Disneyland Story

Sam Gennawey is the author of Walt and the Promise of Progress City, a contributor to Planning Los Angeles and other books, as well as a columnist for the popular MiceChat website. His unique point of view built on his passion for history, his professional training as an urban planner, and his obsession with theme parks has brought speaking invitations from Walt Disney Imagineering, the Walt Disney Family Museum, Disney Creative, the American Planning Association, the California Preservation Foundation, the California League of Cities, and many Disneyana clubs, libraries, and podcasts. He is currently a Senior Associate at the planning firm of Katherine Padilla and Associates.Jeff Kurtti is author of more than 30 books, a writer-director-producer of award-winning documentaries, and a respected public speaker, host, and moderator. Kurtti is an expert on pop culture and entertainment. He is a consultant to clients in the motion picture, theater, museum/exhibit and themed-entertainment industries. He was creative director, content consultant, and media producer for the cornerstone exhibit of The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco that opened in 2009. In 2012, he served as a content consultant and media producer for the touring exhibit The Dream of Walt Disney on behalf of Disney Japan. He lives in Langley, WA.

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTSFOREWORD by Jeff KurttiINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 1: One Little SparkOne of These DaysA Birthday Christmas PresentIdeas Excite MeIt Does Me GoodEver Been to Knott's?Walt Disney's AmericaCannibal IslandTell A Story VisuallyIt's About the ParkBankers Don't Have ImaginationCan Do!Twenty Feet of EarthSneeze TwiceCHAPTER 2: Stumbling Forward: 1955An Establishing ShotScene One: Main Street U.S.A.• Town Square• Main Street Corridor• The Plaza HubMain Street TransportationArchetypal TruthAll Aboard!Adventureland• You'd Sell That Tree?Frontierland• Ingenuity of the Pioneers• Queen of the River• They Will Appreciate ItFantasyland• Not Needed But Necessary• All Jumpers• Drama, Humor, and BeautyTomorrowland• Science-Factual• Only Two Cars Running• Whale of a TailOpening Day: The Public is My SubsidyCHAPTER 3: Learning: 1955Year OneWorld's Largest Striped Circus TentGet a Bit LostNew Worlds of EnchantmentStalactite and Stalagmite CavernsCHAPTER 4Hand On 1956 - 1958Something We Don't HaveA Good SystemBloodmere ManorThere was Something MissingAn Innovator and a ThinkerTwo Heads For One of YoursWild TurkeysAnother Big BoatDown the Rabbit Hole40 Hour WatchBuild This!And That Was ThatCHAPTER 5: Walt's Disneyland 1959 - 1966The Committee CarGive 'em a Real ShowHighway In The SkyPoetic LicenseA Mechanical GeniusA Favorite Subject of MineUndamped Divergent OscillationSizzling Teriyaki SteakThe Bird ShowWe're Selling HappinessOther World IllusionHumor Doesn't Hurt AnybodyThis Stuff is Really WeirdSet On The ShelfWe're Just Gettin' StartedLincoln's Own PenToo Many Good IdeasA Little Boat RideDisney RealismA Time TunnelA Happy AccidentCHAPTER 6: MomentumIt's Like a Cocktail PartyDead Men Tell No TalesHis Private Dining RoomA World on the MoveBack On VisualGreat Big Beautiful TomorrowStingraysThe Pattern of LeavesPeople of Equal CloutGreat Caesar's GhostChapter 7: Carrying On: 1970 - 1984Repeat CustomersBears Who Could LaughBronzed Baby ShoesJason ChandlerA Receptacle of ExperienceA Milestone in AmericanaThe Love BugSimpler PleasuresRace Through SpaceHaroldDo It With IntegrityEnjoyment of Quieter AttractionsWhat Have We Done?Fear and ConquestKind Of Crazy and EccentricKeep Changing the ShowCHAPTER 8: NEW IDEAS 1985 - 1996The First, The Fastest, and The FinestWe'll Build You a TheaterOne Continuous TakeA Little GalleryIt's Not Just DisneylandThe Longest, Steepest, HighestThe Disney DecadePort DisneyThe Seven Wonders of the World40-foot Pink ElephantsA Christmas PresentNormal Seasonal AdjustmentsA Complete Character CommunityPartnersHighlighting Its EssenceMaking Us Think TwiceThe Jungle Cruise Trading Co.An Accident Waiting to HappenInvisible TechnologyThe Anaheim ProblemCHAPTER 9: The Resort 1996 and OnwardPlay at the EdgeErasing Leo FreedmanWelcome Center for CaliforniaThe Lively LassImagination and BeyondHip, Irreverent and ContemporaryMore Productive TimeSpeed ParkingThe Second GateA Chance to be with Pooh50 YearsMental Real EstateTinkeringEPILOGUENOTESSELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

"With hand scribblings from Walt Disney and original drawings of the theme park, Gennawey lays out a comprehensive description of the life and history of Disneyland."--Rachel Young, Pasadena Now"The book [The Disneyland Story] relies heavily on quotations, which adds to its credibility and readability. Many of the quotations, but not all of them, include endnote numbers. So the book has an answer for you if you wonder, Where and when did that person say or write that?"--Werner Weiss, Yesterland.com"...Gennawey's book is "unofficial" in its content (but it's not a travel guide). There's nothing [that] should embarrass anyone, but it includes people and stories that you would not read about in Disney publications. For example, C.V. Wood, Disneyland's first general manager, has been all but erased from official Disney history. There are great descriptions of attractions that were announced but never built. And the story of how the land was chosen and acquired for Disneyland has never been published in this detail."--Werner Weiss, Yesterland.com"Don't let the title "unofficial" deter you in the least. This work exceeds anything Disney has ever formally put out. For that matter, in its total form it may exceed everything Disney has put out. There's just so much."--J. Jeff Kober, DisneyatWork.com"The great thing about this book [The Disneyland Story] is the mix of technical details about things like specs on the locomotive engines, Autopia cars, and Monorail designs, blended with anecdotal stories and quotes from many different sources, so there is something for everyone here. The book is peppered with "tips" and trivia along the way as well."--Susie Prendergast, The Mouse Castle"The book [The Disneyland Story] is incredibly exhaustive and takes us through Disneyland's history through the growth of the beloved park. It's laid out in large blocks of years that showcase the development of the park through major attractions and shows. What's fascinating is that Sam was able to delve into the political machinations with the city councils of Burbank and Anaheim to show how Walt's ideas were stymied as well as passed unanimously. The larger civic and community roles that Disneyland has played are usually not recounted, which makes this book so valuable. Kudos to Sam for including an almost rapacious bibliography and for having the decency to cite his references. Not many authors do that. This one is a must have for Disneyland fans!"--George Taylor, MiceChat.com