1984 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
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UTC–7) | |
Venue | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
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Location | Los Angeles, United States |
Coordinates | 34°0′51″N 118°17′16″W / 34.01417°N 118.28778°W |
Also known as | Music of America |
Filmed by | ABC (KABC-TV) |
Part of a series on |
1984 Summer Olympics |
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The
Officials and guests
Seated in the press box were
Proceedings
Countdown
A countdown clock at the screen from 60 to 1 was used in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to announce the commencement of the ceremony. Citywide church bells and large cannons rang throughout the city to announce the start of 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.
Welcome
The official ceremony started with the first segment, "Welcome", a special song written by
When the song ended, the balloons were released into the air and dignitaries were introduced, namely IOC president Samaranch and President Reagan. "Hail to the Chief" was played to introduce President Reagan, followed by the U.S. national anthem and "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland.
Artistic program
Music of America
Los Angeles produced an artistic interpretation of the American lifestyle and popular culture called Music of America.
The first segment opened with American Suite, performed by an 800-member marching band consisting primarily of members from colleges in the Los Angeles area. However, there was also at least one member from every U.S. state. They performed American style marching sequences and marching precision.[3][1]
The second segment, called Pioneer Spirit, depicted the American west at the turn of the 20th century. It consisted of a 410-member ballet group performing a hoedown dance sequence with various props, including wagons and old west towns.
The third segment,
The fourth segment, Urban Rhapsody, featured George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". 84 grand pianos appeared from the Coliseum's peristyles, followed by the orchestra and over 200 dancers.
The fifth segment, The World Stage, consisted of a 1940s big band orchestra medley performed by the marching band, featuring songs mostly from
The sixth and final segment ended with the entire cast dancing and forming the outlined map of the United States to the strains of "America the Beautiful".[1][4]
Flags of the world
Each seat in the Coliseum had a card placed underneath. At the count of three, each attendant flipped the card skyward and the crowd produced the biggest card stunt, displaying the flags of all participating nations.
Parade of Nations
The
The parade of 140 National Olympic Committees began with Greece, as per tradition.[1] Speeches were then made by Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee president Peter Ueberroth and IOC president Samaranch. For the first time, a sitting U.S. president opened the games in person, as President Reagan declared the competition officially open.
The Olympic flag entered the stadium, and an instrumental version of the Olympic Hymn was played. Afterward, homing pigeons were released.[1][5]
The cauldron
The same cauldron from the 1932 Summer Olympics (also held in Los Angeles) was used. The orchestra played The Olympian, composed and conducted by Philip Glass.[6] The torch entered the stadium carried by Gina Hemphill, granddaughter of U.S. Olympian Jesse Owens, who circled the track then handed the torch to 1960 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson, who completed the torch relay as mechanical steps rose from the center of the peristyles. Johnson climbed the stairs and faced the crowd as The Olympian was still being played, then lit the gas powered Olympic rings that connect with the Olympic cauldron, amidst cheers from the crowd. The athletes' and judges' oaths were taken and a children's chorus performed Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".[1]
Finale
Local teacher Vicki McClure led the crowd in a performance of the Diana Ross song "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". All attendees were requested to sing along, as the words were displayed on the screens surrounding the stadium. All the volunteers, athletes, and audience members, as well as cast members dressed in traditional native dress from all over the world, joined in. On the big screens, various children in Japan, Australia, Africa and Latin America joined hands, singing along to the song, and a large fireworks finale followed.[1]
Anthems
TV coverage
The ABC network was the official broadcaster of the games in the U.S. and feeder to other networks outside the U.S. Peter Jennings and Jim McKay were the announcers in the U.S., marking McKay's 10th broadcast.
Awards and accolades
The broadcast was awarded the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special.
Legacy
The 1984 opening ceremony was the first to present the "artistic" segment before the "ceremonial" portion of the events, with this order having been followed ever since.[7] The ceremony was also the first time a person of African descent lit the Olympic cauldron.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bryan Pinkall's World of Opera, Olympics, and More: 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Opening Ceremony (entire ceremony)". Bryan Pinkall's World of Opera, Olympics, and More. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "GAMES OF THE XXIII OLYMPIAD, THE {1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS} {1984/07/28}, PART 1: OPENING CEREMONY (TV)". www.paleycenter.org. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "Olympics in Los Angeles: A look back at the 1984 Summer Games".
- ^ Metzler, Stan W. (1 May 1984). "Spectacular ceremonies will open, close Summer Olympics". UPI. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "Olympic Opening Ceremony Database". Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Olympian: Lighting of the Torch and Closing – Philip Glass". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Bryan Pinkall's World of Opera, Olympics, and More: List of Olympic Ceremony Records - Olympic Ceremony Database". Bryan Pinkall's World of Opera, Olympics, and More. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2020.