Walt planned for the opening of Disneyland to be a momentous occasion, one befitting the world's greatest amusement park. Instead, it would go down as one of the most embarrassing failures of all time. ABC televised Disneyland's opening day. Notable Hollywood actors Ronald Reagan, Art Linkletter, and Bob Cummings hosted the event. The broadcast was a near total failure. The lowlights included Linkletter losing his microphone during the broadcast, forcing Cummings to provide colour commentary for five minutes while Linkletter searched for it. Another especially embarrassing moment found Cummings caught on camera kissing a Frontierland dancer. On top of this, Walt flubbed his dedication to Tomorrowland. Along with the broadcasts abject failure, forces beyond Walt's control contributed to the disaster. A plumber's strike forced Walt to choose between having working toilets or drinking fountains on opening day. Walt chose the toilets. Unfortunately, temperatures on opening day ran into the high 30s. Thirsty patrons were left with only Pepsi to drink. Adding insult to injury, a gas leak forced Walt to close Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Adventureland. Disney would later refer to the grand opening as a "Black Sunday". The opening of Disneyland is such a legendary fiasco that it earns the number 2 spot on our list.
