text:
Debbie Allen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Debbie Allen
Allen in 2012
Born
Deborah Kaye Allen
(1950-01-16) January 16, 1950 (age 68)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Nationality
American
Education
Howard University
Occupation
Actress, choreographer, dancer, film director, television director, television producer
Years active
1976–present
Spouse(s)
Win Wilford (m. 1975–1983)

Norm Nixon (m. 1984)
Relatives
Phylicia Rashad (sister)
Vivian Nixon (daughter)
Norman Nixon Jr.
Awards
1982 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography (Fame)
1982 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (Fame)
1983 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography (Fame)
1991 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography (Motown 30: What's Goin' On!)
Website
Debbie Allen Dance Academy
Debbie Allen Twitter
Debbie Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.[1][2] She is perhaps best known for her work on the 1982 musical-drama television series Fame, where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant, and served as the series' principal choreographer. She currently portrays Catherine Avery on Grey's Anatomy. She is the younger sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad.
Contents
1 Life and career
1.1 Early life
1.2 Challenges with racism
1.3 Career
1.4 Awards and honors
1.5 Personal life
2 Work
2.1 Film
2.2 Television
2.3 Choreographer
2.4 Director
2.5 Producer
2.6 Writer
2.7 Dance
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Life and career[edit]
Early life[edit]
Allen was born in Houston, Texas, the third child to orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen Jr. and Pulitzer Prize-nominated artist, poet, playwright, scholar, and publisher, Vivian (née Ayers) Allen,[3] She went on to earn a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University. She holds honoris causa Doctorates from Howard University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She currently teaches young dancers. She also taught choreography to former Los Angeles Lakers dancer-turned-singer, Paula Abdul. Her daughter, Vivian Nixon, played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet.
Challenges with racism[edit]
After her trip with her family from Mexico, both Debbie Allen and her family decided to return to their permanent home in Texas. When she returned to her home in Texas, Debbie Allen auditioned at the Houston Ballet School at the age of twelve. Even though her audition performance exceeded beyond the qualifications of admission, Debbie Allen was denied admission to the school due to systemic racism that had corrupted the process. A year after hearing this devastating news, Allen was given another chance and was admitted by a Russian instructor who accidentally saw Debbie Allen perform in a show.[citation needed] Once admission recruiters from the Houston Ballet School became aware of the situation, they allowed Allen to stay in the institution because they were pleased with the talent she had showcased.
This is not the only incident Allen had experienced racism. When she was sixteen, she had a successful audition for the North Carolina School of the Arts, and was given an opportunity to demonstrate dance techniques to other prospective students applying to the institution. Unfortunately, Allen was rejected acceptance due to her body not being suited for ballet.[4][5] In many cases, African American dancers were often discouraged from dance because they were told their body structure did not fit the preferred stereotype ballet dancer's body. This prejudice effectively barred many talented and skilled dancers from ballet.[6][7] After receiving numerous rejections, Allen decided to mainly focus on her academics and, from then on, was well on her way to the start of her career.[8]
Career[edit]
Allen in 1983
Debbie Allen had her Broadway debut in the chorus of Purlie. Allen also created the role of Beneatha in the Tony Award-winning musical Raisin. She first began receiving critical attention in 1980 for her appearance in the role of Anita in the Broadway revival of West Side Story which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award, she would receive a second Tony Award nomination in 1986 for her performance in the title role of Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity. One of her earlier television appearances was in the TV sitcom Good Times in a memorable 2-part episode titled "J.J.'s Fiancee'" as J.J.'s drug-addicted fiancée, Diana.
Allen was first introduced as Lydia Grant in the 1980 film Fame. Although her role in the film was relatively small, Lydia would become a central figure in the television adaptation, which ran from 1982 to 1987. During the opening montage of each episode, Grant told her students: "You've got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying ... in sweat." Allen was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Actress four times during the show's run. She is the only actress to have appeared in all three screen incarnations of Fame, playing Lydia Grant in both the 1980 film and 1982 television series and playing the school principal in the 2009 remake.[citation needed] Allen was also lead choreographer for the film and television series, winning two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award.
In 1981, she had the important role of Sarah, the lover of Coalhouse Walker (Howard E. Rollins) who is killed while trying to defend him in the movie version of the best-selling novel Ragtime. The same role earned a Tony Award for Audra McDonald, for her performance in the Broadway musical.
In an article from the Museum of Broadcast Communications, The Hollywood Reporter commented on Allen's impact as the producer-director of the television series, A Different World. The show dealt with the life of students at the fictional historically black college, Hillman, and ran for six seasons on NBC.[9]
Debbie Allen was also selected to appear in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations by Alex Haley where she plays the wife of Haley. In 2008 she directed the all-African-American Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, starring stage veterans James Earl Jones (Big Daddy), her sister Phylicia Rashad (Big Mama) and Anika Noni Rose (Maggie the Cat), as well as film actor Terrence Howard, who made his Broadway debut as Brick. The production, with some roles recast, had a limited run (2009 – April 2010) in London.[10]
Allen has released two solo albums, 1986's Sweet Charity and 1989's Special Look which also had several singles off the album. In 1995, Allen lent her voice (as well directing the voice cast) to the children's animated series C Bear and Jamal for Film Roman and Fox Kids. In 2001, Allen fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, California. Allen's academy offers a comprehensive curriculum for boys and girls ages four to eighteen in all the major dance techniques including Classical Ballet, Modern, African, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. In addition, special workshops are held for concentration in the Peking Opera, Martial Arts dance techniques, Flamenco, Salsa, and Tap. Debbie Allen was awarded an honorary doctorate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as from her Alma Mater, Howard University. Since 2007, Allen has participated as a judge and mentor for the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance. She had to step aside at the end of Vegas week in Season 4 to avoid perception of bias, as one of her former dancers, Will, made it to the top 20.
Awards and honors[edit]
Allen was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.[11]
For her contributions to the television industry, Debbie Allen was honored in 1991 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6904 Hollywood Boulevard in the center of Hollywood directly opposite the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.[12]
Allen was presented with the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, at the 1992 UCLA Spring Sing.[13]
Three-time Emmy Award winner for Choreography for the series Fame and The Motown 25th Anniversary Special.
10 Image Awards as a director, actress, choreographer and producer for Fame, A Different World, Motown 25, The Academy Awards, The Debbie Allen Special and Amistad.
On February 4, 2009, Debbie Allen was honored for her contributions to dance and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Nia Peeples at The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball 10th anniversary show.[14]
Personal life[edit]
Allen is married to former NBA player Norm Nixon,[15] and they have three children: dancer Vivian Nichole Nixon, basketball player Norman Ellard Nixon Jr. (Wofford College & Southern University), and DeVaughn Nixon. Allen was previously married to Win Wilford from 1975 to 1983.[16][17][18] She is the sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad (with whom she once co-starred on an episode of The Cosby Show), and Tex Allen (Andrew Arthur Allen III, born 1945), noted jazz composer.[3]
Work[edit]
Film[edit]
Fame (2009 film) – Principal Angela Simms
Blank Check (1994) – Yvonne
Ragtime (1981) – Sarah
Fame (1980 film) – Lydia Grant
Next Day Air (2009) – Ms. Jackson
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979) – Ola
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986) – Michelle
Alice At The Palace – Red Queen
Stompin’ At The Savoy
Old Settler
The Twist
Tournament of Dreams
The Painting aka Soldiers of Change - Bertha Lee Gilmore
Television[edit]
3 Girls 3: Variety show
All of Us: "Parents Just Don't Understand"
A Different World – Dr. Langhorne
The Cosby Show – Emma "Captain Bone-crusher" Newhouse
Roots: The Next Generations – Nan
Fame – Lydia Grant
In The House – Jackie Warren
Good Times – Diana (J.J.'s Junkie Fiancée)
C Bear and Jamal (voice)
Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella – Herself (Documentary)
Quantum Leap – Joanna Chapman
So You Think You Can Dance, seasons 3, 4 and 5 – Guest Judge
Grey's Anatomy (2011–present) – Dr. Catherine Avery
The Love Boat (1978
Dance Moms 2016-2017
Jane the Virgin 2016 – Beverly Flores
Choreographer[edit]
The Academy Awards Show for ten years, six of which were consecutive
Carrie
Molly Doodle
Fame (2009)
Director[edit]
With The Kids from "Fame" (1983). Debbie Allen is center, with sunglasses on top of her head.
Girlfriends
Quantum Leap
Everybody Hates Chris
All of Us
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
That's So Raven
The Jamie Foxx Show
A Different World
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Family Ties
Fame (1982 TV series)
Polly
Polly: Coming Home
Out-of-Sync
C Bear and Jamal (voice director)
The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series)
The Parkers
Grey's Anatomy
Hellcats
Army Wives
The Client List
Let's Stay Together
Scandal
Jane the Virgin
Insecure
How to Get Away with Murder
Empire
Survivor's Remorse
Producer[edit]
Amistad with Steven Spielberg.
Soldiers of Change with Michael Armand Hammer.
Writer[edit]
Movement magazine, regular columnist since 2006
Dancing in the Wings Paperback, by Debbie Allen (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)
Dance[edit]
West Side Story (Broadway)
Dancing in the Wings
Brothers of the Night
Just Dance (2010)
Dance Moms (2016)
See also[edit]
The Kids from "Fame"
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Current Members". President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Archived from the original on January 16, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
Jump up ^ "Debbie Allen, Culver City, California". President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. 2008. Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b Lawrence, Muhammad. "One-woman dynamo". The Courier-Journal, September 12, 1999
Jump up ^ http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/allen-debbie-1950
Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/29/arts/television-debbie-allen-chips-away-at-the-glass-ceiling.html
Jump up ^ http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/breaking-barriers-on-the-stage-african-american-ballet-dancers-history/
Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/15/opinion/black-dancers-white-ballets.html
Jump up ^ "Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com". Biography. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
Jump up ^ Darnell Hunt. "A Different World- U.S. Situation Comedy". Museum.tv. Archived from the original on February 10, 2006. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
Jump up ^ Michael Billington (December 2, 2009) "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof", The Guardian
Jump up ^ Transcript: Debbie Allen. Tavis Smiley PBS, March 21, 2008
Jump up ^ "Debbie Allen – Hollywood Walk of Fame".
Jump up ^ "Calendar & Events: Spring Sing: Gershwin Award". UCLA.
Jump up ^ "The Carnival: Getting The "Groove On" For 10 Years". Hollywire.com. February 2, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
Jump up ^ Peter Vecsey (March 13, 2007). "BASN's Hometown Hero". blackathlete.net. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
Jump up ^ PEOPLE: "AND BABY MAKES FOUR". – The Dallas Morning News. – September 2, 1987.
Jump up ^ Dave Mackall (May 31, 2007) "Nixon fondly remembers Duquesne". – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Jump up ^ Joseph Schiefelbein (October 17, 2008) "Spivery, Jaguars to begin practice", The Advocate.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Debbie Allen.
Debbie Allen | PlaybillVault.com
Debbie Allen at the Internet Broadway Database
Debbie Allen on IMDb
Debbie Allen at AllMovie
Debbie Allen on Twitter
Debbie Allen at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
show
Awards for Debbie Allen
show
v
t
e
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Donna Theodore (1975)
Vivian Reed (1976)
Dorothy Loudon (1977)
Bobo Lewis / Swoosie Kurtz (1978)
Merle Louise (1979)
Debbie Allen (1980)
Marilyn Cooper (1981)
Liliane Montevecchi (1982)
Karla Burns (1983)
Catherine Cox / Lila Kedrova (1984)
Leilani Jones (1985)
Jana Schneider (1986)
Jane Summerhays (1987)
Joanna Gleason (1988)
Randy Graff (1990)
Karen Ziemba (1991)
Barbara Walsh (1992)
Andrea Martin (1993)
Audra McDonald (1994)
Rachel York (1996)
Lillias White (1997)
Tsidii Le Loka (1998)
Kristin Chenoweth (1999)
Karen Ziemba (2000)
Cady Huffman (2001)
Harriet Sansom Harris (2002)
Jane Krakowski (2003)
Isabel Keating (2004)
Jan Maxwell (2005)
Beth Leavel (2006)
Debra Monk (2007)
Laura Benanti (2008)
Haydn Gwynne (2009)
Katie Finneran (2010)
Laura Benanti (2011)
Judy Kaye (2012)
Andrea Martin (2013)
Anika Larsen / Lauren Worsham (2014)
Renée Elise Goldsberry (2015)
Jane Krakowski (2016)
Jenn Colella (2017)
Lindsay Mendez (2018)
show
v
t
e
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography (1976–2000)
Tony Charmoli (1976)
Ron Field (1977)
Ron Field (1978)
Kevin Carlisle (1979)
Alan Johnson (1980)
Walter Painter (1981)
Debbie Allen (1982)
Debbie Allen (1983)
Michael Smuin (1984)
Twyla Tharp (1985)
Walter Painter (1986)
Michael Peters and Dee Dee Wood (1987)
Alan Johnson (1988)
Walter Painter / Paula Abdul (1989)
Paula Abdul, Dean Barlow, and Michael Darrin (1990)
Debbie Allen (1991)
Paul Taylor (1992)
Michael Peters (1993)
Linda Talcott (1994)
Ulysses Dove (1995)
Anita Mann and Charonne Mose (1996)
Marguerite Derricks / Sarah Kawahara (1997)
Marguerite Derricks and Peggy Holmes (1998)
Judith Jamison / Marguerite Derricks (1999)
Rob Marshall (2000)
Complete list
(1950–1975)
(1976–2000)
(2001–present)
show
v
t
e
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Donna Reed (1962)
Inger Stevens (1963)
Mary Tyler Moore (1964)
Anne Francis (1965)
Marlo Thomas (1966)
Carol Burnett (1967)
Diahann Carroll (1968)
Carol Burnett / Julie Sommars (1969)
Mary Tyler Moore (1970)
Carol Burnett (1971)
Jean Stapleton (1972)
Cher / Jean Stapleton (1973)
Valerie Harper (1974)
Cloris Leachman (1975)
Carol Burnett (1976)
Carol Burnett (1977)
Linda Lavin (1978)
Linda Lavin (1979)
Katherine Helmond (1980)
Eileen Brennan (1981)
Debbie Allen (1982)
Joanna Cassidy (1983)
Shelley Long (1984)
Estelle Getty / Cybill Shepherd (1985)
Cybill Shepherd (1986)
Tracey Ullman (1987)
Candice Bergen (1988)
Jamie Lee Curtis (1989)
Kirstie Alley (1990)
Candice Bergen (1991)
Roseanne Barr (1992)
Helen Hunt (1993)
Helen Hunt (1994)
Cybill Shepherd (1995)
Helen Hunt (1996)
Calista Flockhart (1997)
Jenna Elfman (1998)
Sarah Jessica Parker (1999)
Sarah Jessica Parker (2000)
Sarah Jessica Parker (2001)
Jennifer Aniston (2002)
Sarah Jessica Parker (2003)
Teri Hatcher (2004)
Mary-Louise Parker (2005)
America Ferrera (2006)
Tina Fey (2007)
Tina Fey (2008)
Toni Collette (2009)
Laura Linney (2010)
Laura Dern (2011)
Lena Dunham (2012)
Amy Poehler (2013)
Gina Rodriguez (2014)
Rachel Bloom (2015)
Tracee Ellis Ross (2016)
Rachel Brosnahan (2017)
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
BNE: XX1421229
BNF: cb13985449f (data)
ISNI: 0000 0001 1443 5847
LCCN: n87817324
MusicBrainz: 75f98f88-bd76-4623-bc26-a2befef3a9b0
SNAC: w6r22mcg
VIAF: 49417391
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Debbie_Allen&oldid=857134413"
Categories:
1950 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Houston
African-American female dancers
African-American dancers
African-American actresses
African-American film directors
African-American television directors
African-American television producers
African-American choreographers
American choreographers
American female dancers
Dancers from Texas
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American television directors
American television producers
Women television producers
American women choreographers
American women film directors
Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Drama Desk Award winners
Film directors from Texas
Voice directors
Howard University alumni
Primetime Emmy Award winners
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
Women television directors
Hidden categories:
Use mdy dates from July 2013
Articles with hCards
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017
Articles with unsourced statements from May 2010
Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
Articles with IBDb links
Articles using Template:The Interviews name
Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers
Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers
Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers
Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers
Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers
Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers
Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
العربية
تۆرکجه
Deutsch
Español
فارسی
Français
한국어
Հայերեն
Italiano
עברית
Malagasy
Nederlands
Norsk
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Suomi
اردو
10 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 29 August 2018, at 19:47 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

attrs: class href

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: th

attrs: colspan style

value: tr

value: td

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.debbieallendanceacademy.com

values:
nofollow
external text
https://twitter.com/msdebbieallen

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

values:
/wiki/Honoris_causa
mw-redirect
Honoris causa

values: University of North Carolina School of the Arts

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2017)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values:
/wiki/West_Side_Story_(musical)
mw-redirect
West Side Story (musical)

values: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (May 2010)

values:
/wiki/A_Different_World_(TV_series)
mw-redirect
A Different World (TV series)

values: Historically black colleges and universities

values:
/wiki/North_Carolina_School_of_the_Arts
mw-redirect
North Carolina School of the Arts

values:
/wiki/Image_Awards
mw-redirect
Image Awards

values:
/wiki/Lifetime_Achievement_Award
mw-redirect
Lifetime Achievement Award

values: Alice At The Palace (page does not exist)

values: Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

values: Tournament of Dreams (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Quantum_Leap_(TV_series)
mw-redirect
Quantum Leap (TV series)

values: So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)

values:
/wiki/Academy_Award
mw-redirect
Academy Award

values:
/wiki/Girlfriends_(U.S._TV_series)
mw-redirect
Girlfriends (U.S. TV series)

values: Movement (magazine) (page does not exist)

values: border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0; border: 0; background:transparent; width:100%;

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.pcah.gov/currentmembers.htm

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.biography.com

values:
/wiki/Public_Broadcasting_Service
mw-redirect
Public Broadcasting Service

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.walkoffame.com/debbie-allen

values:
/wiki/The_Advocate_(Baton_Rouge)
mw-redirect
The Advocate (Baton Rouge)

values: -moz-column-width: 35em; -webkit-column-width: 35em; column-width: 35em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000739/
external text

values:
nofollow
external text
https://www.allmovie.com/artist/p997

attrs: alt src width height style srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: The Interviews: An Oral History of Television

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values: Template talk:EmmyAward Choreography 1976–2000

values: background: #EEDD82;;background: transparent; border-top: 1px solid #EEDD82;

values: Template:Golden Globe Award Best Actress TV Comedy

values: Template talk:Golden Globe Award Best Actress TV Comedy

values: nowraplinks collapsible collapsed navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible

values:
nofollow
external text
http://isni.org/isni/0000000114435847

values:
nofollow
external text
https://viaf.org/viaf/49417391

values: Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners

values: Category:University of California, Los Angeles faculty

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from May 2010

values: Category:Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata

values: Category:Articles using Template:The Interviews name

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers

values: Category:Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Debbie_Allen
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

values: ديبي ألن – Arabic

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-azb
display: none;

values: دبی آلن – Persian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fa
display: none;

values: Դեբբի Ալլեն – Armenian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-hy
display: none;

values: דבי אלן – Hebrew

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-he
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-mg
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-nl
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-no
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-pl
display: none;

values: Аллен, Дебби – Russian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-simple
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fi
display: none;

values: ڈیبی ایلن – Urdu

values: All languages (initial selection from common choices by you and others)

values: /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x

values: /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x

values:
suggestions
display: none; font-size: 13px;

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Debbie_Allen rootpage-Debbie_Allen skin-vector action-view


text:
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (June 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
(Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Magic Kingdom
Area
Tomorrowland
Coordinates
28°25′04″N 81°34′44″W / 28.417764°N 81.578794°W / 28.417764; -81.578794
Status
Operating
Opening date
January 15, 1975
Disneyland
Area
Tomorrowland
Coordinates
33°48′43″N 117°55′00″W / 33.812006°N 117.916559°W / 33.812006; -117.916559
Status
Closed
Opening date
July 2, 1967
Closing date
September 9, 1973
Replaced by
America Sings
Innoventions
Star Wars Launch Bay
1964-1965 New York World's Fair
Area
General Electric's Progressland
Coordinates
40°44′51″N 73°50′18″W / 40.747423°N 73.838220°W / 40.747423; -73.838220
Status
Closed
Opening date
April 22, 1964
April 21, 1965
Closing date
October 18, 1964
October 17, 1965
General statistics
Designer
Walt Disney Imagineering
Theme
Advancement of technology in the 20th century
Music
There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Audience capacity
240[1] per show
Duration
21 minutes[2]
Wheelchair accessible
Assistive listening available
Closed captioning available
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater attraction located at the Magic Kingdom park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Created by both Walt Disney and WED Enterprises as the prime feature of the General Electric (GE) Pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair, the attraction was moved to Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California as Carousel of Progress, remaining there from 1967 until 1973. It was replaced in Disneyland by America Sings in 1974, and reopened in its present home in the Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom in 1975.
Steeped in both nostalgia and (in the past) futurism, the attraction's premise is an exploration of the joys of living through the advent of electricity and other technological advances during the 20th century via a "typical" American family. To keep it up with the times, the attraction has been updated five times (in 1967, 1975, 1981, 1985, and 1993) and has had two different theme songs, both written by the Sherman Brothers (Disney's Academy Award-winning songwriting team).
Various sources say Walt Disney himself proclaimed that the Carousel of Progress was his favorite attraction and that it should never cease operation. This can be somewhat supported by family and friends, who knew of his constant work on the attraction. Of all the attractions he presented at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair, Disney seemed especially devoted to the Carousel of Progress.
The Carousel of Progress holds the record as the longest-running stage show, with the most performances, in the history of American theater.[1] It is one of the oldest attractions in the whole Walt Disney World Resort. It is also one of the only attractions at Walt Disney World to have been touched by Walt Disney himself.
Contents
1 The show
1.1 Preshow and Intro
1.2 Act 1 - 1900s
1.3 Act 2 - 1920s
1.4 Act 3 - 1940s
1.5 Act 4 - 21st century
1.6 End
2 History
2.1 Edison Square concept
2.2 1964 New York World's Fair
2.3 Disneyland
2.4 Magic Kingdom
2.5 Post-GE years
3 Cast (current 1993 version)
4 Precursors
5 Spin-offs and related attractions
6 Soundtrack
7 List of inventions mentioned in the show
7.1 Act 1 – Turn of the Century (1900s)
7.2 Act 2 – 1920s
7.3 Act 3 – 1940s
7.4 Act 4 – Today
8 In popular culture
9 References
10 External links
The show[edit]
Preshow and Intro[edit]
Even though the Carousel of Progress does not typically have long queue, there is a preshow video shown to guests while they wait in line. The video talks about the history and development of the attraction, and even includes clips of Walt explaining the attraction on his television show. The video lasts about four minutes, after which guests can usually enter the theater for the next show. On the stage in the loading room is a large Carousel of Progress logo, framed by green curtains. The attraction’s narrator (who also voices John in the rest of the show) tells guests more history about the attraction. He focuses in on the fact that the attraction was Walt's idea, and that he loved the show. After the introduction, the attraction's theme song, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" begins playing as guests move on to the first scene: the scene that takes place during Valentine's Day at the beginning of the 20th century.
Act 1 - 1900s[edit]
As the scene opens, robins chirp in the background and the music fades. The father of the family, John, is sitting in a wooden rocking chair inside his home. On his right, his dog Rover is happily lying on the floor. John tells guests that it is "right around the turn of the century" and also that it is Valentine’s Day. He then claims that things could not get any better than they are at that time, before giving a list of the new inventions and technological achievements of the day. These include: buildings being up to 20 stories tall, moving pictures (movies), 8,000 automobiles in the United States, and such technology as gas lamps, telephones, cast-iron stoves, iceboxes, a reservoir which keeps 5 buckets of water warm with three buckets of coal, and a water pump in the kitchen. As John highlights the new pieces of technology, a spotlight shines on them and they begin to work. He then comments that problems such as chopping wood, milk souring, and having to get water from a well are all things of the past. After he is done showing off the new technology, he calls to his wife, Sarah, who is ironing in the room to his left with their young daughter. The two discuss how Thomas Edison is working on an idea for "snap-on electric lights". Sarah then says that will mean "no more kerosene and no more gas." She also shows guests her new "wash-day marvel" and comments that now she can do the laundry in five hours, instead of two days. As John is explaining that Sarah now has time for other things, he is cut off by her response of “Like canning and cleaning the oven?" Sarah then excuses herself, commenting that she needs to get the laundry off the line before it starts raining (which makes Rover bark.) After it begins to rain, the family's son, James, begins to talk from the right room. He is scolded for using his father’s Stereoscope without permission. James is watching Little Egypt dancing the "Hootchie-Cootchie". John comments that she is going to be the star of the upcoming World's Fair, and that James better put the Stereoscope away before his mother finds it. The upcoming World's Fair is a reference to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, which has led many to conclude that the scene guests are watching takes place on Valentine’s Day 1904 (although this is unconfirmed). As John and James finish talking, John tells guests that they also have "one of those new talking machines". The left stage then shows the family’s grandmother, sleeping with the phonograph on. The radio plays "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", and the grandmother’s parrot exclaims "She keeps that thing going all day long!" John's attention is then drawn to a room on the right, where his daughter Patricia is. Patricia is getting ready to go to a Valentine’s Day dance on the other side of town. John explains that she will be taking one of the new "horseless trolleys", before telling her that she better be home by 9 o'clock. He then tells guests that he is going to take one of the said trolleys downtown to have a root beer (which he explains is just a sarsaparilla with a new name). After he is finished, he begins singing "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" and the Carousel spins, moving guests to the next scene, set during Independence Day in the "Roaring Twenties".
Act 2 - 1920s[edit]
Guests find John is once again sitting in his kitchen. Wires and new electric machines are all over the room, and instead of sitting on a rocking chair John is now sitting on a smaller kitchen chair. Although a dog still lies on the floor, the dog has changed colors and presumably breeds. When John stops singing, he tells guests that things have changed a lot in the last twenty years. He then proceeds to tell guests the new accomplishments of the era. These include:
Charles Lindbergh, who is about to fly over the Atlantic Ocean by himself (John comments that he will never make it);
Sports stadiums that are being built all over the United States. He also says Babe Ruth is the country's best baseball player;
Advertisements are out for The Jazz Singer, in which Al Jolson will talk, and even sing!;
Electric starters are now in cars, eliminating the need to crank them;
People can travel by train from New York to California in 3 days.
John then tells guests that Thomas Edison has brought electricity to his home. At this point all of the electronic machines in the kitchen, including a refrigerator, a toaster oven and other cookware, turn on. John warns the appliances not to blow a fuse, but they do. This not only shuts out the power in the family's house, but the whole neighborhood loses power as well. One of the neighbors can be heard telling her husband that "They did it again!" and that she wants her husband to go over and confront John (but this never happens). John then tells Jimmy, his son, to go put in a new fuse. Jimmy remarks that his father blows a fuse every time he has company over, before the lights come back on. With the power in the house restored, the scene shifts to the mother who is sitting on the front porch. She is outside sewing a George Washington costume for John to wear. John then tells the guests that Sarah's Ladies Club is in charge of the town’s 4 July celebration and that the whole family will be performing in their presentation (with John and Sarah going as George and Martha Washington). As John begins making a joke that being the "father of our country suits me", Sarah interrupts him to say how happy she is that they put electric lights on the porch. John then tries to make another joke about going to the 4th of July next year as Benedict Arnold, when Sarah interrupts him again to say how excited she is about her firework show. As she is talking, Rover begins barking and John tells him not to interrupt while Sarah is interrupting. Sarah then tells John that Jimmy has volunteered to pick the music for the celebration. Jimmy then appears with his grandfather in one of the left rooms, dressed in a colonial outfit and standing next to a radio, which is playing patriotic music. John taps his foot to the music, tells Jimmy that it's a nice tune and then tells guests that they can now get news and entertainment on their radio from all over the country (even Pittsburgh!) The radio then says that people have begun gathering downtown for the 4th of July. After hearing this, John tells his daughter Patricia that she better hurry up and get ready. Patricia is sitting in a room on the right, wearing a Statue of Liberty costume. She tells her father that she hopes her new boyfriend doesn't see her in it and run away. John makes another joke, saying she can "always carry that torch" for him. He then tells guests that the family now has indoor plumbing which is great for cold days, especially for Uncle Orville, their constant house guest. Orville is then shown sitting in a bathtub on the left side of the stage. John informs guests that he has set up an air cooling system. While Orville sits in the bathtub, a fan sits in front of a block of ice, blowing on him. As John tells guests that Orville has no job, Orville responds by saying "No privacy at all around this place". At this point, Sarah calls John and tells him it’s time to go. John concludes the scene by telling guests that with all the conveniences they have, they are really on easy street. He then begins to sing "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", as guests move on to the next scene, set in the "Fabulous Forties" during Halloween.
Act 3 - 1940s[edit]
John is now sitting in a circular booth and wearing a sweater. His dog Rover has once again changed colors but is still lying on the floor. As the music stops, John tells guests that everything is better than ever in the 1940s. He then shows off the new technology that they have in the kitchen, including a refrigerator that holds more food and ice cubes, and an automatic dishwasher. John also informs guests that he is now a part of the "rat race," which he then explains means that the highways are now full of people who drive to work in the city, and then turn around and drive home every day. John also says that they now have television (when it works) and that John Cameron Swayze brings them the news every night.
At this point, the scene shifts and focuses on a room on the right, where the grandmother and grandfather are watching wrestling on TV. After that, Jim (the son) calls from his room and asks what John thinks of his Jack-O-Lantern. After John says it’s scary, Jim remarks that he used his sister Patty as a model. After Rover "laughs" at this joke (barks), Sarah calls out from a room on the left and tells Jim and Rover that Patty is prettier than either one of them.
John then tells guests that Patty is using an old exercise machine that was "all the rage in the twenties" but never worked. Patty is then shown using the machine while talking on the phone about her date for that night. After this, John tells the audience that he is caught up in the "do-it-yourself" craze. John and Sarah are redoing their basement and making it into a rumpus room. On the left, guests can see Sarah putting wallpaper up in the rumpus room. She is using a "paint mixer" that John says he made for her, using a food mixer. As he is admiring his handiwork, the paint mixer goes haywire and shoots paint everywhere. John then says that it's time to move on, but everybody should try and cheer Sarah up by "singing our song". At this cue, "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" begins playing and guests move onto the next scene, set in the present during Christmas.
Act 4 - 21st century[edit]
Unlike previous scenes, the Christmas scene begins with the whole family in one room. They all sing "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" as guests enter the scene. John is standing on the right working on Christmas dinner, while Sarah sits nearby working on a computer. Rover is once again in the kitchen, and is, once again, a different color. Jim and his grandmother are playing a virtual reality game, while Trish and her grandfather sit around the Christmas tree. Sarah tells John that she has programmed the oven to recognize his voice. John then comments that now all of the household items are voice-automated, to which the grandfather replies "Great... tell the refrigerator to bring me a root beer." Sarah responds to the joke, saying that although they can't do that, she can brighten the tree lights. She then tells John to try the voice-activated oven, which he does with no problem. After the oven confirms John’s temperature command, Trish comments that "it (the oven) even talks back!" She and the rest of the family also make fun of John for burning last year’s turkey. At this point, the grandma who has been playing the virtual reality game has her score up to 550 points. John and Jim are both impressed, and they repeat the score in awe. Upon hearing John say 550, the oven increases its temperature, although nobody seems to notice.
The grandfather then remarks that he cannot believe the new gadgets that people have today. Trish, cutting him off, begs him not to tell another story about the time before they even had car phones! The grandfather, still undeterred, tells her that for a while he didn't even have a house phone, not to mention the technology of today. He then gives examples of modern technology including laser discs (Laserdiscs were discontinued technology and were superseded by DVDs and Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray) and high-def TV's, before commenting on how everything is automated today. His last example is about automated plumbing (which causes a flushing noise be heard in the background). This leads Uncle Orville (who is off-stage) to once again remark "No privacy at all around this place". The scene then shifts back to the grandmother who has now beat her video game. She finishes with a score of 975, which John once again repeats. After hearing this number, the oven overheats and begins to smoke. The family all laughs at the fact that another Christmas turkey has been ruined. John jokes that maybe in the new century, ovens will learn to read minds. Jim says "Don't worry dad, someday everything will be so automated that you won't ever ever have to cook another Christmas turkey again." At the prospect of this, Rover barks, leading the family to laugh and sing "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" one final time.
End[edit]
Guests then come to the unloading area, which looks identical to the loading area. As guests ride into the theater, a pop-style version of the theme is sung as a duet. After the song, guests are thanked for seeing the show and told to collect their belongings before exiting.
History[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Edison Square concept[edit]
In the late 1950s, after Disneyland Park's initial success, Walt Disney planned to expand the Main Street, U.S.A. area with two districts: "International Street" and "Edison Square". In Edison Square, guests would be treated to a show hosted by an "electro-mechanical" man named "Wilbur K. Watt". The show would chronicle the evolution of electricity in the home, from the late 19th century to the present and beyond — showing how much electrical appliances, specifically GE appliances, have benefited American life. After each time period, or "act", was over, the audience would get up and walk to the next one.
However, the Main Street expansion idea fell by the wayside. One of the reasons for this was that the technology available to put on the show just was not up to par with what Walt Disney wanted. The idea, however, stayed in Disney's mind for the next few years. GE still wanted to work with Disney, but a better outlet was needed.
1964 New York World's Fair[edit]
Poster of the Carousel of Progress from the 1964 New York World's Fair
General Electric approached Walt Disney to develop a show for the company's pavilion at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair. Disney leapt at the chance to rekindle his relationship with GE, who would fund the project and the new technology necessary to bring it to life. Reaching back to the Edison Square concept, Walt Disney again pitched the idea of an electrical progress show to General Electric executives and this time they loved it.
During the planning phase, Disney's Imagineers perfected the Audio-Animatronics (AA) technology necessary to operate the "performers" in the show. They were not the most advanced, but it was enough to get the show running. The technology used in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room and another attraction designed by Disney at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, made the Carousel of Progress possible. Besides the AA performers, the Imagineers (led by Disney engineers Roger E. Broggie and Bob Gurr) also devised a "carousel theater", so that the audience could stay seated and ride around a stationary set of stages, instead of getting up and walking from stage to stage. This technology allowed the audience to remain comfortably in place during scene changes and avoided the time-consuming disruption of changing seats repeatedly during a show.
Singing cowboy Rex Allen[3] was tapped to voice Father, the host and narrator of the show that replaced the original "Wilbur K. Watt" character. Allen later commented that he did not know exactly what he was getting into.
Walt Disney asked Disney songwriters Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman to create a song that could serve as a bridge between the "acts" in the show. Walt explained to the brothers what the show was about, and they wrote a song with his enthusiasm in mind. The song was titled "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". The Shermans later stated that they believe that the song was Walt's "theme song," because he was so optimistic and excited about the future and technology itself.
The show opened at the Fair as Progressland. It was one of the most-visited pavilions at the Fair. One of the unique features that made the attraction so popular was that a circle of six theaters (all connected by divider walls) revolved clockwise around six fixed stages every four minutes. There were identical load and unload theaters with a dazzling wall of light, the "Kaleidophonic Screen", and the "performers" appeared in the 1890s, 1920s, 1940s, and 1960s — literally a "Carousel of Progress"! Though more than 200 people entered and exited the attraction every four minutes, it was not uncommon to wait over an hour in line. For the 1965 season of the Fair, a massive covered queue was constructed next to the General Electric Pavilion on an empty lot to protect visitors from New York's hot summer sun.
At the end of the Carousel show, fairgoers were invited to walk up to the second floor of the pavilion and see the General Electric "Skydome Spectacular". The Skydome Spectacular projected images of nature and energy into the domed roof of the GE pavilion, similar to a planetarium. The show demonstrated the many ways that GE was harnessing electricity and the power of the sun for the benefit of its customers. At the end of the Spectacular, in the first demonstration of controlled thermonuclear fusion to be witnessed by a large general audience, a magnetic field squeezed a plasma of deuterium gas for a few millionths of a second at a temperature of 20 million degrees Fahrenheit. There was a vivid flash and a loud report as atoms collided, creating free energy (evidenced on instruments). The temperature listed in the 1964 guidebook was 20 million degrees F; in the 1965 guide the temperature was up to 50 million degrees F.
Disneyland[edit]
Act 2 of the 1972 Disneyland version
The Carousel of Progress was re-opened at Disneyland Park on July 2, 1967, nearly seven months after Walt's death, as part of the New Tomorrowland. Due to the success of the attractions Disney created for the Fair, General Electric agreed to sponsor the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland. However, the Carousel of Progress was to be a permanent fixture at Disneyland, and it is unknown how many years General Electric would have sponsored the ride had it stayed there (presumably, 10–12 years, as many other sponsors throughout Disneyland Park have historically done).
The actual attraction was located on ground level, and a new nearly identical theater system was constructed. The sets and "performers" all came right from the Fair itself and remained nearly original. There were some slight changes: a new voice was recorded for Mother, "Christmas in the Home of the 1960s" was slightly updated in set design and technology, all references to General Electric's passé "Medallion Home" campaign were dropped, and Father from "The Home of the 1940s" now sat on a bar stool, rather than on the kitchen nook bench.
After the show, guests boarded a speedramp that would take them to the second level of the building. On the upper level, a 4-minute post show, narrated by Mother and Father, with a few barks and growls from their dog, coincided with guests gazing at an enormous model of Progress City. Progress City was based on Walt Disney's original concept for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) and the Walt Disney World property.
As the 1970s rolled in, the Carousel of Progress saw dwindling audiences. GE thought they were not getting the most for their advertising dollars, surmising that 80% of the people that saw the attraction were Californians, and had seen the attraction many times. GE asked Disney to move the show to their new Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The Disneyland show closed on September 9, 1973 and was packed up for Florida. The Progress City model was disassembled, but only portions of the center of it were re-assembled in Florida. These can be viewed from the People Mover as it travels through Stitch's Great Escape.
Disneyland soon incorporated The Carousel Theater into its plans to celebrate America's Bicentennial. The theater was filled with a new show in 1974 called America Sings, a salute to American music. That show closed in 1988, not to be replaced for ten years. The Disneyland version of Epcot's popular Innoventions exhibit opened with the New Tomorrowland in 1998, using a stylized rendition of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" as its theme song.
Magic Kingdom[edit]
Act 2 of the Magic Kingdom version
Carousel of Progress was one of two attractions that opened in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland on January 15, 1975; the other attraction being Space Mountain. General Electric signed a 10-year contract to sponsor Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Unlike the small changes that had occurred when the Carousel of Progress moved from the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair to Disneyland Park, extensive changes were made when the attraction moved to Walt Disney World.
A new carousel theater building was designed to house the attraction: a one-story pavilion, with a loft above. The loft is used by the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover track, wrapping around the north side of the building. The interior and exterior of the building received new color schemes with blue and white stripes that grew smaller and larger as the building turned. Also, the theaters now rotated counterclockwise, rather than clockwise like the two former theater systems.
The load and unload theaters no longer featured the stunning "Kaleidophonic Screens" that had dazzled guests as they boarded and exited their respective theater. The old screens had stretched from one wall to the other, with the giant GE logo in the center. They lit up in various colors and patterns like a kaleidoscope as the orchestral version of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" played. Various problems plagued the screens after 1973, so silver curtains with the GE logo in the center took their place in both the load and unload theaters with different colored lights shining on them.
The Florida version was planned with no post-show. Guests would load and unload on the first floor. The Progress City/EPCOT model was significantly sized down so it could fit in a window display that could be seen from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. This display is located on the left hand side of the TTA track inside the north show building housing Stitch's Great Escape!.
Because of the changing times, a new theme song, written by the Sherman Brothers, was created for the Florida show. GE asked the Shermans to write a new song because they did not want their customers to wait for a "great big beautiful tomorrow;" GE wanted them to buy appliances today, so a song titled "The Best Time Of Your Life," (sometimes erroneously called "Now is the Time") was created. Although the song was still very peppy and positive, the Shermans still felt that "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was a better fit.
A new cast of voices and "performers" were showcased in the 1975 version, including actor Andrew Duggan as Father. The first three "acts" had some cosmetic and set design changes. The finale was changed to "New Year's Eve in the Home of the 1970s," and the dog also changed breed.
In 1981, the finale was updated to showcase "New Year's Eve in the Home of the 1980s." A new script was written for this scene change, but the rest of the show remained the same. The attraction closed briefly so that the changes could be implemented.[4]
Post-GE years[edit]
Act 3 of the Magic Kingdom version
Act 4 of the Magic Kingdom version as it appeared in the 1980s
The entrance sign to the attraction prior to its 2016 refresh
On March 10, 1985, General Electric's contract expired, and it chose not to renew. The attraction closed shortly thereafter so that all General Electric references could be excluded from the attraction. The GE logo was replaced with a logo that showed a blueprint of the six carousel theaters surrounding the six fixed stages on the signs outside of the attraction and the silver GE curtain was kept but a round sign with the blueprint logo and the name Carousel of Progress hid the GE logo. The GE logo still exists on several household appliances throughout the attraction, like the refrigerator in Act 3, which features the GE logo and the words, "General Electric" on it. This is one of the remaining logos that can still be seen today.
On August 16, 1993, the attraction closed for refurbishment, to better reflect the theme of the New Tomorrowland: "The Future that Never Was." Gears and other mechanical symbols were being prominently featured in the other pavilions in the New Tomorrowland, so the Carousel of Progress was redesigned to feature them. The attraction and show were renamed Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. A giant cog sign in the load and unload theaters that says "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress" replaced the blueprint sign. The final scene was updated to "Christmas in the House of 2000" (as envisioned in 1993). A new cast was hired for the narration recordings, with American writer, raconteur, and radio personality Jean Shepherd as the voice of the father (Shepherd also does a pre-show narration about the history behind the attraction). Additionally, Rex Allen, the voice of the father at the original Disneyland attraction, plays the Grandfather in Act 4 of the show. For the first time, names of some of the characters in the attraction were revealed. A 4-minute pre-show about the creation of the attraction was played on monitors while guests waited in line. A contemporary version of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" returned as the attraction's theme song. The attraction reopened on November 23, 1993 and was the first updated attraction for the New Tomorrowland, which was unveiled in phases. Since then, the attraction has undergone many slight mechanical and cosmetic changes.
Because of a decrease in attendance following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress closed in October 2001. It was reopened soon afterwards on a seasonal basis, causing fans to become concerned for the attraction's future. Although numerous "permanent closure" rumors still plague the attraction, Disney has consistently said that there are no plans for permanent closure or any closure at all. For various reasons, the attraction has had some minor refurbishments in recent years. Though it is still listed as a seasonal attraction, it has remained open nearly every day of the year and during the Magic Kingdom's regular park hours since 2003.
The Sherman Brothers write in their joint autobiography regarding the history of the pavilion:
“ Three years after Walt Disney World opened, the Carousel of Progress moved east from Disneyland to Florida, and we were invited to write a brand new theme song: "The Best Time Of Your Life". In 1996, as a special tribute to the dreams of Walt Disney the Carousel of Progress was "updated" back to its original show, featuring our original theme song, "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow".[5] ”
As of 2016[update], the gears-and-cogs paint scheme is being replaced by futuristic "strikes" of various different colors. The attraction's name is now painted on the rotating part of the building.[citation needed]
Cast (current 1993 version)[edit]
Character
Voice actor[3][6][7]
Father—John Jean Shepherd
Mother—Sarah B.J. Ward
Daughter—Patricia Debi Derryberry
Young son—James Peter Nelson
Teenage son—James Paul Osterhout
Grandfather Rex Allen
Grandmother Mary Cervantes
Grandmother (Act 4) Janet Waldo
Uncle Orville Mel Blanc
Radio Personalities Noel Blanc
Precursors[edit]
The show draws much of its inspiration from industrial films that American appliance manufacturers funded to demonstrate how their products would change the pattern of domestic chores and improve life. The desire to sell during the Great Depression and the rural electrification projects of the New Deal were two of the motivating forces behind these films.
Also, there are the remnants of an exhibition from the 1933 Century of Progress exposition in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry that feature four typical rooms of Chicago houses in various decades prior to the exhibition.
Spin-offs and related attractions[edit]
America Sings, the audio-animatronic attraction that replaced the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland, used the same rotating theater building, with the outer ring of six theaters, connected by divider walls, revolving mechanically around the six fixed stages in the center of the building. The attraction operated between 1974 and 1988. Like the Carousel of Progress, the first and the last scenes of America Sings involved the loading and unloading of guests, while the other four scenes, or "acts," depicted a particular era. America Sings rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, rather than the original clockwise direction.
From October 1, 1983, until January 9, 1999, an attraction known as Horizons existed at Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort. It was more or less a sequel to the Carousel of Progress, depicting the host family living and working in technologically enhanced environments in the near future. During the first portion of its run, the show was also sponsored by General Electric (1983–1994). In the attraction, there was a scene where a robot was "working" in the kitchen, making quite a mess, among other things. In the background, the song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" could be heard. In 2009, Space Mountain featured several tributes to Horizons in its post-show.
Also in 1983, Meet the World, at Tokyo Disneyland, was an attraction that was housed in a rotating theater. It featured both audio-animatronics and video, looking at thousands of years of Japanese history. It closed in 2002.
Innoventions (1998–2015), a later occupant of the building formerly used for the Carousel of Progress and then America Sings at Disneyland, depicted a few images from the older attraction on its colorful exterior murals, and the attraction's Audio-Animatronic host Tom Morrow (voiced by Nathan Lane) sang an updated version of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". Banners hung from the building depicted the Carousel of Progress and other past attractions. Inside, the ASIMO show featured a stage set reminiscent of the "contemporary" scene in the Carousel of Progress, including a view of the Community of Tomorrow through the set's picture window. The ASIMO exit music is the original Rex Allen recording from the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland. The building's rotating platform used for Carousel of Progress, America Sings, and Innoventions stopped spinning in later years, and by the time of the opening of the building's latest tenant, Star Wars Launch Bay in November 2015, the mechanics used to rotate the lower level appear to have been removed altogether.
Soundtrack[edit]
The entire soundtrack for the Disneyland version (1967–1973) can be heard on A Musical History of Disneyland (2005). The soundtrack was also released as part of the 5-disc CD set Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair released on March 24, 2009 which includes instrumental versions of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" representing different eras of progress, and an early "Alternate Universe" version of the complete show. The complete 1975 "Now is the Time" version was found on Walt Disney World Forever. The current (1994) theme song of the show, "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", was previously available on the 2008 "Four Parks – One World: Walt Disney World" album and is currently available on the two-disc "Walt Disney World Resort Official Album" from 2013, along with other hard-to-find songs from the Walt Disney World parks.[8]
The theme song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was found on a few official theme park albums over the years, including:
Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album (1999 CD)|Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album (1999) (Magic Kingdom 1994 version)
Walt Disney World Resort: Official Album (2000 CD)|Walt Disney World Resort: Official Album (2000) (Magic Kingdom 1994 version)
The Official Album of the Disneyland Resort (2005) (Happiest Homecoming on Earth for 50th anniversary)
Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album (2013 CD)|Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album [9]
List of inventions mentioned in the show[edit]
This section needs expansion with: more inventions mentioned in the Carousel of Progress. You can help by adding to it. (January 2018)
Act 1 – Turn of the Century (1900s)[edit]
20 story skyscraper
Automobile
Transcontinental railroad
Wright Flyer
Gas lighting
Telephone
Cast iron stoves
Icebox
Electric lights
Washing machine
Stereoscope
Phonograph
Cinema
Act 2 – 1920s[edit]
Transatlantic flight
Sports Stadium
Radio
Indoor plumbing
Electric fan
Act 3 – 1940s[edit]
Dishwasher
Commuting
Television
Food mixer
Act 4 – Today[edit]
Virtual reality video games
Voice activated oven and lights
High-definition television
Flat panel display
LaserDisc
In popular culture[edit]
Mike Judge's 2006 film Idiocracy features the "Time Masheen", a poorly maintained amusement park ride which presents apocryphal American history in a format similar to the Carousel.
In the film Iron Man 2, Tony Stark promotes the "Stark Expo", a fictional version of the World's Fair. The original Carousel of Progress building can be seen on the map of the Stark Expo 2010 website as the Kodak Pavilion. The Ford Magic Skyway pavilion can also be seen nearby, north of the Fountain of Planets, incorporated as the Royal Purple Synthetic Oil Pavilion.[10] In addition, Richard Sherman wrote the Stark Expo's theme song, "Make Way for Tomorrow Today."[11]
The ride plays a central role in Cory Doctorow's 2011 novella The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow where the ride is preserved by the protagonist in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.[12][13]
The game Epic Mickey features the ride as part of the land called Tomorrow City.
In the 2015 Walt Disney film Tomorrowland during the opening scene showing the New York City World's Fair the song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" can be heard.
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Sullivan, Bob. "50 years ago, the World's Fair promised a life of leisure. We're still waiting". boingboing.net/. Boing Boing. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress". disneyworld.disney.go.com. Walt Disney World. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b Imagineers, The (September 1, 2005). The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Disney Editions. p. 121. ISBN 0-7868-5553-3.
Jump up ^ Carousel of Progress ("Now Is The Time" version) 1975 - 1993 Archived February 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Sherman, Robert B., Walt's Time: from before to beyond, 1998, p 168.
Jump up ^ Lafferty, Mike (November 24, 1993). "Around The Worlds". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015.
Jump up ^ "The Carousel of Progress". CarouselOfProgress.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2002. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
Jump up ^ "Walt Disney World Official Album - Various Artists".
Jump up ^ "Walt Disney World Official Album". iTunes. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Stark Expo 2010 : Better Living Through Technology". Archived from the original on May 4, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Iron Man 2 (2010)". IMDb. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012.
Jump up ^ Raets, Stefan (November 1, 2011). "Progress or Change? Cory Doctorow's The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". tor.com. Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
Jump up ^ Doctorow, Cory (October 20, 2011). "The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow html version". craphound.com. Cory Doctorow. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carousel of Progress.
Profiles:
Official website
INTERCOT.com
Yesterland
AllEarsNet
WDWMagic
Carousel of Progress: The Best Time of Your Life
MousePlanet
LaughingPlace
Other:
Video of Carousel of Progress (includes all acts)
Fanpage dedicated to the complete history of the Show – CarouselofProgress.com
nywf64.com (1964/1965 New York World's Fair Website) Story of the General Electric Pavilion and the Carousel of Progress
show
v
t
e
Magic Kingdom
Attractions
Main Street U.S.A.
City Hall
Harmony Barber Shop
Main Street Chamber of Commerce
Main Street Vehicles
Town Square Theater
Walt Disney World Railroad
Adventureland
Jungle Cruise
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Pirates of the Caribbean
Swiss Family Treehouse
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
Frontierland
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Country Bear Jamboree
Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
Splash Mountain
Tom Sawyer Island
Liberty Square
The Hall of Presidents
Haunted Mansion
Liberty Belle Riverboat
Liberty Tree Tavern
The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History
Fantasyland
Ariel's Grotto
The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini
Be Our Guest Restaurant
Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station
Cinderella Castle
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
It's a Small World
Mad Tea Party
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Peter Pan's Flight
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Princess Fairytale Hall
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
Tomorrowland
Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Space Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape!
Tomorrowland Speedway
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Entertainment
The Dapper Dans
Electrical Water Pageant
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Happily Ever After
Once Upon a Time
Other
Partners
Utilidor System
Future
TRON Lightcycle Power Run
show
v
t
e
Attractions at Disney theme parks
Main Street, U.S.A.
Animation Academy
The Dapper Dans
The Disney Gallery
Disneyland Railroad
Disneyland Railroad - Main Street Station
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad
Horse-Drawn Streetcars
Main Street Cinema
Main Street Vehicles
Walt Disney World Railroad
Adventureland
Adventure Isle
The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha e Komo Mai!
Festival of the Lion King
Indiana Jones Adventure
Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril
Jungle Cruise
Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin
Moana: A Homecoming Celebration
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Soaring Over the Horizon
Swiss Family Treehouse
Tarzan's Treehouse
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
Western River Railroad
Fantasyland
Alice in Wonderland
Alice's Curious Labyrinth
Ariel's Grotto
The Barnstormer
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station
Cinderella Carousel
Cinderella Castle
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Enchanted Storybook Castle
Fantasyland Theatre
Frozen: A Sing-Along Celebration
It's a Small World
King Arthur Carrousel
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
Mad Tea Party
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Pete's Silly Sideshow
Peter Pan's Flight
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Pixie Hollow
Pooh's Hunny Hunt
Princesses Castle
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Sleeping Beauty Castle
Snow White Grotto
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Voyage to the Crystal Grotto
Tomorrowland
Astro Orbiter
Autopia
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Captain EO
Disneyland Monorail System
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek
Innoventions
Iron Man Experience
Les Mystères du Nautilus
Push
Space Mountain
Starcade
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Star Wars Launch Bay
Stitch's Great Escape!
Stitch Encounter
Star Wars Path Of The Jedi
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Tron Lightcycle Power Run
Videopolis
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Frontierland
Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Big Thunder Ranch
Country Bear Jamboree
Diamond Horseshoe
Fantasmic!
Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
Golden Horseshoe Saloon
Mark Twain Riverboat
Phantom Manor
Tom Sawyer Island
River Rogue Keel Boats
Sailing Ship Columbia
Woody's Roundup Village
New Orleans Square
The Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Critter Country
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes
Splash Mountain
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mickey's Toontown
Chip 'n Dale's Treehouse
Donald's Boat
Gadget's Go Coaster
Goofy's Playhouse
Mickey's House and Meet Mickey
Minnie's House
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
Toon Park
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Battle Escape First order attraction
Millenium Falcon Attraction
Liberty Square
The Hall of Presidents
The Haunted Mansion
Toy Story Playland
Cubot
RC Racer
Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin
Slinky Dog Dash
Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop
Toy Story Midway Mania!
Woody's Round-Up
Mystic Point
Mystic Manor
Treasure Cove
Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure
Marvel Land
Ant-Man attraction
Avengers attraction
Frozen Land
Frozen Ever After
Wandering Oaken's Dancing Sleighs
show
v
t
e
The Sherman Brothers
Richard M. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Motion pictures
The Parent Trap (1961)
The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
Greyfriars Bobby (1961)
Bon Voyage! (1962)
A Symposium on Popular Songs (1962)
In Search of the Castaways (1962)
Big Red (1962)
Moon Pilot (1962)
Summer Magic (1963)
The Sword in the Stone (1963)
The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
The Moon-Spinners (1964)
Mary Poppins (1964)
Those Calloways (1965)
The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
That Darn Cat! (1965)
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)
Follow Me Boys (1966)
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967)
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
The Aristocats (1970)
Goldilocks (1971)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Snoopy, Come Home (1972)
Charlotte's Web (1973)
Tom Sawyer (1973)
Huckleberry Finn (1974)
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974)
The Slipper and the Rose (1976)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
The Magic of Lassie (1978)
Magic Journeys (1982)
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983)
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992)
The Mighty Kong (1998)
Seasons of Giving (1999)
The Tigger Movie (2000)
Stage musicals
and musical revues
Victory Canteen (1971)
Over Here! (1974)
Dawgs (1983)
The Slipper and the Rose (1984)
Busker Alley (1994)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002)
On the Record (2004)
Mary Poppins (2004)
Merry-Go-Round workshop (2007)
A Spoonful of Sherman (2014)
Theme park
attractions
Golden Horseshoe Revue (1955)
King Arthur Carrousel (1955)
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (1963)
It's a Small World (1966)
Adventure Thru Inner Space (1967)
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (1967)
Main Street Electrical Parade (1972)
America Sings (1974)
America on Parade (1975)
CommuniCore (1982)
Imagination! (1982)
Magic Journeys (1982)
The World Showcase March (1982)
Japan (Epcot) (1982)
Journey into Imagination (1983)
Meet the World (1983)
Innoventions (1998)
Rocket Rods (1998)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1999)
Disneyland Forever (2015)
Books
Walt's Time: from before to beyond (1998)
Moose: Chapters From My Life (2013)
Related
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
The Jungle Book (2016)
show
v
t
e
General Electric
Subsidiaries and
divisions
Current
GE Additive
GE Aviation
GE Capital
GE Capital Aviation Services
GE Energy Financial Services
GE Digital
GE Intelligent Platforms
GE Measurement & Control Solutions
GE Healthcare
GE Lighting
GE Power
GE Jenbacher
GE Waukesha
GE Renewable Energy
GE Hydro
GE Wind Energy
GE Transportation
Baker Hughes, a GE Company
Current, powered by GE
GE Global Research
Former and
defunct
Australian Guarantee Corporation1
Canadian General Electric1
Compagnia Generale di Elettricità2
Electric Bond and Share Company2
GE Americom2
GE Aerospace2
GE Appliances2
GE Betz2
GE Capital IT Solutions2
GECIS2
GE Capital Rail Services2
GE Capital Rail Services (Europe)
GE Commercial Finance
GE Energy1
GE Equipment Services2
GE Home & Business Solutions2
GE Industrial2
GE Oil and Gas1
GE Infrastructure1
GEIS2
Genesis Lease2
GE Security2
Genworth Financial2
Montgomery Ward2
Synchrony Financial2
Tungsram1
Whatman1
Joint ventures and
shareholdings
Current
CFM International (50%)
Engine Alliance (50%)
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (60%)
GE Honda Aero Engines (50%)
Penske Truck Leasing
Prolec GE (49.99%)
TBS GB
Former
Alco-GE (1940–53)
NBC (1926–30, 1986–2004)
NBCUniversal, LLC (2004–13)
Products and brands
Aircraft engines
General Comprehensive Operating System
GEnie
Locomotives
Mazda
Reciprocating engines
Trivection oven
Tungsram
People
Founders
Charles A. Coffin
Thomas Edison
Edwin J. Houston
J. P. Morgan
Elihu Thomson
Other
James Cash Jr.
Ann Fudge
Susan Hockfield
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Andrea Jung
Rochelle Lazarus
Sam Nunn
Roger Penske
Douglas A. Warner III
Jack Welch
Bob Wright
Places and facilities
GE Building
General Electric Building
Nela Park
Realty Plot
Research Laboratory
River Works
Specialty Control Plant
Switchgear Plant
Welch Technology Centre
Sponsorship
Carousel of Progress (1964-65, 1967-73, 1975-85)
Horizons at Epcot (1983-93)
Other
Edison Engineering Development Program
GE True
The General Electric Concert
General Electric EdgeLab
General Electric Theater
General Imaging
Thomson-Houston Electric Company
Timeline
United States v. General Electric Co.
Phoebus cartel
1Now integrated into other GE divisions or business groupings
2Sold or spun off
Category
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walt_Disney%27s_Carousel_of_Progress&oldid=854520675"
Categories:
Operating amusement attractions
Amusement rides introduced in 1975
Closed amusement attractions
Amusement rides introduced in 1967
Amusement rides that closed in 1973
Amusement rides by name
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions
Magic Kingdom
Tomorrowland
Audio-Animatronic attractions
1964 New York World's Fair
Works by the Sherman Brothers
General Electric sponsorships
1964 establishments in New York (state)
1967 establishments in California
1975 establishments in Florida
Hidden categories:
Webarchive template wayback links
Articles needing additional references from July 2011
All articles needing additional references
Articles that may contain original research from June 2008
All articles that may contain original research
Articles with multiple maintenance issues
Use mdy dates from July 2017
Articles needing additional references from August 2018
Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016
All articles containing potentially dated statements
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016
Articles to be expanded from January 2018
All articles to be expanded
Articles using small message boxes
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
Français
עברית
日本語
Edit links
This page was last edited on 11 August 2018, at 23:50 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

value: a

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: img

attrs: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

value: span

attrs: class role tabindex

value: b

attrs: href title

value: i

value: small

attrs: href class

values: Help:Introduction to referencing with Wiki Markup/1

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Original_research

values:
mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible
width:95%; margin: 0.2em 0;

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-multiple_issues compact-ambox

values: Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (29419642074).jpg

values: text-align:center;font-size:110%; text-align:center; background-color:lightgray; font-weight:normal;

values:
/wiki/Geographical_coordinates
mw-redirect
Geographical coordinates

values: Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location

values:
/wiki/1964-1965_New_York_World%27s_Fair
mw-redirect
1964-1965 New York World's Fair

values: text-align:center;font-size: 110%; text-align: center; background-color: lightgray; font-weight:normal;

values:
/wiki/Amusement_park_attraction
mw-redirect
Amusement park attraction

values:
/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Resort
mw-redirect
Walt Disney World Resort

values:
/wiki/Academy_Award
mw-redirect
Academy Award

values:
/wiki/Theater_of_the_United_States
mw-redirect
Theater of the United States

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

values:
/wiki/1904_World%27s_Fair
mw-redirect
1904 World's Fair

values: Edit section: 1964 New York World's Fair

attrs: alt src width height class srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (concept)

values:
/wiki/Stitch%27s_Great_Escape
mw-redirect
Stitch's Great Escape

values: Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

values:
/wiki/The_Best_Time_Of_Your_Life
mw-redirect
The Best Time Of Your Life

values:
/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks
mw-redirect
September 11, 2001 attacks

values: width: 20px; vertical-align: top; border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: .6em; text-align: left; padding: 10px 10px;

values: vertical-align: top; border: none; padding: 4px 10px;

values: width: 20px; vertical-align: bottom; border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: .6em; text-align: right; padding: 10px 10px;

values: margin:auto; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; background-color: transparent; width: auto;

values: plainlinks noexcerpt noprint asof-tag update

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2016)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values: Edit section: Cast (current 1993 version)

values: Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)

values: Edit section: Spin-offs and related attractions

values:
/wiki/Horizons_(Epcot_attraction)
mw-redirect
Horizons (Epcot attraction)

values: Edit section: List of inventions mentioned in the show

values: plainlinks metadata ambox mbox-small-left ambox-content

values: Edit section: Act 1 – Turn of the Century (1900s)

values:
/wiki/Indoor_plumbing
mw-redirect
Indoor plumbing

values:
/wiki/Mechanical_fan#Electrical
mw-redirect
Mechanical fan

values:
/wiki/Eastman_Kodak
mw-redirect
Eastman Kodak

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/cop.htm

values:
/wiki/Sherman,_Robert_B.
mw-redirect
Sherman, Robert B.

values:
nofollow
http://www.starkexpo2010.com/
external text

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.yesterland.com/progress.html

values:
nofollow
external text
http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mk_cop.htm

values:
nofollow
external text
https://waltdatedworld.com/id215.htm

values:
nofollow
http://carouselofprogress.tripod.com/
external text

values:
nofollow
external text
http://nywf64.com/genele01.shtml

values:
/wiki/Haunted_Mansion
mw-redirect
Haunted Mansion

values: The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History

values: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (attraction)

values:
/wiki/Princess_Fairytale_Hall
mw-redirect
Princess Fairytale Hall

values: The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values:
/wiki/Horse-Drawn_Streetcars
mw-redirect
Horse-Drawn Streetcars

values: Alice in Wonderland (Disneyland attraction)

values: For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

values:
/wiki/Pete%27s_Silly_Sideshow
mw-redirect
Pete's Silly Sideshow

values:
/wiki/Star_Wars:_Path_Of_The_Jedi
mw-redirect
Star Wars: Path Of The Jedi

values:
/wiki/Tom_Sawyer_Island
mw-redirect
Tom Sawyer Island

values:
/wiki/Chip_%27n_Dale%27s_Treehouse
mw-redirect
Chip 'n Dale's Treehouse

values:
/wiki/Donald%27s_Boat
mw-redirect
Donald's Boat

values:
/wiki/Goofy%27s_Playhouse
mw-redirect
Goofy's Playhouse

values:
/wiki/Minnie%27s_House
mw-redirect
Minnie's House

values:
/wiki/Toy_Story_Playland
mw-redirect
Toy Story Playland

values:
/wiki/Treasure_Cove
mw-redirect
Treasure Cove

values: Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure

values:
/wiki/Marvel_Land_(Disney_Parks)
mw-redirect
Marvel Land (Disney Parks)

values: nowraplinks collapsible collapsed navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible

values:
The_Sherman_Brothers
songwriters
font-size:114%;margin:0 4em

values:
col
navbox-title
2
background: songwriters;

values:
navbox-abovebelow
2
background: #EEEEEE;

values:
row
navbox-group
width:1%;background: #EEEEEE;

values:
/wiki/Follow_Me_Boys
mw-redirect
Follow Me Boys

values: The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band

values:
/wiki/Goldilocks_(TV_special)
mw-redirect
Goldilocks (TV special)

values:
/wiki/Imagination!_(Epcot_pavilion)
mw-redirect
Imagination! (Epcot pavilion)

values:
/wiki/World_Showcase
mw-redirect
World Showcase

values:
/wiki/Japan_(Epcot)
mw-redirect
Japan (Epcot)

values:
/wiki/Moose:_Chapters_From_My_Life
mw-redirect
Moose: Chapters From My Life

values: nowraplinks vcard hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values: List of assets owned by General Electric

values:
/wiki/GE_Intelligent_Platforms
mw-redirect
GE Intelligent Platforms

values:
/wiki/Electric_Bond_and_Share_Company
mw-redirect
Electric Bond and Share Company

values:
/wiki/Jeffrey_R._Immelt
mw-redirect
Jeffrey R. Immelt

values: General Electric Specialty Control Plant

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible collapsed navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible

values: Category:Amusement rides introduced in 1975

values: Category:Amusement rides introduced in 1967

values: Category:Amusement rides that closed in 1973

values: Category:Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions

values: Category:1964 establishments in New York (state)

values: Category:1967 establishments in California

values: Category:Webarchive template wayback links

values: Category:Articles needing additional references from July 2011

values: Category:All articles needing additional references

values: Category:Articles that may contain original research from June 2008

values: Category:All articles that may contain original research

values: Category:Articles with multiple maintenance issues

values: Category:Articles needing additional references from August 2018

values: Category:Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016

values: Category:All articles containing potentially dated statements

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016

values: Category:Articles to be expanded from January 2018

values: Category:Articles using small message boxes

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: קרוסלת הקידמה – Hebrew

values: カルーセル・オブ・プログレス – Japanese

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Walt_Disney_s_Carousel_of_Progress rootpage-Walt_Disney_s_Carousel_of_Progress skin-vector action-view