Dateline: Disneyland (1955) (TV)

Directors:

Wilfred Jackson
Stu Phelps

Writer:

Milton Raison (writer)

Release Date:

17 July 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Music | Documentary

Plot:

A live television special on the opening day of Disneyland. |

Plot Keywords:

Disneyland | Theme Park | TV Special

Cast

Art Linkletter	...	Himself / Host
Robert Cummings	...	Himself / Host
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself - Host
Fess Parker	...	Himself / 'Davy Crockett'
Buddy Ebsen	...	Himself / 'George Russell'
Johnny Green	...	Himself
Bonita Granville	...	Herself
Danny Thomas	...	Himself
Bobby Driscoll	...	Himself
Margaret Whiting	...	Herself
Barbara Whiting	...	Herself
Frank Sinatra	...	Himself
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Himself
Alan Young	...	Himself
Jerry Colonna	...	Himself

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort - 1600 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Quotes:

Art Linkletter: Since this is a family affair, I thought you might be interested in seeing the rest of the Linkletters who are all gathered around me. And to show you exactly what happens now, I let them all take a little vote.
[He looks down at his youngest daughter]
Art Linkletter: Diane, you're 6. Where would you like to go of all the places in Disneyland? Pick any one.
Diane Linkletter: To the great big castle, where Sleeping Beauty is.
Art Linkletter: Oh, you want to go the castle.
[He turns to his second-youngest daughter]
Art Linkletter: Uh, Sharon, you're 8. What would you like to see?
Sharon Linkletter: I think I'd like to go to see Frontierland, when Davy Crockett fights the Indians.
Art Linkletter: Davy Crockett.
[He turns to his middle child, his younger son Robert]
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Melody Time (1948)

A Day from my Youth

I distinctly remember watching this broadcast live on July 17, 1955, when I was five years old, and the opening of Disneyland was, to me, the most important event in the world. Seeing it again brings back that long ago day of my childhood so vividly. The flubs and technical mishaps help bring the immediacy of this live telecast back, and seeing the nearly barren Disney park before the trees and bushes had grown or most of the rides installed is great fun. Particularly seeing empty Anaheim in the background where it is now so overdeveloped is amazing. Art Linkletter was hosting this show on his own birthday, but never mentions it. Walt turns out a parade of his Hollywood Republican pals for co-hosting bits, including Bob Cummings and Ronald Reagan. In opening Tomorrowland, Cummings says it represents the future world of 1984! If only co-host Reagan had looked at Tomorrowland and said, "Oh look, I'm the President." But no one would have believed it then. Linkletter took the camera and film concessions at the park for 10 years in lieu of payment for hosting, and made many thousands of times as much money as his hosting fee would have. Sadly, the performance by the Mousekateers on this show has been edited out of the DVD release, I assume to avoid having to pay them their royalties, which is a shame as this show was the TV debuts of Annette Funicello and Bobby Burgess, both of whom had long careers ahead of them. An amazing time capsule.