The Walt Disney Company in the 1950s
Until now, in our Disney by the Decade discussions, I’ve focused on Disney movies and animated shorts.
I’ll take a different approach today because only one subject from the 1950s matters the most in Disney’s history.
Yes, we’re finally ready to discuss the creation of the Happiest Place on Earth!
The construction of Disneyland defines Disney in the 1950s!
A Father’s Lament Changes History
Much of what we’ll discuss today comes from research I’ve previously done for one of my books, Disney Demystified Volume 1.
If you’re interested in reading in greater detail, feel free to grab a copy. What I’m about to describe is the truncated version.
That story begins with a workaholic father enjoying a family park visit with his daughters.
Walt and Lillian Disney raised two children. Sadly, Walt’s chaotic schedule caused him to spend less time with his kids than he would have liked.
Whenever Disney found the time for a family day, he understandably wanted everything to feel perfect. Who wouldn’t?
Alas, during the 1940s and 1950s, parks were nowhere near as fully developed as they are today.
A lack of governmental oversight led to rampant littering and general disrepair at many locales.
During that fateful visit, Uncle Walt winced at the lack of quality standards and thought, “I can do this better!”
Most people allow the thought to die there, but Walt Disney objectively qualifies as a man of action.
Disney liaised with some of his confidantes and embarked on a bold plan. He would purchase land in Los Angeles and build an amusement park.
However, the entrepreneur wouldn’t stop there. Instead, Disney would add a unique twist to the concept.
His upcoming park would embrace several of his company’s stories.
While the former Santa Claus Land, now Holiday World, in Santa Claus, Indiana, claims otherwise, Disney realistically created the world’s first theme park.
As a world-renowned storyteller, Disney managed something that the inventor of Santa Claus Land could not.
The filmmaker drew attention to his passion project and thereby popularized the concept of an amusement park themed to a singular idea.
Even Disney’s Board Hated the Idea of Disneyland
Disney’s idea proved daring and ambitious but viable.
During the early 1950s, Walt Disney shopped around for affordable real estate in the greater Los Angeles area.
Even then, nobody sold cheap land, a frustration that would later lead to the creation of the Most Magical Place on Earth in Central Florida.
Disney managed to acquire 160 acres of land. All it cost him was his entire fortune up until then. I’m not even joking.
A few years before that, the Disney family had purchased a second home.
Walt Disney not only sold that home to raise funds for Disneyland, but he took two additional steps as well.
The businessperson borrowed $50,000 from his life insurance policy, the most allowable at the time.
Also, the name on the deed changed at the family home. Walt switched to Lillian as the sole owner of the place where they lived.
This tactic prevented the family from losing its home if Disneyland bankrupted the entrepreneur…which was a distinct possibility.
At the time, post-World War II society hadn’t returned to the movie theaters the way that Disney had expected and needed.
The company’s net revenue wasn’t anywhere near enough to finance this project.
In fact, in a fascinating historical footnote, Disney’s Board of Directors rejected the idea of Disneyland.
Disney built an entirely new business, WED Enterprises, to keep the endeavor off his other company’s books.
In doing so, Uncle Walt prevented anyone else from having input on how he would create the planned theme park.
Not coincidentally, Disney struggled with liquidity in 1954 and 1955 and feared his entire plan could lead him into financial ruin.
That Memorable Day in 1955
I sometimes recount stories of the earliest attractions at Disneyland.
Suffice to say that Disney bit off more than he could chew in several instances.
Most famously, as the park’s opening date approached, the creator asked his Imagineers to add real animals to Jungle Cruise.
Imagine the most absurd thing your boss ever asked of you. This request was that assignment multiplied by ten thousand.
Imagineers talked Disney down from that particular request. Most of his ideas made their way to the park, though.
Ultimately, Walt Disney spent $17.5 million to create the Happiest Place on Earth.
Remarkably, many of the rides his team built in 1955 remain in operation to this day.
The attraction I’d describe as the most impressive of them, Peter Pan’s Flight, still employs the same ride mechanics and scenes.
Peter Pan’s Flight also proved instantly popular because the Disney movie had opened in theaters just two years before then.
That practice became a standard at Disney theme parks. Popular films quickly earned a presence at the parks.
Because Disneyland embraced pop culture so much at the time, Walt Disney persuaded ABC to host a live broadcast of the park opening.
From a ratings perspective, that’s one of the greatest decisions in broadcast history.
An astounding 90 million (!) people watched Disneyland host its first set of guests.
From the perspective of Disneyland management, that day spiraled into a debacle for the ages. Even now, people refer to it as Black Sunday.
I don’t want to get bogged on the side stories right now. So, I’ll write a companion piece about the ludicrous number of mishaps that occurred.
For now, let’s just say the concrete hadn’t set, fake tickets were ubiquitous, and the plumbers’ strike meant that the fountains didn’t work.
A Triumph That Started with Failure
Ultimately, none of those mishaps mattered to Walt Disney.
Once the businessperson heard how many people watched the opening day festivities, he knew that he’d built a hit.
That ABC special doubled as a commercial enticing 90 million people to visit the Happiest Place on Earth. And they did!
Disneyland earned 2.2 million visits within its first 38 weeks of operation.
Those lucky guests during the first year enjoyed their choice of several attractions.
Depending on how you define the term, at least 18 and possibly as many as 35 attractions were available in 1955.
Guests delighted in all the boat rides and admired the themed lands.
Walt Disney recognized that he should subdivide his park into a hub and spokes, similar to a wagon wheel.
Navigating Disneyland proved easy and convenient. And guests couldn’t believe the level of detail and immersion in the various themed lands.
One moment, they’d experience the Wild West as the wildly popular Davy Crockett knew it.
Later, they’d travel to Tomorrowland, where astronauts roamed the area.
The intoxicating mix persuaded guests to keep coming back…for a time.
As Long as There Is Imagination Left in the World…
Alas, two memorable moments from the 1950s crystallized how Disney would update its parks forever.
First, guests turned on the dialogue of Jungle Cruise, which was – I swear to you – a serious ride during its earliest days.
Eventually, the people driving the boats started quipping, which made each ride prove fresh and original…and thus, Jungle Cruise’s fate was sealed.
Before then, Walt Disney had overheard two women discuss riding Jungle Cruise. One had dismissed the idea by saying they’d already ridden it once.
In another instance, Uncle Walt noticed a cast member in a cowboy outfit walking through Tomorrowland.
Ever the perfectionist, Disney loathed the unwelcome crossover and demanded that cast members never appear in costume outside their themed lands.
More importantly, the creator decided that all park attractions must update lest they lose popularity over time.
Walt Disney spent a lot of money building the various Jungle Cruise sets. He wasn’t about to risk that ride growing outdated.
When 21st century park officials make unpopular decisions to update attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean or modernize Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, this philosophy explains the why of it.
A Good Deal and a New Problem
As any Disney historian knows, Disneyland opened on July 17th, 1955.
So, in discussing its opening day, we’re really only covering half the decade.
One of the issues from that first year would impact Uncle Walt’s philosophy for the rest of the decade as well.
Disneyland didn’t operate as a single-admission park during its early days.
Instead, guests could enter the park and roam the grounds for one dollar. But they couldn’t ride anything.
Instead, Disney sold ticket books. These were packages that entitled guests to rides on the various attractions.
Most rides at the time cost 25-35 cents for adults and 10-25 cents for children.
Someone who wanted to experience everything at the parks – which have been literally impossible on opening day due to the crowds and broken attractions/closed themed lands – would have paid $8.70.
In 2023 dollars, that’s the equivalent of right at $100. Once we include the dollar for admission, a full day at Disneyland cost the equivalent of $111.
Realistically, Disneyland price increases over the years are remarkably steady. Tickets start at $109 today!
Still, that one conversation between those two park guests disrupted all of Walt Disney’s plans.
By the end of the 1950s, Disneyland had already expanded. In the process, it introduced a novel form of transportation and a new, lasting industry term.
Yes, I’ll need to write a second part to this story to discuss the invention of the E-ticket attraction.
Walt Disney himself viewed this change as a necessity. Find out why next time!
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Feature Photo: DESIGNING DISNEYLAND