THE SEOUL GAMES : Everything but Emotion : Seoul’s Opening Ceremony Impresses L.A. Games Producer David Wolper

Four years ago, as the Los Angeles Olympic opening ceremony came to an end, I looked onto the field from my control booth high above the Coliseum floor. Fifteen thousand people--athletes, dancers, singers, placard bearers and members of Los Angeles’ diverse ethnic community--were all holding hands, dancing, singing and yes, many crying. It was an overwhelming display of emotion. A conclusion to a goose-bump-filled ceremony.

The Olympic opening ceremony in Seoul, running 3 1/2 hours, had great spectacle, sumptuous color, precision and disciplinary drills, dancing and acrobatics, mixed with dignity and traditional art and culture of Korea. Where we as Americans, so young, rely on music as our cultural heritage, South Korea showed ceremonial displays that began centuries ago.

Like all countries at the Olympic openings, the South Koreans showed great national pride. The usually reserved South Koreans cheered and waved flags as their Olympic team entered the magnificent stadium. I thought the ceremony was terrific. If I had one criticism, it would be that it lacked emotion. As a spectator, I found the show visually beautiful with lots of unusual surprises.

However, it has always been my feeling that the most dramatic moment at the opening of the Olympics is the lighting of the torch. So much so that in Los Angeles, I had the torch ceremony follow the entrance of the Olympic flag, a change in the rules. It was OKd by the International Olympic Committee and I was happy to see the South Koreans keep the new arrangement.

But in Seoul, the torch came in the middle of the ceremony with entertainment on both sides. It’s a shame because the great emotion of the show was when Sohn Kee Chung, 76, entered the stadium on one of the last legs of the torch relay, leaping for joy and waving to the crowd.

Sohn won an Olympic gold medal in the marathon in 1936 but received it under the Japanese flag, instead of the Korean flag, because Korea, at that time, was ruled by Japan. To this day, he has not been acknowledged (by the IOC) as a medalist under his Korean citizenship and continues to fight for that right.

I spoke on the phone with Pyo Jae-Soon, producer of the Seoul show, just as the ceremony ended. He seemed relieved it was over, but his calm probably will be short-lived. He has the closing ceremony to think about. His biggest fear for the opening ceremony was rain. It had been predicted, but the day turned out to be perfect.

He did have some behind-the-scenes problems, though. A big balloon stunt didn’t work, some timings were off and some of his doves sat on the Olympic caldron just as the torches were about to light the flame.

But most important, he had no security problems. I told him of a bomb scare I’d had 10 minutes before the opening ceremony in Los Angeles. His opening ceremony cost $9 million--ours cost $6 million--and I think it all showed in the great spectacle.

There was talk of not every one of the record 13,000 Olympic team members being allowed to march in. Pyo told me there was a fear it would take forever and they wouldn’t fit on the stadium floor. The idea was abandoned when it caused a major controversy. Actually, the 13,000 entered in less time than it took 9,000 to enter in Los Angeles.

Although it took 1 hour 20 minutes, it’s always a dazzling sight to see the parade of nations in their various outfits. It is really a victory lap as they circle the field. The athletes are all winners just by getting to the Games.

I particularly liked the stylish red scarfs against the white suits and dresses of the Polish team and the saucy straw hats of the French. I was also happy to see the spiffy suits, ties and dresses of the U.S. team, although the look was spoiled somewhat by a few members wearing Mickey Mouse ears. In Los Angeles, I complained about the warm-up suits our team wore.

Toward the end of the ceremony, there was a colorful and exciting musical number called “Hon Don,” meaning chaos or confusion. Dancers carried 6-foot masks, each representing an Olympic country. However, Pyo couldn’t come up with a face symbolizing the United States so we were not represented. I understood his problem.

In the closing ceremony of the L.A. Olympics, I had 2,500 L.A. citizens from 50 ethnic backgrounds and I had to come up with one representing the United States. I chose a group of American Indians. One Indian girl was so moved she visited her father’s grave. She told him, “Dad, I’m so proud I was picked to represent the United States in the Olympic Games.”

We were all proud to represent our country in the L.A. Games. It’s a warm glow that still remains with all of us. It’s still very strong within me, and it will be for Pyo and the 26,000 athletes and performers who walked the stadium floor at the Seoul opening ceremony.