Roy and Walt Disney are, I hope, touching wood.
The next few months could be crucial to them.
They have their costliest picture, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" almost ready for business.
They have severed their distribution contract with RKO and are now in the throes of setting up a release organization of their own.
Out in California they have embarked on creation of a vast fun fair type of project.
And at this decisive moment in their affairs they have dared do something no other important film producer would have risked. They have moved into television with a weekly hour-long show, called Disneyland, for which they are using material originally made for theatrical release.
* * *
The second stanza of Disneyland featured "Alice in Wonderland" — certainly not an old film. It was premiered in New York as recently as the Spring of 1951; hence it cannot be classified as an "oldie".
Though the TV version was abbreviated from the original, all its essential elements were presented on TV. I estimate that about two-thirds of the film was seen by viewers.
Disneyland is so good that it has most of the critics turning handsprings and predicting that it will replace all existing Wednesday night TV favorites in the popularity listings.
Experts tell me that it may not make much money for the Disneys, but it will be of immense help to their merchandising department (toys, books, gadgets, etc.) and will give them a strong publicity boost.
[…]
