Here's the script of the intro and first act...
INTRO AND ACT ONE (Valentine's Day, 1904)
NARRATOR:
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
And tomorrow's just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's a start.
He follows his dream with mind and heart.
And when it becomes a reality,
It's a dream come true for you and me.
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
Shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
Just a dream away.
Hello, folks, and welcome to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Today, you're in for a real treat. Right from the start, this idea originated from Walt Disney. He enjoyed every minute of it. He introduced this show at the New York World's Fair in 1964 and it impressed people ever since. When the fair ended, this show went to Disneyland in Anaheim, California before finally coming here to Florida in 1975. Over the years, this show has had more performances than any other stage show in the history of American theater. You know, Walt loved the idea of progress and he loved the American family. In fact, he was probably as American as anyone could be. He thought it would be fun to watch the American family go through the twentieth century, experiencing all-new wonders every step of the way. And he put them together in a show called the Carousel of Progress, which you are about to see. And although our Carousel family has experienced some changes as the years went by, our show still revolves around the same theme: progress. May the century begin...
(The theater starts to move for the first time. Upbeat ragtime music comes on to the tune of the ride's theme song.)
CHORUS:
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
And tomorrow's just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's a start.
He follows his dream with mind and heart.
(The theater rolls around to the first stage: the kitchen of an average 1900s home. The father, whose name is John and is the master of ceremonies for this show, is sitting in a rocker, wearing a smoking jacket and holding a pipe and newspaper. The dog, Rover, lies faithfully by his side. John joins in on the singing as the chorus fades out.)
JOHN:
And when it becomes a reality,
It's a dream come true for you and me.
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
Just a dream away.
(The song ends, but plays on as background music in quiet violin form. Through the windows the audience see that it's a bright sunny day outside. Birds are chirping in the springtime air. John notices the sound of the birds and begins to address the crowd.)
JOHN: Well, it looks like the robins are about to celebrate Valentine's Day today. What year is it? Oh, just around the turn of the century. And no doubt about it, things couldn't be any better than they are today. Yes, sir, buildings in the city are towering twenty stories or more and moving pictures are flickering up on a screen. We call them picture shows. Also, we have about some 8,000 automobiles in this country and we can travel from coast to coast by train in just a week. I even heard tell of two brothers named Wright who are working on some newfangled flying machine. (He chuckles to himself) That plan will never work. They're simply wasting their time. Meanwhile, around the home, we have the latest and greatest: gas lamps, telephone and the latest design in cast iron stoves. Also, that reservoir keeps five gallons of water hot all day on just three buckets of coal. Yep, sure beats chopping wood. And isn't our new icebox a beauty? Get a load of that. Holds 50 pounds of ice. (The icebox opens, revealing ice, bread and milk) Milk doesn't sour as quick as it used to. Also, our dog Rover here keeps the water in the drip pan from overflowing. It wasn't too long ago we had to carry water from a well. But now, thanks to progress, we have a pump right here in the kitchen. (The pump handle on the sink magically moves and water starts to flow) Of course, we keep a bucket of water handy to prime it with. Yes, sir, we have everything to make life easier. (John looks over to his right, the audience's left, where the first of the rotating dioramas appears. A woman, the mother whose name is Sarah, dressed in an apron, is ironing a shirt, while her young daughter works beside her. In the background is a large pantry with bags of food.) Hey, Mother!
SARAH: What is it?
JOHN: I was reading about a fellow named Tom Edison, who's working on an idea for some kind of snap-on electric light.
SARAH: Edison, huh? Electric light, huh? It'll never work. He's just wasting his time.
JOHN: This is my wife, Sarah. (Chuckles) She sure can get to the core of the apple.
SARAH: But now that we have this new washday marvel, it takes only FIVE HOURS to do the wash. Imagine! Used to take two days at least.
JOHN: That's right, folks. Now Mother has time to do other things, like...
SARAH: Like canning and freshening up the oven and the stove?
JOHN: (chuckles) Yep, Mother. But no one can improve on nature for drying clothes.
SARAH: Excuse me, please, while I go get the wash off the line. It looks like rain.
(Rover barks at the comment and the diorama disappears.)
JOHN: Oh, don't worry, Rover, it's not going to rain today. How can it rain if my backache isn't acting up?
(Lightning flashes and the audience hears thunder while the lights dim for a few seconds. Rain starts to fall outside.)
SARAH: (offstage) I told you so!
(Lights come back on.)
JOHN: My, my, just listen to it come down out there. Oh, well, the cistern was low on rainwater anyway. Now, around our home, entertainment is improving as well. For example, with the advent of the stereoscope, my son, James, and I can now see and learn all about the latest events in the world. But he'll have to ask permission first if he wants to look at it alone.
(The diorama on the audience's right lights up to display a young boy, John's aforementioned son, James, using a stereoscope beside an oil lamp.)
JAMES: Wowee! Look at that!
JOHN: Now look here, young man, if I told you once, I told you a thousand times, ask my permission to look at my expensive stereoscope. That's not a toy, you know!
JAMES: Ooh! Is that the Norwegian doing the hoochie-koochie, Dad?
JOHN: Oh, yeah, that's one thing I forgot to mention. She's the main attraction at the World's Fair out in St. Louis. (clears throat) Now, James, please put that away this minute before your mother finds it and get back to your homework, okay?
JAMES: But Dad...
JOHN: This minute! (The diorama disappears) Now, where was I? Oh, yes. We don't have an opera house in town, but we do have the next best thing: one of those new talking machines. What a beauty! It plays music right here in our home.
(The left diorama opens again, this time displaying Grandma sitting in a rocker, listening to music on a phonograph machine. A parrot is sitting on a perch beside her. The record plays "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" in an operatic style.)
PARROT: (squawks) She keeps that thing going all day. That tenor's driving me nuts. (Squawks again) Progress!
(The diorama disappears.)
JOHN: Of course, there are times when the younger people have their own ideas of fun and entertainment, too. (The right diorama reopens, revealing John's daughter, Jane. She's sitting at a vanity, fixing her hair. She's only wearing her under garments, but in the 1900s, the under garments were more modest than today's outer garments, so the scene isn't nor should it be offensive. Flowery, feminine music comes on for the daughter.) Take my teenage daughter, Jane, for instance. She's getting ready to go to a Valentine's dance at the other end of town on one of those new electric trolleys.
JANE: Oh, Papa.
JOHN: What is it, Jane?
JANE: All these people! I'm indecent!
JOHN: Don't worry, they're friends!
JANE: Well, thanks for letting me go, Papa.
JOHN: Okay. But you be home by 9:00 sharp, daughter. Understand?
(The flowery music dies for obvious reasons.)
JANE: (dejectedly) Yes, Papa.
(The diorama disappears.)
JOHN: You know, all this talk about progress has made me work up quite a thirst. I think I'll take a trolley across town myself and meet the boys at the drug store soda fountain for a cold sarsaparilla. Oops, sorry, I forgot. We're drinking root beer now. Same drink, different name. Well, I guess that's progress for you. Which reminds me...
JOHN AND CHORUS:
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day.
Theres a great big beautiful tomorrow,
And tomorrow's just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's a start.
He follows his dream with mind and heart...
So, what did you think, guys? Wonderful, isn't it? As you can see, it's actually largely the same script as always, but with some minor tweaks, but just wait till the fourth and last scene. Stay tuned for part two...