Random Friday Goodies
Happy Friday, everybody! Today I'm going to share three slides that were in my old boxes of previously-scanned slides - only these had been passed over originally. Who knows why? Not me, and I was the only person there at the time. OR WAS I?
Let's start with this very nice shot (circa October 1969) of a fun little "Tickets and Information" booth from Fantasyland. "Hello, I'd like four tickets and three small informations". "Here you go, sir". The booth is very much in the style of the original Fantasyland, with a fairly plain little structure (a box with glass windows) adorned with stylized flat decorations bearing an assortment of colorful patterns. It is pretty charming, considering! I especially like the heraldic devices. "An eagle of gules on a shield of azure".
It seems very surprising that I would have decided to not share this slide years ago, but it was fairly faded and took more than a little Photoshoppin' to make it look this good.
This second photo is date-stamped "August, 1958", though I suspect it was taken weeks or months before that date. Two girls (sisters, presumably) pose with Sleeping Beauty Castle in the bckground. That patch of grass, flowers and shrubs behind them is not something I've ever noticed before, I wonder if it was removed when the Matterhorn construction began on June 14th. Notice the mysterious additional curb that separated the walkway from the road - for a while vehicles such as the Omnibus would loop around the finished Matterhorn.
And finally, from 1960 comes this very pretty tableau, full of sunshine and color. What do you think, was this taken from the bridge that crossed into Adventureland? Once again we can admire the landscaping of Disneyland. And some of you know how much I love a sunny photo with a deep blue sky - look at how the snows of the Matterhorn gleam!
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Just a reminder that I am away from home, and that replying to comments is a little trickier than normal!
19 comments:
All three of these photos are pretty darn nice! I love the colors on that ticket booth!
That last photo was taken on or near the bridge that went over to Carnation Gardens. The snow is sparse on the Matterhorn, so this must have been taken during the summer months. That would also explain why the waterfall appears to be dried up.
I love all the details of the roof in the first photo. The amount of different trims and additional pieces added to the top of the booth would never happen today! We would just have a big metal square with a window. Great pictures!
That looks like the ticket booth that's still in the park today, unless there were two.
In the second image, I like that you can see the Pirate Ship masts and flags (including the skull and crossbones), along with the fire wagon sign peeking out on the left. Thanks, Major.
Wow! All these pictures look great!
The ticket booth is my favorite
These are all swell pics! Thanks for the excellent photoshoppin'!
On the back side of glass it looks like 10 Adventures will cost you $3.
Andrew, good eye. I didn't notice the flags.
A little known fact that visiting mimes always pay their respects to that booth.
Thanks, Major, wherever you are,
zach
Good catch Andrew. Comparing the two pics, looks like the bottom part was reconfigured, but the top part looks almost identical. It's at least one of the old ones if not the same one. Also, if you pan around in the location of the link, you get to see 8 strollers, one guy pushing two at once. Yow.
Happy pics Major, thanks. As you said, the good old sunshine and color days.
I love the beautiful flowers around the castle!
How in the world has that little ticket booth survived all these years?!?! I admire his survival skills.
Andrew, thanks for the link.
DrGoat, while looking for super dad, I noticed two more polite waste cans: “Waste Please” and “Recycle Please”...back when they were trained properly.
Major, thanks for all your photoshop efforts!
Sue
That ticket booth in 1982 ( A-E tickets were discontinued that year) was converted to a Kodak Film & Information kiosk. When construction began that same year for New Fantasyland , the Booth was relocated and re-themed to Its a Small World. It continued to sell Kodak film and later disposable cameras and batteries until Kodak ended its sponsorship. The booth is still there as of March of 2020.
All three pics are beauties. I especially like the Matterhorn with drawbridge image. Thanks, Major.
TM!, I love explanation of the conditions of the snow and waterfalls on the Matterhorn during the summer months. Makes perfect sense to me. ;-)
Awwww… I realized it’s no longer needed, but it still saddens me (for some strange reason) to see the Hey-I’m-Being-Robbed! security alert light bulb atop the ticket booth missing in the structure’s current incarnation.
All in-park ticket booths had those security lights until passports made the whole tickets/coupons thing redundant. Both the Penny Arcade and Starcade change booths had security alert lights, as well.
On Tuesday, August 16, 1977, I was sweeping NOS on a summer shift and swung by the popcorn cart in front of the Mansion (guaranteed to have a massive popcorn spill or ten at all times) when I noticed a Ticket Seller friend who was working the ticket booth ten feet away had flipped on her security light. I walked over to see what was up as no one seemed to be buying tickets (or robbing her) at the time and found her distraught. Seems someone had just informed her that Elvis had died and, as a huge fan, she’d become very upset and had inadvertently hit the security alert switch.
Through her tears she said, “I don’t care! I need change anyway!” (Security could contact Cash Control for the Ticket Sellers, too). As I didn’t know what else to do, I just said I was sorry and started to move away. That’s when a Security guy walked up and said (with his best poker face) “How much did that sweeper get?”
She didn’t find that funny at all… but I’ll always remember where I was when I first heard that Elvis had left the planet.
~Huck
That's a great story, Huck. I was wondering about that light. Thanks for sharing.
What a cute little ticket booth, and such a good photo of it, too. The shields look like they are related to those on the Matterhorn Bobsled entry pavilion.
Andrew, great eye to spy the current incarnation of the booth. Thanks for showing that.
Thanks to Mike Cozart for confirming, and to Huck for the great story about Elvis and the security light. What a subtle warning method. Now I want a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Tokyo, I have heard that the Matterhorn is painted with color-changing paint, so the snow disappears in the summer when it is hot, and comes back in the winter when it cools off. Also agree, the last photo is from the Carnation Gardens bridge, now the Meet-N-Greet princess farm.
Major, these are all great pics, with interesting details about the old Park. Thank you for reconsidering and posting them. A fine end to the week. Have fun where you are.
JG
I thought the light on top of the ticket booth was a warning light for low flying Dumbii.
TokyoMagic!, somehow I thought that the Carnation Gardens was further north, but I bow to your expertise! It would have been cool if they could have actually made the snows on the Matterhorn wax and wane depending on the season.
Divajones68 (a new reader?), Disney had all of those studio craftsmen who could build anything and make it look good. Nowadays, I think a lot of that tradition is gone, and they rely on CNC machines.
Andrew, gosh, if that’s not the same structure, it is definitely a close cousin! Very neat. And I always enjoy seeing the Pirate Ship masts and flags peeking up over other landmarks.
Budblade, thanks, I like that first one the best as well.
Zach, I agree that it looks like 10 adventures costs $3, but it also looks like it says 5 adventures cost $3 too?!? I know it can’t be, but that’s what it looks like. “I’ve been bad today, I don’t deserve 10 adventures!”. Why do mimes pay their respects to that booth? I’m missing something.
DrGoat, having to push one stroller would be bad enough. But two?? No thanks! And I’m sure Andrew is right about that ticket booth, pretty cool.
Lou and Sue, there used to be a blog all about the Disney trash cans (all parks, as far as I can recall), I wish I could find it. I’d send you the link!
Mike Cozart has all the answers, as usual! Thank you for the information about our little ticket booth! I’m glad it is still with us.
K. Martinez, that Castle/drawbridge image might not be groundbreaking, but it is “souvenir guidebook worthy” I’d say!’’
Huck, I noticed that light, but it sure never occurred to me that it was a “help, I’m being robbed” signal! So fun. I loved the story about the poor woman who was so upset about Elvis’ death. I remember I was getting my hair cut when that news came over the radio; the young woman cutting my hair had to take a moment before she could continue. Do you happen to know if there were any ticket booth robberies? It seems insane that anyone would do such a thing, and yet... it’s a crazy world. Nice to hear from you!
Andrew, it’s stories like that that make me glad to have such a great group of Junior Gorillas.
JG, someday I hope they cover the Matterhorn in LED screens (micro screens) so that they can change its look whenever they want. They can even make it “vanish”! Or make it look like its covered in rabid weasels. One of my dreams! Don’t forget that your peanut butter and banana sandwich has to be fried. (Yuck).
Lou and Sue, your theory is a good one, but remember, with Dumbo’s large ears, he could avoid obstacles using echolocation.
I'm also curious if there have been any robberies in the Park. Can't even imagine the mindset of someone who would attempt that. Even for a deluded robber with visions of how that would be a great place to go rob someone. But as you said, it is a crazy world with evidently a lot more crazy people that I ever thought possible.
That is a great story Huck, thanks.
Thanks again Major.
Major, it's a 'box with glass windows.' No mime can resist.
zach
Oooops! I posted this comment in a rush this morning, but I left it on yesterday's post, instead of today's post:
Andrew, there were actually three ticket booths in Fantasyland at one time. This page from a 1975 guide shows the locations of the three booths:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TCquQdJ7NTQ/X5MgQ8BjBNI/AAAAAAAATA8/hAQnTmdAFpc9KmTqGsfaiMVrZI_SXGLJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1586/Spring%2B%252775%2B%252810%2529.jpg
Mike, not to question your expertise....but I thought the ticket booth that still exists today near It's A Small World, was original to that area and was only moved just a few feet at some point. Here's a pic from Ken Martinez, of a Fantasyland ticket booth in that same area, back in 1981:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/bananaphone5000/Gorillamydreams/KM-DLFall81SmallWorldPlaza.jpg
Beautiful pictures! Gosh, I miss the more muted color palette of the castle. It really hits how garish - sorry, "vibrant" - the new scheme is when you see a shot like this one.
Major:
https://www.magicaltrash.com/
Fun post today - I really enjoyed everyone's comments!
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