Walt's son-in-law Ron Miller was made the pageantry coordinator and one of his responsibilities was handling the traveling arrangements of the performers during the chaotic weather, basically getting them from Reno to the event. [9] They were given four years to build venues, an Olympic Village, and expand infrastructure. Entertainer Danny Kaye was a huge hit at the opening night performance with the athletes, since he spoke 12 different languages fluently and also knew tunes from all over the world. Over the loudspeaker, Walt told everyone to take their positions. Image sourced from The 1960 Winter Olympics, courtesy of Bill Briner. My choir was in front of me. The 1960 Winter Games Opening Ceremony was filled with high school choirs and bands, releasing of thousands of balloons, fireworks, ice statues, releasing of … At one point, the fire marshall insisted that the room was over capacity and that the aisles must be cleared for safety or he would stop the show. This was the first time a woman enjoyed this honor of reciting the oath. The sheer athletic power and precision. The speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey events were held on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history. Conquest—The Marine Band, Washington, D.C. played this composition. RICHARD NIXON VINCE LOMBARDI ORSON WELLES WALT DISNEY 22) What organization serves as the governing body of the Olympics? See more ideas about squaw valley, squaw, winter games. Again, it was Walt himself who came up with the concept of the poles for the flags of all nations participating in the games. [40] Klas Lestander from Sweden became the first Olympic champion, Antti Tyrväinen from Finland and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov placed second and third respectively. TIL that Walt Disney was Chairman of the Pageantry Committee for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, producing the Opening and Closing Ceremonies ", “This hoopla has little to do with the Olympic Spirit," International Olympic Committee Chancellor Otto Mayer said. or its affiliates. In addition to resurfacing the ice, the machine created the snow dividers that delineated the racing lanes. They were held each evening at 8:30 p.m. in the long, narrow main dining center at the Olympic Village, with a portable stage quickly installed after the dining finished at 8 p.m. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); There are some items from the 1960 Olympics on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Arrival of the Olympic Flame—Two-time alpine skiing gold medalist Andrea Lawrence (escorted by eight members of the Ski Patrol who swooped down Little Papoose Peak over choppy snow carrying the torch) and U.S. Squaw Valley Organizing Committee (1960), p. 93. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. Walt brought in big named entertainment, fashion shows, and even snow sculptures to the Winter Olympics. Relive the moments that went down in history from the Squaw Valley 1960 Winter Olympics. [37] Swiss skier Roger Staub won the giant slalom and Ernst Hinterseer from Austria was the slalom champion. Knight's administration agreed and recommended that the California Legislature appropriate $1,000,000 to the effort. Medals were awarded in 27 events contested in 4 sports (8 disciplines). [2] Squaw Valley was provisionally awarded the right to host the Games, but IOC president Avery Brundage warned the Organizing Committee that unless more funds were secured by April 1956, the bid would be awarded to Innsbruck. Alexander Cushing, the founder and chairman of the Squaw Valley Ski Corporation, had startled the sports world by having this little obscure ski resort near Lake Tahoe make the bid for the Winter Olympics in 1955. Trip Reports, News, and Questions Forum Sponsored By: Howard Johnson Anaheim Resort Olympic officials complained about the costs of some of Walt's elaborate plans, but Walt silenced those complaints when he declared, "Either we're going to do it the right way or Disney will pull out. Walt Disney's lavish show involved hundreds of … A snowstorm delayed the arrival of Vice-President Nixon—and thus, by 15 minutes, the opening of the Games themselves. The familiar Olympic rings, set above the main frame, denoted the five major continents, linked to symbolize international friendship. Feb 4, 2016 - Alex Cushing’s bid to host the 1960 Winter Games originally began as a plan to gain publicity for the resort. [33][34] They were however upset by Sweden in the 3×5 kilometer relay. It is the story of the Pageantry at the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley California. He helped plan the 1959 Moscow Fair as well as the 1964 New York World’s Fair. One of the poles ended up in front of the commissary at the Disney Studios, while another was sent to the newly opened Walt Disney Elementary School (formerly the Park Elementary School that Walt attended as a child) in Marceline, Missouri. Broadcast booths for radio and television in San Francisco newspaper. ) history from the mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo technologies! Shooting ranges were interspersed throughout the biathlon course, and melt the snow figures were to! 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