Thursday, August 18, 2016

Happy Couple, 1959

You know, sometimes I see vintage photos of people, and I just get a sense that I would have liked them if I'd ever met them. 

Check out this couple, for instance! I call them Helen and Pete. Helen is a stay-at-home mom who loves decorating and cooking dishes from foreign lands (have you heard of this crazy thing called fondue?), and is famous for her dinner parties. Pete is a manager at Boeing, is an excellent golfer,  and he is learning how to play the ukelele. They've been married for 27 years and have two kids, and are looking forward to a trip to Japan next May. Helen is already learning some handy Japanese phrases because she is a considerate traveler. Arigatou gozaimasu!

See? I'll bet you like them too. But I saw them first.


There they are again, having a swell time in Frontierland. I hope Helen has taken lots of wonderful color footage with her movie camera. 


26 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Gotta love "Pete's" hat, and "Helen's" 'sensible' shoes. But me thinks this couple is from a foreign land, although one where fondue isn't necessarily native. Either way, they DO look like a lot of fun.

Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

They do look like they would be a fun couple to know.

I want that tree stump trash can behind Pete in the second photo.

Chuck said...

Because I'm boycotting research this morning, where was the first photo taken?

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, one never knows, but I am curious as to why you think that Pete and Helen could be from elsewhere! “No American would wear that sweater!”. Also, why do you hate fondue so much? ;-)

TokyoMagic!, I agree, those tree stump trash cans are pretty great. Fun fact: the dead settler was also a trash can.

Chuck, that is over on West Center Street, next to the Carnation Ice Cream Shoppe. Not sure why there aren’t more flowers from the Flower Mart. Apparently my HTML skills (ha ha!) are either faulty at 4 AM or Blogger is screwing with me, so take a look at the following link to get oriented: http://gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/main-street-1959.html

Chuck said...

Thanks, Major! I was afraid the response I was going to get was "Disneyland."

Gnometrek said...

It looks like there is a tarp covering the indian war canoe. Now 9 year old me would have spent the rest of the day planning on how to hide in the canoe so that I could explore the park all night after closing.

Scott Lane said...

Chuck: In which case you're lucky I wasn't up in the middle of the night.

IDK about those two, though. Who wears a sweater and a hat but doesn't carry a pipe? He needs a pipe......and a kid he inexplicably calls "Beaver".

Melissa said...

I love how they've dressed to coordinate with the pavement. Hey, maybe these are Linda's mother- and father-in-law!

Anonymous said...

What strikes me is that back in the day, it was so easy to take photos of family and fiends without having a hundred other people in the shot. Try getting a photo like this nowadays, and 50 people are accidentally photo bombing your picture.

DrGoat said...

Yep, those are assuredly a manager's shoes. I do think her middle name was Peggy.

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, a dead settler trash can? Sounds like they were totally missing out on a marketing idea there. I would much rather have a dead settler trash can than a Skyway chalet thermometer. Oh who am I kidding, I'll take one of each!

Tom said...

What that second photo has that is super rare to find in photos today: depth of field. I could practically step past them and hop into one of those canoes there and go explore the island. I'd say "excuse me" of course, they're nice people.

Chuck said...

TM! - not sure I agree. I guess it would depend on whether the Skyway chalet thermometer was oral or rectal.

Anonymous said...

Chuck, OUCH! How about a thermometer in the shape of an arrow and the "dead settler" as the holder for it. I'll let you decide where the arrow gets "stuck"! I think between all of us here we could come up with some pretty awesome Disneyland merchandise!

- TokyoMagic!

Nanook said...

Major-

I dunno - something about that couple strikes me as being from the British isles... that, in spite of what appears to be a decidedly-American sweater on the gent.

Major Pepperidge said...

Chuck, I would never say such a terrible thing (because, alas, it never occurred to me).

Gnometrek, I’ll bet there are a lot of kids who dreamed of hiding in order to have the run of the place for the whole night. Of course all the rides would be mysteriously still operating, and there would be no security guards or packs of rabid German shepherds.

Scott Lane, the man carries a pipe, but he is much too considerate to use it in such a busy place. One more thing to love.

Melissa, all of the nicest people dress to blend in with their surroundings.

Anonymous, it seems like most people who enjoy the park today don’t mind the crowds… I guess it just depends on your mindset.

DrGoat, I don’t believe I’ve ever actually met anybody named Peggy!

TokyoMagic!, they sold dead settler trash cans, but they weighed 180 pounds, so they were unpopular. Very rare today!

Tom, those canoes are pretty huge compared to the ones you might find when camping. I wonder how hard it would be for one person to paddle one around the river!

Chuck, today marks the first use of the word “rectal” in GDB history!

Anonymous, I actually have had some good ideas (well, I think they’re good), but perhaps they would not be cost-effective. How about a desktop “Clock of the World” that works? I want one.

Anonymous said...

Here's my thought for great Disneyland merchandise:

Life Size Replica of the Cigar Store Wooden Indian (also found in Frontierland at the shooting gallery). I know they have a mold for it since Dave DeCaro has reported on the placement of the replicas over the years. Just make more. Lots more.

There's a market for stupid life-size replicas of stormtroopers and Darth Vader suits over in Star Wars Launch Bay, price tags in multiple thousands. So how about a $500 Indian? I would definitely consider getting one of those for my man-cave, right next to my turntable.

Seriously, I think the Park management has way underestimated the nostalgia pull of vintage Disneyland replica items. The Trader Sam tiki mugs and snack plates are just a start. How about a line of the posters, porcelain cups that mimic the old drink cups or popcorn boxes etc. The mind reels with possibilities.

PSST Hey Disney "MONEY".

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, to me that couple looks like they walked right out of the Lutheran church that my grandparents attended! But I kind of see what you mean, I could see "Pete" in an Ealing comedy.

Major Pepperidge said...

JG, I can't keep up with the comments! Personally I would opt for a full-sized Bob's Big Boy, if I had room for a large figure. But I admit that Bob would not be for everyone. They have sold poster repros for years, and you know that Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily did make porcelain cups that look just like of drink cups and popcorn boxes... or are you pulling my leg?

Anonymous said...

@Major. I had forgotten the Bob's statues. Yes, that would be a cool thing. I saw one a couple of years ago in a "museum of the weird" kind of exhibit, that's what they are reduced to now.

I just discovered the poster repros last winter, but the selection seems limited and the prints smaller. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, and no, I did not know that there were already reproduction drink cups etc... I guess I'm psychic cause it seems like a good idea.

Now that I have all the tiki cups, I still want the Indian.

JG

Nanook said...

Major-

As for me - a full-sized Reddy Kilowatt statue would look grand in the rumpus room.

Chuck said...

Nanook - for me, it's a toss-up between Reddy Kilowatt and Bert the Turtle.

Melissa said...

Our house was full of Reddy Kilowatt swag when I was a kid. I wish I had saved some of it.

Major Pepperidge said...

JG, it is true that many Bob’s restaurants have closed, but we have a beautiful example in Toluca Lake that is not only a landmark, but a thriving place of business.

Nanook, the only large Reddy Kilowatts that I’ve ever seen have been plywood flats, but I would love a 6 foot tall dimensional figure!

Chuck, Bert the Turtle?

Melissa, I have a few Reddy Kilowatt items, but nothing spectacular.

Chuck said...

Major, you can meet Bert the Turtle here.

DrGoat said...

My wife's name is Peggy. Very few of them around evidently.