Defunctland: The History of the 1964 New York World's Fair

All roads converge at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, as the infamous city planner Robert Moses recruits Walt Disney to create the greatest fair in the history of the world.

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[zfalcon]

"Lincoln was not able to comment, mostly due to the fact that he still wasn't working."

It's quotes like that and the "losing to Seattle" line that add subtle, sophisticated humor. I love it.

[WestPictures]

I love how Robert Moses came up with cartoonishly evil supervillain plans to cover up the fact that he was a cartoon supervillain.

[soranotsky]

"It's a miracle, Lincoln is alive and Moses needed him now more than ever"
What a sentence to hear out of context

[LXN]

Kevin's completely nonchalant delivery is a total knockout _every time._ The Seattle gag was rad, but what really got me was-
"Moses became more rude towards the members of the press as they wrote negatively about him. And in retaliation, the members of the press wrote negatively about him."

[KyrieFortune]

Moses: "I want this fair so I can refurbish it into a park and be remembered as a philanthropic genius and not a racist destroyer of cities"
Disney: "I want this fair because I want to see Lincoln talk"

[RurouniIdoru]

"It would not bear his name, and it would not be his legacy." I do love a happy ending.

[remen]

"worse, to the people of seetle"
as a resident of seattle this made me laugh my ass off

[lilithhedwig]

It gives me great satisfaction to know that Moses lived long enough to see that he failed, and how he would be remembered 😊

[angelofsarcasm]

"Do you suppose God is mad at Walt for creating man in his own image?" has the exact same energy of that "Do you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he's created?" line from Spy Kids.

[melaniesmith]

Excellent documentary. I attended the 1964 season of the fair, when I was 4. We rode the cars past living dinosaurs. I saw children from all over the world dancing together in the Small World attraction. From my perspective, it was sheer magic. Moses may have been a huge jerk, and the fair a financial failure, but it thrilled those who experienced it. I still have my doll from the Korean Pavillion.

[BlueBearJr]

“Lincoln, the first president to suspend habeas corpus, was not available to comment.” Had me dying

[imaginekudryavka]

The way you explained the ending made it sound like an oldschool Shyamalan twist.

"There was just one problem. Walt Disney was dead."

[nyanpirethecat]

Kevin you forgot to mention, another very interesting event during Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair. Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy, Kimba, and Unico) actually meet Walt Disney during the 1964 World's Fair. According to some of his sketches and doodles recounting seeing Walt in person. He actually geeked out seeing his idol on opening day. Walt made an agreement with Tezuka on creating a manga adaptation of "Bambi". Another story mentioned from his doodles was that he and Walt were discussing on working on an animated film as a collaboration. But that idea quickly died after Walt's death in 1966.
(True Story)

Tezuka's own words talking about his once in a life time opportunity on meeting Walt.

"I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk to him. I came across him leaving the stage just after delivering the speech."
"I got nervous but somehow introduced myself to him."
Tezuka: "I am a head of a Japanese animation studio."
Walt Disney": Nice to have you here."
Tezuka: "I am the one who made Astro Boy."
Walt Disney: "Really? I know Astro Boy. I saw the work in Los Angeles. It’s a great work."
Tezuka: "Thank you very much. My staff would be honored. Well, may I have your comment about the work?"
Walt Disney: "It’s a very interesting Sci-Fi story. Future children are looking toward the space. So I, myself, think about making Sci Fi, too. If you have time, visit me in Burbank."

[wolfywox]

Moses: What if I build a park on this gross swampland?
Disney, eyeing Orlando: 🤔

[ellenhanratty]

As a 19 year old in April of '64, I worked at the World's Fair for several months as a waitress in the Brass Rail Steakhouse. Having come to New York from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I found the Fair beyond anything I had known, and was inspired by its many attractions. My favorite was the movie, "ToBe Alive!" shown in the S. C. Johnson pavilion. I, along with some five million other people, stood in lines, sometimes in the rain (especially in April) to see it. The wait was worth it, every time. So, in spite of all its mismanagement, including its failure to turn a profit, for me, the Fair was a success.

[poletooke]

Walt Disney making a 600, 000 dollar ride just to spite someone answering a question for him is peak mood

[neptune]

“Walt wanted to show amusement park’s sophistication.” *shows video of animatronic cavemen rubbing their butts*

[LighthouseCape]

I really like to see what was going on inside the mind of Robert Moses.
He hated middle class or below than that "peasants" which is like most of the population, but also wanted more people to come to the fair and spend money. It's like, what was he thinking? Kings and noblemen would flood in to the fair?

[shaemurphy]

'Moses's crusade against the spicy below the neck area angered perverts and local fun havers alike' has to be one of the greatest sentences 😆

[Eddyspeeder]

"But he was only able to deliver his speech a total of seven times, which was technically six more times than the real Lincoln had." This is a memorable quote!