Hosted by Walt himself in its first incarnation, the anthology show featured cartoons and other material from the Disney library, in addition to their movies edited down to one hour or broken out over two one-hour episodes.
First running on ABC, the show was quite the Nielsen success, ranking 6th and 4th in its first two seasons on the air, drawing over 12 million viewers.
Here is a video of the intro from the original Disneyland TV show, and a couple of opening credits for later incarnations of the show!
Disneyland (the TV series), also known as…
Other titles for this same show: Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961), Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969), The Wonderful World of Disney (1969-1979), Disney’s Wonderful World (1979-1981), Walt Disney (1981-1983), The Disney Sunday Movie (1986-1988), The Magical World of Disney (1988-1996), and then once again The Wonderful World of Disney (1997-2008, 2012-present)
Walt Disney’s Disneyland on television (1954)
Wednesday at 7:3o, Disney comes to ABC with the TV program of the year. What’s it about? Well, take fantasy, fun, a trip to the past and into the future … add a glimpse of nature’s secrets … mix well with Disney’s magic touch, and you’ll have some idea! It’s a full hour of enchantment that will hold your whole family spellbound.
Why Disney changed his mind about TV (1954)
The TV Guide cover touting the show’s debut
MORE: See vintage Disneyland, when the magical theme park first opened in the ’50s
Disneyland TV show opening credits
MORE: See Disneyland’s original Pirates of the Caribbean ride, before the changes
Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color intro (1960s)
The Wonderful World Of Disney intro (1975)
Intro: The Wonderful World Of Disney on ABC (1998)
NOW SEE THIS: The Disney Channel: See what it was like back when it started in the ’80s
