Slides, 9-1-1 Continued
It's time for another installment of "Slides, 9-1-1!" (starring Kevin Tighe and Randy Mantooth).
In this episode, Major Pepperidge races against the clock to restore some badly faded slides. Talk about exciting. I hope Dixie McCall shows up, rowr! Both of today's examples were taken after the sun had set, and the park was almost dark. This made for some special challenges in restoring them, but I am reasonably (though not completely) happy with the results. You might think that this first scan shows that amusement park that was built on Mars ("Bradburyland") in the 1950's, but you would be mistaken.
So, there is the Submarine lagoon below us, and the Matterhorn with the Skyway, and even a Mark II Monorail at the station. I love this unusual view, with the twinkling lights reflecting off of the water; you can almost sense the coolness of the air and the less-frantic sounds.
I guess this was taken from a moving Monorail?! Where else could a guest be that was that high up without being on the Skyway or the Matterhorn?
This next one was absolutely taken from a moving Monorail, and that means we have to deal with some blurring. But it's a small price to pay!
Frankly, I'm surprised it turned out as clear as it did, in this low-light situation, and with the slower film speeds of the early 60's. That fellow under the "N" is gazing at the Monorail, you can bet that he and his wife rode that attraction. There's not much to say about this, except that I like the cool evening colors with warm highlights. And there's lots of posters, including two examples from the "Art of Animation" exhibit.
12 comments:
Major-
I see the MagicColorWand™ has once again been entrusted to your capable hands, producing some fabulous results. That first shot really does have the hallmark of being shot from a Monorail train. It's a most-unusual
and fun angle.
Thanks, Major.
I like the lighting in that second pic and the colors in the Mickey Mouse flowers. I also like the way the lit-up letters over the turnstiles sort of "pop." I'm going to take a wild guess and say that these pics were probably taken somewhere around 7:50-ish in the evening. ;-)
Congratulations on a job well done with these, Major. I'm glad you didn't have to resort to bringing in Bobby Troup and his bad haircut.
Amazing restoration work! Squad 51 would be proud.
Frankly, the monorail pic of the Matterhorn isn't as great as the other Tomorrowland photos, but it does give a glimpse of how busy this "world on the go" was with its Peoplemover, submarine, monorail, skyway, and Matterhorn. So many interlapping rides in one area. Such a shame that the skyway and Peoplemover are no more. :(
Great work on the restoration! I just hope that Capt Stanley can manage without the squad for a bit, down at the station...
I love a good turnstile photo, and the 2nd photo, I agree has those nice popping colours. The illuminated letters display well, especially given the blurring, lower lighting/film combo, and other atmospheric anomolies.
Would you know what kind of film this was? It seems quite resilient!
I love the first pic showing "Disneyland '59" in all its splendor. The best Disneyland design project I've ever seen with all of its layers and overlapping attractions. It was otherworldly, the stuff dreams were made of. This is when Disneyland was pure magic for me.
I don't get that same feeling from Disneyland anymore. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would fall out of love with Disneyland. Thanks, Major.
P.S. Great restoration.
Well "The Art of Animation" needed to be well promoted since you can hardly get guests to come in and spend a buck on film shot animation cels. Sheesh.
Major, this is brilliant work.
Once again, thank you for the work you put in on the blog so we can relive the past.
Hoping everyone on the blog today is safe from the LA fires.
JG
Another case cracked by the Depinkification Squad!
Nanook, I am still a bit surprised at the high vantage point of photo #1. But I suppose it isn’t that much of a stretch to imagine the Monorail train to our left making a turn and heading slightly uphill.
TokyoMagic!, I’d say your time guestimate is probably pretty close, although cameras can fool the eye (sometimes being more sensitive to light). Hey, I liked Bobby Troupe’s haircut! He was like the oldest Beatle.
Scott Lane, I wonder what the fellows of “Adam 12” would think?
The Disney Dudebro, I know what you mean about the first photo, but I do like that it captured an unusual time of day (darkness approaching, lights on below) as opposed to the standard “sometime in the afternoon” look.
Clyde Hughes, thanks! I am confident that “Hank” Stanley would be wiping a tear from his eye if he saw these. The slides that turned red were Ektachrome, but I have no idea what speed it was. Ektachrome does have a tendency to turn magenta over time, unlike Kodachrome.
K. Martinez, Do you rank “Disneyland ’59” over “Tomorrowland 1967”? I’d have a hard time choosing, if I could only have one. Even with all the junk going on at the park, I believe that I would have a good time visiting, if it wasn’t for the other 50,000 people who are always there.
Patrick Devlin, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of animators lining hallways with “Fantasia” cels and playing “slip and slides” on them. AIEEEEE!
JG, thank you for the kind words! And yes, I hope all GDB readers in the SoCal area are not affected by these terrible fires.
Melissa, the public isn’t even supposed to know about the Depinkification Squad! It’s TOP SECRET.
Oh, Adam-12! When I was really little, every time we heard a siren in the neighborhood, my Dad would tell me that it was Adam-12 coming to take me off to jail. He had such a good deadpan, and I was such a particularly gullible child, that I completely believed him. And even years after I knew it wasn't true, I still had enough of a conditioned response to feel a moment of panic at the sound of any siren!
Welcome to GDB After Dark! Why not mosey on over to the Golden Horseshoe for a cup of hot coffee and a bag of potato chips? And while you're there you can enjoy the zany antics of Major Pepperidge singing the ballad of Pecos Bill!
Love pic #2. So rare to see a picture of the entrance shot at dusk like that. Excellent restoration.
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