Matterhorn Adjacent, September 1973
Here are more glorious photos from 1973.
You know what else is glorious? That lady's bouffant hairdo! It defies physics in ways that science has yet to explain. Perhaps the shape of her skull caused a gravitational anomaly. Maybe it was centrifugal forces. Or flubber. She never used hairspray, so we can rule that out. Some mysteries are destined to remain unsolved.
This is a pretty shot of the good old Matterhorn. The flower beds that flanked the entrance to Tomorrowland make a lovely foreground, with swirls of violet and gold. And of course the Matterhorn itself. It's odd to think that it was only 14 years old in 1973 - we are rapidly approaching the 60th anniversary of that iconic attraction!
15 comments:
Major-
Well, it may not have been flubber that allowed that hair to form such a gravity-defying shape, but trust me, if it wasn't Aqua Net (aka "The All-Weather Hairspray"), it was some other glue-like hairspray. And, besides, that gal was merely trying to draw attention away from the Matterhorn. I, on the other hand, could've been the dude on the far right...
And then there's THIS. How can you go wrong-?
Thanks, Major.
You know what else is glorious? The shine on that pavement! It doesn't appear to be wet (and the sun is out). They must dust it with Lemon Pledge! "I can see myself!"
The Matterhorn pic looking towards Alpine Gardens is gorgeous.
I've always loved the visual contrast of the Tomorrowland palm trees against the famous Swiss Matterhorn replica. Those kinds of visuals are what I loved about Disneyland as it heightened the surrealism and fantasy. Thanks, Major.
Nanook, I’ve seen that photo of Annette with her amazing beehive - it says it was a promotional photo for NBC, so I guess she was still with Disney at that point?
Scott Lane, that stuff looks like it would be very slippery when it rained. Hello, ambulance-chasing lawyers!
K. Martinez, as much as it seems to be an anachronism, somehow the Matterhorn works, even when seen from the land of Tomorrow. Perhaps because we’re just used to it after so long? I’m glad you liked these.
That first shot is so chock full of 1970s fashion, it almost looks like a parody. I gotta wonder what madame bouffant and her entourage were looking at, with those grins. Great pictures!
The first photo is puzzling. The photographer looks like he is aiming at the three ladies, who appear to be posing for a photograph, but they aren't looking at our photographer, they seem to be looking over our left shoulder at someone behind and beyond us. Yet why would our photographer take this picture, if not aiming at them?
I believe that Snow White's Grotto is behind the grove of trees to the left.
Clearly, '70's Disneyland is the best Disneyland, if for nothing more than the clothes.
The Park itself seemed to stay mercifully free of the architectural excesses of that period, unlike WDW, which looks very much of the era, at least to my eye.
These are really splendid, Major. Thank you. My mom always loved the swirling flower bands at the TL entrance.
JG
And if you look to the right, you'll see… the Back Side of Roger Daltrey.
The flower beds in the second picture are absolutely glorious.
Major-
That photo could'a been taken in conjunction with her appearance on Hullabaloo back in February, 1965, where she shared hosting duties with Frankie Avalon.
That hair...those jeans...that look. And we survived it all. Come to think of it, I'd now like some of my hair back today. KS
Useless Disneyland Fact #412: The extension had just been re-slurried (dark blue, as always back then) after the busy summer season had concluded. That is why the ground looks wet.
It typically took a week or so of customers, employees and vehicles traversing a newly slurried area for it to get scuffed up enough to lose the glossiness. For those keeping score, Disneyland added an additional rubber component to their slurry coating to help stop people from slipping in the rain and, if they did slip or fall, perhaps soften the blow a bit.
Sweepers, and night crew janitorial assisted maintenance with the slurrying process. We’d seal (with good old-fashioned mops!) the coating toward the end of the undertaking. It was the seal that made the area look wet.
Slurry coating was undertaken during Mondays and Tuesdays when the park was closed in off season. All areas were re-slurried on a rotating basis each year.
I do believe that’s more than enough about that!
Tom, it looks like two of the people in the trio are looking at us (or rather, the photographer). Mom is definitely distracted by something!
JG, I suppose it’s possible that mom was looking at somebody else in her family - I’ve posted a few photos with her large group. I actually didn’t think about Snow White’s grotto being behind those trees!
Melissa, I thought it might be Robert Plant!
Nanook, oh I didn’t know she and Frankie hosted that show. Interesting.
KS, ha ha, I think many people wouldn’t mind turning the clock back a few years.
Anon, that is interesting. I kind of wondered if the slurry always looked that shiny back then. Was the slurry sealed with (basically) floor wax? If you look at my post from November 6th, I wonder if slurry work was under way.
Off to the archives in the Department of Slurry Studies Library!
Such a shame we never received a Matterhorn down here in Walt Disney World. Oh well. At least we have the better mountain ride with Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. :D
Disco Yeti!
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