Thursday, July 25, 2013

Frontierland, May 1972

When I think of "the frontier", I think of vast empty plains and big blue skies, or maybe endless forests, or even forbidding mountain ranges. But most of Disneyland's Frontierland feels well on its to being "citified".

Like in this first picture! Even though we mostly see the big river, it is the equivalent of looking at a road, where vessels bringing goods and people happen along every 10 minutes or so. Darn traffic! Another thing that evokes the old frontier is an ice cream vendor is circus stripes and banana pants.


Once I have eaten a few raccoon-skin caps and some ice cream bars (classic old West grub), it's time to watch the Golden Horseshoe Revue. Dang, them gals are purty! Instead of applauding I fire my six-gun into the air, Yosemite Sam style.


7 comments:

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Whar are all the people? Musta been a slo day in the Frontier. The upper decks of the Mark Twain look deserted.

Maybe the loudness of the vendors uniform is keeping the guests at a safe distance.

Pegleg Pete said...

You think the frontier looks citified in 1972? Wait until you see how it looks in 2013!

Melissa said...

The citification of the West is represented by an unrelenting theme of vertical prison stripes. The stacks and pillars of the Mark Twain are endlessly reflected into the Davy Jones's Graybar Hotel of the Rivers of America, held back by wrought iron bars, cast iron poles, and an escapee from the toughest clown penitentiary this side of the river Styx. His raiments of blood-red and fever-yellow do little to comfort the damned freedom-seekers for the prairie.

We think to divert ourselves with a song and dance, but the balustrade rails, proscenium columns, and stiff, vertical folds of the curtains - yes, indeedy, even the parallel gams of the dancin' gals - remind us that this is nothing but a Hoosegow Hoedown designed to turn us all into lily-livered city slickers.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Thanks Melissa, coffee out my nose. LMAO!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, that's a better picture of the back of that guys head than of the chorus girls. I'll take what i can get.

Sigh.

@Melissa golf clap, simply awesome.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Alonzo, as we have seen, there were a LOT of gloriously uncrowded days at Disneyland back then. The uniform puzzles me, since they previously had sought to at least feel like they were from the 1910's or thereabouts.

Pegleg Pete, you ain't kidding! :-(

Melissa, you are poised for a serious career as an art reviewer! Nice use of the word "raiment", very biblical.

JG, yes, that guy's gray noggin is in the way. Luckily I have at least one much better view of the Cancan girls coming up!

Snow White Archive said...

I like that first shot under the monorail. Yes, definitely an alpine feel with those spruce trees.