Parade in The Plaza, June 1962
I have three "just OK" photos featuring a school band as they marched through The Plaza in June, 1962. By June I would think that school would be out for the Summer, but perhaps the pictures were actually taken a month or so earlier. The ice cream vendor to our left has no line, now's our chance.
I can't tell if these are high school kids, but I assume that is the case. I wish I could tell which school they represented, but there are no clues. Maybe the colors of green and silver will be a hint to somebody? Whittier's "Fightin' Leprechauns"?
There they go, I'm gonna miss those crazy kids. I don't get enough Sousaphone in my life, to be honest. We see some scaffolding on that Adventureland building, perhaps work was being done on the Enchanted Tiki Room, which would open about a year later. There's also a crane, possibly related to some massive work being done in Frontierland (including early work on the Haunted Mansion exterior building).
11 comments:
To me, the ladies in green and silver look a little too mature for high school students. I would guess college students.
Obviously, the focus of the photographer's attention in the last pic was the red & white drink cup, dead center, being held by the guy walking across the street. ;-) Is that a Carnation cup? It looks like a Campbell's soup can.
I hope there was more to this parade than just a single marching band. Perhaps the photographer was a parent of one of the marchers, and that's why these photos were taken.
Not terribly exciting photos, but decent. At least the scaffolding and crane add an element of mystery, and rarity. Thanks, Major.
Rah, rah, sis boom bah!
"Whittier's fightin' Leprechauns."
Yay, my hometown gets a shout-out! Unless of course, you were referencing Whittier, Alaska?
The original JUNGLE CRUISE Boat house was demolished in 1962.
There are enough spectators wearing green shirts, sweaters, and hats to make me wonder if this isn't a St. Paddy's Day parade. Himself Walt Disney had Oirish blood on his father's side. Plus there are two sailors in the third picture who haven't changed to whites yet, which could indicate this is March.
All the Adventureland construction is probably why that land is missing from "40 Pounds of Trouble", which was shooting in '62; though cranes and such are seen when Tony Curtis leaps onto a Tom Sawyer Island raft.
Where were you in '62?
Well, I know I wasn't at Disneyland until 1963.
Nice parade pics. Thanks, Major.
Major, you mention a band, but all I see are a lot of pretty girls with those bundles of plastic grass that cheerleaders shake (what are those called)? Did I miss the band entirely? Not that I mind so much, but…
Notice the man in a suit in photo 1, pretty sure he isn’t Disney management. Just a guy who went to the Park on Sunday after church.
I think the New Orleans Square excavation for Pirates was open at this time also, the crane might be setting steel for that project. Remember when new attractions were good and didn’t wreck other things (except the Viewliner)?
JB, the guy with the Campbell soup cup went on to pose for Andy Warhol.
Thanks Major!
JG
I love the diamond pattern in the ladies' skirts. It must have taken then a can of Aqua Net each to keep those hairdos in shape while marching outdoors. I don't think I've ever seen pompoms quite that fluffy before; is it just the blurring effect of an "action" photo, or are they made out of some unusual material?
The photographer caught the gent in the middle of the last picture in an awkward moment. He looks like he's lost the rights to his own skeleton.
I loves me a parade! Thanks for these fun pictures.
JB, that is definitely a Carnation cup. Worth money today (if it specifies “Disneyland”, anyway). I think I’ve seen photos of other parades where it was just one band, it might have been part of their music program, which had school bands at the park, and then the kids would get to spend at least a few hours enjoying the rides. My niece and nephew both did that years ago.
TokyoMagic!, Whittier, ALASKA?? That place is a hellhole! Just kidding, Whittier Alaska, I’m sure you are great.
Mike Cozart, that boat house had to go!
Stefano, hmmm, interesting thought about it being St. Patrick’s Day. And look at you, Detective Columbo, with the observation about the sailor’s uniforms! I still have never seen “40 Pounds of Trouble”, except for a clip of the scene with Tony Curtis running around the park for some reason.
K. Martinez, I was still sitting on a cloud in heaven when these photos were taken!
JG, good point, there is no band! Which is a bit odd. Aren’t those bundles of plastic grass called pompoms? You may have seen the great film, “College Pompom Girls”. Well, maybe not! I agree that the crane is probably working on that big hole in the ground that was early construction for New Orleans Square. I wish I had a portrait of myself painted by Andy Warhol - in four color variations. Me and Debbie Harry would look great next to each other.
Melissa, thanks to the space program, those pompoms used the most cutting-edge technology available. I don’t know what the material is, but I’m sure it would survive reentry. Your comment about the man losing the rights to his own skeleton reminds me of a Ray Bradbury story.
Pompoms, duh. I remember now.
Thanks for helping out my old memory.
JG
@ Stefano-
Good point about 40 Pounds of Trouble. The filming dates are listed as April 19 thru June, 1962.
Major-
"Whittier Alaska, I’m sure you are great". I have many friends from Alaska and they are quite circumspect when describing the 49th state. And there are a number of places that are often a source of derision. 'Whittier' hasn't come up in conversation, but you never know...
As for 40 Pounds of Trouble, it's a pretty forgettable film and did 'so-so' business at the boxoffice. But, the [approx] 18 minutes of in-park footage (in 'Eastman Color by Pathe' & Panavision) is probably the most-thorough look of Disneyland - certainly in its prime of the early 1960's - not to mention more than a handful of beautiful [AND RARE] shots in both color AND anamorphic wide screen - something Disney, itself, never bothered to do (or at least shared with the public). At best, their in-house footage was mostly disappointing.
As Stefano pointed out, when Tony Curtis leaps over about six feet-worth of The Rivers of America to jump aboard the Injun Joe raft, construction and lots of dirt can easily be seen in the background as the early stages of site work for New Orleans Square are afoot. And for those with eagle eyes, one can spot the [often elusive] pumpkin, heading up the stone roadway to Cinderella's Castle in Storybook Land-!
The scenes shot at Disneyland make-up a wonderful time capsule of many portions of the Park, making viewing that section of the film a must-see.
@ JG-
When the movie The Pom Pom Girls was released in 1976, (what - you forgot the movie already-?) there was [at least] some discussion about the fact the correct spelling of the word is Pom Pon. In fact, a pom-pom is, according to Webster's... "a usually fully automatic gun of 20 to 40 millimeters usually firing explosive shells and mounted on ships in pairs, fours, or eights". Ahhh... the English language - what can you do-?
Those look like feather (boa) pom-pons. Either that or big Swiffer dusters. Very soft and fluffy.
Whittier, Alaska, is a beautiful, mountainous area - an interesting place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. You have to drive through the middle of a mountain for two miles, to get there from inland. And most everyone in that small town lives in one building, with everything in it. They get an average snowfall of 20 feet a year, sometimes more. We took a small boat excursion out of Whittier to spend a few hours cruising Prince William Sound, to get close to calving glaciers (26 of them in that area), and lots of wildlife.
Maybe our Whittier gals are carrying pom-pons that resemble big snowballs. Just like home.
Thanks for this fun, little parade, today, Major.
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