of the park include
Disney Edition’s photo-rich Disneyland 1955: In Natural Color this
summer, Jim Hill’s long-awaited Once Upon on Orange Grove in the
fall, and a 1955-obsessed “Golden Anniversary Special Edition”
of my own Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland (just
released).
3. Listen up
Perhaps the most celebrated release from Walt’s vault is this spring’s
CD compilation of hundreds of music and spiel tracks from Disneyland attractions.
Although the park had sold many of these piecemeal over the years through
CD-On-Demand kiosks, these compilations will be issued in a two-disc starter
set and a six-CD die-hard version accompanied by a commemorative booklet
by Bruce Gordon and Stacia Martin.
As well, those purchasing the spiffy new limited edition of Mouse
Tales also receive a CD that re-creates the Magic Kingdom during its
first summer. I designed the hour-long “A Walk in the Park: A Guided
Tour of Disneyland in 1955” to be enjoyed on its own or—for
the full blast-to-the-past effect—while walking through the park.
If I ever spot an overly preoccupied guest poking around the back corners
of the Penny Arcade while wearing headphones, I’ll know someone finally
took me up on the offer.
4. Walk the walk
The shadow of 1955’s Disneyland still casts itself behind today’s Magic
Kingdom. I’ll try to bring it to life on Sunday, April 17, for a “1955
guided tour” through the park.* Early that afternoon, we’ll meet
at the Compass Books & Cafe in Downtown Disney for a signing and a talk
about Disneyland in the beginning. From there, I’ll take those who purchase
a book that day on an hour-long trek through Disneyland (admission to
the park is not included). I’ll point out the remains of long-gone attractions
and shops and tell a few never-before-published stories.
I make absolutely no promises on how intimate (or even audible) the trip
will be. With a small group, we’ll enjoy some nice one-on-one time. But
even if we have a huge turnout, we’ll have fun doing our tour “1958
style” (see “First Tour,” my
previous article) Remember, having a good time is the whole purpose of
Disneyland, despite the shiny plaques and gold paint.
