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Rare one-of-a-kind pairing of film reels containing never-before-seen footage of Walt Disney at his Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, in the late 1950s. The earlier and smaller of the two reels measures 3˝ in diameter and contains a home video recording of Disney inspecting the construction of the 110-foot-long Sailing Ship Columbia, a full-scale replica of Columbia Rediviva, the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe, which takes passengers on a 12-minute trip around the Rivers of America in Frontierland. Although undated, the Columbia officially launched on June 14, 1958, indicating that this footage dates to either late 1957 or early 1958.
The second reel, 7˝ in length, is housed in its original plastic storage holder, the top of which is marked in black felt tip, “Disneyland with Walt and Monorail,” and in gold ink, “Amateur Home 8mm, Walt Disney / celebrities etc., June 14, 1959, Open of: Monorail; submarine; Bobsleds, Richfield Autopia.” The reel contains approximately 9 ½ minutes of footage directly related to the park on June 14, 1959. It begins with exterior shots of the entrance sign before entering the park for the day’s array of exciting and historic events, all captured from the perspective of a lucky Disneyland guest.
The reel shows Walt Disney overseeing preliminary ceremony work in preparation for the debut of the Disneyland Alweg Monorail System (or Disneyland Monorail). Other Monorial footage includes ABC TV crews in cherry pickers; a steady flow of VIP guests that includes Richard Nixon and his family, Hedda Hopper, and Fred MacMurray; the ribbon cutting ceremony from the park guest level; video of Art Linkletter’s coverage and TV cameras; boarding of the ride’s first-ever passengers; the departure of the first official Monorail ride; and footage of Disney waving to the camera after taking a break with Nixon and Linkletter.
The Monorail’s debut was in time for the re-dedication of Tomorrowland and a broader expansion of Disneyland, which included the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Submarine Voyage, the expanded version of Autopia, and the Motor Boat Cruise. These rides are all captured on the reel, as is as a Frontierland parade and various behind-the-scenes video of the Skyway gondola and the Jungle River Cruise, amongst other attractions and events. In overall fine condition.
