Book Review: “Presenting Disneyland: Forgotten Photos from Opening Day” by Aaron Goldberg

Hi everyone!

I received the book “Presenting Disneyland: Forgotten Photos from Opening Day” by Aaron Goldberg to review. This is really a one-of-a-kind book, with newly discovered photos and a foreword by longtime Imagineer and Disney Legend Bob Gurr. Gurr was part of Disneyland’s opening day and talks a bit about his work leading up to it and also the day of.

The official description of the book is,

Welcome to Disneyland’s opening day!

Presenting Disneyland features never-before-seen color images captured by a Disney studio employee, an invited guest of Disneyland on the day it was introduced to the world.

This remarkable first-hand glimpse provides numerous candid, behind-the-scenes photos of Walt Disney and his new theme park as they prepared for their television and in-person debut.

Previously lost to the decades, these photographs provide a visual history of the celebrity attendees, infamous “test wall” (before it made its way into the park), and overall excitement of what it was like to be in attendance at Disneyland on July 17, 1955.

Here is my review of “Presenting Disneyland: Forgotten Photos from Opening Day“!

Goldberg writes the introduction, talking about how Walt had thought about building Disneyland since the 1930s, but with other locations considered until the land in Anaheim was purchased (and Disneyland took only one year to build!). After discussing nostalgia, Goldberg gets to the history of the photos in the book. The pictures (Kodak Kodachrome slides) were acquired by Goldberg and he had them “professionally cleaned, restored and digitized”. The photos look amazing.

Most photos are from the opening day of Disneyland, but not all of them. Also, the text in the book is mostly clippings from periodicals, quotes and such (which works well).

The book starts out with an invitation to visit the opening day and dedication of Disneyland. It would have been very exciting to receive this!

There are photos of celebrities and executives on opening day, including Walt Disney, the Firehouse Five Plus Two, Bob Gurr, Ronald Reagan, Debbie Reynolds, The Mouseketeers and more. Having newspaper clippings and quotes from opening year alongside these photos really give a sense of what it was like to visit Disneyland at that time. And the photos are not just of the happenings on Main Street U.S.A. and Town Square. There are photos from around the park, including the Jungle Cruise, Autopia, the former Chicken of the Sea pirate ship and more. Attractions, shops and restaurants of yesteryear are shown alongside attractions that have endured until today.

Looking at the photos, it is interesting to see how Disneyland has evolved since 1955. Some aspects of the park are still very recognizable after almost 70 years, and other areas have changed a lot (including the Autopia attraction). There is a Mike Fink Keelboat along with photos and anecdotes of the Mark Twain.

“Presenting Disneyland: Forgotten Photos from Opening Day” is a special book and I recommend it to anyone who loves Disneyland. Aaron Goldberg did a wonderful job putting together these never-before-seen photos with clippings and quotes to further the sense of what it felt like to be part of Disneyland’s opening day and opening year.

 

 

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