The Wonderful World Of Disney
This pioneering example of cooperation between a film studio
and a television network also happens to be the longest-running
running show in the history of television. Not bad for a 'kiddie
program'.
Known over the years by many titles, Disneyland began
its long run in 1954 on ABC. At the time, ABC was in third place
among the three networks and ready to take a gamble on Walt
Disney.
Not only did the network have to pay a high price for the
Disney programming, it also had to contribute funding for Walt
Disney's proposed amusement park, Disneyland. ABC took the risk,
and that judgment was vindicated when both the show and the park
became huge successes.
Originally titled Disneyland, the program was hosted by
Walt Disney himself. Initially, the show was split into four
rotating segments that represented the four areas that made up the
Disneyland park: Frontierland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and
Tomorrowland. This format allowed for several different styles of
content, including live-action programming, cartoons, and
documentaries.
All were popular, but Disneyland kicked into ratings
overdrive when it began running a serialised program on the life
of Davy Crockett as a Frontierland segment. Fess Parker played the
title role, chronicling the adventures of the real-life explorer
in the 1800s. Davy Crockett made an overnight star of
Parker, spawned a theme song that became one of the biggest hits
of the 50s, and turned Davy's coonskin caps into the must-have fad
of the mid-50s.
Surprisingly, Crockett was killed in the last of the segments.
Public demand resulted in a few more episodes chronicling
Crockett's earlier adventures, but Crockett never got another
regular series. Several new western heroes like Texas John
Slaughter and Swamp Fox would be telecast until the
early 60s to fill the void created by the loss of Davy Crockett,
but none of them ever achieved the same popularity.
Other segments aired during the early run of the show included
adaptations of classics like Robin Hood and Babes in
Toyland, as well as original cartoons featuring the likes of
Donald Duck and Goofy.
In 1961, the show moved to NBC, where it could broadcast in
colour. The show's title was changed to toot the multi-hued horn a
bit, and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color hit the
airwaves. A new animated character named Professor Ludwig Von
Drake was introduced at this time.
This relative of Donald Duck was voiced by Paul Frees and was
used to introduce educational-themed segments like Mathmagic
Land. The combination of varied original programming was
maintained, although the focus on Western programming shifted to
nature-themed segments like Joker the Amiable Ocelot
and Lefty the Ding-A-Ling Lynx, often narrated by Rex
Allen.
Walt Disney died on 15 December 1966, and his passing was
mourned by many a viewer. As a result, the opening and closing
host portions of the program were dropped, and introductory duties
were handled by an off-screen narrator, Dick Wesson.
Gradually, the focus of the show shifted from original
programming to re-runs of Disney cartoons and films.
Though it was consistently viewed by many, the ratings
gradually began to slip over the years, and NBC cancelled it in
1981. It was almost immediately picked up by CBS, where it ran
until 1983. After that, the show went into a hiatus period while
the Disney company concentrated on a new cable venture known as
the Disney Channel.
In 1986, the show was revived by new Disney head Michael Eisner
and returned to its original network home, ABC. Eisner also hosted
the show, which alternated classic Disney films with new
made-for-TV films like The Last Electric Knight and Not
Quite Human. In 1988, the show moved again to NBC.
It was still hosted by Eisner, but now consisted primarily of
original programming, including series' based on The Parent
Trap and The Absent-Minded Professor, as well as an
update of Davy Crockett. This version of the show was
cancelled in September of 1990, but the format was revived yet
again in the fall of 1997.
The show went through a variety of title changes as the years
passed. The following is a complete list of the shows various
titles: Disneyland (1954-58), Walt Disney Presents
(1958-61), Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
(1961-69), The Wonderful World of Disney (1969-79) Disney's
Wonderful World (1979-81), Walt Disney (1981-83), The
Disney Sunday Movie (1986-88), and The Magical World Of
Disney (1988-90).
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