Radio-TV mirror (July-Dec 1954)

Introducing . . ■■HHBB ..--" Hi WILLY LEY One of the highlights of the "Land of Tomorrow" series on Disneyland will be a flight to Mars. In order to make it as authentic as possible, Disney has engaged space scientist Willy Ley as a technical consultant. Although spaceman Ley is in the know as to what's going on out of this world, he scorns such intangibles as flying saucers. "I am quite sure there is life elsewhere in our galaxy," says Willy. "I consider it possible that we can get visitors from space, but I do not think flying saucers are it." Author of books on space travel, Willy comments, "No matter what your contemporaries do, future generations won't know unless there is a man who writes it down. The man who writes it down is me." While his imagination is usually millions of miles away, Willy is careless about earthy matters. He forgets to have his suits pressed and keeps running out of cigars. "I'm not handy around the house, either," he says proudly. DR. WERNER VON BRAUN Joining Willy Ley as a space expert for "Land of Tomorrow" is Dr. Werner Von Braun, a ranking space engineer whose life-long dream has been to fly to the moon. Chief of the Guided Missiles Development Division at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, Dr. Von Braun figures he's within 15 years of realizing this dream. As earth-bound as any human right now, he is devoted to the twin tasks of designing space rockets and raising a family. A pioneer in developing liquid-fuel rockets, he also helped perfect the V-2 and similar rockets. Author of The Moon Project, Dr. Von Braun became interested in his favorite subject in his teens. "It filled me with a romantic urge," he says. "Interplanetary travel! Here was a task worth dedicating one's life to. Not just to stare through a telescope at the moon and planets, but to soar through the heavens and actually explore the mysterious universe. I knew how Columbus felt." A serious man with boundless energy, Dr. Von Braun often works 14 hours at a stretch toward realizing his dream. However, until he can board a space ship, he is content to live like anyone else. "We've just had a new house built," he says, explaining that it has "much more room in it, especially for my growing daughter." Speaking with a Teutonic accent — a carry-over from his native Germany — Dr. Von Braun adds: "With its mountains, Huntsville reminds me of Silesia, where I come from." 64 MICKEY MOUSE Without a doubt the most distinguished and beloved member of the rodent family, Mickey Mouse's life has been as fascinating as it has been spectacular. Having risen from barefoot obscurity to international fame, Mickey is now climaxing his career with stellar roles in the "Fantasyland" series on Disneyland. In fact, his life story will be presented on one of the early shows and, says creator Disney, "It couldn't happen to a nicer mouse." Although he doesn't look it, Mickey is 26. He vividly recalls his first movie, "Plane Crazy": "In those days, I was as poor as a church mouse. Didn't even own a pair of shoes. When the picture was previewed, I looked for the nearest hole. I thought it could have been better . . . so did everyone else." It didn't take long for Mickey to prove how much better he could be. He has since appeared in 125 movies, and his laurels have assumed mountainous proportions. His happiest personal experience, Mickey feels, was the appearance in 1928 of his girl friend Minnie. There isn't a corner of the globe Mickey hasn't entered, either in person or on the screen. He has appeared before royalty, and his voice and face are perhaps the most easily recognizable in the world.