Wednesday, October 29, 2014

More Instamatics

Once again I am doing my weird thing. "Which weird thing are you talking about, Major P?". Well, the thing where I go through a batch of slides and post the less-interesting examples, getting them "out of the way" so that only gems are left. We've certainly seen plenty of very nice Instamatics from my pal "Mr. X", but the supply is dwindling, and I want to end with a bunch of especially nice ones. Just because.

But that's not to say that today's offerings are junk! This is a pretty nice Mark Twain photo - it's just that we've seen so many pictures of that sternwheeler. SO many. A googol of them at least. The color and the lighting are pretty, though.


And this is a fairly plain view of Main Street Station (it's 11:30, do you know where your children are?). The Santa Fe sign gives me the warm fuzzies, and even 1/3 of a Tiki Room poster is worth a look.


This picture was taken during the zombie war, when Disneyland was completely empty during the day. Submarines sat open and derelict, the lagoon was empty, and nobody was riding the Peoplemover. But once the sun went down, the undead enjoyed all of the park's attractions and shows!


9 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Yes, that last image of the Submarines is a bit odd, presuming the park was open and running at 'full tilt'.

Thanks, Major.

K. Martinez said...

I love that view of the Mark Twain. It's like a cake with two big candles on top.

The PeopleMover is brand spankin' new in the third image. The track and vehicles have no railings attached yet.

Thanks again to you and Mr. X.

Chuck said...

The sub photo documents a Cold War-era procedure used by the Park intended to ease tensions between the superpowers and keep Disneyland off the nuclear target list.

With one of largest submarine fleets in the world operating out of "Disneyland Naval Base," there was understandable concern on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Consequently, when not in operation the subs were moored with their missile tubes open to the sky, allowing Soviet reconnaissance satellites to verify that they were indeed empty. This only partially allayed their fears, however, and it wasn't until the subs were painted a friendly yellow in the 80's that the Sovs finally decided they were no longer a threat. This is why I think we should paint all of our military hardware a bright, happy yellow.

Melissa said...

Sure, you see lots of pictures of the Mark T., but rarely from that dead-on angle as if the boat is about to mow down the photographer. I pronounce it noteworthy.

Anonymous said...

If the Sov's had known that the DL nuclear submarine force traveled on rails and could never be fully submerged - think how much yellow paint could have been saved in the 80's.

As always, great pictures from the Instamatic era!

Bill in Denver

Melissa said...

When the lagoon is deserted, the residents race the subs and take the rarely-seen Peoplemover Roy G. Biv out for a spin.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, those pictures of an uncrowded park make me yearn for those days! Although, strangely, I just heard a podcast talking about the most recent "Dapper Day", and the person said that the lines were short. Maybe it was hot?

K. Martinez, I wasn't sure if the railings were there from the beginning of the ride, or if they were added slightly later.

Chuck, Walt fooled those Russkies… while they were busy spying on the subs, they didn't realize that each Mr. Toad vehicle carried a Regulus cruise missile with an atomic warhead.

Melissa, fortunately the Twain goes so slow that one can easily swim to either side and avoid getting pureed.

Bill in Denver, remember, yellow was a popular car color in the 70's; Disney probably got a deal on leftover AMC Gremlin paint when they made the switch.

Melissa, it reminds me of Mork's suspenders, but I love the rainbow Peoplemover cars!

Nanook said...

@ Melissa-

Seeing "Roy G. Biv" is the perfect way to start any Wednesday. Typical sightings fail to include the "I", but not here. 'Tis pure bliss-!

Thanks

JG said...

Very much looking forward to being the first rider on the submarine this morning, afterward, I'm running straight over to the PeopleMover and getting on.

JG