Posterpalooza
Today is Mike Cozart's birthday!
All of today's scans were provided by Sue B., including this first, a classic vintage birthday party pix (not a Lou and Sue image):
Another special Sue photo - a Matterhorn macaroon!
And, a late addition - a photo of Mike at the controls of the Monorail!
Next, Sue B. has provided some wonderful photos (taken by her dad, Lou Perry) that feature some of Disneyland's beautiful silkscreened attraction posters.This first gorgeous shot is from September, 1961, looking at Main Street Station on a bright sunny morning. Just a few whips of cloud in the sky, but I'll bet it was warm and pleasant. All the posters pictured are great, but it is interesting to note that the Matterhorn example is one of the rare variety that has only one bobsled. And to the right of that is a Flying Saucers poster, designed by Rolly Crump.
The next one was taken in November, 1959 - when the Submarine Voyage attraction was still brand new. I still remember an auction house referring to this poster as "the Cadillac of attraction posters", and I have to agree. Notice that this is an early example that mentions General Dynamics.
The next two are from September, 1961 (just like the first image). Tomorrowland had a number of these tripod contraptions that could display three attraction posters. Here's the poster for Fantasyland rides such as Peter Pan, Snow White, and Mr. Toad, with that nice image of a pirate ship flying through the starlit sky.
Is this the same tripod display, only from a different angle? Only my hairdresser knows for sure! By 1961 the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail transported guests to the Disneyland Hotel and back. First in America!
Many thanks to Sue B. for these amazing photos.
17 comments:
Major-
Who knew this delightful birthday celebration featured what may be a part of the Shirley Temple Doll Collection - including those framed images-! It's unclear as to why the crepe paper streamers are being 'installed' during the party.
Happy birthday, Mike-! Thanks for sharing all your 'inside knowledge' with us.
And thanks to Sue for always providing just the right image to set the mood.
Happy birthday, Mike. We're fortunate to have knowledgeable insiders like you to clue us in on all things Disney... and Exinwest. ;-)
1) Apparently, Mom collects dolls and doll paraphernalia. I thought maybe the party cups and tablecloths were themed to a specific, recognizable character. But it appears to be a generic clown theme. I suppose that stone bowl on the end table, to the left, is an ashtray? And there appears to be a couple of owl tchotchkes next to it. I guess collecting dolls wasn't enough.
2) Ohhhh, so that's what a Matterhorn macaroon looks like! (Where are the bobsleds?)
3) According to Mike's sweatshirt, this photo was taken no later than 1992; probably a year earlier? Mike, were you really controlling the Monorail? Did it stay on the track? ;-p
The 1959 Submarine Voyage poster: I bet Lou had mixed feelings about this one. The Subs are primarily responsible for the disappearance of the Viewliner, which he liked so well.
I like how the poster depicts the Monorail, all super-streamlined. It isn't even divided into separate cars! Just one long futuristic streak!
Thanks to Sue and Lou and Mike and Major.
Nanook, I think those framed images are actually ceramic collector's plates. They make frames for those things. I have them around my set of Holly Hobby plates.....all 18 of them. ;-)
I bet those dolls all come to life at night and search through the kitchen, looking for knives.
Wow, those photos focused on just the individual attraction posters are pretty incredible for 1959 and 1961! Lou was definitely ahead of his time!
Happy birthday Mike, and thank you Lou, Sue and Major, too!
Upon taking a second look at that first photo, I noticed that the lady standing on the chair needs Underalls®
And Nanook, I don't think she is "installing" the crepe paper. I think she was up on that chair, doing her version of "I'm a Little Tea Pot" for all the kids, and her arm got tangled up in the streamer and pulled it down.
Happy Birthday Mike, or as Owl might say “Hipy-papy Birthu-Hapiday”! Many happy returns of the day!
My mom had a friend who collected evil dolls like those. Even before the horror movies, I found it vaguely unsettling. Yes, those are commemorative plates on the wall. The eyes light up when the dolls talk, before opening up a gangway to board the giant International Rescue aircraft in the basement that blasts off from under the swimming pool.
I can’t figure out the fascination with those dolls, but that lady would think I’m nuts for worrying about trash cans…
I think we are witnessing an in-flight repair of the crepe decorations, the tape probably gave way requiring a tune-up in mid-event.
I wish I got to drive the monorail, lucky Mike. Is it hard to parallel-park?
I love that submarine poster. I’ve never noticed the guest faces mashed into their portholes, what a great detail!
Thanks Lou Sue and Major.
JG
Happy Birthday Mike! Looks like another Micheal is having his birthday in pic #1. Michael and his dollies. These dollies are especially scary. You can kind of see the fangs ready to emerge on them. The plates are merely portals to the dollie underworld: dollies that are BAAAD! It seems that these humans are unfazed...so I am not sure these are humans: they are zombies. The dog is the only one in reality. That being said: Mike is quite the handsome lad at the helm of the Monorail: looking Norse-ly serious. Driving a Monorail is serious business: I miss riding in the top bubble with the pilot: I'm grateful I had that experience back in the 70's! On to attraction posters: The Main Entrance looks amazing: I kind of got a whiff of excitement when I opened the photo. This area was such a big deal in terms of anticipation and planning: and we would all be talking about what to do first and where we might go...of course: at the time it was only the Monorail pylons and the tunnels into Town Square: but THIS part of the Disneyland Show included "the overture"...something that today's dimwits don't get. Sorry dimwits. Or maybe it's nitwit? "Those without their wits". Want to recoup your cost of the posters at the gate which you say are too much money?: sell them. You'll make your money over and over. Main Entrance as Pop Art Gallery: you actually buy THE one that has been displayed. Just my .02. All of the subsequent poster photos are amazing: and possibly the photos may be rare unto themselves. The Matterhorn coconut macaroon looks delicious. I LOVE macaroons AND macarons which are entirely two different things. Both are yummy. Perhaps I have been inspired to make my own edible Matterhorn. Happy Birthday to Mike and thanks to Lou and Sue and Major for the fun morning.
Nanook, I mean, we ALL have large doll collections, don’t we? DON’T WE?? My guess is that the crepe streamer came untaped and mom had to restick it.
JB, my mom collected plenty of stuff, but I’m glad that dolls weren’t one of those things. They take up a lot of room! As seen in that photo. I used to feel bad for a lady I would see at the yearly big toy meet in Glendale, she had a table of dusty old doll clothes, and nobody ever seemed to go to her booth. I want to try a Matterhorn Macaroon, for one thing I don’t think I’ve had a non-mountainous macaroon ever. Mike stole the Monorail and took it to Tijuana! Lou must not have held that much of a grudge against the Subs, though I know he loved that Viewliner.
TokyoMagic!, I’m so jealous of your complete collection of Holly Hobby plates. Don’t tell me you have the thimbles too?? THE DREAM. That poor lady never dreamed that her buns would be judged so many years later by complete strangers.
TokyoMagic!, I am imagining that lady singing “I’m a Little Teapot”, maybe after a few sips of cooking sherry, and her kids are mortified. NOT AGAIN!
JG, I never understood why Owl said Happy Birthday that way, as far as I can recall he did not otherwise show evidence of a speech impediment. My mom used to have some old dolls in my grandmother’s attic. They never scared me, but I wondered years later if they were valuable. Of course my grandma gave them away for nothing. Seeing the crepe paper reminds me of a video I saw in which a streamer fell on a cake with candles, and the whole streamer caught fire faster than one might imagine, setting other streamers on fire. I choose to believe that everyone survived without injury.
Bu, I can’t help thinking of those horror movies with the scary doll, the name escapes me at the moment. Oh yeah, “Annabelle”. And now there is a movie with a “haunted” teddy bear coming out that looks very silly. I’ve always loved the original Bob Gurr Monorails, though the 1970s “Lear Jet” version did not inspire me so much. Our current Monorails look pretty good, except for the “wraps” that are so crass. Guests probably love the wraps, however. Posters: I just spoke to somebody who owns a 1967 Tiki Room poster - one of the rare ones - he bought it for $50. I almost plotzed! It’s no secret that I love the posters, and still remember the first time I saw one in an auction and realized that I might actually be able to own one myself. It took a while, but I finally got some!
Happy Birthday to the font of all Disneyland knowledge! If we had unlimited resources, I suppose we here at GDB would have collected funds sufficient to purchase one of those posters for you. But, alas, we also need to buy a new refrigerator or two, or a car for that matter first. KS
Happy Birthday to Mike, me and Pirates,too!
zach
(If I said I was a lurker these days would you hold it against me?)
Oh, Zach—you ARE still with us, after all, I see! Yay! The birthday party is all day—so glad you stopped by!
Happy Birthday to you (Zach) and Mike!
I’ll stop back later….
Major-
"Don’t tell me you have the thimbles too?? THE DREAM".
Oh no... please don't tell me there are thimbles, too-! I just finished-up with the plates. Oh brother.
Nice sweatshirt Mike, an early logo and name. Was the nascent project still above Pirates at that time? It was great to be there for opening day in 1992! Happy birthday.
Some beautiful shots today Major, thanks again.
MS
Wow! Thank you everyone ! And a Matterhorn Macaroon and attraction posters!!! Thanks!! The kid at the table at the right looks like my neighbor/ friend Greg when I was a kid. It’s amazing how Lou took pictures of details of Disneyland at a time when people just didn’t focus on things like that… so grateful that he did. And I’m grateful for GDB to share and enjoy these places both still with us and lost to time … together.
My friend’s brother was the REAL pilot - he still works with Disneyland but writes technical manuals with engineering and operations. When that picture was taken the MARK 5 monorails were very very new … that preopening sweatshirt featured the classy and elegant “Euro Disneyland” WDI graphics designed logo that eventually was discontinued for the outside designed EURO DISNEY logo that was terrible .., and luckily didn’t stick around too long. The actual opening park logo was so bad WDI graphics refused to place it on its attraction posters …. This was at a time the attraction posters featured each park’s logo somewhere …. Only two posters were done that used the nice logo shown on my sweatshirt : MARK TWAIN & MOLLY BROWN STEAMBOATS and SWISS FAMILY TREEHOUSE.
Yes! HAPPY 57 BIRTHDAY to Disneyland’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN! And Zach too!
Happy birthday, Mike. You cut a fine figure at the helm of the monorail.
Thanks for all of the insider knowledge of our daily Disneyland scenes.
JB, you should see the Disneyland Halloween Matterhorn macaroons! They still have the Matterhorn shape, but with chocolate on top and orange sprinkles, and they're more of a chocolate chip cookie consistency--with chocolate chips in the middle, instead of sweet coconut filling.
"The 1959 Submarine Voyage poster: I bet Lou had mixed feelings about this one. The Subs are primarily responsible for the disappearance of the Viewliner, which he liked so well."
JB, that's an interesting thought.
I do know my dad loved every attraction at Disneyland, so I'm sure he didn't hold it against the Submarines - even though he misses his beloved Viewliner.
I wish I got to drive the monorail, lucky Mike. Is it hard to parallel-park?"
JG, I can help but chuckle. A couple days ago, I was stopped at a red light and could view someone trying to parallel park. The driver obviously had zero training and had the car wedged in an impossible-to-get-out-of position. Another life skill that's gone by the wayside.
I just noticed on the sub poster - you see orange bubbles coming up from the ocean depths...and then there are also orange bubbles up above the poster, in the trees. Actually, I think they're Disneyland oranges...the exact ones that are on Bu's current treasure hunt list, btw.
Thanks for all the nice comments for my dad. And Happy Birthday, again, to Mike and Zach and POTC!
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