Friday, August 20, 2010

Tomorrowland, September 1967

The old Tomorrowland was a wonderful place, there's no doubt about it. But 1967's New Tomorrowland was pretty incredible too! It's the version that I grew up with and loved so much. Seeing these two photos made me feel the same thrill that I used to experience in this Land when I was a kid!

SO... here's the entrance of Tomorrowland shortly after it reopened (in July of '67). The sky is blue and cloudless, and the setting sun casts a warm light on everything, reflecting off the metallic silver sculpted panels on either side of the entry. Notice the prominent display of logos for Bell, Monsanto and (in the distance) GE. Any views of the Peoplemover are welcome, especially in the original colors. I can almost hear the music and feel the rumbling movement of the cars. The two-level appearance was inspired for practical reasons and because it just looks supa-cool.


I am a bit bummed about the blur in this photo, but it is still kind of nice. It won't be long until the sky is completely dark, and all of the lights have been switched on. Close your eyes and imagine this same scene, full of movement and sound, on a warm summer night - don't you wish you were there?

12 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Gee, I miss this Tomorrowland! Why can't they come up with anything this exciting anymore? I sure wish they would at least bring back the PeopleMover. An updated version of Adventure Thru Inner Space would be nice too, but I'm sure that would never happen....unless they could find a way to stick Mike, Sully or Stitch in it.

TokyoMagic! said...

P.S. Boy that really is an early shot of the New TL....the individual PeopleMover cars don't have ANY railings yet and the amoeboid fountains/planters haven't been installed in front of the entrance panels.

Chiana_Chat said...

Yup it's the one I grew up with too (whippersnappers, says CoxPilot). Gee that's a swell shot at that! It's also great to see it "in context" with members of its original audience so to speak. Much grander, more ambitious budget etc than the first Tomorrowland (and taken in context, than the present...).

I also like the 2nd pic (beat ya to the space bar!). Yes the blur is a bummer but on the other hand it is a photo of a scene about a world in motion and in that sense it's not such a problem then.

Nancy said...

oh so cool....Tomorrowland is by far the place to be.

bad enough they took out Skyway, had what they thought were good reasons, but the Peoplemover? at WDW they recently re-added the Peoplemover name back to one of my favorite rides.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/08/%e2%80%98peoplemover-is-coming-back-at-walt-disney-world/

we are so lucky. maybe that will inspire the PTB to revisit that beloved ride at Disneyland

i agree with Chiana about the blurriness being kinda cool, does remind you of something moving. dusk lighting is the best!

thanks, Major Cool :-)

Rich T. said...

This is my childhood Tomorrowland, too! In that second shot, I can almost see Kurt Russell and Mr. Gridley rushing around looking for Donny.

Thufer said...

Like everyone else...a flood of tomorrow's memories for today. It was and still is Tomorrowland.

JG said...

What Thufer said.

Thanks Major for the pics.

Thanks Thufer (and all of you)for summing up my thoughts so exactly...

JG

Connie Moreno said...

When your supervisor asks "What's all that racket?" how do you explain that you are trying to do a "Mary Poppins" move and jump into the photo on your screen????

Man! That first photo is awesome. I loved rushing over to the Bell Telephone building when I was a Tween...I loved going into the large glass phone booth to make a call. Oh and then when phone credit cards came out (remember those?) I would call a family member in Texas and brag about being at Disneyland, LOL!

That second shot look pretty darn close to something I took back in the day!

Major Pepperidge said...

I'm glad you guys liked today's photos! I did too. Chris, thanks for noticing details that I missed!

Nancy, I had heard about the name change back to The Peoplemover, and have to say that I approve! Hopefully I'll get to ride it someday.

I have a couple of other photos from this same bunch that are pretty nice, so stay tuned!

Anonymous said...

The one and only incarnation of T-land that felt like T-land. Bring it back please....

Unknown said...

Those pics are great. They take me right back to when I was a small boy in Southern Cali. The few times my parents didn't poop out and let us stay until dark were the best visits I remember!

Chuck said...

Major - this is "my" Tomorrowland, too. It's a tossup for me between this one and the mid-70's incarnation at WDW with those wicked cool downward-shooting fountains at the entrance. Thanks for posting.

Connie - just yesterday, I alos tried to think, wink, do a double blink, close my eyes and jump. The rest of my team thought I was nuts. So, in retrospect, I guess nothing changed.