The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World Part 1 - Today is Mine

Over the next several posts I want to dive into the television special that reviled Walt Disney World to the public, The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World. The year was 1971. The U.S. Was still flying men to the moon, Nixon was Starting to pull troops out of Vietnam (Before he claimed he was not a crook at the Contemporary Resort. But that's a story for another time.) and The Walt Disney World Resort would open on October 1^st. 43 square miles of “Vacation Kingdom” waiting to be explored. But how do you show that off to the public? How do you squish a resort destination twice the size of Manhattan into a brochure or a newspaper article? You don't!  You Put on a 90-minute television extravaganza. So on October 29^th 1971 at 8:00 pm. 52 million Americans sat in front of their TV's to watch The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World. And what was the first thing they saw? … Glen Campbell !!!

Walt Disney World was built on a Swamp and the production makes it clear with the first few shots of natural Florida Scenery. Sand, trees, and brush Florida at its best... I mean blandest. But the music starts up and we hear the magic vocals of Glen Campbell. Many look back and laugh at this first scene and say why would you open Disney World with this. Well let's take a closer look. Glen was not a B-list star. He was Big! This special was filmed and aired in the middle of his fame. He was also in the middle of his TV variety show “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” which ran from 1969 till 1972. In short he was a good get. That brings up a second explanation as to why this show is the way it is. Variety shows were a very big deal in the '60s and 70's. Everyone from Dean Martin to Hugh Hefner had one and people tuned in to watch. That is something we'll dive in to in a later post but it explains why the opening special is shot the way it is.

Well back to Glen. How big was he? Well apart from his own TV show he has won 10 Grammy Awards and in 1968 he won the CMA Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to the Chinese Theater, Not a bad spot if you ask me. He also received a nomination for an Academy Award for best song for the 1969 "True Grit" from the Movie of the same name. Starring John Wayne, Campbell also co-starred in the film.

So we know Glens a big deal what about the song? “Today is mine” written by Jerry Reed... Yeah that Jerry Reed. Best known for his hit “Eastbound and Down” from the film Smokey and the Bandit which he co-starred in with Burt Reynolds. Kids Look it up you'll thank me later. Anyway I personally love this song, its slow and peaceful and a much better way to slide you into the Idea of what Disney World is. A contrast to a lot of the promotional videos of today with their quick cuts and generic fast tempo stock music. The “Vacation kingdom” is supposed to be taken in at your own pace. To me it invokes the feeling of waking up at your resort and breathing in the warm morning air, and thinking about the adventures the day has ahead of you. In fact I think the lyrics do that very well. Here they are...

When the sun came up this morning I took the time to watch it rise
And as its beauty struck the darkness from the sky
I thought how small and unimportant all my troubles seem to be
And how lucky another day belongs to me

And as the sleepy world around me woke up to greet the day
All its silent beauties seemed to say
So what my friend if all your dreams you have and realized
Just look around you you got a whole new day to try

Today is mine today is mine to do with what I will
Today is mine my own special cup to fill
To die a little that I might learn to live to take from life that I might learn to give
Today is mine

Today is mine today is mine to do with what I will
Today is mine my own special cup to fill
To die a little that I might learn to live to take from life that I might learn to give
Today is mine

And with that last refrain the camera pans up to show the monorail in all its glory. This whole segment sets a stage. This isn't Disneyland. You won't see the HoJo's next door or the Santa Ana freeway in the background. This is not a piece of land its a World. A world that Walt Disney hoped it would shape the future for all of us. With his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. And even if that dream never came true, this place with “The Blessing of Size” would lead the company into the future.