I am very fond of today's photos from Adventureland, even though they are a little bit subdued. With the exception of the Jungle Cruise and the Swiss Family Treehouse, Adventureland gets short shrift from photographers, as a rule.
First up is this great shot from just outside the Adventureland entrance. Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room was added a year earlier, changing the entrance drastically. I love so many details, such as the sliver of Main Street (the Plaza Pavillion) encroaching on the jungle to our left. There's the wonderful attraction posters (oh how I wish I had one of those) in their bamboo frames. Uti is standing in her flower-festooned outrigger canoe, while Jose the barker bird (in his red plumage) can be seen.
Just a little further into Adventureland, we find a mysterious tiki (partly hidden behind those signs), standing beneath a jacaranda with its beautiful purple blossoms. One of my favorite sights around SoCal is certain streets lined with these trees in bloom.
Dad decided to sit this one out and watch the bambino; I wonder if the three ladies to our left are related?
Major-
ReplyDeleteYes, the [mostly] 'camera shy' Adventureland is flapping its wings, here. Our blonde haired gal can be seen holding a fabulous pair of mid-century sunglasses in the second image. I too, love the jacaranda tree, with its blue to purple-blue flowers.
Thanks, Major, for these lovely images.
The gal with the blonde hair can quickly change her mood, can't she?! I wonder if she's sad, but putting on a happy face...or the other way around??
ReplyDeleteLove that first picture - classic Adventureland at its best!
Thanks, Major!!
In the second image the blonde woman reminds me of Celia Weston who played Jolene Hunnicutt on "Alice" and the third woman reminds me of Patty Duke when she played Patty/Cathy on "The Patty Duke Show'. The middle woman not sure who she reminds me of. Perhaps Maggie Gyllenhaal? Nah.
ReplyDeleteLove the directional signage in the second Adventureland image. Thanks, Major.
The first photo is truly a gem. It clearly showcases the intimacy of Disneyland, in comparison to other "castle parks" around the globe. The popularity and success of Walt's first park demonstrates why future properties were developed with wide open super highway-like thoroughfares. I can't imagine an Adventureland entrance being designed today, with the amount of charm exhibited in this photo! Love it.
ReplyDeleteAll of the greenery in both pics is really nice. I especially like the flowers stretching over the entrance arch. These are definitely great shots!
ReplyDeleteI agree with K. Martinez regarding the direction signage - I don’t think I’ve ever seen those particular versions. It’s always fascinating what details that were in no way the focus of the picture can show up in the photo!
ReplyDeleteSadly a “charming” Disneyland park can never be done today due to the amount of crowds it needs to accommodate. This was tried with Hong Kong Disneyland ..... and its problem : TOO SMALL!! Even as we speak the Disneyland Ca Sleeping Beauty Castle duplicate of the Hong Kong park is being turned into a massive monstrosity to reflect ALL the princess.....
Nanook, how long do you think that planter with the red flowers lasted? Frankly I’m surprised it’s there in 1964, after the popular Enchanted Tiki Room was such a hit. Looks great though! When you think about it, everybody was wearing mid-century glasses back then.
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, that lady does look pretty miserable in photo #1, and her husband doesn’t look like a barrel of laughs either. Strange considering that they were actually posing for a photo (instead of being caught off guard).
K. Martinez, gosh, I don’t remember Jolene Hunnicutt, but I only watched “Alice” a few times. There must have been some other show on another channel that I liked more, but I sure couldn’t tell you what it was. “Welcome Back Kotter”? I agree that the woman with the shorts is very much like Patty Duke. The woman in the middle… yeah, I got nothin’.
steve2wdw, you make a good point; lack of endless land was certainly one factor in Disneyland’s more intimate spaces, but I feel like the Imagineers intentionally designed Adventureland to have narrower paths that curved, enhancing the feeling that we don’t know what’s around the next corner. Just a theory! The huge avenues found in later parks are practical, but make the experience a little more sterile.
Andrew, the landscape crew (and Bill Evans?) really did a masterful job in Adventureland. But then again, lately I have seen certain photos from Tomorrowland, and certainly Frontierland, that show how much care was used in making parts of Disneyland lush and beautiful.
Mike Cozart, interesting… I noticed the signs, but did not realize that they were that unusual. And I agree, nowadays designers have to allow for the possibility of daily crowds that Walt would have never dreamed of. 50,000 people a day? More? I also agree that the Honk Kong castle redo is a design nightmare, what an ugly eyesore.
I remember how crazy busy that area could be with the Tiki Room entrance there. Fortunately the crowds have calmed down a bit and you can enjoy a leisurely Dole Whip and the Tiki pre-show, at least on my last visit.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute - that guy picked up a forth gal in the second pic!? I like the romantic couple to the right of the pic. I've always liked that "side" entrance to Frontierland from Adventureland.
Lou and Sue, that lady does look pretty miserable in photo #1, and her husband doesn’t look like a barrel of laughs either.
ReplyDeleteBy golly, Major, you solved the mystery of that blonde gal's mood...she changed from Grumpy to Happy - when she got away from Dopey.
"In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!
ReplyDeleteIn the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!
All the birds sing words and the flowers croon
In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!"
Sorry. It had to be done! Now we'll all have it in our heads all day!
You're welcome!
That modern phone booth behind the romantic couple in the second photo looks a bit out of place. Maybe that's why it's trying to hide in the corner.
ReplyDeleteToo late, Stu - it was already there. It's always there.
I'll have to agree, these two pics are really cool. Just about perfect. Adventureland has always been among my favorite spots. The Bazaar always lured me in when I was a youngster.
ReplyDeleteThat Tiki peaking out in the second pic has a name, but I couldn't find the site that has information on all the different Tikis. I remember Tangaroa is the tree-like Tiki by the Enchanted Tiki Room, and top dog among the Park's Tikis. Can't remember the others.
Nice, warm wonderful pics today Major. Thanks.
I concur. Blondie does appear to be riding the Bi-polar Express on this trip. Too bad the Upjohn Pharmacy doesn't have Zoloft, Paxil, or the like yet.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know how the tots rode around all day in those primitive baby carts! No memory foam seat, six point harness, USB charger for your tablet/phone. That's really roughing it.
I'll take an order of that June gloom for Arizona please.
Thanks for posting Major. Happy Friday GDBr's
Alonzo, we got some of that June Gloom down here in Tucson yesterday. We got 2 inches of rain at our place and it looks pretty gloomy today too.
ReplyDeleteHope you get some of it.
P.
Old Adventureland looks very exotic here. I'm trying to figure out the changes and just getting confused. I wish they had kept those signs, not only are the designs intriguing, but the destinations indicated give some hint of the wonders to be revealed if you just keep walking ahead.
ReplyDeleteVisiting Disneyland when it was new must have been really something.
Photo 1 really has it all, the signs are just wonderful, I want them all. We move seamlessly from Victorian woodwork and geraniums to bamboo, thatch and bougainvillea in a few steps. You can see the joint in the paving that aligns with the back edge of the planter in the walkway, it stretches right across to the end of the white fence on the left. That was the border between the "lands".
Melissa, I think I see twin guys in photo 1, matching plaid shirts, just behind Grumpy Parents.
Thanks Major! Have a good weekend everyone.
JG
@Alonzo, no cupholders on those strollers either. How ever did our parents cope?
ReplyDeleteJG
Omnispace, yes, that area could be a real bottleneck on busy days. I remember the last time I went to the park, we could barely get through that area after the fireworks had ended. I’m assuming the photographer was a man, probably the companion of one of the ladies; maybe the rest were various family members?
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, OR she was happy that she wasn’t on toddler duty!
stu29573, what song is that? (joking) I don’t mind having that song in my head for a little while, anyway.
Chuck, I was wondering why they didn’t build a phone booth edged in bamboo, but I suppose it’s the sort of thing that needs to be very conspicuous for those who need it. At least they tucked it back near the bathrooms.
DrGoat, the only thing that would have made these better is if they’d been taken on nice sunny days with blue skies - in my opinion photos always look best that way. I’ve never been aware of a name for that tiki in photo #2, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t have one. I’d love to know! Somebody on Facebook now has that tiki, very weathered and in rough shape, but they said they intend to restore it. I hope I see the finished results!
Alonzo, I’m sure that if there were multiple photos of me on any given day, I’d be smiling in some, and not smiling in others. Especially if you are with a shutterbug who is constantly demanding that you “smile”! It is almost funny how simple those old strollers were compared to the monstrosities that became ubiquitous more recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of then actually did have a solar USB charger on them. We’ve been getting some slight June Gloom in the mornings (in spite of it being July), but it always burns off, leaving us with very hot days.
DrGoat, wow, congrats on the 2 inches of rain! You did say it was monsoon season after all. I hope you get more.
JG, I love the variety of patterns (presumably researched so that they were authentic to some parts of Africa, Asia, or Oceania). Maybe those signs blended in too well and people didn’t notice them? I noticed the transition from the architecture of Main Street to the thatched roofs, woven palm fronds, bamboo, and such that made up Adventureland. I always instinctively thought of the border into Adventureland as being right at the big arched sign, but the Tiki Room changed things, since it “leaked out” toward the Plaza quite a bit. I wonder if those grown men ARE twins? Seems as if dressing alike for twins was more for children, especially girls (their mothers couldn’t resist).
As everyone has said, fun pics today. I like the skulls popping up over the crowd in the first one.
ReplyDeleteWow. I hope that person restores that Tiki. What a thing to have!
ReplyDeleteI did find the link to the ETR tikis.
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/06/meet-the-tiki-gods-outside-walt-disneys-enchanted-tiki-room-at-disneyland-park/
I guess that one really doesn't have a name, but I didn't know they sold it off. I suppose it was one of the ones designed by Marc Davis and Rolly Crump. Thanks for that info.
Here's a clearer Daveland picture of that phone booth from 1964: https://www.davelandweb.com/adventureland/images/60s/CTCT_2_64_N13B2.jpg. Hard to tell, but it looks like that might be a bamboo panel at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't appear to have been there in 1955 or 1958: https://www.davelandweb.com/adventureland/images/50s/9_55_BW_9.jpg, https://www.davelandweb.com/adventureland/images/50s/KTLOEKC_6_58_ALand.jpg.
I haven't been able to find a picture of what the phone looked like in later years, but they definitely changed the signage as you can see in this Daveland photo from the '70s: https://www.davelandweb.com/adventureland/images/konacat2003_phonesign.jpg.
Kathy!, I have the feeling that there are fewer skulls in Adventureland than there used to be, but I’m not certain. They’re so hard to find in stores!
ReplyDeleteDrGoat, check your email! Thank you for the link to the Disney website; most of those tiki gods have signs next to them to tell us who they are, or else they actually speak as part of the show! My guess is that the tiki was probably removed when someone had decided that it had outlived its usefulness, or maybe it was considered date. Not sure why that would be, though!
Chuck, thank you for those links - it does look like wood or bamboo at the bottom. Maybe woven palm fronds? Hard to tell at that resolution. I think that the souvenir wall maps indicate a phone back there, but the first wall map didn’t come out until 1958. I love that sign for the phones, wouldn’t THAT be an amazing thing to have in one’s collection!
Stu, your adding The Tiki Room song gave me the idea to play a bunch of Disneyland attraction songs/sounds on my cell phone, for my dad, when I visited him this afternoon. I let him try to guess the different attractions and he loved it. He especially lit up at The Tiki Room song, and also the DL train whistle and announcements. (A couple weeks ago, I played old radio program "theme songs" from the 1930s for my dad, and I knew he liked the Paddy O'Cinnamon Bear radio show, as a little boy. Keep in mind, he hasn't heard that program since he was little - but when I played that theme song, he was able to sing along to most of the words. It's amazing what our minds hold on to.)
ReplyDeleteFUN post today! Thank you, DrGoat and Chuck (and Daveland), for adding those links! ALL you Jr. Gorillas always make a great post even better!
I can see my daughter and I doing that in the future. We've always bonded over music, and especially Disney attractiin music. When we last went to WDW, we embarrassed my wife, son-in-law and grand kids by singing along to the Pirates theme in the queue!
DeleteKen, a hot dog makes the woman in the shorts lose control! We've seen Polly Holiday's sister here on GDB. Maybe the blonde woman is Celia Weston's sister? I do see the resemblance, now that you've pointed it out.
ReplyDeleteMajor, The first year that "Alice" was on, it was opposite "Baretta," on ABC and "The NBC Movie of the Week." For the next three years, it was opposite "The ABC Sunday Night Movie" and "The Big Event" (whatever that was) on NBC. So basically, you have no good reason for not watching "Alice!" ;-)