The “house that Uncle Walt built” had television shows like “Disneyland” on ABC, which premiered on October 27, 1954, and which had prime time offerings that included wonderful family shows like “Davy Crockett”, starring Fess Parker.
When “Disneyland”, the TV Show, moved to NBC in 1961 it was broadcast in color and renamed “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” and it later became “The Wonderful World of Disney”. It was family entertainment at its best and it offered American children a wholesome opportunity to wish upon a star and see what happened next.
Disney meant Disneyland, the theme park in California, and later “Walt Disney World” in Florida. Walt Disney brought us the “Mickey Mouse Club” each weekday on TV in the late 1950s and dozens of animated films and “G-Rated” feature films, including quality westerns and action/adventure movies with big-name stars.
When Walt Disney died in 1966 his dynasty continued to flourish but the entertainment empire that Disney built was not the thing that really impressed me about Walt Disney. It was the man, himself. Here was a man who loved entertaining children and who dared to dream of mystical realms and magical kingdoms and of wonderful things that were bigger than himself.
And that kind of humble, hands-on, American entrepreneurial spirit hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
No comments:
Post a Comment
This blog was closed for public comments on July 31, 2012.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.