Monday, March 11, 2019

Random Frontierland Views

It's time for another selection of Frontierland slide scans, courtesy of our Mysterious Benefactor! It's sort of an odd batch, but that's what makes it fun.

There's something about this first one that looks so 1970's; maybe it's the blonde's hairstyle? It is labeled as being from 1970. The musicians are part of the New Dixie Rebellion Band, which is certainly new to me.  All I care about is the man with the fez in the background. I hope he drove his tiny car to Disneyland.


Above the Mark Twain/Columbia queue building is an assortment of flags from various eras in U.S. history. Too bad they're not fully unfurled; I can see the "Betsy Ross" style, George Washington's "Pine Tree Flag", and the Union Jack.


This slide is labeled "Golden Horseshoe Flag", but it doesn't look like the Golden Horseshoe building to me. Help!


Here's an unusual view from inside a Frontierland restaurant, looking outward. Say, is that Boz Scaggs about to order a burger? 


This very large set of scans has some rare views of the kitchens of some of Frontierland's restaurants, such as this one from Casa de Fritos, circa 1976. I can't quite tell what is coming out of the fryer. Could you get fish and chips at Casa de Fritos?? Maybe those are battered chicken patties.


And finally, for today, the exterior of you-know-what, as seen in January of 1977. The shadows went really dark, but it's still a lovely photo of a bustling day. 


Many thanks as always to the Mysterious Benefactor!

22 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

"Boz Scaggs" is wearing a patchwork quilt! Could the items in the fry basket be taquitos?

MIKE COZART said...

That flag does NOT belong to The Golden Horseshoe but rather Main Street USA’s CAREFREE CORNER - currently the Main Street Photography Center.

Chuck said...

Left to right (or back to front), those flags are England's Cross of St George, the 1606-1801 version of what we now call the Union Jack, the Flag of New England (wrapped around its pole), the Pine Tree Flag, the Grand Union Flag, the Betsy Ross Flag, the 1795-1818 15-star, 15-stripe Star-Spangled Banner, and the 1960-present 50-star, 13-stripe version of the US flag.

The Boz Skaggs picture confuses me. Those look like palm trees in the background, but I can't figure out any sight lines from the Frontierland restaurants that would show them in the background except maybe the River Belle Terrace, but I don't recall a walk-up window. I haven't found any photos of the Adventureland restaurants with that sort of awning out front. I'll probably lose sleep at work over this.

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, aha, taquitos is a good guess, and now I really want taquitos!

Mike Cozart, thanks! The Carefree Corner makes much more sense. I would have never figured it out.

Chuck, your flag-fu is impressive! I assume you used some other clearer photo to help ID some of the flags, since you can barely see some of these. And I noticed those palms in the background of photo #4 as well. I thought that it was possible that we might be able to see a bit into Adventureland from one of the Frontierland eateries, but it sounds like you’ve done the research and the answer is “no”. It is possible that this is actually from Adventureland (just like the other photo was from Main Street). Don’t lose sleep at work over it, you need your rest!

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Like Steely Dan said "No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on".

On the deck above we have an agent from The Matrix and what looks like two Ruski spies who don't look to pleased with all the fanfare below. Good thing Ludmilla is documenting everything with her camera.

The restaurant sports a price of $1.45 for something. Today that'll get you one medium length sniff at a churro (no deep breaths please).

Nice photos today! Thanks.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

It could be those nasty little chimmi's they used to sell (in paper/foil bag) in the cart out in Frontierland.

TokyoMagic! said...

Chuck, I was wondering the same thing about that palm tree. Maybe this is actually a photo taken from inside of Fan I or Fan II in Fantasyland?

TokyoMagic! said...

And could that curved shape underneath the $1.45 sign, be the corner of Monstro's mouth?

Chuck said...

TM!, I think you're onto something.

Checking sightlines from aerial imagery here and here, I think this was taken from Fan 2. I think the curved shape is the entrance to the cave that went to the eating area behind Skull Rock. Compare the shape with this photo; note the sign which appears to be the same one behind the woman's head at the far right (it appears to have been turned around at some point between the photo I linked above and the time today's photo was taken; see here for reference).

Major, vexillology has been one of my "things" since I got my first encyclopedia set when I was 4 (I liked looking at the color pictures; I developed my love for maps the same way). Since it was wrapped around the pole, I did have to check another photo to determine whether that was the Flag of New England or the British Red Ensign, but other than that I used your photo for reference. I think there's probably something wrong with me.

JC Shannon said...

The MB has done it again. So many chances to make fun of 70s fashion. Garish outfits, horrible colors, and questionable hair styles. I love it. It's like someone turned on a spigot of bad taste, and just let it run until the 80s. I do like the toque the chef is wearing though, I often wear one at backyard BBQs, which would explain why we have no friends. More mixed grill for me. Thanks Major.

Anonymous said...

Wow, behold the power of disney-obsessed internet research.

Thanks to Chuck and Tokyo for sorting out the Boz Skaggs photo. I'm completely convinced its taken from inside Fan 2. The knob on the sign post clinches the identification. Now we need to research photos of Fan 2 from the outside to see if there are any showing the $1.45 sign.

Disney has always had excellent flag hygiene (vexillology) and one of the best displays is the ROA load queue. Thanks to Mike Cozart for the Carefree Corner ID and Chuck (again) for summing up. Good call on the Red Ensign, I doubt that a British flag would be displayed on the ROA.

Shout out to the Fez Dude. Live your best life! Must have been a convention near by.

@Alonzo, churros will never smell the same to me again.

Hat tip to Jonathan for summing up the '70's, easily the worst era of design in recorded history, a nod of deep gratitude to Daveland for the comprehensive visual database of Disneyland, and many thanks to the Major and the MB for continuing to provide unsurpassed entertainment.

JG

Melissa said...

At first I thought it was corn dogs in the fryer, but they would have had sticks.

Major Pepperidge said...

Alonzo, back in the day I used to be a big Steely Dan fan, thanks to my older brother. I see the Russkies, and Agent Smith! They want to build “Commieland”, it will be just like Disneyland, only with more beets. $1.45 for… a five course lobster dinner. I looked it up.

Alonzo, oh boy, I am not familiar with those chimmis, but I feel like my life is better without ever trying them.

TokyoMagic!, that is an excellent suggestion! Of course the lagoon is surrounded by palms and other tropical looking plants.

TokyoMagic! II, I think that very well could be Monstro back there.

Chuck, interesting, a Fantasyland slide snuck into the mix. It still kills me that the Mysterious Benefactor said there were hundreds and hundreds of scans for each land, but he only had the Frontierland images. Just imagine what might have been in the Tomorrowland batch! Or ANY of them, really. I agree with your theory about the sign behind the woman’s head. I have always liked flags; my grandma had an old National Geographic that had all of the U.S. flags, and they were beautifully printed. It’s a pretty old issue! But I loved it. Still, it sounds like you really got into them. There’s nothing wrong with you!

Jonathan, I know what you’re saying about 70’s fashions, and then I think about the girls in the 70’s, and how great they looked. Farrah Fawcett lookalikes! And men’ styles - I like ruffles on my shirts and the longest collar points possible. Wearing a chef’s toque at a BBQ is my dream, along with an apron that says, “Kiss the cook”.

JG, Boz Scagg’s was known to be a fan of Fantasyland, so it should have been so obvious. One more vote for that photo being taken from Fan 2. And now that you mention it, I don’t know if I have any photos that are close enough to either of the “Fans” to see good details. Seems they are always taken from a distance. I always love a good fez; I once had an old one that my then-girlfriend got at a thrift shop, but it’s been lost for a long time. The funny thing about 70’s design is that there is a lot of truly awful stuff, but some really amazing, playful stuff too. I’m thinking more along the lines of product design or furniture.

Melissa, corn dogs on STICKS? We’ll make millions, you and me!

stu29573 said...

I drive everywhere in my tiny car (a Mini) but I don't own a fez...

Nanook said...

Disneyland should have a Fez Day. (What could possibly be stopping them from moving forward with such a grand event, I ask you-?)

Major Pepperidge said...

stu29573, you can make a fez out of construction paper. Give it a pipe cleaner tassel for added style!

Nanook, the fezzes will need to light up, or be sparkly, or gold, because that's how Disney does it.

Nanook said...

Major-

Okay - in that case - scratch my idea.

Chuck said...

Best photo I could find of either Fan is of Fan II, from TM!'s Easter 1975 trip to Disneyland (read his full trip report here).

I also found an excellent digital recreation of Fan II created by an artist who once worked there (read the full blog post here).

TokyoMagic! said...

Chuck, thanks for doing the research on the site lines, etc., to confirm that the photo was taken from inside Fan II. Thanks also, for the plug for my post from last year.

Major, I could have sworn that you posted a close-up pic (or at least a closer pic) of the counter at Fan II within the last few years. However, I couldn't find one when I tried searching. Did I imagine it? Also, can we make the souvenir fezzes light up, be sparkly AND spew soap bubbles out of the top?

TokyoMagic! said...

Oh, and I forgot to mention.....I think "Boz Skaggs" is smoking a Tiparillo!

Nanook said...

@ TM!-

About those fezzes.... just remember who originally thought-up that idea and where to send the royalties-!

A Cast Member's Memories said...

The picture of "looking through a restaurant" is truly Fan2. I recognize the bumble bee apron costume since I wore one for 3 years. It was a restaurant we weren't allowed to "make lines" for the guests to order. Try that on an 80k day. We'd suffer in the heat and freeze in the winter nights. BUT what a blast for a first job.