Views From A Skyway, August 1959
Whoever took today's photos was not conscious of some rather major obstructions blocking chunks of the scene they wanted to capture; seeing how low they seem to be, I wonder if the pictures were taken by a child? Or a petite woman, perhaps?
See what I mean? That big bar going right through what would have otherwise been a fine image. Monstro is blowing his top, it looks like he has the Storybook Land lighthouse stuck between his jaws. I always think of Storybook Land's Canal Boats as being piloted by young female hostesses, but we can see three pink-shirted young men. Odd! The Disneyland Railroad is halted at Fantasyland Station.
I almost always like these aerial views of the Mad Tea Party, with its swirly turntable, and the multicolored teacups. Too bad 1/4 of the image is blocked by the gondola. None of the people in the teacups is leaning or straining, so the ride was presumably not spinning around yet. Next to the sign for Welch's Juice Bar is a poster for a show at the Fantasyland Theatre, showing "Pecos Bill" (from "Melody Time" - 1948) and "El Gaucho Goofy" (from "Saludos Amigos", 1942).
15 comments:
Major, that first picture is fantastic! It clearly shows the red shark before it was ripe! See THIS PHOTO you posted on 1/26/21 (that my dad took in 1984).
First picture: By those two (three?) umbrellas on the right, near the top of the picture - is that a little break area for the workers?
Last picture: I see two nuns walking out of the bar!
@ Sue-
That area in the first image is "Never Never Land", as the hostesses say. I presume it may be for maintenance of the boats - and maybe a break area. CM's chime-up. Nuns are always walking out of bars - and always in pairs.
And speaking of pairs... do I spy a pair of [possible] adult twins coming out of the Fantasyland Theater dressed alike-??!!
Major-
As long as the male CM's are dressed in 'pink', things are cool. And who is that costumed character supposed to be, who's standing at the far right-edge of the first image-?
Thanks, Major.
Nanook, I noticed that character, too! I think it's Chip. Dale must be nearby. Don't chipmunks always travel in pairs....just like nuns?
I'm pretty sure that these were shot with a camera that's viewfinder was higher than the lens. I'm sure these pictures were framed beautifully in the viewfinder!
That break area is pretty cool. You can just make out someone in a pink shirt sitting under an umbrella.
By the way, I thought it was rabbis that were always walking unto bars...with leaders from other faiths.. for reasons I'm not real clear on.
I like the second pic which shows the door connection to the cab of the sky-bucket. Never seen that before. Not bad at all. Thanks, Major.
Maybe the girls were on strike, sort of a Lysistrata type of thing but with boats. Actually, that’s a terrible analogy. Please disregard. Note the ticket taker/loader in the same yellow-tan pants as the pink-shirted boat skippers but wearing a purple-blue shirt and a white skipper’s hat.
Stu’s theory about the type of camera makes sense, although it could also be that the photographer was just plain terrified to get any closer to the edge of the bucket. Earlier this summer, I rode the Sky Ride at Cedar Point with my 18-year-ol son, and he sat motionless in the center of his seat and finally asked me to stop moving around so much and leaning over to take pictures because the motion that was rocking the car and the fact I was right at the edge of the car was freaking him out. This is the same kid that rode 10 different roller coasters - including several hyper-coasters - 11 times that same day, including some that I had been too timid to ride on our last visit 16 years ago. He’s also the kid that kept running around the car and trying to climb out of the 135-foot-tall Giant Wheel on his previous visit when he was 23 months old. Interesting how different people manifest different - but perfectly rational - fears at different times of their lives.
Boys attending to Storybook Land? Maybe it was a "job switch day" and they are the guys from JC? I don't see any girls on the T-cups either...I am thinking that maybe attractions were a "boy only" thing back then- possibly the rides were always going down and they needed muscle to push boats and tea cups and things (?) I don't know, but it's always nice to have an Alice in Wonderland look-a-like talking about teeny weenie houses, and storybook things, instead of some big brute in a pink shirt...but: to each his own. Those umbrellas are where the break room was in my time too. But it got a little fancier than just umbrellas...MARGINALLY fancier...it got kind of a roof...but more like a "lean to" and no so much an enclosed space with AC and all. I had to stuff John Travolta & Friends into this little break room when suddenly the world opened up and the teeny bopper screaming started. Not sure what the big deal was as his career was not in the best shape. In any case, the sweet Alice in Wonderland ladies were not so sweet to me backstage and thought that JT was encroaching on their space, not realizing it was Mr. Travolta. I'm not sure he actually wants to see you eat your lunch, but OK girls...let's take it down to a 2. It's like Leona Helmsley suddenly was on-site: the Queen of Mean. I'm sure they got over it, and so did we...the teeny boppers dispursed and we went on the Matterhorn.
@ TM!-
If that is 'Chip' (oh, brother-!), then that must be 'Dale' at the far left-end of the loading dock, near the 'Entrance' sign.
@ Bu-
For the first few years, SBL used 'skippers' to pilot the boats, before "charming 'Dutch Girl' guides" began telling stories about the settings as if reading from a children's book. HERE'S just one example.
I guess I missed Red Shark Day, but I can see what you mean, Sue.
I remember Monstro spouting and winking his eye, then on later visits, when those effects stopped working, thought I had imagined it all, like the coming and going of the Barker Bird.
I can’t see a single trash can in photo 1, but why is Chip in the queue? Shouldn’t he be off somewhere annoying Donald? I don’t think I’ve ever seen costumed characters in ride queues? There is a second chipmunk to the far right, but again, without a red nose, so not Dale?
Also, I don’t ever recall having a man guide the Canal Boats, it my era it was exclusively pretty girls, maybe there was a policy change at some point? Maybe inspiration from a Greek comedy? Notice the boatmen are in themed costumes, while the CMs in the teacups are wearing the “Air Force” uniform, white shirt, dark slacks and tie.
Chuck, you may be on to something, on both counts. I never used to be afraid of heights, but lately, a real problem.
No less than seven bins in photo 2, four of the flat top standard ones, and what appear to be three different models with a shiny flap in the Welch’s area. No excuse from dropping trash on the ground here.
What a story, Bu. Nothing like entitled celebrities to ball up a crowd. I saw Jane Fonda in the supermarket once, buying fresh herbs, and didn’t say a thing.
Thanks Major, a fun group today.
JG
Chip & Dale look rather sick & pale, don't they?
Bu, just curious, did you ever work with any stars who weren't getting any attention from the public - but were purposely trying to get people's attention and hoping people would make a fuss over them?
I am really enjoying all of today's comments - thanks, all!
Lou and Sue, ha ha, it’s true, I didn’t realize that photo #1 had such a rare sighting!
Lou and Sue, good question - it doesn’t look like those umbrellas are accessible to guests. All I know is I’d like to take a nap underneath them. Great sighting on the two nuns, that is good luck!
Nanook, it must have been darn hot if they needed to make an ersatz shady break area. It looks pretty cozy, I wish there were a few CMs lounging there in the photo. I see the two ladies who are dressed alike, could they be Disneyland Employees? Jeez, I didn’t notice the costumed character, I assume it’s either Chip or Dale?
TokyoMagic!, yes, Dale has the red nose, it must be Chip. I never thought about the similarities between chipmunks and nuns before, it really makes me ponder the mysteries of the universe.
Stu29573, you are probably right about the camera issue - the kind of thing Chuck (and the rest of us) discussed just recently. That first photo looks like one of my masterpieces. I guess I need my eyes checked, there does seem to be somebody seated in that shady place! Wearing a pink shirt, just like the Storybook Land CMs.
K. Martinez, I did notice that door area (maybe that’s actually the hinge area?), it is certainly very chunky. I would have assumed that the doors would just be a continuation of the shape of the gondola, just a thin piece of metal.
Chuck, I was going to chastise you about your terrible Lysistrata analogy, and then I remembered that I don’t know that story. Did Lysistrata want to be the prom queen, but she had to learn an important lesson about “being yourself” and that it’s not about the journey, but about the friends we make along the way? I thought that the photographer might have been a child, merely short-of-stature, and unskilled. Also smelly! Aw, I feel bad for your son, we’ve all been scared in odd situations. It does seem a little strange that he was fine on the Giant Wheel, but the Sky Ride was the thing that “got him”, but… you just never know.
Bu, I always associated young ladies with Storybook Land… it seems so “right” to me, though I know that this is a sexist opinion and that I should not be such a narrow minded dummy. I’m actually not sure what propels the Storybook Land boats; are they pulled along on a track? I never thought about it before! Funny that the park didn’t provide something a little nicer for employee break periods (in that area), three umbrellas is pretty chintzy. I have nothing against John Travolta, but the idea of anybody shrieking in delight when he appears is a mystery. And getting territorial over him is even weirder.
Nanook, from this distance it’s hard to tell one chipmunk from another. If one had a reddish nose, we can’t discern it. Give me a charming Dutch Girl any day!
JG, We’ve got red sharks, we’ve got Fudgie the Whale, we’ve got trash cans, we’ve got dented spires. WHAT MORE COULD ANYONE WANT? I loved waiting to see Monstro blink, but I drove my parents crazy, standing there for so long. These days I think it’s very possible to see a male guide on a Canal Boat, but I’m agin’ it. The last time I was on Storybook, our female guide recited her spiel with all of the enthusiasm of reading math homework. But she said it really fast! Ha ha, see? Trash cans. Living in L.A., I used to see a lot of celebrities out and about, it was always sort of fun. Susan Sarandon, Prince, Diane Keaton, Nicholas Cage… but it’s been a while since my last celebrity sighting.
Major-
Originally the boats had [loud & unreliable] outboard motor engines driving a propellor. In the transition from the Canal Boats of the World to Storybook Land, batteries along with [quiet & reliable] electric motors driving a propellor were installed. It seems so obvious now.
Nanook, thanks! I thought that there must be some sort of quite electric motors, but then I could convince myself that I used to hear a mild "putt putt" sound. Guess I was thinking of the motorboats!
The ladies’ Storybook Land costumes from this era are some of my favorites. How are we supposed to tell any jokes with the nuns leaving the bar instead of going in. “Two nuns walk into a bar. They have a drink and then walk back out. Wocka wocka wocka!”
Occasionally, my mother and her twin would dress alike as adults, without planning it in advance.The only time I deliberately saw them do it was for a family picture.
Look at all those single-occupancy tea cups. Haven’t they ever heard of “Tea for Two?”
Post a Comment