NEW SHOW - Connecting with Walt hosted by Michael Bowling

[ConeyLighthouse]

What a good question. Although I have read Coney Island was one of the many amusement parks Walt visited as he was seriously thinking about what he wanted and didn't want in his park, I have not found anything specific about his Coney Island visit. I do know that for Disneyland and Disney World, Walt did not want them built near the seashore. He didn't want to compete with the beach, have certain types of beach folk in his park, have to deal with the sand and dirt that would inevitably be tracked in to the park, and have the harshness of the salt air and coastal weather take its toll on the park. I would suspect his visit to Coney Island deepened his resolve on this. If I come across anything in my research, I will let you know. Thank you for listening to the show and for letting us know you have been enjoying it.

Hello! I have found some more information that I thought you would find interesting - apparently Richard Todd, who played Robin Hood, was a friend of Walt's and they went to Coney Island together in 1953:

http://filmsofthefifties.com/lunch-with-richard-todd/#comment-127450

http://filmsofthefifties.com/richard-todd-and-walt-disney-two-great-friends/

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