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Your Custom Text Here
American Bicentennial Floral Portrait.
(June 6, 1975, - September 6, 1976)
When the United States celebrated it’s Bicentennial, DISNEYLAND® commemorated it with “a salute…a celebration” - America on Parade, starting during the summer of 1975!
Preparations began more than two years in advance. Walt Disney Entertainment department developed new shows and parades for all of Walt Disney World, designing and fabricating more than 100 musical moving stages and 300 doll figures (representing more than 200 years of American history). This WALT DISNEY WORLD® version of the patriotic parade debuted (on June 6th, 1975), a week before its DISNEYLAND® counterpart (on June 14th, 1975), and well before the nation’s 200th birthday held July 4th, 1976. This limited parade ran twice daily through Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Main Street U.S.A. (once at 2 pm in the afternoon, with an encore at 9 pm, before the presentation of Fantasy In the Sky fireworks) at The Magic Kingdom!
CREDITS -
Director : Bob Jani
Float Design : Peter Larkin
Choreography : Barnett Ricci, Marilyn Magness
Music : Don Dorsey
Featuring “The Glorious Fourth” by The Sherman Brothers, as well as traditional favorites like “Yankee Doodle” and “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” in noticeably new and different styles. These were performed by the 19-century Sadie Mae band organ.
America on Parade continued into 1976, with a map explaining it this way : “In the Spirit of ‘76, Walt Disney Productions proudly presented America on Parade - a salute to America’s 200th birthday! Two centuries filled with challenges, achievements, and world contributions. Let’s step back into history and take a look at the first 200 years with this musical celebration.”
America on Parade was immortalized in souvenir films of the parade, which were sold through WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort and DISNEYLAND® Park. The “Walt Disney’s America on Parade” television special was aired in 1976, hosted by Red Skelton, and featuring a number of performances by the Kids of the Kingdom (which were filmed in both DISNEYLAND® Park and WALT DISNEY WORLD® Vacation Kingdom)!
Now, let’s take a look back to the WALT DISNEY WORLD® “salute…a celebration” to America! Let’s step back into history, and take a look at 200 years of contributions and achievements (with some inserted dialogue featured in the 1976 souvenir film)!
(1976)
Girls bearing the flags of the United States of America, and EPCOT’s resident lands, “mind the music and the step”!
Following the opening unit of flag-bearers, the All-American College Band establishes the score of America on Parade and its successive floats!
"Spirit of '76" Unit
Mickey, Goofy, and Donald were outfitted as a colonial fife-and-drum corps. to represent ”the spirit of ‘76!”
"Spirit of '76" Unit
“When the pilgrims first settled in the ‘New World’, only aid from the Native American Indians helped them survive, and in gratitude, they set aside a day of Thanks Giving.”
Facts On Parade : The turkey stands a towering 18 feet tall aboard its stage!
(1976)
“When work was done and the satisfaction of raising a new homestead was in the air, neighbors from far and near gathered together for square dancing to foot stomping melodies like ‘Turkey in the Straw’.”
“One man who played a part in the development of these soon-to-be-called ‘United States’ was Benjamin Franklin. This man carried the word from the colonies to the King of England, that this new land - America - wanted its independence!”
“When he returned from England with the King’s denial, the colonists knew that they would have to fight for their independence. Let freedom be heard, and let the Liberty Bell ring out across the land!”
“After eight years of fighting, the cannons stopped firing. The colonists had won independence.”
“A woman patriot - Betsy Ross - hand-sewed the first American flag in June of 1776 in Philadelphia at the request of America’s first general George Washington.”
“Pushing across the frontiers into the west, pioneers made their way in covered wagons. New land was being explored. America was expanding.”
“The great Mississippi River - commercial highway, romantic waterway, inspired many legends in American history. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn lived and played along the mighty river banks.”
“Stagecoaches brought more and more people to the frontiers as pioneers left comfortable homesteads and headed farther and farther west.”
“Small towns sprang up like wildflowers when the discovery of gold started a ‘rush’. Thousands of people surged westward hoping to carve their fortunes from the dusty hills.”
“America began moving faster, and faster!…More rails were being laid.”
“The Sunday band concerts, strolls through the park, were a special time for ‘sweethearts’, walking ‘hand-in-hand’ under ‘blue skies’ and ‘lazy sunshine’ in ‘the good ol’ summertime’!”
“School days filled with memories of ‘penny candy’ and memories of readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmatic.”
“Leisure time enables Americans to participate in their favorite pastimes - sports! ‘Time Out!’ - a favorite call to every American. ‘Time Out’, to watch, to play, to root for our favorite team.”
The tallest Dagwood sandwich
“The all-time favorite and best snack of all is the giant, jumbo, sandwich.”
(1976)
“…and in the movie theaters, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was something that had to be seen to be believed.”
The Kids of the Kingdom perform atop a repurposed Magic Kingdom float, for America on Parade’s American bicentennial salute and celebration!
1976
1976
1976
The narrator of the 1976 souvenir Walt Disney Production concludes : “God bless America! May Liberty’s flaming torch, and our great symbols of freedom shine like beacons, and inspire all mankind to live together in peace and harmony!”
FINALE : By its completion on September 6, 1976, the Walt Disney World version of America on Parade made 653 performances and featured more than 200 performers in Walt Disney World alone. It has been figured that America on Parade was seen by more than 25 million people*. (*This figure includes Disneyland as well as Magic Kingdom audiences.) To understand how staggering that figure is, Vacationland magazine (Summer, 1975) states, “A broadway show would have to play every night for 300 years to accommodate the same number of people.”
Though another patriotic parade Spirit of America would occur more than a decade later (September 1987 - November 1988), no future parade would quite carry the grandeur of this salute! Now, let’s take a look back to Walt Disney World’s “salute…a celebration” to America!
"SPIRIT OF AMERICA" PARADE
Though another patriotic parade Spirit of America would occur more than a decade later (September 1987 - November 1988), no future parade would quite carry the grandeur of this salute!
MERCHANDISE - “DONALD DUCK in AMERICA on PARADE”
The Little Golden Book ©️ 1975 by Walt Disney Productions stars Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Walt Disney World’s production of America on Parade! This children’s publication is one of the more educational promotional tie-ins. After watching America on Parade - “a celebration of America’s two-hundredth birthday”, Huey attempts to study his American history schoolbook, but he was too tired and falls asleep. As he begins to dream about historic moments in American history, his uncle Donald is thrown into the action!
MERCHANDISE - “DONALD DUCK in AMERICA on PARADE” Excerpt.
"COMMEMORATIVE SOUVENIRS'
There were plenty of other pieces of licensed merchandise - commemorative paper-back and hardcover books published by Nal-Abrams, a Whitman Sticker Book, limited & numbered Trivet hot plates and Viletta fine china plates, souvenir fans, Aladdin brand metal lunchboxes, exclusive Coca-Cola tumblers, hats, to name just a few! “A salute..A celebration dedicated to America’s Bicentannial year, America on Parade”…commemorated on a collectible coin! Both bronze editions, and silver editions were available.
According to the 1976 Shareholders Report: “A special July 4th fireworks show bursted over Walt Disney World in celebration of our nation's 200th birthday. Just two months later, 4,000 Orlando area high school students joined the regular cast in the final performance of ‘America on Parade.’ During its 15-month run, the Company's Bicentennial salute completed 668 Walt Disney World and 678 Disneyland performances, and was seen by an estimated 25 million guests.”