America on Parade ("AOP") was a parade created for

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

and the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

for the United States Bicentennial and for Disneyland's 20th and The Magic Kingdom's 5th anniversaries. It was created under the direction of Disneyland's Director of Entertainment, Bob Jani. The parade float units were designed by New York theatrical designer Peter Larkin. The first run was in the summer of 1975 and was originally designed to run through 1977, to commemorate the United States Bicentennial. America On Parade ran once during the afternoon and again just prior to the nightly fireworks display. It traveled the full length of Disneyland from

It's a Small World It's a Small World (stylized in all lowercase and in quotations or with exclamation mark) is an Old Mill boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks around the world. Versions of the ride are installed at Disney ...

to Town Square at the beginning of

Main Street, U.S.A. Main Street, USA is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, USA is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20th centu ...

and at Magic Kingdom from Liberty Square to Town Square at the beginning of

The various parade float height design created a problem because returning the parade units to the starting point required traveling behind the public areas, encountering over-pass bridges and tunnels. The taller units were rigged to telescope up after collapsing to pass under the low ceiling obstacles. Other units' stacked towers were hinged to drop or fold on top of the parade float.

Soundtrack

The Sherman Brothers who had left

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Studios to work for independent film companies were asked to write a special song for the

American Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...

. The song was called " The Glorious Fourth" and was performed as a part of AOP. The parade also featured synchronized music to which performers danced set routines created by Disneyland

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

s (Barnett Ricci and Marilyn Magness). Each of the parade performers sported costumes appropriate to the float around which they danced, as well as enormous heads fixed on a custom-built apparatus for support, with the performer looking through the neck, giving the parade a carnival appearance. The parade's soundtrack was Don Dorsey's first project for Disney. He used synthesizers and antique carousel organs to create the soundtrack."Don started a consulting relationship with Disney in 1975, when he was asked to create a unique new musical sound for the Bicentennial pageant "America on Parade". He did so by combining the sounds of synthesizers with those of antique carrousel organs". http://www.dorseyproductions.com/dscoop.htm During the parade's run, Dorsey conceptualized a system which Disney would develop a computer-controlled system called "Mickey Track" that controls the parade's music from 1980 and on. This system was later installed at

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney park t ...

in 1983,

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

in 1992, and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005."As a result of Don's coordination and timing work, Disney was persuaded to begin development on a computer system to handle the float tracking and audio coordination tasks. The first "Mickey Track" control system was completed and implemented in 1980 with software designed to Don's specifications". http://www.dorseyproductions.com/dscoop.htm

TV special

In 1976, a TV special "Walt Disney's America on Parade" aired, showing the parade and presented by

Red Skelton Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelto ...

.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Floats

On less busy days in 1975 and 1976, some non-holiday units were cut. The "School Days" is cut during months of summer and December. # Spirit of '76 - the starting float featured Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy standing on a drum, next to a heavily themed eagle float, with Mickey holding a variant of the Stars and Stripes as the three friends all opened the parade. Donald played the flute, and Goofy played a hand-made drum. # Columbus's Ship - in 1492, before the creation of America, Italian explorer

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

travelled the then-unknown seas, seeing what kind of discoveries he has managed to find and bring him into the new worlds. This float resembled a pirate ship. # The First Thanksgiving - in 1621, the Pilgrims created what would become Thanksgiving. This float was represented by a giant turkey puppet. ## This unit is shown after the Columbus's Ship and Ben Franklin for the month of November only. # Salem Witch Trials - in 1692, more than two hundred people were accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. This float featured two costumed characters about to be executed with another preparing the execution. ## This unit is shown after Columbus's Ship and Benjamin Franklin for the month of October only. # Benjamin Franklin - in 1752,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

flew a kite during a thunderstorm and discovered the power of electricity. This float featured Benjamin Franklin flying a kite without lightning. # Dunking Stall # Square Dancing # Giant Bell # Giant Cannons # Betsy Ross - in June 1776, Betsy Ross raised the flag of what would be the United States in Philadelphia at the request of George Washington. # Rowing Boat # Riverboat # Stagecoach # Discovery of Gold # Voting Rights # Sunday Band Concert # School Days ## cut in December and summer months. # Transportation # Sports # Sunday Picnic # Modern Tech # Disney - in honor of the 20th anniversary of

, a special unit was made. After the 20th ended in 1976, it was moved to the

for its fifth anniversary. ## Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ## Television ## The Movie Industry # Circus Comes to Town # Hot Air Balloons # Statue of Liberty and the Golden Eagle

Accidents

In 1976, an unidentified woman sued the Disney Parks Corporation because she claimed that one of the Three Little Pigs at the It's a Small World end of the parade route grabbed and fondled her during this parade. She claimed to have gained 50 pounds (23 kg) as a result of the incident and sued Disney for $150,000 in damages for assault and battery, false imprisonment, and humiliation. The plaintiff dropped charges after Disney's lawyers presented her with a photo of the costume, which had only inoperable stub arms, a common feature among the shorter characters that was eliminated in later years.

References

* Sherman, Robert B. '' Walt's Time: from before to beyond''. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.

External links