Dispatch From Disneyland
Page 3 of 3

His two girls were well behaved in public, as usual, but were beginning to tire from the events of the day. Lillian and Walt talked about the little things they never had a chance to cover. Lillian mentioned she wanted another puppy. Walt put his foot down on that one. But he was out of ammunition when she mentioned they should head down stairs for a few numbers before heading home.

With the girls tucked away at a corner table, Walt and Lillian made their way to the floor. They always liked to start with a slow number and then work their way up to some of their more complicated moves over time. But since the evening was already old, they just took what was offered and were happy for it. There was something about dancing that brought on an exhausted, but fulfilled, smile to Walt’s face. He always felt closer to Lillian afterwards.

The long walk back to the car passed between all the old shops and stalls. With two sleepy girls they moved at a snail’s pace. However, without having to watch over the girls, Walt was able to get a better look at the buildings. Many needed paint or had lights that were burnt out or broken and not replaced. Most had ‘Help Wanted’ signs in the window. With the boys overseas there weren’t enough workers to go around. Walt knew that story at the studio too.

A few stores had ‘Going out of Business Sale’ signs up. Things were tight during the war for most Americans. Businesses that survived on amusement and escape were some of the hardest hit. However, movies continued to bring in the crowds. Better quality for the money, Walt thought. Which would he chose? 1 minute in a horror house, or 2 hours in a movie theatre. Both cost about the same these days.

And then, without the money coming in, the maintenance and upkeep had suffered. After that it became a spiraling affair with only a large scale renovation and a campaign to rebuild customer loyalty being the saving grace for these amusement parks.

Yes. Walt could see the writing on the wall. It said, “Stay away from the amusement park business.” Lillian said it too on the way home. She had seen everything that Walt had, and she noticed how few kids there were and that most of the ones she saw looked borderline hoodlum to her.

As with so many things, Walt filed away this experience in his memory. It would appear again in various pitches and stories as he tried to get his dream of a family theme park funded and built. As with everything Walt took the best elements and made them his own somehow. With the Disney name, high caliber employees, and huge body of work behind it, Disneyland would offer a better value than these parks and provide higher quality entertainment at the same time. And most of all, it would be a place where a family could have fun together.

-- Indigo

-- Posted February 7, 2001