Discover the opening ceremony of the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, planned entirely by Walt Disney
This Friday, the 26th, starting at 2 pm (Brasília time), the opening ceremony of the 33rd edition of the Olympic Games, held in Paris, the capital of France, will be broadcast. The event, which will mark the beginning of the highly anticipated competition, promises to be historic, as it will be the first time that the opening ceremony will take place outside a stadium.
According to the organizers, all 10,500 athletes will parade alongside their delegations on boats on the River Seine, covering a six-kilometer route, passing some of the City of Light’s main tourist attractions, before disembarking at the Trocadéro, where the formal elements will be carried out.
Generally, in addition to the protocol moments, the opening ceremonies are also marked by presenting a huge spectacle, full of music, art and dance, which represent not only the Olympic spirit, but also show the world a little more of the beauty of the host country.
All performances are usually choreographed and organized by big names, who seek to create the best possible show for the world’s audience. In 1960, for example, the Winter Olympics, held in Squaw Valley, California, United States, the opening and closing ceremonies and the Olympic torch relay were planned by a very well-known name in the cinema: Walt Disney.
Walt Disney and the 1960 Winter Olympics
Walt was invited to be chairman of the Ceremonies Committee for the 1960 Winter Olympics just two years before the event, in 1958, by the chairman of the Organizing Committee, Prentis Haleduring lunch at Disney Studios in Burbank.
According to The Walt Disney Family Museum blog, Disney ended up accepting the proposal, however, he later said: “I didn’t know what I was getting into!” To help him in this endeavor, he called on big names from The Walt Disney Company itself, including his son-in-law and assistant director of the studio, Ron Millerand vice chairman of Walt Disney Productions, Card Walker.
As a show director, I was Tommy Walkera former bandleader at the University of Southern California and then Director of Guest Relations at Disneyland, who decided to recruit young musicians to participate in the festivities. Under the supervision of Dr. Charles HirtChoral Director at the University of Southern California, and Band Director, Clarence Sawhill18 bands and 37 choirs from California and Nevada were selected, totaling 3,680 students.
For decoration, Walt asked his friend, artist, designer and Disney Imagineer, John Henchwas inspired by the Greek custom of honoring Olympic champions through marble sculptures. With this, Hench designed 30 ice statues measuring almost five meters, which would be placed on Avenida dos Atletas and other important locations.
In addition, two other giant statues, just over seven meters tall, were created for the Tower of Nations, another project by Johnwhich would be responsible for displaying the Olympic rings, and would mark the preparation site for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as holding the medal ceremonies for the competitions.
After a lot of work and a series of unforeseen events, the long-awaited day of the opening ceremony of the 1960 Winter Olympics arrived: February 18. The team, however, ended up being surprised by a huge blizzard, which almost resulted in a huge change.
Although, Walt Disney He stood firm and asked everyone to keep going, as the weather would improve – said and done. With everything ready to start, the sky cleared, the snow stopped and the sun came out, with the athletes entering with a fireworks display, a tradition still used today in Disney parks.
Upon completion, the “Disney Olympics” received rave reviews worldwide, being called the “greatest games ever held” by the president of the International Olympic Committee; “the greatest show on Earth” by Variety; and an event that “you will never see done so well in your lifetime” by the Los Angeles Times.
Source: Recreio
