PDA

View Full Version : Here You Leave Today...



smd4
04-29-2004, 07:33 AM
In mid-1954, a model railroad hobbyist was asked by a small specialty publication to write a series of articles about a new project he was working on. The hobbyist's name, familiar perhaps to a few of you, was Dick Bagley, and the magazine, perhaps with a circulation of only a few thousand, was called "The Miniature Locomotive." And the new project? Disneyland.

Dick, you see, was heading the project to build the first two locomotives at the park, under Roger Broggie, since he had ample experience with live steam. His first piece appeared in the July-August 1954 issue.

The feel of the article is innocent and proud at the same time. Dick is attempting to tell his fellow model railroaders about this never-before-heard-of plan, the concept of which was entirely new then. This is an age before "talking points" and other tight-lipped PR that we've all come to expect from the Disney company spokespeople today. Dick is honest, and, except for the occasional quote from Walt Disney, he is writing in his own words.

In attempting to explain Disneyland to his audience, he uses a phrase startlingly similar to one you all know:

"The visitor to Disneyland will leave behind the cares and confusions of the world today, and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy."

Dick is not quoting Disney here, as he does elsewhere in his article.

Now, as some of you know, the plaques over the entrance tunnels to the park were not installed until several years after the park opened.

So the question to you is this: Could this phrase, appearing in an esoteric hobby magazine, be the genesis of one of the most widely-known Disneyland quotes?

Your thoughts, please!!

danyoung
04-29-2004, 08:50 AM
Sounds reasonable. All I know is that I don't even have to read this plaque to quote from it as I'm heading under the train tracks. It's always the perfect start to a visit, and sets the tone quite nicely!

3894
04-29-2004, 09:21 AM
So the question to you is this: Could this phrase, appearing in an esoteric hobby magazine, be the genesis of one of the most widely-known Disneyland quotes?


Interesting. It's possible Mr. Bagley heard the phrase over and over in planning meetings, however. It might be that Mr. Bagley was simply repeating what he'd heard.

smd4
04-29-2004, 09:23 AM
That is true. I wonder if anyone knows if Walt ever publicly used the phrase or a similar one at an earlier date?