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"As the
children rode the merry-go-round, Walt would sit and wonder ..."
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"The voyage that
ended with the opening of Disneyland in 1955 really began when Walt was
entertaining his little girls on Sundays in the early 1940s," reports
the Disney biography "The Man Behind the Magic." "As the children took
their fifteenth ride around the merry-go-round, Walt would sit quietly
on a wooden bench, wondering why no one had invented a clean safe place
where parents and children could enjoy themselves at the same time." Walt
played with a sequence of ideas that grew steadily bigger. Just before
World War II, he considered a small amusement park across the street from
the studio that would feature pony rides, a train, and statues of his
popular characters. Later, he considered a traveling show featuring a
series of scenes of old-time America. "He wanted [the show] to go to the
people," recalled studio artist Harper Goff. But eventually Walt determined
that that was impractical.
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Walt visited amusement
parks around the United States and the world. Mostly, he found them to be
awful, smelly, dirty, and not particularly safe. He was particularly taken
by the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, which was fairly priced and clean
as could be. Of course, he continued working in the studio on feature-length
cartoons like "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan"; more True-Life Adventures;
and live-action films, notably "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," his most
ambitious film project to date. Money was no object here; when the squid
sequence seemed unrealistic, Walt just ordered it reshot -- for $250,000.
But the idea of his amusement park consumed him. The company had, by this
time, sold stock to the public, and Roy was concerned that shareholders
would be furious if he put the company's resources in such a risky new
venture.
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"The squid scene did not look very realistic, so Walt had it shot a second time ..."
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Walt presents
Disneyland on camera for his new television show
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But the lack of ready
money had never stopped Walt before. He borrowed on his life insurance,
sold his vacation home in Palm Springs, borrowed money from employees,
and founded Walt Disney, Incorporated (which later became WED Enterprises,
for Walter Elias Disney), to do the work. That still left him short on
cash. No problem. He and Roy struck a deal to create a television show
for ABC. In exchange, ABC would put up $500,000 in cash, guarantee $4.5
million in loans, and receive one-third ownership in the park (which it
later sold back to Walt). The show, "Disneyland," would make Walt's face
as famous as his name; his lead-ins provided an opportunity for him to
talk directly to his audience in a tone that was natural and familiar
and made him a favorite guest in millions of homes. For three years it
was the only ABC show in the top 15 rated programs.
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"Disneyland" led to
the "Mickey Mouse Club" and "Zorro." The "Mouse Club," of course, was a phenomenon
in its own right. And it owed a great deal of its success to Walt's insistence
that children could be entertained without being condescended to. Soon,
television wasn't just a means for funding Disneyland; it was an important
part of Walt's empire as well. Meanwhile, on the home front, Diane had
fallen in love with a handsome young man named Ron Miller. Walt described
him in a letter to his brother Herb as "a wonderful boy, a big athlete
whom we all love." Diane and Ron got married in a tiny church in Santa
Barbara, California. Ron played professional football for a while and
then went to work for Walt. "I have a great ambition for him," Walt told
friend Herb Ryman, "He will run the studio one day."
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