Tomorrowland, November, 1959 (and more)
Hooray for Lou and Sue, providers of so many great vintage photos - taken by Lou Perry, and scanned and shared for us by Sue B.!
This first one is "not like the others"... for some reason I didn't share it with other vintage Fantasyland photos. I blame society. But I'll bet you'll enjoy it just as much today. It's from 1958, when the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-thru was pretty new (having debuted on April 29, 1957). I sure wish I knew what the original dioramas looked like, but photos of that sort of thing are rare-to-nonexistent. The walk-thru closed after the 9-11 attacks in 2001, but reopened, with new and improved scenes and effects in 2008. I love it!
OK, now let's get on with the main event, a series of photos taken by Lou when the 1959 iteration of Tomorrowland was still NEW and shiny. It must have blown people's minds, when you think of what a typical amusement park looked like, with their steel rollercoasters and various spinning rides. Not that there's anything wrong with those (we love those rides, Andrew!).
Who could have ever imagined living to see submarines gliding through blue-green water, while a Monorail beamway curves overhead? We just saw a streamlined rocket-shaped train pass by, what a sight. THE FUTURE IS NOW.
Ya gotta have at least one Skyway view. I'm pretty sure that's in the Constitution. Or maybe I read it in a comic book, it's so hard to keep things straight. It's pretty hard to believe how uncrowded the park is, a mere five months after so many fabulous attractions debuted at Disneyland. Lou could have gone on every ride with hardly any wait at all!
MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!
44 comments:
The Sleeping Beauty walk-thru photo looks a little eerie without any people (or strollers) cluttering it up. We don't often see the walk-thru entrance or that exit to Frontierland sign and tunnel. Leave it to Lou Perry to document it for us to enjoy all these years later.
In the first Tomorrowland photo, I like that yellow and red color combo of the Bobsled. The only part of the Matterhorn we can see is the alpine foothills on the extreme left. Is that the striped roof of the Jr. Autopia?
Lou must've had mixed feelings about this visit because his favorite attraction is no longer here: the Viewliner.
The 2nd T-land photo is reversed, going by the names on the subs. What are the red and white things atop the waterfall?
Many thanks to Lou & Sue & Major for today's photos.
Major-
Yes, just look at the lack of guests. Where were they all hiding-? Hadn't they gotten the message: 'There's always something new', including 'New Disneyland Ticket books!'
I wonder if Lou rode on the ИƎ⅃⅃A ИAHTƎ-?
Thanks, Lou & Sue.
Nice photos today- thanks Lou and Sue (& Major too). The sub pictures always bring back memories of my time working there. The subs sure look weathered for how new they are.
I see JB & Nanook already mentioned that the 3rd pic is reversed. I was going to say that it was either flipped or those are the names in Russian...;)
-DW
The Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough always seemed to be closed on our off-season visits in my childhood, so I never got to see the original version of the attraction. I’d never thought about it before, but that was almost certainly an operational decision based on low throughput on slow days - the cost of spaying a cast member to stand there, waiting to take tickets for guests who weren’t coming, was more than the revenue generated by the tickets themselves.
The Matterhorn’s absence in the second image completely changes the look of this corner of the Park. Without that feature, everything looks flat. It might as well be converted agricultural land.
The third picture is a prime example of why Disneyland didn’t default to spinner rides like most amusement parks of the day - one ride on the Astro Jets and your camera negatives were all turned around. GAF film was especially sensitive to this.
JB, I think those red, white (and one blue in the last image) things on top of the sub lagoon waterfalls are lights.
In addition, they probably had a hard time finding cast members who were willing to be neutered to be able to work the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough. Staffing troubles like this had to have hastened the change to a single price admission.
I hate autocorrect so much…
I see that they provided a handy ashtray to put out your cigarettes before going into the castle. If only they would do that today!
The third picture isn't reversed, the rest of the world is. See, I just blew your mind.
The last picture shows a great view of how they kept Coach passengers away from 1st Class on the subs. The front 1st Class compartment featured full meals, drinks and mermaid hostesses. But I'm sure this well heeled group already knew that.
Great pics, Lou
(By the way, Sue, let Lou know that I bought my first 36 exp roll of Ilford C41 B&W film on Saturday. The Return To Film Journey begins!)
Such great photos to start off the week. I remember the original dioramas because my parents loved those kind of things and we were obliged to follow along. Once inside it was a thrill to be actually inside the castle and looking at those marvelous little scenes. Made sure we took the walk-thru every trip after that, right up until it went away. Went to the park after 2008 a couple of times and enjoyed the new "improved" scenes, but for some reason don't remember much of them except for the witch.
Thank you Lou, for taking these pics, sans people. It was such an exciting time. Our summer trips to the park way back then were almost as anticipated as much as Christmas day. Maybe just as much.
Thanks Sue and Lou and Major. That first pic brings back memories.
As always, Lou and Sue never disappoint.
Major, you are forgiven for posting the diorama sign out of context, we still love you. And the entrance is entrancing, complete with ashtray. I wonder if the sand had the Disney logo pressed into it? Bu would know.
The subs in pic 3 are reversed, but that means we can ride them again backward and start at the volcano. I think those lights over the waterfall were operational signals, maybe red light means “101”? I don’t recall the subs breaking down often, but those memories are almost 60 years old and a bit threadbare. I never get first class seats on the subs, business class with extended legroom is sufficient and saves me a few bucks.
Good stuff today Major!
JG
The third pic is clearly from a Lou's visit to Bizarro Disneyland. Not only is everything spelled backwards the subs drive backwards.
I'd like to hear and see more from his visit to orraziB danlyensiD.
Sue, were you there with him? :)
Yes, Grant, I was there, but my parents didn’t know it, yet. ;o)
Lou & Sue & the Major too
Show us things when they were new
I love how that area of Tomorrowland always looks go-go-go with all the overlapping modes of transportation.
@ JB-
That striped roof belongs to the new Fantasyland Autopia. The Junior Autopia closed on December 15, 1958.
JB, seeing the entrance to the Sleeping Beauty walk-thru so empty makes me REALLY wish I could go inside and look around! No crowds of people to be jostled by. I like the old color schemes of the bobsleds too, the yellow and green ones (not visible here) are great too Yes, the striped roof is the Junior Autopia. And that photo isn’t reversed, YOU’RE reversed! Sorry, I get defensive. That’s what I get for only looking at the thumbnail while writing the text for today’s post. I have no idea what the red/white thing atop that waterfall is!
Nanook, I’m going to cut to the chase and ask how the heck you did the backwards text!
DW, I’m sure there were many plumb jobs at Disneyland, but working the Subs seems like it would have been up there! I probably promised Sue that I could flip that photo, and then I forgot about it when the time arrived. D’oh.
Chuck, back in the old days I’m not sure I knew that guests could even go inside Sleeping Beauty Castle; this was before the internet could tell us every detail, and as I’ve said before, my parents seemed to have a routine, there were attractions that we would ride without fail, and others that we always skipped without fail. Not sure why. Photo #2 gives away how generally flat Anaheim is, though there are hills of course, you can see them in certain photos (though not today). I wonder why there needed to be lights on top of the Submarine waterfalls? It’s not like boats were traversing the waters up there.
Chuck, luckily most new hires didn’t read the fine print of their contracts. The trip to the vet always surprised them.
Stu29573, nowadays smoking isn’t allowed in the park at ALL. While I am no fan of cigarettes, it seems kind of cruel to require smokers to actually leave the park to smoke. It seems hard to believe that they couldn’t continue to have designated areas, hopefully away from the hubbub; and they could put in fans or air filters or something. I’m sure the Disney folks are trying to remove as much liability as they can. Wow, you bought film?! Where do you even get it processed? Is it coming back, like vinyl records?
DrGoat, I wish I’d done the walk-thru all the time like you did, but alas… we didn’t. I was recently telling somebody that the dioramas (such as the Grand Canyon example) are some of my favorite features at the park, in spite of their low tech. Of course the new ones in the castle have some sweet Pepper’s Ghost illusions that I also love. The more you learn about how they achieved it, the more impressive it is.
JG, I think I expected to get more Fantasyland scans from Sue, but then she zigged (or maybe she zagged?) and sent other stuff instead. So I had one scan left over. I finally decided I needed to share it, she probably sent it to me a year ago. I don’t know about going through the Sub ride backwards, but I always did think it would be fun to swim through with a mask and snorkel. I’ve heard that the Subs did sometimes break down, but don’t know if that was common. Those diesel engines are pretty reliable. I like your theory about the red lights, I wish we could confirm it.
Grant, I am all for a “Bizarro Disneyland”, how can we make it happen? It would only cost several billion dollars.
Lou and Sue, I get it! I got a “C+” in biology, not to brag.
Melissa, any nice pix of the park from these days make me happy, and Lou’s pix are always nice!
Nanook, OH YEAH. Once again, I am in the wrong. But you guys should be used to it by now.
Major, I am utterly ignorant of the submarine operational protocols, but...
Regarding the function of what we think are those lights on the waterfall, I am reasoning from comparison with Jungle Cruise and the Mark Twain/Columbia.
Both of those attractions have signal lights in unobtrusive locations that presumably indicate some kind of operational info. Stop-go-101 etc.
I think KS or one of the other former CM's commented on the JC light which used to be next to the figure of Trader Sam right at the end of the route. The other light is in the shrubbery on the right of the entry to Fowlers Harbor. I think this one is still in the same spot, but somewhat revised for the Splash Mountain additions to that area.
If I remember correctly, the ride supervisors used these to signal the boat operators about conditions ahead.
JG
I would guess that the lights above the waterfall are like block signals for trains - warning the next sub not to enter the show building until there's enough space behind the last one for the effects to reset.
If only all the "typical amusement parks" had taken their cue from Disneyland and added a monorail and a submarine ride. Although most parks picked up on the technology of the Matterhorn--the most important steel coaster ever built--the execution never matches that of Disneyland.
If I had been alive when Disneyland opened, I probably would've thought that the only thing it needed was a great wooden roller coaster. Of course, that would be a terrible idea... or not. ;-0
Thanks, Lou and Sue
So the lights tell you when you shouldn't go chasing waterfalls?
Sue, so it was your first visit to Disneyland, so to speak. :)
Major, A Bizarro Disneyland would be something very strange. It would cost no money to get in, none of the rides would be fun and the cast members would be like sketchy carnival Carnies.
FYI for those not of a certain-age or familiar with Superman comics, Bizarro Superman lived on a cube shaped planet called htraE where the inhabitants were duplicated earthlings, Bizarros, who did everything opposite of Earth. So yeah, Bizarro Disneyland would be quite a thing to design and build.
We can start with Gorillaland. Which will, of course, have nothing to do with gorillas. :D
There'd be a Yesterdayland, Realityland, Side Street USSR, Old Orleans Circle, Humdrum Routineland, and Interiorland.
What would be wrong with a "Classic Disneyland" where they would rebuild all the defunct attractions we all miss - Adventure Thru Inner Space, Carousel of Progress, The Viewliner, Skyway, etc., etc? You would have to buy ticket books and no restaurant or ride line reservations via an app.
My favorite "ride"...the Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough. I'd much rather see that, than pirates, or flying dumbi, or really...anything...so silly, but it was always a huge fascination for me. Without all of the awning fanfare, the entrance is really just a literal hole in the wall. However, that awning is quite the awning. The more I type awning the stranger the word is looking...turn the subs into a private dinner cruise! These people don't know how to make money. Perhaps it's a sleep-over too? I would take an exclusive Club 33, no one can see it but the special people thing over filling in the sub hole and putting some IP "thing" in there. I am looking in the crystal ball and I'm afraid that makes more financial sense despite the outrage it would cause. Change the monorail system, make the lagoon an ACTUAL lagoon/aquarium with real fish and creatures, then build a glass tube where the monorail goes underwater. This would be kind of a "show within the show" like the Grand Canyon on the DLRR. I am happy to spend all of The Walt Disney Companies money on my ideas. They stole my Mary Poppins ride idea for EPCOT, so now they owe me an underwater Monorail! Thanks Lou and Sue for the unique Vues!
Major-
I’m going to cut to the chase and ask how the heck you did the backwards text!" I typed it in front of a mirror, naturally-!
@ Melissa-
"So the lights tell you when you shouldn't go chasing waterfalls?" I think it's more about chasing rainbows, believe it or not.
With the way those lights are spaced out around the upper pool, I really think they are just accent lights for Disneyland After Dark rather than for any signaling purposes..
The two-disc DVD release of "Sleeping Beauty" includes a virtual recreation of the original walk-through, including some peepholes where goblins looked back at you with your own eye (yes, done with mirrors). It closely mirrored the design of the movie, if not the precise scenes.
The legend is that when Walt and some others went inside the unused castle space when planning the walkthrough, they encountered plentiful feral cats and swarms of hungry fleas.
What the castle really needs is a dungeon. It would have cells for unruly brats, and a quiet bar for their parents.
Nanook, how the heck did you write the letters backward? Some sort of html wizardry? (Edit: Major asked the same thing, with the same wording!)
Chuck, yes, I can imagine the difficulty finding CMs willing to be spayed. More of Walt's hard facts.
Stu, yeah but, first class has a $25.00 upcharge. And besides, 1st class always smells kinda fishy (the mermaids, y'know).
Sue, hope you didn't get lost! ;-)
Nanook again, thanks for the info. I thought perhaps the Jr. Autopia was gone by this time; now I know!
Major, WHAT?!? So who's right? I won't be able to sleep tonight!
And yer right- If I turn around, bend over and look through my legs, the photo is no longer reversed. Thanks for the life-hack!
Major, the old SBC dioramas also had Pepper's Ghost effects. At least, if I'm recalling my 1975 walk-thru-the-castle correctly. I remember seeing shimmering sparkles shining down on Sleeping Beauty in one diorama.
OK, so Nanook is correct... no Jr. Autopia. I will sleep soundly tonight.
Andrew, I think a wooden coaster in Disney parks would be great. Treat it like a mine train ride (only, with wood instead of tubular steel) and theme the heck out of it. You'd get all the noise and jostling around associated with wooden coasters plus all the visuals of a mine train; with fast and slow sections.
Melissa, now I'm trying to think how can add waterfalls to our "danger list" of swans and ducks.
Grant, and Gorillaland would be overseen by a guy named Major Pepperidge who, of course, is not a Major, nor has anything to do with cookies.
Melissa again, I like your 'Lands'... it could work!
Sunday Night, now yer just being silly. Who'd want that?! ;-)
Bu, awning, awning, awning... Hmm, yer right, odd. I like your Sub ideas. Treat it like "Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser". Guests stay in the Subs for 2 nights and 2 days for the low, low price of $4,000 dollars. A totally immersive experience! (pun intended)
Nanook, in a mirror? Wow! I'm gonna go try that right now!!
Chuck, I think I agree about the lights being just decorative accent lights.
DBenson, a dungeon. Good idea, but there would always be a mile-long line to get in, with the cells for unruly brats and the bar.
JG, your reasoning is logical, though I am amazed that it has gone all the way to the year 2022 for me to know about these signal lights! They must have been visible in plenty of other old photos, but I just never noticed. And it also makes sense because the subs would vary in the times they took to load. If you happened to have somebody not very mobile, I’m sure it could slow things down considerably. So a signal system would be very useful, if not absolutely necessary. Thanks for the great info!
Dean Finder, yes, that seems to be the consensus! You guys are all smarter than me.
Andrew, I’ve always been intrigued by the submarine ride (sponsored by General Dynamics, I believe) at Pacific Ocean Park. Was it a simulator ride? I really have no idea! I wish I had Chris Merritt’s excellent book nearby, but I don’t recall a description of it. When you think about it though, most parks did not have the money or the creative staff that Walt had. The subs were famously expensive to operate, and were (are) generally pretty low-capacity. An Imagineer-designed wooden coaster is an interesting idea!
Melissa, so THAT’S what TLC was singing about!
Sunday Night, I WANT THAT NOW!
Bu, I’m such a fan of those simple attractions like the castle walk-thru. Not sure why, and based on the last few times I’ve visited, it was popular with the fans as well. I guess I just love a diorama, and when you throw in some good Pepper’s Ghost effects, you have a winner. Ha ha, “awning”, it is kind of a weird word now that you mention it. They could make a special “sleeper sub” with a bar, a big screen TV, and yes, a BATHROOM, so that rich folks could sleep underwater. I’m sure you’ve read that the original concept for the lagoon was that it would be filled with real fish, but the amount of chlorine required to keep things free of algae would have killed any Nemos. So… fiberglass fish it was. I think I would be much more keen on spending the night with the dinosaurs, as long as they shut off the roaring at some point.
Nanook, sometimes the answer is so simple!
Chuck, heresy! Or… maybe you’re right. I’m so dizzy.
DBenson, yes, I have that disc, it’s great. And I recently got to visit with a former Imagineer who had some great reference from that attraction as well as a bunch of other stuff. It was a fun time! I’ve heard that flea story, and used to rent a room (when I went to college) at a house with 2 dogs and 3 cats. I walked through the living room in my socks, and noticed that they were covered in little black specks. FLEAS!! Ugh it was gross. I moved soon afterwards. One early magazine article (LIFE, I think) mentions a dungeon idea, and even a torture chamber. That would have been interesting!
I have not been able to find those "lights" or whatever they are in any other pictures. They don't seem to have been there for long. Maybe they were marking off the kiddie area from the deep end back when it was a wading pool as part of the General Dynamics corporate lounge. That only lasted until the first GD employee fell over the falls. Here's what it looked like at night in 1959.
JB, they could have hired the cats to man (or maybe feline is the word I want) the SBC walk-through turnstile rather than evicting them. If I am remembering the story right, part of the removal process involved having them spayed and de-flead before finding every last one of them a new home. Problem solved!
Chuck, you mean there aren't any feral cats in Disneyland anymore? I'm bummed.
@ Andrew and The Major-
Chris Merritt to the rescue. The Nautilus was housed inside the WESTINGHOUSE Enchanted Forest. “... Walk through and explore the reactor room, the torpedo room, the control room of the “Nautilus”, details never before cleared by security.
Led through by the voice of Commander W. R. Anderson, the Nautilus skipper, you’ll hear recordings of commands made during actual voyages...
The Westinghouse Enchanted Forest also features the House of Tomorrow, “built” right before your very eyes, and the Atomic City, devoted to the development of atomic power for peace-time use.
Your guides through the Westinghouse Enchanted Forest are “Jack and Jill” right out of Fairy Land.”
Seems an odd choice to have ‘Jack and Jill’ guiding guests through displays of the future, but there it is. Perhaps it struck someone as a ‘soothing way’ to bridge the past [or fantasy] with the future. (Evidently it was too complicated a task to assign to Elektro-!)
JG, Dean Finder & Chuck are all sort of correct when it comes to the lights. There were a few places in the ride where there were red & green lights (block signals about conditions ahead)- the most important being at the entrance & exit falls. These lights are much closer to the actual falls & not above them- the lights shown in the photos must be accent lights. It's been more than 40 years since I "served" in the Disney Navy, so I had to refresh my memory some. Looking through my files, I found a PDF of the Disney Submarine Operating Procedures (circa 1966). For those interested in more information- this must have been the link where I originally found it-
https://www.dix-project.net/item/3587/studio-castmember-training-setting-your-course-on-the-submarine
Pages 10 & 11 discuss the lights. There is a wealth of info on the attraction.
Major- The sub uniform was the best in Tomorrowland at the time & it wasn't polyester (!). Yes, you are right that the subs breaking down was not common, but it did happen. I recall it happening a couple of times when I was there. The one time was most memorable- a supervisor was standing on the back deck of the sub that was to serve as the tow vehicle for the disabled sub- he attempted to walk to the front deck on the narrow part next to the sail/conning tower & took an unexpected dip in the lagoon...:)
Grant- Bizaro Disneyland does charge any money to get in, but you have to pay to get out...
-DW
Grant- That was supposed to be- Bizarro Disneyland doesn't charge any money to get in, but you have to pay to get out...
-DW
@ DW-
What fascinating information in the SOP booklet. Thanks so much for sharing this info. (I wonder just how many other theme parks provide such info to their 'charges'-?). No wonder so many CM's have such fond memories of their time at DL-! Sharing information with such detail is not only informative, but really helps make one feel a part of the inner workings of a bigger operation.
DW, thanks for the Subs manual. I'm always interested in the kind of stuff guests are never supposed to see.
Bizarro Disneyland did exist for a few weeks back in 2015 as an art installation by Banksy called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismaland>Dismaland.</a>
JB, oh, there are still feral cats in Disneyland, just not infesting the castle anymore. When they got rid of that lot, it really took a dent out of the cat population.
DW, thanks for that link to the Sub SOP. I’m feeling kind of stupid, but I can’t figure out how to download the manual so I can read it - all I seem to be able to get to are the blurry pictures of the pages.
JB, yes, that's when "they ruined Disneyland," per my dad. He LOVED that Viewliner.
Stu, I'll definitely tell my dad about your B&W film adventure. And, because he loves cameras, he's going to want to know what camera(s) you like to use. The more details the better - he loves shoptalk.
DrGoat, I also remember going through the castle and viewing the dioramas with my parents. Wonderful memories.
JB, I see that Chuck already responded about the stray/feral cats in Disneyland, but wanted to tell you that TokyoMagic had an excellent post on the subject, and I linked it HERE!
Thank you, everyone, for so many nice and FUNNY comments. I'm going to go back now and re-read everyone's comments and look at the linked material. Thank you for a fun day!
Oops, I almost forgot to attach THIS FOR CHUCK.
Nanook & Dean Finder- I'm happy to help out.
Chuck- In the upper right hand side of the page, under the small photo of the the blue cover, you should be able to click on "load PDF(3.60M)" or you can click the download arrow on the on the upper right of the dark gray rectangle displaying the PDF at the bottom of the page. I'm referencing what I see on my desktop comp.- if you are seeing the page on your phone- your mileage may vary...;)
-DW
"The Westinghouse Enchanted Forest also features the House of Tomorrow, “built” right before your very eyes, and the Atomic City, devoted to the development of atomic power for peace-time use.
Your guides through the Westinghouse Enchanted Forest are “Jack and Jill” right out of Fairy Land.”
I have a slight memory of some of this. It was done on a sort of "stage". A room was put together mechanically with things coming out of the floor. Things like poles that matched up with a "roof" of sorts. All this while a young couple - no doubt Jack and Jill - danced around the set as it was being "constructed". It was all very "world's fair" like and I loved it. I have absolutely no memory of any Atomic City or sub ride but that was a long time ago!
Chuck, Dent... har!har! Glad the kitties are still in the park.
Sue, thanks for the link to Tokyo!'s 'cat feature'. I remember now that it was linked to sometime or other on GDB, and I read the article then. Re-reading it now brought back those memories.
And thanks for the Farside chuckle. Farside was such a brilliant comic strip. One of the panels just entered my brain: The "Boneless Chicken Ranch", with limp chickens lying about on fences, the ground, etc... epic!
Wow. Lotsa responses today!
Melissa, don't forget about "Unnecessary Surgery Land!"
TM! ?? Which land is that? I figured out the others...
JB, another favorite was “Luposlipaphobia.” You’ll have to look it up. It’s late and I’m lazy.
Sue, it's from an episode of "The Simpsons," when they visit "Itchy and Scratchy Land." Marge looks at the map and reads the names of the various lands, "Torture Land," "Explosion Land," "Searing Gas Pain Land," and "Unnecessary Surgery Land."
Sue, ha!
DW, thanks. I’ll have to switch over from the iPad to te laptop and see if that helps.
WOW! Best photo of the entrance to the original walk through I've seen to date - gorgeous pic!
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