Thursday, November 09, 2017

The Plaza, October 1962

I have two photos from 1962, starting with this fun shot taken in the Plaza on a hazy (smoggy) October day. The crowds are not bad, but there's still enough hustle and bustle! Two details I enjoy are the one of the peaks of the Tiki Room building, and the Swiss Family Treehouse (appearing a delicate pink in this chunky atmosphere).


A Horse Drawn Streetcar is rounding the hub, with the Plaza Pavillion partially visible right in front of us. 


Two Omnibus cast members seem to be making sure that there's no more room on the upper level (where most people would want to sit, I'll bet). I'm digging the style of the couple to the right!


From the same lot comes this portrait of a cheerful lady in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, and next to one of the semi-circular seating areas that were removed within the last year or so. Notice the complete lack of pink on the castle! 



9 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

'Miss. Red' standing there on the "forecourt" of the castle bridge is looking quite sharp with her stylish shades and toothy grin. But the real winner here is the young lad, standing on the drawbridge, wearing those great boots, and looking as if he's about to hock a loogie into the the castle moat - or perhaps directly aiming his discharge at a swan. The barbarian-!

Thanks, Major.

DrGoat said...

I'm really enjoying these pics. '62 was a good year for us kids. That's when we started getting 2 days at Disneyland instead of one. We still did the San Diego Zoo and Marineland usually after Anaheim.
I'm impressed with the matching tops but in different colors on the gals next to the little rascal. But I think the crown jewel is the Hawaiian shirt that guy is sporting. Great pics Major.

K. Martinez said...

I like the skyline in the first pic and love the haziness in the distance as well. Thanks, Major.

Melissa said...

“Chunky atmosphere” notwithstanding, these shots are a peoplewatcher's delight!

Mr. Hawaiianshirt is one flash dude, as DrGoat points out, but look to the far right at Mrs. Hawaiiandress!

And you know my predilection for seeing doubles, but I'm rather taken with the twin grandmas at far left; even their steps are in sync. Grandma Stripey is wearing a *slightly* different pattern just throw them off guard.

Then there’s the McClashalot family in the back seat of the streetcar in their four different bright prints! Keep all your body parts inside the vehicle, kid!

Another set of doubles going into the castle! Mom often made my sister and me clothes like that - in the same print, but different colors. Maybe these young ladies are related to the twin grandmas!

Smiling Lady in Blue Linen sums up exactly how it feels to start a day at Disneyland. That doesn't look like a smile for the camera; even though you can't see her eyes it looks like pure happiness.


TokyoMagic! said...

Oh, those crazy, hazy...and chunky, days of October! That guy's Hawaiian shirt almost looks like it has an ocean or beach scene repeated throughout the pattern. It reminds me of some of the "photo print" shirts that came along later in the seventies. And the lady in that last shot looks sort of like a young Carol Burnett!

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I thought the kid was probably looking at a swan, but we can compromise - he was hocking a loogie at a swan!

DrGoat, oh boy, I’ve only done a two-day trip to the park once in my life. It was great! Sounds like you guys really did it right. And I didn’t even notice that those two ladies had the same pattern.

K.Martinez, I love it when a somewhat ordinary photo reveals something special when really looked at!

Melissa, yeah, that Hawaiian shirt makes quite a statement. I wonder if those old ladies really are twins? Or even sisters, which would still be kind of cool? These days I have almost as much fun looking at the people as I do the park. I agree, that lady looks truly happy.

TokyoMagic!, are you sure that the lady doesn’t remind you of Lucy? She has red hair! What about “The Happiest Millionaire”? There has to be a connection! ;-)

Melissa said...

She looks more like Carol than Lucy to me, but both of them were probably very happy to be millionaires.

If those two aren't really twin grandmas, then I'm hereby inducting them into the Honorary Twin Grandma Society.

Major Pepperidge said...

Melissa, I was just yanking TokyoMagic's chain, because it seems as if so many things remind him of either "I Love Lucy" or "The Happiest Millionaire"! I agree, the lady does have more of a Carol Burnett thing going on.

DrGoat said...

Having parents that loved Disney was pure luck on me and my sistre's part.