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View Full Version : Disneyland - Focus of Variety - April 29



bradk
04-28-2005, 08:47 AM
just a head's up for those that can purchase copies somewhere, if i'm not mistaken, tomorrow's edition of Variety will pay tribute to Disneyland.

in either case, i'm sure plenty of copies will turn up on eBay.

bradk
04-29-2005, 07:36 AM
so I just got a copy, going throught it now, but here's a basic rundown:

major articles:

Magic Moments - Renowned author Ray Bradbury remembers special times with Walt Disney and Disneyland

All Shook Up - While Walt Disney was figuring out a way to finance his park, he invented a new business in the process

New Generation - Keeping Walt Disney's ideas and ideals alive in a global empire requires some careful decisionmaking

Rules of Attraction - Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters took years to develop and a large team of Imagineers, who created an interactive attraction for Tomorrowland

Dreams Come True - The Imagineers continue to create cutting-edge attractions that are true to Walt Disney's vision

World Party - Disneyland's 50th Anniversary, titled "The Happiest Celebration on Earth," encompasses all the parks around the world, new parades and more

Expansion-land - As the company readies the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, it studies expansion into Asia

Finding Neverland - Disneyland's fanatatics take obsession to a new level, whether through collecting, park visits or pool design

Brand Management - Disneyland's 50th anniversary gives the Magic Kingdom's executives an opportunity to polish the brands of the theme park empire while boosting tourism, which is just recovering after the Sept. 11 attacks

Orange Crush - Host Orange County has seen a a [sic] remarkable tourism boom since 1955

Hidden Treasures - Walt Disney and his Imagineers were first and foremost moviemakers, so while they designing [sic] the park they brought a level of craftsmenship and design unknown to the amusement park business. And tucked throughout the park are hidden gems waiting to be discovered.


congratulatory ads from:
nestle, pasadena tournament of roses, ogilvy, leo burnett & starcom (great ad featuring a glass of champagne with the bubbles forming little mickeys), kodak, mcgarry bowen, alaska airlines, anaheim-orange county, the ant farm, the orange county register, coca-cola, the patina group (tortilla jo's, catal, etc), la brea bakery cafe

interesting photos include:
walt posting with a couple of children on opening day (listed as july 18, 1955), a picture of walt displaying a concept (?) map of the park, the matterhorn in mid-construction, a photo of monstro (on dry land) during construction of the storybook land canal, a photo of steve martin with [an animated] donald from the disneyland story movie, gepetto from the parade of dreams, construction of sleepnig beauty's castle at HK, an old photo from inside the Bank of America, the outside of the house of the future (with castle in the background) and a variety ad featuring mickey reading an issue while leaning back against his car in toontown.

there's also a bunch of smaller little sidebar articles and whatnot. i'll report if i find anything extraordinary, but this is definitely an issue to try to get your hands on.

TikiGeek
04-29-2005, 08:03 AM
Thanks for the update. :) This 50th celebration is getting a lot of press (deservedly), I read a nice article yesterday in the latest copy of the AAA Club magazine. It had some great photos of Walt Disney during the construction of DL and the opening day festivities.

bradk
04-29-2005, 08:13 AM
oops! forgot a glaring ad - the back page! it's an ad from the make-a-wish-foundation for the benefit cruise on july 16 on the disney magic cruise ship and lists a whole lot of celebrity 'honorary cruise directors,' most (if not all) with a heavy abc/disney relationship

also, inside cover is a congratulatory ad from honda

also, i think you can get the articles from http://www.variety.com/disneyland - i don't think an account is required.

CrazyTrain
04-29-2005, 08:28 AM
Awesome!
I'll pick one up at lunch.
Was it more expensive than a regular issue?

bradk
04-29-2005, 08:30 AM
it's got a cover price of $4.95, it came bundled with the normal edition of daily variety, i got it as a subscription, so I don't know the deal with purchasing it at the newsstand, but so far, i'd say it's worth it.

TikiGeek
04-29-2005, 09:03 AM
also, i think you can get the articles from http://www.variety.com/disneyland - i don't think an account is required.Wow!!! :) There is a beautiful article written by Ray Bradbury on that site. I knew they were friends but I didn't know the circumstance. Two great visionaries - two great friends. What a great article! Thanks for sharing that. :)

TikiGeek
04-29-2005, 09:03 PM
I got a hard copy of it tonight - this will be a Disney treasure. :)

olegc
04-30-2005, 08:41 AM
ARGH! I have been to 3 book stores and newsstands in OC (Irvine and COsta Mesa) and can't find it. Anyone have any tips within OC? Thanks.

sediment
04-30-2005, 08:44 AM
What does this cost Disney in the marketing department?
1. Variety
2. LA Times editorials (2 on 4/30, and its history shows it's not above scratching backs)
3. Westways (AAA magazine)
4. And any others that I've knowledgeless about.

And how many of these include the notification that DL is closed on 5/4?

My guess is that "If you put out the pub, then you'll get your private party tickets."

cstephens
04-30-2005, 09:33 AM
I got a hard copy of it tonight - this will be a Disney treasure. :)

Where did you get yours? I'm looking for extras and had trouble finding them yesterday.

CrazyTrain
04-30-2005, 09:54 AM
I heard that it was Daily Variety, not regular Variety.

I couldn't find one here near work, but hopefully my roommate was able to pick me up one at her work yesterday. (She works at B&N). I don't want to do a county-wide search. ;)

bradk
04-30-2005, 09:56 AM
yes, daily, sorry about that. as opposed to the weekly edition i guess. never really look at that one.

cstephens
04-30-2005, 03:25 PM
For those who can't find the magazine nearby (I called both Barnes and Noble and Borders and neither carries it), there's some information on the website about ordering:


How can I get printed issues of Daily Variety and Weekly Variety?

Archives of Daily Variety and Weekly Variety print issues date back two years. If the issue you want falls within these dates, please call our circulation desk to check availability. The cost is $6.95 (including shipping and handling) for Daily Variety and $10 (including shipping and handling) for Weekly Variety. Special issues (such as our Oscar specials) are individually priced. Priority shipping is available for an additional charge. You will need to specify the exact date of the issue when ordering -- the operators cannot search for the proper issue. To order or receive further information, please call toll free 1-866-MY VARIETY (U.S. and Canada) or 1-515-247-2993 (International).

There's no specific issue date on the Disneyland special issue, but it was released on April 29. Good luck.

TikiGeek
04-30-2005, 09:33 PM
Cindy,

I got my copy from the periodicals stand (since 1920) in Ocean Beach Ca. (San Diego) It was the only copy and it looked like a conglomeration of copies from the 28th and 29th - I didn't ask questions, it had the article that Ray Bradbury wrote, that's all I wanted. Did you read that story, I'm still crying. I love to hear stuff like that. I hope you find a copy, I think they are fairly rare. ;)

KimmyPooh
05-01-2005, 12:54 PM
Anyone else have any luck? I tried Waldenbooks in Montebello. I then went to Tower Records in Monterey Park. Neither store had them. Since this is a daily issue, will it be difficult to find? Sounds like it is a commemorative issue though so maybe it will be left on the shelves for longer than a day.

cstephens
05-01-2005, 10:11 PM
Cindy,

I got my copy from the periodicals stand (since 1920) in Ocean Beach Ca. (San Diego) It was the only copy and it looked like a conglomeration of copies from the 28th and 29th - I didn't ask questions, it had the article that Ray Bradbury wrote, that's all I wanted. Did you read that story, I'm still crying. I love to hear stuff like that. I hope you find a copy, I think they are fairly rare. ;)

Oh, I have my own copy - I have a subscription. I was just looking for extras for friends.

A friend found a stash of them at Book Soup in Los Angeles, and he ended up getting a couple extra for me. He said there was one left in the store when he was done.

bradk
05-03-2005, 11:08 AM
looks like it also came with the weekly edition (5/2-5/8). so i have 2 copies now. whee.

cstephens
05-09-2005, 03:20 PM
If anyone is still looking for the magazine, the newstand in the food court area of the Century City mall had 6 of them when I stopped by during lunch today.

Opus1guy
05-09-2005, 05:54 PM
walt posting with a couple of children on opening day (listed as july 18, 1955)

Which is technically correct. July 17th was the "Official Press Preview and Dedication" of Disneyland. Disneyland's Opening Day (to the paid public) was the next day, July 18th. Those two children were the first paid guests to enter Disneyland. Although Walt's brother Roy O. Disney was the first person to purchase a Disneyland ticket on July 18th (he got ticket number 0000001), he did not use it to enter the park as a paid guest and kept the ticket as a keepsake.

But this conflict in dates was always a bit of a pain when discussing (and marketing) the history of Disneyland, so when Walt Disney World was approaching it's opening date, Roy O. Disney edict-ed that it's Opening Day would not be based on the Grand Opening Celebration/Press Preview dates, but would be forever pegged to the first day the park opened to paid guests.

And that's been the policy on all Disney theme park Opening Dates ever since. With the original Disneyland being the only one with conflicting "Opening" dates.

You can witness the confusion these 2 dates have and continue to generate in this very photo of the first two Disneyland guests. How can this photo of the first 2 guests be dated July 18th when Disneyland opened on July 17th? ;)

Disneyland was "dedicated to the world" on July 17th, but it didn't officially open to the paid public until July 18th. If Disneyland had been operating under the subsequent Opening Date policy applied to all other Disney theme park openings...none of us would likely be celebrating July 17th at all. The "big deal" would be July 18th.

:)

Mark Goldhaber
05-09-2005, 08:07 PM
And that's been the policy on all Disney theme park Opening Dates ever since. With the original Disneyland being the only one with conflicting "Opening" dates.
Well, come on! If WDW had it's official opening date as October 25, 1971, all those people who paid to get into the park from October 1 through October 24 would all wonder what they went to, if not an open Magic Kingdom. :p