Here is the part two of the fantastic LIFE Magazine pictures shot during Disneyland legendary 1959 event, and in this part two we will follow Walt and the Richard Nixon family during the inauguration of three E-Tickets the same day, the Matterhorn, the Submarine
Voyage and the Monorail!
Let's start with some pictures of the Matterhorn opening ceremony with the dancers, singers and mountaineers climbing to the top of the mountain!
Then, it was time for the Submarine Voyage Inauguration to happen and guests could also discover for the first time the Disneyland mermaids in the submarine lagoon!
Hi girls, how are you doing?
And now, here are the pictures which i think are truly unique. Walt and the Nixon Family did of course the submarine ride and, although we've seen before pictures of Walt outside the submarine for the attraction grand opening, i may be wrong but i think this is the very first time that we can see pictures of Walt INSIDE the submarine and enjoying the ride with others guests. As i considered these pictures exceptionnals i've put the whole series with pictures of the ride scenes shot the same day by LIFE photographers through the sub windows.
The Submarine Voyage ride was over and it was time to go out to inaugurate the Disneyland Monorail...
...filmed by cameras of the ABC network!
Arrival of the Nixon family on the monorail platform...
Some talks before the arrival of the monorail...
Here comes the Disneyland Monorail for his first official trip around Disneyland and outside, up to the Disneyland Hotel!
Richard Nixon performing his Monorail grand opening speech...
Then came the famous sequence with Tricia and Julie Nixon trying desperately to cut the ribbon with giant scissors which will never cut...
Walt starts to realize the scissors problem and in a few seconds he will jump to help Nixon daughters...
No way to have these bloody scissors cutting the ribbon!
...so Walt had no other choice than to tore up the ribbon with his hands!
That's it, the Nixon family is inside the monorail with Lilian Disney...
...and Walt has joined them!
Back to Tommorowland it was time for the Nixon family and Walt and Lilian to step out of the monorail, and it's with these pictures that we will end this great article, with all my thanks again to LIFE Magazine photographers!
Pictures: copyright LIFE Magazine
Another excellent article and photos - note that the Monorail did not start serving the hotel until after an expansion in 1961 (which then lead to huge corporate ramifications many years later, including the fate of who would own the Disneyiand Hotel).
ReplyDeleteJust a quick correction...When the Disneyland Monorail opened, it only operated around Tomorrowland. The track wasn't extended to the Disneyland Hotel until 1961.
ReplyDeleteAmazing pictures from an awesome time in history (of both Disneyland and US history).
ReplyDeleteI love the 1950's, almost everything about it was great; the cars, the fashion, the music... except the racial segregation and racial tensions in the US, but at least it was the begining of the end of it.