Disneyland's Opening Day: Press Preview Chaos & Early Attractions
Jim Hill MediaOctober 21, 202540 min6 views
31 connections·40 entities in this video→Disneyland's "Black Sunday" Press Preview
- 🗓️ July 17th, 1955, known as "Black Sunday," was the Invitational Press Preview for Disneyland, not the official opening.
- 🎟️ Walt Disney planned for 6,000 guests, but a ticket printing error resulted in 22,000 forged tickets being honored, leading to extreme overcrowding.
- 🎥 Technical rehearsals for a live TV spectacular were hampered by unfamiliar guests obstructing camera shots and backstage sabotage, including a disgruntled teamster cutting camera cables.
- 🚧 An asphalt strike in LA forced a last-minute scramble to get hot asphalt delivered from San Diego, causing union issues.
The Official Opening Day: July 18th, 1955
- ⏰ Guests began lining up at 2:00 AM for the 10:00 AM opening of Disneyland on July 18th.
- 👃 The park's aroma on opening day was a mix of fresh paint, lumber, and hot garbage due to the earlier overcrowding.
- 🎢 Many attractions, including Rocket to the Moon, Casey Jr., and Dumbo flying elephants, were not fully operational or open to the public on the official opening day.
- 🏗️ Tomorrowland, in particular, was described as a
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DisneylandOpening DayPress PreviewInvitational Press PreviewBlack SundayJuly 17 1955July 18 1955Walt DisneyTomorrowlandRocket to the MoonCasey Jr.Dumbo Flying ElephantsElectrical Water PageantGrand Floridian Resort & SpaMagic Kingdom
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