Town Square Vehicles, April 1959
After scanning a fairly large lot of slides from April of 1959, I was surprised to find that there were only two photos taken from Main Street USA. It's no surprise that many visitors took their first four or five photos as they first entered the Magic Kingdom; the only comparable place was a movie backlot.
If you're only going to take two Main Street photos, they might as well be nice ones like this! There's the antique Firetruck, the driver is "doing donuts" in Town Square (while shouting the lyrics to "Zip-a-dee-doo-da"). As one does. Everything's so bright and clean, and... where are the crowds?
And there's a Horse Drawn Streetcar (or "Horse Car" I guess), only two passengers are disembarking. The elbow of a guest aboard the Firetruck. At this point, I don't believe that there was anything going on inside the Opera House (at least not anything that guests could enjoy). Hard to imagine that in just two months, the park would be crawling with people for the debut of the Matterhorn, Subs, and Monorail.
27 comments:
The driver of the firetruck looks a little 'off' to me. He has an unnatural pose. I think he's an animatronic figure that has gained awareness and is making a daring get-away.
Those ladies seem perfectly OK with having that vehicle careening around so close to them.
Yep, that's a mighty fine elbow in the second pic, Major. Looks sorta like it's pointing at something; like Arne Saknussemm pointing his skeletal finger toward the volcanic shaft in the sunken city of Atlantis. Hmm, I think I got sidetracked.
I can't decide if that scuffed-up running board on the streetcar is 'good show' or 'bad show'. It looks more real world-ish this way. But this Main Street is supposed to be idealized and perfect.
- Jungle Bells (an old song from the '50s that I just remembered- https://youtu.be/f6LyQo68XZU)
A naked elbow in the second pic, and a fully clothed elbow in the first pic. Actually, the elbow in the second pic has a short sleeve just above it, so maybe it's the equivalent of a "mooning" elbow. "Don't loooook Ethel!" It was too late.....
Is that a UFO hovering way above Tomorrowland, in the second pic?
- Tokyo Myrrh!
The driver is doing crazy donuts around those three ladies! "Don't make eye contact and he'll go away, Agnus." Grandma on the far right isn't impressed. She's been through it all before.
The guy that got off the streetcar is thinking "Now, where am I? Nothing looks familiar!" That one end of the street to the other ride can really confuse a guy!
Major, there was something going on at the Opera House then: The Lyric Opera of Anaheim, in collaboration with The Firehouse Five + Two, staged a rarely performed Monteverdi opera, "Domenica nel Parco Con Gualtiero" ( or Sunday in the Park With Walt). It was a stopgap attraction and not well attended, but did win much press praise, the Orange County Register comparing the countertenor to Mickey Mouse.
I don't remember where I read this, maybe the Disneyland Book of Days, or maybe four months just skipped ahead.
I sure miss Main Street when it looked real...
...and uncrowded.
I have to run off now and pre-order my Dole Whip, beignets, and Plaza Inn fried chicken on the mobile app before getting into the virtual queue for the 6 hour wait to get into Wookie World and waiting 45 minutes for a coffee at what used to be the Market House.
I don't think I like where Disneyland is headed now.
Thanks Major, for the look back.
JG
JB, the driver reminds me of “Johnny Cab” from “Total Recall”! You might have gotten sidetracked by the elbow, but at least it was entertaining. I’m sure Walt would have preferred that his park always look brand new and perfect, but the wear and tear caused by hundreds of thousands of guests was just a fact of life.
TokyoMagic!, somehow I have the feeling that elbows will be the new dents. Everyone loves an elbow! And that is not a UFO, it is a flying saucer. If it was unidentified, that would be a different story.
Stu29573, it’s not easy to do donuts at 5 mph, but that driver has been practicing in his spare time and he’s gotten good at it. And you know that grandmas really have seen it all. Maybe the streetcar guy was supposed to meet his friends, and they all ditched him because he can’t stop talking about life insurance.
Stefano, I feel silly not remembering that famous performance of “Domenica nel Parco Con Gualtiero”, but it is not talked about often on Disney circles. Probably because the public was not yet ready for such a daring opera. I gotta find me a copy of the Disneyland Book of Days.
JG, it’s funny because I’m sure that today’s photos would just look boring to many people today. Just a couple of slow rides on Main Street? No thanks! But I would love to go back to the day these pictures were taken and ride both of those attractions. I’m not crazy about where the park is these days either, and it’s more about the steps taken to manage the big crowds more than it is the park itself.
Major, you are correct, that IS a flying saucer....on a day when Maintenance had all the air pressure ‘valves’ working properly.
Lou and Sue, I guess they had an excess of air pressure on that day!
Tokyo Myrrh! (my, aren't we getting esoteric!), if you zoom in to the UFO, say 300% or 400%, you can plainly see that it is indeed a bright pink Band-Aid. EviDENTly, the thing that caused The Dent also scraped a tear in the sky above Disneyland. And unlike The Dent, The Tear was just too noticeable (also, the atmosphere was leaking out). So the Imagineers made a big Band-Aid and stuck it to the sky. They chose pink because, well you know, pink and blue are Disneyland's colors (for Disneyland's 50th, they added gold trim). The Big Pink Band-Aid is much more noticeable than the original tear but they got Johnson & Johnson to sponsor it. So it didn't cost Disney anything, and that's what matters.
Looking at Stu's, Stefano's, and JG's comments, plus my own, I'd say the Snark-O-Meter has gone off the scale.
Major, EXACTLY! "Johnny Cab". I knew the driver looked familiar but I couldn't place it!
So the Dent predates Fudgie?
Melissa, Fudgie was discovered on January 3 of this year, by TokyoMagic! I think The Dent was discovered after January 3, but I’m not certain—and I don’t have the time to research, at the moment. I would love to know which Jr Gorilla made that discovery.
I don't meant GDB's discovery of those phenomena, but their actual existence.
Yes, The Dent was first.
I'd still like to know if other forums/fan sites have known of, and discussed The Dent before ussin's did. I bet we're the only ones who capitalize it! And like the Major said yesterday, I'd wager we're the only ones who have seen Disneyland's second whale. Although, word has probably gotten out by now.
JB, we're all BIG Disneyland geeks/nerds, and I don't think any of us had EVER heard of it [or noticed it], before. I sure hadn't. I'd wager we're the first to identify and/or discuss The Dent.
I'm going to try to find the GDB post where "we" discovered it...as I do want to see who did the discovering. I think we should promote him/her to Top Banana of the Year, right under Major - at this year's Christmas party.
Please chime in, anyone, if you heard of The Dent, before seeing it on GDB...
OK...I've started digging through past posts (I'm not done yet), so I'm still not positive who commented first, but on August 24, 2021, Stefano commented:
"The last photo recalls the postcard of Walt Disney standing with a throng of his characters. The dent in the middle of the turret cone on the right is faintly visible here; it is very evident in the Disney postcard, because the picture was taken in slanting morning sunlight. Apparently the dent was there from opening day, and never fixed; a likable flaw.
Sue, my memory of the first mention of the Dent was a discussion of a SBC pic posted by the Major, showing the Dent. An old-timer Junior Gorilla (I want to say it was Stefano, but pretty sure it was not Mike C) that I recognized, but can't recall who, commented on the Dent as if it were common knowledge.
There were some follow-up comments about a very early photo of Walt with a group of costume Characters in front of the SBC, taken from a similar angle to the posted picture, again with the Dent clearly visible. This other photo, which was never posted, or linked, was reported to be a postcard or a book cover, or something like that, proving the Dent was an Opening Day Attraction.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
JG
Sue, that is my memory, you found it.
JG
August 24, 2021 shall hereafter be proclaimed "Dent Day", so ordered.
JG
And of course, as Sue noted, TokyoMagic! deserves special recognition for discovering Fudgie. Maybe he (Fudgie) was previously known elsewhere by a different name (or no name)? Until proven otherwise, TokyoMagic! gets that honor!
I referred to him (Fudgie) as Disneyland's second whale. Are there any other whales, besides Monstro, in the park?
Sue, as JG noted, I think there are earlier references? I'm pretty sure there would have been a lot of OMG!!s following the first mention.
JG, I dunno, the jury is still out. Was there a whole lot of discussion during that post, after the sighting?
Okay, after reading most of the August 24th post, the Major said this (in response to Stefano)- "I’ve never heard of the dent in that spire, what’s the story there??". Also, Celeste later said- "Stefano and Major, I’ve never heard of the dent in the turret either! Now I need to know more…". This surely adds credence to this being THE date!
Yep, I'm done searching, and Stefano was the first to mention The Dent on August 24, 2021! (If I'm wrong, please speak up.)
I think TokyoMagic! AND Stefano should co-chair as Top Bananas of the Year, under our leader. How does that sound, Major? (TM! and Stefano, just remember to wear all-yellow at the Christmas party.)
Most importantly, Stefano PLEASE chime in on what you know about The Dent. When and where did YOU hear about it? Would love to hear more.
Now I have to search for that original postcard with The Dent...
Sue, we posted at the same time (sorta). I think you're right, August 24th it is! (for now, anyway)
JB, yep, and now I'm looking forward to hearing more from Stefano, or anyone else who knew about The Dent, before the August 24 GDB post...
JG, you better order those snacks quick, else you might find them smaller than you remember. Said (out loud) on a recent earnings call:
We can cut portion size, which is probably good for some people’s waistlines.” – Christine McCarthy, CFO, The Walt Disney Company
really don't like where Disney is going...
"...really don't like where Disney is going..."
Dean, apparently a lot of other folks feel the same way...their stock is tanking.
To be fair to 'Disney,' have you seen all the freebies you get, if your family goes to WDW (and spends, maybe, $12,000 for a week's vacation)?
Check out THIS CURRENT ARTICLE!
* sarcasm detector goes off loudly *
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