More Autopia, April 1959
I love me some vintage Autopia photos - the little automobiles are so cool, and I love seeing the "freeway of the future" (beautifully landscaped). There were plenty of "little car rides" all over the country, but there was nothing like the Autopia.
Check out Speed Racer (where's Chim-Chim?) in his Mach V... I mean his Mark IV as he went speeding by. The photographer managed to keep him in focus while the background was a blur. Notice the Disneyland Railroad in the distance, stopped at Tomorrowland Station.
Meanwhile, over at the load area... perhaps the guy to the right is waiting for his buddy to exit? He's just standing there. I've said it before, but I'll bet those two cast members, grown men (not teens) could afford to live in a cozy Anaheim home and raise a family with their Disneyland wages. When I was a kid, a friend of a friend had a dad who was a manager at a Taco Bell, they lived in a lovely house. Things change. BUT I DIGRESS.
If we look beyond those two fellows, we can see the Monorail beamway being built. Too bad there were no photos in this lot showing the Matterhorn or Subs also under construction.
17 comments:
Major-
Our young speed demon in the first image bears a frightening resemblance to me at that time. Scary-! I see the gentleman in the second image is about to pickup a loose $100 bill just lying there on the ground. Disneyland was that kinda place back then: Wealth at your fingertips-!
Thanks, Major.
First pic- In the thumbnail image, it looks like that foreground shrub has been torn to pieces and is actually on the roadway, and tangled in the wheel well of Speed Racer's car... CURB JUMPER!
Which leads us to:
The second pic- The CM closest to us looks very 'no nonsense'. He's not gonna allow any rule breaking under his watch; no siree! One little nudge on the car in front of you and yer swan food!
Nanook, That thing does look a lot like a fat money clip. Wonder what it is? Ticket book, maybe?
Thanks, Major.
Nanook's doppelgänger looks like he might have a pretty nice camera around his neck. Or maybe he bought it at Merlin's Magic Shop, and it just squirts water.....and disappearing ink.
That guy standing awkwardly to the side by himself could have been me at every single junior high dance I ever attended. Perhaps if I’d gone into the gym where the dance floor was rather than hiding in the Autopia load area 2,000 miles away, my dance card might have been a little more full. Hindsight is 20/20 or better….
I told ya...those Autopia people were tough...looks like 20 years prior to me it was all the same. Nice to see the Monorail in progress. Thats the first I've seen taken by a mortal rather than a studio shot. I still remain mystified over the popularity of this attraction- but I think it's just me. If...or rather "when" they decide to pull the plug on this ride I believe the natives will become quite restless...possibly taking over Tom Sawyer Island and raising an Autopia flag. History always repeats itself. Re: Taco Bell/Living wage: I always wanted to experience working at a typical fast food restaurant. If you are a franchise "magnate" you actually can turn (literal) millions of dollars. A coworker of mine at DL had a neighbor who owned that McDonalds across the street from the park and was quite the zillionaire. Then I thought..."you worked at Coke Terrace...really? That was fun for you? That was even IN Disneyland, and STILL was not a favorite job.." that inquisitive desire soon fades away. Thanks for more cars this morning Major!
The contrast between the carefree delight of the kid in the first picture (he's off to his local Plymouth/De Soto dealer to tell them Groucho sent him) and the serious expressions of the adults in the second (they poop out at parties and are unpopular).
Nanook, Your speed demon doppelgänger does not have a Mickey Mouse watch on! Not even a Paul Newman Daytona like yours. I guess that immense camera makes up for some of that.
That guy approaching that $100 bill is certainly cool dresser, with white shoes and all. You would have been a killer on the dance floor if you had come out of hiding Chuck. Can't think of a better hiding place though.
Thanks Major, hope all is well with you.
In photo 1, there is a CM helping a driver on the overpass. He is still there in photo 2, I wonder If that location had a good view for shenanigan control?
I notice fire extinguishers mounted on the light poles. A prudent precaution. The one for the overpass is mounted high up on the pole, only reachable from the upper level. I wonder how frequently these were needed?
Chuck’s stand-in in photo 2 has his ticket book in the regulation breast pocket. You can see the cascaded colored papers if you zoom in.
Also photo 2, you can just see the raw end of the monorail beam sitting on the column waiting to be connected to the next piece of the puzzle.
Fun pictures today, Major! Thank you!
JG
I think photo 1 of yesterday’s set is taken from nearly the same spot as todays photo 2, with a slight change in angle. Notice how much the trees have grown from 1958 (?) to 1963.
I’m guessing 58 since the monorail opened in 59.
JG
Nanook II in the top picture has no idea that he's doing something that future drivers would only dream of...Run Free (cue modified version of "Born Free," prepare for audience tears).
In the second pic, Chuck II looks like he's unsure about picking up that hundred bucks. "Will the ride guys judge me? Is it cool to pick up money off the ground? I guess I'd better just leave it..."
I'll never understand how people can walk by change on the ground like they're too good to pick it up. Not me! I'll push an old lady over running for a penny! And LIKE it!
Melissa - wow a YBYL and ILL reference in the same post!
Re: picking up stuff on the ground at Disneyland - I remember reading that sometimes guests would sometimes throw their unused tickets on the ground outside the gate at the end of their visit thinking they would never use them again. And savvy local kids would pick them up!
Last time I was at WDW I picked up some of the Mickey-shaped confetti they threw at the afternoon parade and saved it, but I misplaced it before I got home.
Melissa, we did the same. It might be in our scrapbook from the trip, but I'm not holding my breath.
JG...there is a position for a CM...or two...to be in the 'back area' supervising traffic...for breakdowns and moving the little kiddies along the motorway. Good eye!! As for more mature CMs in the early years, yes, it was a sufficient wage for many to make it a career...or nearly a career. I was at the tail end in the 70s working with some of them nearing retirement. But even then, I can recall a married couple, both CMs, maybe 5 years older than me, with a home in Corona and a Porsche 912 in the garage. Working full time, with union negotiated benefits. KS
Oh my, our dear Stu pushes over old ladies, and likes it! ;-) (At least he got a penny out of it.)
Melissa, was that the Vitameatavegamin episode?
KS, thanks for the confirmation.
That fellow looked like he was on a task familiar to me.
I developed a whole crowd observation technique as an assistant Scoutmaster. I would position myself at the back of the crowd where the boys were in formation listening to the Scoutmaster.
Easier to spot the cut-ups from behind and offer some quiet correction without making a fuss. Easier on everyone to settle them down without having to shout.
JG
JG, you, too?
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