New Orleans Square, October 1981
Our friends Lou Perry and Sue B. have graced us with more wonderful photos! All from the New Orleans Square area. Let's start with this nice shot of the ol' #3, the "Fred Gurley". It looks like the engineer is chatting with a guest; she is amazed at how lifelike he is (because she assumes his is an animatronic). Even though this train station is a stone's throw from the Haunted Mansion, it was still called "Frontierland Station" at this point (and was not changed to "New Orleans Square Station" until 1996).
Did somebody mention the Haunted Mansion? Lou took a few nice pictures of the exterior. I know a lot of people prefer the Florida version, but for me, the Disneyland plantation will always be the best. Here's one of the spooky bronze plaques at the entrance to the grounds, the horned demon and the skull are foreboding.
I mean, just look at that beautiful house! When I win the next 2-billion dollar Power Ball, I am going to build and exact copy of the Mansion. Will there be any ghosts? WHO KNOWS!
THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!
19 comments:
Major-
Lovely images - as per usual-!
Thanks to Lou and Sue.
That animatronic engineer looks like he is flirting with the guest. Although, perhaps the guest is also an animatronic. I wonder if they dream of animatronic sheep?
Really nice lighting on that Haunted Mansion plaque. I bet Lou stood at this spot for six hours 'til the sun was at just the right angle to bring out the details of the sign... OK, maybe not, but he certainly has a sixth sense when it comes to taking pictures at the right time, from the right viewpoint.
Major, I agree with you about this Haunted Mansion looking the best. The WDW HM looks good too, but there's something about this version that just seems right. Probably because it was the first one, the original.
Thanks to Lou, Sue, and you too, Major.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but this isn’t the train for Azusa and Cucamonga. You want Track 5.”
These photos are the best. Thanks again, Lou & Sue!
The Disneyland Mansion has it all over the Walt Disney World version. For now, anyway. All the stuff they're planning on building on the grounds sounds like a travesty.
I think the engineer is asking that nice lady if she has any Grey Poupon.
When it comes to the Haunted Mansion exteriors, Disneyland's mansion is my favorite. Still, I always appreciate it when Disney does it different f0r each theme park like the Tudor style of the lower Hudson River Valley for WDW's Haunted Manion.
Thank you, Lou & Sue for such wonderful pics. Thank you too, Major.
Yes; the Florida Mansion always makes me think of
Well, that was weird. I meant to link to the Wikipedia entry for Dragonwyck.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonwyck_(film)
Nanook, Lou knew what he was doing!
JB, actually animatronics dream of chili cheeseburgers. It doesn’t really make sense, but I’ve interviewed many animatronics and it is true. For the photo of the plaque, Lou stood so still with his camera that people thought he was a statue and when he finally moved they screamed. Again, true story. I’m OK with people liking the Florida mansion’s exterior more, after all, it’s totally subjective - I actually think it’s pretty cool that the two are not identical.
Chuck, I have been to Azusa and Cucamonga. Yes, I am bragging.
Melissa, I know that the Florida mansion has features (such as the library) that the Anaheim version lacks; again, I think it’s cool that there are differences for each coast.
K. Martinez, did you know that the Hudson River Valley was named after Kate Hudson? Someone told me this at a bus stop and I believe them.
Melissa, it makes you think of what? WHAT?!?!
Melissa, this blog is haunted! I saw “Dragonwyck” years ago, Vincent Price looks so young. I wonder if it was his first movie? Probably not.
Lou and Sue hit another home run with these.
I've never seen the Florida Mansion, so I can't offer an opinion, but I know I have loved this mansion since before the attraction opened. I remember having dinner with my folks at the French Market and looking over at the mansion, mulling what wonders it might contain.
I'm sure that the delay between building the front mansion and figuring out the whole show was inadvertent, but it certainly created a powerful sense of anticipation in young Me.
I think that overall, this HM is the deepest of the Imagineers' work in the Park. The research, story (or non-story) development, iconography, technology, everything about it is top-notch stuff. If 3D animated sculpture or ride-through cinema has Academy Awards, this creation deserves them all and has never been surpassed. It's accessible at the base emotions of fear, dread, surprise, laughter, and simultaneously at intellectual and emotional levels far beyond any mere amusement park ride. Anyone doubting this should go read the Long-Forgotten blog on the depth of the intellectual and philosophical backgrounds of the HM imagery.
And it is like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa with a purple crayon to impose the awful Jack Skellington overlay on the attraction for fully half of a year. There, I said it, and I'm not sorry. If people want Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney should make an attraction just for that.
And it has the most elegant trash cans in the Park as well, but no pylons.
JG
I believe "Service de Luxe" was Vincent Price's first film in 1938. It was followed by "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" (a wonderful film) and "The House of Seven Gables" in 1940. I thought he did an interesting character in "The Song of Bernadette" from 1943. Then he did two great classics "Laura" in 1944 and "Leave Her to Heaven" in 1945. "Dragonwyck" was released in 1946 and one of my favorite Vincent Price films.
I'm definitely a major Vincent Price fan and have watched the majority of his films and TV appearances. Wonderful actor.
"... I have been to Azusa and Cucamonga..."
#jealous
Go green slurry!
Right through the front door, yeah.
MS
A thing about the Disneyland mansion: One enters through the front door, just like the motorist whose car stalls on a rainy night and hopes there's a phone and maybe a place to dry out in that spooky old house. The fact that we foolish mortals file through that door in a cheerful, never-ending stream, usually on a sunny day, diminishes the effect slightly.
In Florida the mansion is elevated, doors shut and not to be disquieted by mere humans. We walk along a covered path towards a large lower-level entryway, perhaps meant for deliveries or, ahem, removals.
In Disneyland you're welcomed via the front door like a fly invited into a web. In Magic Kingdom you've wandered into the Ghost Members Only passage, and the servants have a way to dispose of you.
Ken, my favorite six degrees of separation story is that a friend of mine from the Shakespeare company knew Vincent Price's daughter in college.
JG, I have of course seen lots of photos of the Florida mansion, and I do very much appreciate that they went for something more appropriate for the Liberty Square area, with the red brick (stone?) and interesting towers. Like you and many Disneyland fans, the Haunted Mansion has always been a source of fascination. For one thing, the exterior is beautiful and impressive. Had there ever been anything like that before at any amusement park? But so much of the lore and apocryphal stories add so much to the fun as well; which is why I don’t like it when the Imagineers think they are doing us a favor when they solve the mystery for us. Guess what? It’s not a fun mystery any more! It reminds me of the “Alien” sequels (such as “Prometheus”) from Ridley Scott - the more he explains, the less interesting it gets. Anyway, I agree with you, everyone should go and read ALL of the “Long Forgotten” blog, you’ll be glad you did!
K. Martinez, whoa, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of “Service de Luxe”. I’m not surprised that “Dragonwyck” was not actually his first movie, but it’s the youngest I’ve ever seen him! I think “The Last Man on Earth” might have been the first movie I ever saw with Vincent. BTW, I went to an event at the L.A. County Museum of Art years ago when “Basil of Baker Street” was released, the director and animators were there, and so was Vincent Price! I’m so glad I saw him in person.
Chuck, if only you could see the broad avenues of Cucamonga!
MS, “green slurry”, I think they served that at my high school cafeteria.
DBenson, I didn’t know that guests entered the Florida mansion through what might be the servant’s entrance. And I read Foxx Nolte’s book! But I admit that I read a lot of it before I went to bed, and you know how that goes. “What did I read last night, anyway?”. I’d still love to someday experience the Orlando mansion, though who knows if that will ever happen.
Melissa, I hope Vincent Price’s daughter had a cool name such as “Lenore” or “Lillith” or “Ophelia”.
Is the font for the HM sign developed by a font company, or did WED develop it in-house? The sign on the general store at the historic village where I volunteer looks to be in the same family.
Major, I agree. "Long Forgotten" blog is a must-read. Full of lots of interesting behind-the-scene info on our beloved Haunted Mansion.
Disneyland's HM exterior is the best, IMO...though WDW's has a cool look, too.
Dean, is that general store haunted?
(Hey, Mike, where are you? You know everything about fonts and can probably answer Dean's question, above.)
Thank you, Major and everyone.
The HAUNTED MANSION logo used type lettering from photo lettering houses … these were once very common but computers put them out of business. The main logo used is RUBENS EXTENDED and it was slightly modified by dropping the middle of the “M”. While inspired by vintage type faces … RUBENS font family first appear on the photo lettering catalogs about 1964 and was licensed to the type foundries by. THE HEADLINERS of New York. It was cataloged as F242 Rubens. The “THE” is bookmans swash and is another vintage looking but really from the 1960’s. It was extremely popular in printing and publishing and advertising during the mid 1960’s Thru the 1970’s.
Disney and WED used photolettering services from around LA and San Diego … Franklin Type Foundry and Central Graphics and Solotype ( all defunct) provided most lettering to create printing films for attraction logos , posters , signs … the artists who operated these type foundry’s were highly trained graphic artists who did amazing things photo mechanically to create curves, arches and dips you see on attraction posters for example. Some of the font foundry’s like Solo type slowly digitized … or licensed their fonts to software creators.
WED had a special made system used at Imagineering and the Disneyland and Walt Disney World sign shops called the WED-TYPSITOR …. And slowed Disney to in-house create their own camera ready mechanical printing films for screenprinting snd metal etching etc. but the WED TYPSITOR was mostly used for restaurant menu and order boards since prices usually increased every 6 months so new restaurant signs had to be screened or printed pretty frequently. In fact the DL and WDW sign shops had teams that only did restaurant related signs .
Thanks, Mike. It's incredible that you have authoritative info on almost everything at WED.
I vaguely remember using some lettering that came on rolls like film negatives when working on yearbooks back before all layout and lettering went to Adobe Pagemaker. I can't quite recall how we used it, though.
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