We take it for granted, but when Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955 it was a big deal, indeed. Here’s the complete ABC TV broadcast marking the opening of the theme park — famous guest stars of the time and all (and yes, he does appear). Note Futureland: 1986, where “a trip to the moon is a daily affair.”
AND: Disney History has released this video of some color film from the opening days.
OF RELATED INTEREST:
—Theme Park History: A short history of Disneyland
—Vintage Disney Photos: Disney World, Disneyland Snapshots From The Past (PHOTOS)
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.