Black Sunday

The reviews were brutal. The Associated Press wrote that "probably for the first time in his career, Disney disappointed thousands of youngsters."

Another writer called it a "fiasco the like of which I cannot recall in 30 years of show life."

Many of the reporters had been there as guests. They had stood in the same crowd, in the same heat, in front of the same empty refreshment stands.

The people who worked at the park gave the day a name, and they used it for years: Black Sunday.

Walt did not pretend it had gone well. "It may take a month before everything's going smoothly," he said.