A Present for Donald debuted on this day in 1954 on the Disneyland TV show, bringing viewers a bit of Christmas from south of the border. Your host, Walt Disney, in his festively decorated office, kicked off the festivities by pointing out that Donald Duck has received a package. From there the episode is mostly …
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Davy Crockett was a real-life American folk hero. Born in Tennessee, the “greenest state in the land of the free,” he became a renowned bear hunter, using his favorite rifle, “Old Betsy,” and eventually went on to have a career in politics, initially becoming a member of the Tennessee legislature in 1821 and later joining …
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The seventh episode of the Disneyland TV series set sail on this day in 1954, featuring the documentary Operation Undersea. In what was really a glorified commercial for the upcoming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, your host Walt Disney made this hour-long program so exciting that it reeled in the Emmy® Award for Best Individual …
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On this day in 1954, “A Story of Dogs” first aired on the Disneyland TV series. On camera, Walt took “paws“ . . . to talk about the stars of his latest film, Lady and the Tramp. He explained that it was a particularly fun film to make because “it was an original story to …
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In trying to raise money for the creation of Disneyland the park, Walt Disney decided to develop Disneyland, the television series. He approached the three television networks at the time, CBS, NBC, and ABC. While he tried to sell the show to each network, he also insisted that investing in his park would be part …
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It was in this Donald Duck short, released on this day in 1954, that we first make our acquaintance with the portly park ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, the play-by-the-rules overseer at Brownstone National Park. In Grin and Bear It, J. Audubon address the park’s bears and admonishes them to play nice with the guests that have …
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Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Disneyland was built in less than a year! With a “heigh ho”, workers began construction on the first magic kingdom on this day in 1954. Just a few months later, in October, Disneyland, the television series debuted. In the first episode, ” The Disneyland Story,” Walt personally let …
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When Chip and Dale get carried away with a book of fairy tales, they soon find themselves battling a fire-breathing dragon, which in reality is a steam shovel operated by Donald Duck in the 115th Donald Duck cartoon short, Dragon Around, released on this day in 1954. Never able to win, the chipmunks get the …
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First published in The American Magazine, “Pigs is Pigs” is a short story written by Ellis Parker Butler. The story was adapted on screen several times, one of which being the 1954 Walt Disney cartoon version. Set at a railway station in 1905, Pigs is Pigs features rule-following Flannery, who is on a mission to …
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On this day, animator Glen Keane was born in Philadelphia, the son of widely admired cartoonist Bil Keane. As a young boy, Glen was the “all-American boy… rambunctious, extroverted. Always the ringleader,” as his father described him in a 1989 article in People magazine. And if you want further insight into Glen’s childhood, all you …
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