New York World's Fair, June 1964
I have a trio of photos from the New York World's Fair, all from June, 1964. The Fair had been open for about two months at this point (opening date: April 22, 1964). I sure envy all of those lucky folks who were able to see this amazing event!
First up is this shot of the Ford Pavilion's rotunda - more of a skeleton-rotunda. Those curved pylons were enchanted so as to keep out bad spirits. That's my theory, anyway. Of course the main attraction was the Magic Skyway, from Walt Disney and his band of artists and technicians. You can see one of the late-model Ford automobiles moving along that hamster habitrail, using the same basic form of propulsion as the Disneyland version of the Peoplemover used. You could "tune" the radio to hear the Magic Skyway ride narrated in a number of languages, but the English version was narrated by Walt himself.
Another spectacular building was the General Electric "Progressland" dome, with its external, curved supports. At night, lighting effects made it appear as if it rotated. Inside, guests could marvel at things such as the Sky Dome Spectacular, filled with the sights and sounds of the great natural sources of energy: fierce electrical storms, fire, a blazing sun and spinning atoms. Or a demonstration of controlled nuclear fusion, a magnetic field squeezes a plasma of deuterium gas for a few millionths of a second at a temperature of 50 million degrees Fahrenheit. There is a vivid flash and a loud report as atoms fuse and free energy is released. Or maybe you'd like to see the beloved Carousel of Progress!
And finally, a view of the distant Bell System pavilion, with its large "floating wings"; they contained a ride that told the story of the advances in communication. The story of this breathtaking advance in communications is told visually in a 15-minute armchair ride in the giant "floating wing" that comprises the upper story of this pavilion. In a lower level, an exhibit hall is devoted to the technology of modern communications and its history of continuous development.
I have LOTS MORE photos from the World's Fair!
31 comments:
The Magic Skyway narration done by Walt was for the second season ( 1965) years of the fair only. Part of Ford’s agreement to extend its sponsorship was that Walt Disney do the English narration - and he wasn’t happy about it as at this point he wasn’t well health wise. For Disney audio collectors this was where those Walt audio out-takes come from.... “ I’ve got a damn frog in my throat ...” is one of his tamer “Mickey No No’s” come from . Some of the clean-up outtakes were included on the 5 disc Disney Worlds Fair cd set .... every time you hear the tape speed up , that’s where Walt was cussing!!
Yay....more 1964 World's Fair pics! I wonder where the photographer was standing, when taking that last photo. It looks like part of the Progressland pavilion's roof/dome is in the lower left corner of the pic.
As for the second pic, I don't remember the Progressland dome having a finial on top. Is that a bird standing up there?
And speaking of birds, I hope José, Fritz, and Pierre did the Spanish, German, and French narrations, for The Magic Skyway!
- Toky O Tannenbaum!
We never made it to this World's Fair (3,000 miles away) but I gobbled up anything I could find about it. I knew of Disney's contributions of course. Mainly from his TV show. We also had the Flintstones comic book. And the National Geographic issue.
I remember being amazed by the U.S. Royal Tires giant ferris wheel. In a fair filled with fantastical things, the Uniroyal Giant Tire really caught my attention (I was eleven at the time).
I've always loved the crown rib roast pylons of the Ford Pavilion; so futuristic and sci-fi looking. This was still the era when the future was going to be gleaming white and clean and the world would be at peace and Mankind would produce wondrous things and build colonies on the Moon and Mars any day now... (sigh)
I'm not sure, but I don't think we see any Luminaires in these pics.
Clever name today, Toky O Tannenbaum.
Thanks Major, for another visit to the '64 World's Fair.
- Jettisoned Bicuspids (Hermey has been practicing his dentistry skills)
J. Bicuspids, I love your Rudolph and dental references, today!
I looked for my parents in these photos but couldn’t find them. I’ll assume that they are in the next car on the Magic Skyway.
TM!, sharp eye! That last photo had to have been taken from an observation platform on the Progressland building. While I haven’t had time this morning to dig up a description of the platform to confirm its existence or who might have been allowed to access it, if you look at today’s second photo, you can see what appears to be an accessible area between the two halves of the tower with the GE logo on it. If you track left at about the height of the word Electric and do a little extrapolating based on visual cues, you can just make out what looks like a walkway between the dome and that part of the tower. If you look at the map at http://www.nywf64.com/maps01.shtml and compare the relative positions of Progressland, the Bell System pavilion, and the Fountain of the Planets/Pool of Industry (located in the the center right of the map) to that photo, that image had to have been taken from that inferred walkway. No other logical explanation presents itself.
JB, I second TM!’s congratulations! We independently salute you together.
Do any full length ride-throughs exist for these attractions? I'd buy that for a dollar!
Interesting that the nuclear power came from fusion rather than fission. Even in 1964 they realized it would be much better. Unfortunately erector sets advanced enough to house the reactions had not been made yet. Any day now...
I would love to be in that first picture, on the Magic Skyway. Nothing cooler than riding in a beautiful convertible.
I like those pink tulip/flower lights on the Clairol building, last picture, (Clairol? Hair products? I’ll have to look it up when I have more time later today.)
I’m enjoying all the holiday names. “Sunday Night’s” full name (late yesterday) was great—in case you missed it. :oD
Thanks, Major!
Stu, your comment embiggened my understanding of the world I live in. I had no idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_U-238_Atomic_Energy_Laboratory
This photographer had s great sense of composition. Great angles and framing. That first shot of the rib roast building is particularly exciting.
Must’ve been White Headband Day at the Fair.
I miss the old future.
Sue, my Grandma let me take my driver’s test in her little red convertible. I felt like the coolest kid in town for an hour.
The GE building looks like it just landed, “take me to your Leader…”
After the rib roast building was taken down, the ribs were used later in Big Thunder Railroad.
Bright, clean pics today Major. Thanks!
JG
Voted one of the 10 most Dangerous Toys!
I REALLY want one!
Melissa, what a fun Grandma! I bet she wore the latest fashions and looked great, too!
Stu, what were the other nine?
Mike Cozart, thanks for the reminder that Walt’s narration was from the second season - I did know that at one time, but had forgotten! Somehow I’m never as shocked to hear Walt curse as some people seem to be, but that might be due to the fact that my dad was a Navy commander, and he could swear with the best of them!
TokyoMagic!, I thought that the photographer must have been at the Clairol pavilion, which was right next to Progressland, but that doesn’t make total sense to me. As for that “finial”, I’d never noticed it, but looking on Google, it’s there in other photos. Could it be a lightning rod? Or a red blinky light?
JB, I was a tiny child when the Fair was going, but I used to jokingly chastise my mom for not taking us there when we lived on the east coast. I also told her she could have taken us to Woodstock! Yes, that giant Uniroyal tire was quite a sight. It’s interesting to look at the sorts of buildings that have been designed for more recent fairs, like the huge Expo 2010 in Shanghai. There were many amazing buildings, but they didn’t seem to hint at a positive future. It was more a case of architects showing off - and who can blame them. And hey, where ARE the Luminaires, anyway? You’d think that some would show up in that last photo at least.
TokyoMagic!, when you think about it, dentists and dental workers are the real heroes.
Chuck, hmmm, never heard of an observation platform on the Progressland building, but that doesn’t mean that one didn’t exist. And, as you suggested, looking more closely at that photo seems to show that there is some sort of walkway or at least a portal into the dome from that height. Interesting! And funny how I haven’t really heard of this feature.
Stu29573, sadly there is not a lot of vintage film footage of these pavilions - even photos of the interiors are as scarce as hen’s teeth. From all accounts, the fusion demonstration was impressive, with a flash of light and a bang!
Lou and Sue, I agree, that would have been so cool. Thing of the views as you moved through the clear tubes! The Clairol pavilion had a feature where women (or men I guess!) could look in a mirror and see themselves with different hairstyles. Not sure how it worked exactly, but it sounds fun.
Chuck, those Gilbert atomic sets sometimes go up for auction, and I always covet them. Such a cool thing!
Melissa, I am a terrible photographer, but when somebody is at a place with as much eye candy as the World’s Fair, it was probably easier to take impressive photos! Your grandma had a red convertible, cool!
JG, if I recall correctly, by the second year, you could see cracks on those ribs of the Magic Skyway building. They really were only designed to last two seasons, which is so mind-blowing to think about today. Seems wasteful of such creativity (not to mention the materials).
Stu29573, was it actually a dangerous toy? Or were people just scared of the idea of anything “atomic”?
Lou and Sue, yes, good question, I need to know that too. My vote for one: the Baby Bazooka.
”The Clairol pavilion had a feature where women (or men I guess!) could look in a mirror and see themselves with different hairstyles. Not sure how it worked exactly, but it sounds fun.”
My guess is some variation on Pepper’s Ghost. I remember a touring Star Trek exhibit that came to the Buffalo Science Museum when I was a teenager; they had these glass boxes containing real costumes from the show on headless mannequins, and when you stood on just the right spot you could see your head on the costumed body. A museum worker told us how it worked - I don’t remember all the details, but I remember thinking, “Oh! Pepper’s Ghost!”
I had a free moment and looked-up the current 10 most dangerous toys. HERE'S ONE OF THEM. As my friend would say, "Ya THINK?!!!"
I had the pleasure of visiting all of the pavilions in todays post. Thanks for taking a back to the Fair, Major!
Dennis, Levittown NY
Actually, it apparently wasn't extremely dangerous. Still ecposure to it was said to be the same as being outside on a sunny day...ALL day...
Dennis, please describe what it was like on the Magic Skyway, and what was your favorite ride/attraction? Would love to hear more. (Thank you.)
Toky O, as you probably know, Hermey actually does use the word "bicuspids" in one of his dialogs.
Chuck, being in-dee-pen-dent together is the bestest way!
Stu, (have your injuries healed yet?), I was thinking the same thing; fusion rather than fission. I guess fission had too many bad connotations to be featured at an optimistic World's Fair.
Sue, all that pink decor pretty much guaranteed that no man ever set foot inside the Clairol Pavilion. ;-)
Chuck again, that Atomic Energy Set is amazing; as in, it's amazing it ever got made! I'm sure it was (somewhat) safe and benign. If it had come along about 10 years later, I'm sure I would have had one. I had a fairly extensive chemistry set at that time as well. Gilbert: one of Oregon's claim to fame. Along with the Eyerly Aircraft Company; they, who gave us the Rock-O-Plane, Octopus, and the Roll-O-Plane, among other carnival rides.
Stu again, I know! We also had the original Lawn Darts (#1 on the 'worst' list) with the 5 inch spikes. Sometimes the darts wouldn't stick in the lawn so we filed the tips good an' sharp. That did the trick!
Sue, as I mentioned above, Lawn Darts was #1 on the list. Not sure about the others. Pretty much any toy you wanted, or had, was probably on the list. I think Water Wiggle was one of them. Probably Slip-N-Slide and yo-yos as well.
Major & Mike C., Uncle Walt used swear words?!... Our Uncle Walt? I guess those are the "hard facts" he was really referring to.
Melissa, I’m sure you are right, it was probably the Pepper’s Ghost effect, though I was also thinking maybe it could also be something akin to the Hitchhiking Ghosts that ride in your Doom Buggy. That Star Trek exhibit at the Buffalo Science Museum sounds cool!
Lou and Sue, HA HA! Two hooked spikes, just the right size to go into eye sockets. How did that toy get approved??
dennis, you are a lucky man!
Stu29573, I love the idea of having a Saint-Tropez tan all year long!
Lou and Sue, that’s a good question!
JB, you can tell a bicuspid because it walks on two legs. I remember reading a story about a guy who harvested a radioactive element from hundreds of smoke detectors, to the point that he was experiencing radiation sickness. He wanted to build a homemade nuclear reactor! And lawn darts, I remember seeing a photo of a man at a soccer game with a lawn dart sticking out of his head. Yikes! We had a Water Wiggle when I was a kid, if it decided to hit you in the face, it was painful. I’ll bet Walt could swear with the best of them, you know those farm boys hear it all.
Favorite attractions: The entire TransportationArea. Ford, GM, Chrysler, Sinclair Dinoland. Also Kodak, Coca_Cola, 7-Up, Pepsi-Cola(Its a Small World),GE Progressland,AMF Monorail, and many more. When I drive by the old Fairgrounds on the Long Island Expressway I can still see the entire Worlds Fair in my mind!
Dennis, Levittown NY
as far as my memories of the Ford pavilion, my biggest memory is the disapointment that the car my family rode in on the Magic Skyway was a Fairlane.We of course wanted a Mustang!
Dennis, Levittown NY
Dennis, out of curiosity, how many times did you get to visit the Fair?
Dennis, thank you for sharing!
Mike C: I have that CD set and was surprised at how much they cut when I heard an unedited version online. I don't mind the edited version - it's a little disturbing hearing Walt clearly suffering symptoms of the lung cancer that would kill him a few months later.
TM: I think the finial is the top of the Mormon pavilion on the other side of the Pool of Industry. It's the right shape and looks like the right place based on the fair uranium right off of Amazon today. Now I know what to get my nephew this year for Christmas.
I always imagined Walt cussing kind of like Yosemite Sam, with all the consarns and dadgums and goldangs. I'll have to keep an eye out for that recording.
Sue, Grandma could be very fun indeed. I recently found and scanned one of my favorite pictures of her.
I went to the fair only 3 times. I had friends who lived near the fair who used to jump the fence and go all the time.
Chuck, thanks for that info about where that last pic was probably taken. I did some searching online, and that opening/doorway in the dome of the G.E. pavilion can be seen really well, in the very first pic on this page:
https://www.worldsfairphotos.com/nywf64/general-electric.htm
Major, I think the real hero is actually fluoride. And of course, the tooth fairy!
J. Bicuspids, I do remember Hermey mentioning bicuspids, and molars! Some years ago, my brother gave me a little Hermey figure. The accessories that came with him were, forceps, a couple of teeth, and a "Dentistry" textbook!
Dean Finder, thanks for the info about the Mormon Pavilion. That "finial" does look like one of the two finials which were atop the Mormon pavilion's two "side" towers. And the angle looks right, too. Major, I saw few pics online, with the "finial" over the G.E. pavilion, but I saw some aerial pics, and it isn't there. Then I found a pic with the finial, but it's off center, so I think Dean Finder might be right about the location.
Melissa, awwwww! What a great photo of your grandma! I also have a photo of my grandmother, with the Eater Bunny (circa 1976/'77)!
Dennis, it’s funny how special experiences like visiting a World’s Fair or a Disneyland at just the right time in our lives can have an outsize impact on our memories. I only went to Disneyland 5 times as a kid, and yet the way the Park looked then is indelibly burned in my brain as though it was yesterday. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that there are maps and photographs to help /jog our memories, but the impact is no less. Thanks so much for sharing!
TM!, the “Eater Bunny” - is that like the Rabbit of Caerbannog?
Run away! Run away!
Chuck, ha, ha! "Eater Bunny" was a typo! I had to look up the "Rabbit of Caerbannog." "Holy Grail" is the only Monty Python movie that I haven't seen! :-O
Post a Comment