Fantasyland, May 1958
I find both of today's Fantasyland scans to be very appealing! Nothing earth-shattering, just some nice, classic Disneyland.
First up we have this nice shot of Storybook Land and a lot of craggy rock work, while a Casey Jr. Circus Train passes through the tunnel beneath Cinderella's Castle. I wonder if there ever was a plan to have a scene inside that tunnel? It seems like a wasted opportunity.
I zoomed in a bit, but we can't see the people too well. I like the be-hatted couple near the tunnel exit, and the groups in the caged cars look kind of funny. My one and only ride on Casey Jr. (I normally do the canal boats) found me and my date sitting in the front car, feeling very proud of ourselves for getting such prime seats - until we realized that we would be getting hot fumes in our faces for the entire ride.
Next is this interesting view overlooking Storybook Land (as seen from, what else, the Skyway). There is evidence of construction for the "Alice in Wonderland" ride at the very bottom of the image. The wait for the canal boats will be brief, let's go there next. I'm always fascinated by the area beyond the berm. How much of that belonged to Disney?
Business at the "Fan 2" eatery is booming; umbrellas look like giant flowers from up here!
15 comments:
Major-
Well - perhaps not 'earth-shattering' - but great fun, nonetheless. First of all, how can you deny the very unusual angle of Casey Jr., I ask you-? (And I see you too noticed the 'behatted couple' - which caught my eye immediately). Plus, the floral signage for "Story Book Land" this go-round is displayed as three, separate words. And check-out the lady ogling Monstro's gum line - her dress almost matches the paint job of Storybook Land's lighthouse-!
And for the record - ALL of the area 'beyond the berm' belongs to Walt Disney. "As far as the eye can see". [What... you didn't know-??]
Thanks, Major.
...we realized that we would be getting hot fumes in our faces for the entire ride.
Now that's what I call a hot date!
That last picture, with the cluster of cheery umbrellas, the Prince of Whales and his big toothy grin in the background, and that lady’s full red-and-white skirt picking up the red-and-white of the lighthouse, is just a wealth of gorgeousness. It looks like a still from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
Somewhere beyond the berm
Somewhere, I can confirm,
My lover’s standing on the land
That’s bound to expand, owned by Disney.
Somewhere beyond the berm
Out there, real estate firms
All keep an eye on prices high,
And that is why, they'll sell to Disney!
The eucalyptus trees that provided a wind break for the orange groves look pretty sparse in that first pic. I forget if that is the original location for those trees or if they were moved there when the park was being built.
In the zoom of that last pic, we get a pretty good aerial view of Practical Pig's home made of bricks.
Nanook, perhaps that woman is a dental nurse and she's noticing that Monstro has pyorrhea, accompanied with a ton of materia alba.
I remember my mom had a skirt like the red one in front of Monstro. Everyone seems to be dressed warmly, jackets and sweaters abound. Along with the Mark Twain, Monstro gets alot of film time. Maybe it's his winning smile. I always liked the Canal Boats, so much detail and craftmanship in the scenes. Lots of ties on the men, oh how times have changed. My father used to wear a button down shirt and slacks to Disneyland, but I don't remember him ever wearing a tie. So nice to see the park in the early days, thanks Major. Great description of the umbrellas.
Nanook, sometimes all I need is a good picture of vintage Disneyland - it doesn’t need to be anything super rare (though those are nice too!). That lady has noticed that Monstro flosses - not easy for a whale. At this point, all of that land probably DOES belong to Disney.
Melissa, those fumes were pretty unpleasant! I’m surprised that they hadn’t come up with some way to mitigate them over the previous 50 years. That lady’s red skirt is so 50’s!
Melissa II, uh oh, is your poem set to a familiar tune? Or maybe it’s based on a poem that better-educated people would recognize. D’oh.
TokyoMagic!, yes, it appears that the eucalyptus trees have had a fairly severe trimming at some point, and were just on their way to coming back. “Pyorrhea” gets you 43 points for correct spelling of a weirdly old-fashioned word!
Jonathan, for some reason I seem to remember that, for a while, women wore skirts that were inspired by dresses from south of the border. Not sure if that red one qualifies, but she would look great dancing to some mariachi tunes. As much as I like seeing people dressed so nicely at the park, I have to admit that, at best, I dressed very casually! I guess I’m part of the problem rather than the solution.
Major, I was thinking the same thing, perhaps she bought it on Olvera Street. I once had a set of maracas that I got there. I loved them, like everything there, they were very colorful.
@Major, I think that half of my screen-saver collection is photos of Skull Rock/Monstro/Story Book Land, so these are fine by me.
The use of the second cave to add in Aladdin references was a spot of brilliance. I recall Chuck being worried that the tunnel under Cinderella's Castle harbored the castle plumbing, maybe that's why its just a tunnel.
Melissa's brilliant verse this AM should be sung to the tune of "Beyond the Sea", made popular by Bobby Darin, which in turn, is based on "La Mer" by DeBussy.
The ladies' skirts paralleled a trend in Carioca and Cha-Cha music which was big around this time.
Great to see Fan 2 and a little of that seating area, which is elusive at the edge of many photos.
I confess that I can't recall Dad or I ever wearing a tie, but my GrandDad did, on his one and only visit to the Park. Nowadays, I slop around in crocs and cargo shorts, but always a button-up shirt. No t-shirts for me.
The best seat on Casey is the caboose, where you can see where you've been. Much like GDB. After all, we can't ever really see where we are going, even if we face forward.
Thanks all and good weekend.
JG
Good catch on the Bobby Darin, Anonymous!
On the the top right edge of that 3rd photo I think that is the spur line leading off to train storage for Casey Jr., and a little house (with a red roof line) which may be the workshop for Story Book Land's boat storage. You can see the work lights on poles over the top of boat storage too.
Also, at this time you can see that the Story Book Land canal boats were operated by men (and women?). Check out the guy in the second boat leaning back waiting to pick up his Guests as the boat behind him unloads behind the tree. You totally know that guy is thinking, "Hello ladies... don't I look smooth leaning back... piloting this little Holland canal boat around a fair tale world" You also see a foreman seems to be telling a guy where he belongs in the rotation and finally, you can see that the Ticket Taker is helping Guests figure out which coupon to remove.
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
PS - There also appears to be either guard shack or ticket booth back there in the "bone yard." Oh, and that must be the Ball Road bridge in the background and the brand new 5 freeway below.
Always your pal,
Yeah, that guy's pretty much Johannes Kõel.
I loved dining at "Fan 2". It was old-school Fantasyland. And that's when Fantasyland had lots of concrete/slurry. Thanks, Major.
Jonathan, I was partial to Mexican jumping beans myself. I would probably still buy one of those little plastic boxes if I saw the beans wiggling around!
JG, ha ha, yeah, there are a LOT of photos of Skull Rock. I love it, but maybe it can be a bit much. “Beyond the Sea” was based on DeBussey’s “La Mer”?? I used to be into classical music, I’ll need to listen to “La Mer” again and try to spot the influence. And yes, that skirt should be used for Cha-Cha dancing! You didn’t really wear Crocs, did you? I’ve still never owned a pair - they are probably comfortable, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put them on my feet. (I believe you when you say that you get the best view from the caboose of Casey Jr.!).
Melissa, I should have guessed it….
Matthew, it’s hard for me to tell where that spur line is; did they store the trains outdoors? I would think that they would want them to be covered at night, but… who knows. I do believe that in the early days Storybook Land canal boats were mostly (if not exclusively) operated by men. At some point it switched to mostly women though - I’d love to know the thinking process behind that! Thanks for pointing out all of those fun details.
Matthew, I can’t find the ticket booth!
Melissa, as long as he isn’t Johannes Kämel.
K. Martinez, I wish I remembered “Fan 2”, “Fan 1”, or any other “Fan”!
Ken, they should have served Fan-ta at the Fan - two!
I have four pairs of Crocs; the oldest pair is about 11 years old and the youngest about 9. The soles of the elder - hot pink “classic Crocs” style - are worn pretty thin, but they're still good for around the house or taking the garbage out. An identical pair in lime green are slowly following in their path. The super-thick, heavy-duty, springily-padded clogs that look like yellow wooden shoes have been my Old Faithfuls for seven years straight. Lastly, a squishy brown pair of Mary Janes keeps me from having to carry a spare pair of dry shoes with me when I leave the house in a dress during weather weather.
Johannes Kõel and Johannes Kamel are always on the lookout for Johannes Gunnar Gettslappt. Maybe all that tension has wound down.
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