Monday, December 19, 2016

Christmas Tree, 1956

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Just look at that flocked tree. I've never seen such a flocking tree! Flockety flock flock. This lovely photo, circa 1956, shows a trio of pals posing in front of that very 50's looking tannenbaum, all white with red ornaments. The guy on the right looks guilty because he stole an ornament as a souvenir. It all seemed so harmless at the time.


Sadly, this next shot is a bit blurry, but I included it anyway. There's that red fire hydrant that we all love and adore and have photos of in our wallets.


15 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

This is a very Xmas-y scene, right on down to what appears to be a sprinkler, down front. (Please... No Tripping-!) As those giant, red ornaments appear to be translucent, I wonder if they're actually made of glass-? Pretty snazzy, if so-!

Thanks, Major.




walterworld said...

Nice Christmas scene from a time long gone.

R.I.P Plaza Gardens (and the Red Hydrant)

TokyoMagic! said...

I say, turn that sprinkler on high! That will teach them to walk or stand on the grass!

Chuck said...

Major, what the heck are you doing looking in my wallet??!!

Scott Lane said...

Chuck: He must work for Capital One.
Major, you and Samuel Jackson stay the flock outta my wallet! Sheesh! You'd think we were married.

K. Martinez said...

Nope! There's only photos of telephone poles in my wallet!

I like the partially obscured view of the back of the CirCARama building and Skyway bucket. Thanks, Major!

Unknown said...

Da hydrant, Boss! Da hydrant!

Forget about the sprinkler, turn the hydrant on them! Darned interlopers.

Anonymous said...

These are fun pictures, but I am stumped as to the location of the last picture. From the comments, it sounds like you think it's in Plaza Gardens, but is that the Disneyland Hotel in the background?

I'm lost today.

JG

Anonymous said...

Oh, now I can read the reversed sign, the hotel must be the Grand Hotel on the east side of Harbor, and it's so visible because no Matterhorn.

I'm now less confused.

Thank you, Major.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, Frosty the Snowman loved sprinklers because they turned his huggable snowy self into a shiny, rock-hard warrior. I would guess that those ornaments are plastic, but ya never know…

walterworld, it sure seems like the Fantasy Faire gets no mentions online anymore. The old Plaza Gardens got more love!

TokyoMagic!, the only problem with your plan is that you don’t zap them with high voltage after the sprinklers.

Chuck, your wallet was just sitting there! I promise to repay the $40 I borrowed.

Scott Lane, if I worked for Capital One, I would be so rich that I would hire someone to blog for me. Maybe Samuel Jackson.

K. Martinez, maybe you NEED a photo of a fire hydrant. Try it, you’ll like it.

Patrick Devlin, I’m telling you, flame throwers are much more fun.

JG 1 & 2, yes, the reversed “Plaza Gardens” sign is a definite clue! I don’t see the Grand Hotel, just buildings on Disney property (the back side of some Tomorrowland structures). Unless I am missing something?

Nanook said...

@ JG & The Major-

I think you're (The Major) throwing us a curveball on that last image by "blurring-it up", just to test us-! It's definitely 'on property'; the question is - just where-? Clearly, the angle of the camera is E-SE. Down front, just to the right of the flocked Xmas tree, is the wooden "land" sign map for Fantasyland.

My guess is, that "Grand Hotel" (which, BTW, wasn't built in 1956) is in fact the backside of the Circarama building, as I'm assuming sandwiched between the left side of that building and the edge of the image, appear to be two, Skyway buckets. If so, that forces the view north of the Tomorrowland 'midway', and behind the 'Circarama', 'The Art of Animation', and 'The World Beneath Us' combined show building. It's also quite possible poking-up above the green umbrella is the nosecone of the TWA Moonliner.

It's a head-scratcher, I tells ya-! Others, please weigh-in.

Nanook said...

I think I'm gonna recant part of my conclusion and change the Circarama show building to the backside of The Art of Animation show building - Or not... We just can't see the curvature of the structure from this angle.

Unknown said...

I must admit I was confused as well as to the location of the building in question. I, too, initially thought that is was some structure outside the berm. But wiser minds have weighed in convincingly and I'm swayed. Well, that, and a quick peek at Google Maps to check some sight-lines. It does look awfully big though.

TokyoMagic! said...

In my original comment, I was going to ask if we were looking at the same tree in both pics, but then I saw how close the curb was to the tree in the first pic and how far away the curb is from the tree in the second pic, so I assumed this tree was on the other side of the Castle bridge. But if that sign says Plaza Gardens, then it can't be on the other side. So my question now is, where the heck was that second tree in relationship to the first tree? It's all so confusing!

Anonymous said...

@Nanook, on further examination, I agree. I have no idea when that hotel was built, or when the photo was made either. I was guessing that the Tomorrowland buildings would not look so tall from that vantage, but that must be the case.

It is a confusing picture for sure.

JG