Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

At last, October 31st is here! I hope you all have your costumes ready. This seemed like a good year to go door-to-door dressed as "The Gimp" from Pulp Fiction. Or maybe I'll bust out my "Sean-Connery-in-Zardoz" outfit. 

I have some spooooky images for you today, starting with this wonderful shot of the Phantom of the Opera, loitering in front of the Main Street Cinema. Maybe I need to start wearing a cape.


The Haunted Mansion loomed on the shores of the Rivers of America looking ready to go, but in fact it wouldn't open for years. Meanwhile, look at all the people waiting to go to Tom Sawyer Island!


Check out this very nice photo (from August 28, 1965) of the famous sign that hung outside the Mansion, enticing ghosts and restless spirits to move to Disneyland. Heck, I would do it, and I am still kickin'. 


Amazingly, the photo was a stereo view. Why take a 3D image of a flat sign? Why NOT? I've created a "WiggleVision" gif for you so that you can get an idea of what it might look like if you were there in person.


I hope everybody has a safe and fun Halloween!

10 comments:

Rich T. said...

Wiggle Vision and Haunted Mansion details are made for each other! Happy Halloween to you as well!

andrew said...

I hope you have a swatch of fabric large enough to simulate Connery's chest-piece. A Zardoz costume shouldn't be taken lightly.

K. Martinez said...

That's Mr. Hyde from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” loitering in front of the Main Street Cinema, not Phantom of the Opera. I love the photo!

Happy Halloween to you and too all!

K. Martinez said...

After I did more online research, it appears this character did double duty as Hyde and Phantom depending on which film was showing at the cinema. Looking at the facial features, especially the nose, I still think it looks more like Mr. Hyde.

Major Pepperidge said...

Rich T, I'm glad you like these!

Unknown, I would never sully a classic movie like Zardoz.

K. Martinez, I agree, it seems as if the same mask seemed to apply to both characters. It's funny, I thought it looked more like Lon Chaney's Phantom (though it IS different). For Mr. Hyde I always think of the classic Frederic March version.


Anonymous said...

Yay for wiggle vision! Even better than Halloween candy! :D

PsySocDisney said...

That wiggley reflection on the sign makes for an almost ghostly image :) Ya never know!
Thanks for the ever-popular wiggle-vision, and Happy Halloween!

...But It Wasn't Always That Way! said...

How about some Disneyland costumes? Trinidad, Aunt Jemima, ice capade Mickey??

That Haunted Mansion sign is shaking in its boots.

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, these pics were perfect for Halloween! I hope you had a safe and happy one!

Anonymous said...

That character looks like the precursor to the Hatbox Ghost in the Haunted Mansion.

Long-Forgotten blog has a great article on the literary precursors of the HBG character. It looks like the composite of Hyde and Phantom had a pre-Mansion history at Disneyland.

I wonder if this Main Street character was any inspiration to the HM team.

JG