The Monorail was (and is) a popular attraction at Disneyland, but a long line was never too much of a hassle. Look at the view guests had from up there! Submarines coming and going, Autopia cars putt-putting by, Skyway gondolas (not visible here of course)... a real treat for one's eye bones.
And here's a perfectly nice, perfectly snoozeworthy shot of the exterior of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. 1871! A line has formed, presumably folks are waiting for a show to end and for that audience to leave. I actually don't know how often Wally Boag, Betty Taylor, and Don Novis performed each day. Three times? Four? It sounds exhausting! But, if you have showbiz in your blood, maybe it was invigorating for the long-time cast members.
15 comments:
Like the middy blouse on the lady in the Golden Horseshoe line - helloo, Mrs. Sailor! The little girl with the built-in scarf hat is interesting, too. I guess doing the same show several times a day wouldn't be much worse than doing the Jungle Cruise spiel all day. The lovely blue skies and sparkling blue water are a great antidote for this cold winter morning.
I'll just say it, the Sub Lagoon is a beautiful sight from any angle. The whole concept of a giant lagoon with your own fleet of submarines, is something only Walt could make a reality. The Golden Horseshoe is one of my favorite buildings in Disneyland. I have always wanted to poke around it and the second floor of Main St. buildings just for fun, and see what is really up there. Thanks Major.
Melissa, and there is a Mr. Sailor in that first pic (two, actually). They are almost out of view, standing alongside that docked submarine.
Major, I can think of two times in recent years, when the wait for the Monorail was horrendous. Both times, it turned out that they were only running one monorail train. Everyone at the Tomorrowland station was having to wait until that one train reached the Hotel, let guests off, boarded more guests, and then returned to Tomorrowland. And even then, the line was long enough that you had to wait for the train to do several cycles of that. I assume they were doing this to save on labor? Why else would they only run one out of the three trains that they have? Unless the other two trains were broken? Either way....BAD SHOW, Disney!
But nice pics for today, Major! Thanks!
I never really thought about it before, but it's kind of interesting that the longest-running live show to ever run at Disneyland was advertised for years by temporary-looking banners tied to the exterior balcony rail and support columns. Those banners catch your eye so much that I never noticed the three-dimensional horseshoe sign hanging from the balcony in the dead center of the facade. Checking over at Daveland, it appears that the banner and sign were replaced with the sign design we have today no later than 1963 (although the Pepsi-Cola sponsor's name has been replaced by a golden horseshoe).
Nice way to start the day, Major!
In the Monorail pic, I thought the feather in the guy's hat was a tree at first.
I bet Disney is going to make an excuse to close the Subs once the parks reopen in five years. I'd be fine with that if they brought back the Skyway since it's perfect for spreading people out. Sound good, TDA?
Major-
I believe there were five daily shows at the Golden Horseshoe.
Thanks, Major.
@ Andrew-
TDA = Team Disney Anaheim-??
Sunny photos for a Sunday... The blues of the submarine lagoon are especially vibrant today. I like the mooring ropes carefully coiled on the docs. That was a disciplined submarine crew!
I never got to see the Golden Horseshoe show in spite of almost annual visits to the park. I suppose we figured it would just take too much time out of our single day, and we still had the Fantasyland rides to go on.
Melissa, do you think that lady might be pregnant? That blouse looks sort of like maternity clothing. I agree that performing the “Golden Horseshoe” show is probably akin to doing the Jungle Cruise spiel… which I also think could drive a person crazy after a while! How cold is it where you are?
Jonathan, if the lagoon in Gilligan’s Island and the Sub Lagoon had a fight, which one would win? Sure, the sub lagoon is full of nuclear subs, but still… the Skipper packs a mean punch. The Golden Horseshoe is a very neat building; I wonder if the dressing rooms for the cast are underneath it?
TokyoMagic!, are you talking about the CMs? I don’t see any other “sailors”! I can believe that the Monorail line would get very backed up if they were only running one of the Monorails; that has happened to me with the Disneyland RR too. For some reason they were only running one train, and it took FOREVER for another one to come by, and it seemed like hardly anybody got off. It was a real exercise in frustration. This was an August visit in which I think we only managed to get on six rides all day (we also waited for the Rocket Rods for hours).
Chuck, I have always thought it was strange that Walt seemed OK with that chintzy (and anachronistic) banner outside the otherwise-elegant Golden Horseshoe. Maybe he got used to them, like you did. It feels like the banners were a temporary solution that wound up lasting many years longer than intended. Thanks for doing the research, I always forget when they finally replaced the thing with a real sign.
Andrew, I didn’t even notice the feathered hat! You know those are my favorites. I agree, I expect the Submarine’s days to be numbered. I won’t be happy about it; I’d love it if they could come with another underwater ride of some kind.
Nanook, that’s a lot! Imagine doing the same show 35 times a week! For YEARS!
Nanook, I assume Andrew is floating his idea past Team Disney, how can they refuse?
Omnispace, I wonder if Admiral Joe Fowler had anything to do with the Navy-like protocols for things like those coiled ropes? You don’t want people tripping and falling into the water, after all. Mermaids eat humans, after all. As I’ve mentioned, I never saw the Golden Horseshoe show either, and it was SO up my dad’s alley. Old timey songs, corny jokes… he would have loved it.
Major, yes, the sailors I was talking about were the cast members.
I just checked some of my old park entertainment guides. There are guides for summertime and also for Thanksgiving weekend, which show nighttime shows at the Golden Horseshoe Revue, in addition to the daytime shows. The nighttime shows appeared to be every hour on the hour....at 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m.! I'm assuming they had two different casts and that the same people did not have to perform ten shows, all day long!
TokyoMagic!, wow, a show every hour. Sounds exhausting. They HAD to have had at least two casts, though I am surprised that I have never read anything about that in any of the many Disneyland histories I own. Are your summertime guides from the 1980s? I wonder if they ran a slightly-shortened version of the original program? I met a woman who was in a production of "42nd Street" in Los Angeles many years ago, and she told me that they did six shows a week, and even that sounded crazy to me.
Not sure about the temperature, but we’ve got snow and ice. I think we caught the edge of the nor’easter that’s headed for New England.
Melissa, it's so strange to know that you've got freezing temperatures, while we still have relatively warm days. It's been getting down into the low 40s at night, but I personally welcome something a little cooler than usual.
Major, I think it is fairly common for Broadway shows to have performances six days a week, and often times, with two shows on Saturday (one of them being a matinee). And yes, those entertainment guides were from the early eighties. Upon second glance, I see that the one for Thanksgiving weekend of 1980, only lists the shows in the evening (at 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m.) with no shows during the daytime. But another guide from Summer of 1983, does show both daytime and nighttime shows.
Here's a schedule from Thanksgiving weekend of 1980, showing nighttime shows only:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KyBL-2TyB34/SmVZvrB2sfI/AAAAAAAACIE/RsG6b-bbzi4/s1600-h/Mousekedays+2+(3).jpg
Here's a schedule from Summer of 1983, showing five daytime shows AND four nighttime shows, with a fifth nighttime show on Saturdays only.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EI35EYipuR4/WDA5mtrc4FI/AAAAAAAAOgs/pJUB7ybZtaYpNFZxRkR6CVwfPw3eE6vOQCLcB/s1600/FOF%2BEntertainment%2B%25282%2529.jpg
I love the monorail queue shot, the view is grand, even in these later days.
I’ve had similar wait experiences with both trains. Makes no sense, but who knows.
I always thought the “temporary” saloon banners were purposeful theming to make it seem like the shows changed often and make them more enticing.
Thanks for these fine pics, Major.
JG
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