CNN is reporting (via AP) about Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. Sadly, they are in need of some fact checking:
- Disneyland was wildly innovative when it opened on July 17, 1955. It used robotic figures, holographs and panoramic movies in circular theaters to spin stories for children. With virtually no competition, the park had little trouble capturing the imagination of the world.
When Disneyland opened, there were no holographs. The Panoramic Theatre with “America The Beautiful” also came in the early 1960s. The only robots would have been in the Tiki Room, and I think those came after the opening, unless they are thinking the Jungle Cruise. The first full “audio animatronics” was Mr. Lincoln, again from the Worlds Fair.
- But Disneyland’s opening day is now remembered as “Black Sunday.” The $17 million, 160-acre park initially had prepared for about 15,000 people. Instead, fans burst through the perimeter fence or found other ways inside, swelling the crowd by nearly double.
It was called Black Sunday because (a) the water fountains didn’t work, (b) the asphalt was still soft and shoes were sinking into it, and (c) most rides weren’t working that day.
- Ticket prices also have changed. An entry ticket into the theme park on its opening day was $1, but people had to purchase individual tickets to go on rides. By 1959, Disney introduced the “E” ticket, which allowed multiple rides. It was 85 cents. Today, an all-inclusive entry ticket for ages 10 and up is $56.
The E ticket didn’t allow multiple rides; that was the “Daily Pass”. The “E” ticket was for the more expensive rides: Matterhorn, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and one (I forget which one) in Tomorrowland.
However, I did like Art Linkletter’s line. Remember, he was the original host opening day, and is now 93 and going strong. He said, “”I’m not only happy to be here, I’m happy to be anywhere.”
(Yes, I’m into Disney history. There is a highway connection. Did you know that Disneyland was originally planned to be across from the Disney studios, but construction of the Route 134 freeway scuttled that idea. They moved to Orange County, where they would have good access off the a-building I-5 freeway.)
