Fess Parker was a tall, handsome actor appearing in the science fiction film Them! when Walt first spotted him and considered him for the upcoming part of the king of the wild frontier, Davy Crockett. The choice proved to be quintessential, giving Fess instant popularity and lifetime recognition for the role. It was on this …
See more
The 1950 Academy Award® winning film Beaver Valley told the whole “tooth” about critters, including their lives in ponds and their interactions with other animals such as moose, deer, raccoons, and frogs. The 32 minute featurette made its debut on the Disneyland TV show on this day in 1954, paired up with Camera in Africa, …
See more
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, based on the 1869 story by French science-fiction author Jules Verne, dove onto screens on this day in 1954. With Verne’s great story in place, Walt Disney went to great depths to ensure that the movie would be equally as compelling. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is possibly the most elaborate live-action production …
See more
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 …
See more
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 …
See more
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 …
See more
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 …
See more
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 …
See more
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 …
See more
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 …
See more