Two From November, 1974
1974 was a very good year! Don't look it up, just take my word for it... nothing bad happened for the entire 12 month stretch. PLUS it was a good time to visit Disneyland too. Icing on the cake!
The Swiss Family was still going strong in their treehouse; all the oxygen from those leaves was making them a bit woozy, but it's not like they were driving a backhoe anywhere. I loved climbing the stairs, looking at the Rube Goldberg waterworks, observing the charming little rooms where the Swiss Family lived and loved (ew) and played. Many Disneyland attractions were inspired by features at World's Fairs or other amusement parks, but I am unaware of any precedent for the SFT.
This next one reminds me very much of a 1970s postcard. If I wasn't so lazy I'd try to dig my example up. But it's way over there (points to a box six feet away)! I'm sure you understand. The castle is lovely, and NOT PINK. There's a pretty good crowd, but not too bad for November; the trees are kind of bare during Anaheim's harsh winter (it was probably only 65 degrees that day).
Late addition: here is that postcard I was talking about:
20 comments:
Major-
On the far left edge of the 2nd image, we can just see parts of the GAF 'Photo Trail' signage.
Thanks, Major.
1974 was a very good year! Don't look it up, just take my word for it... nothing bad happened for the entire 12 month stretch.
Major, don't forget that President Richard M. Nixon had to resign, in total shame. I'm sure that's what you meant by "nothing bad happened...." ;-)
I know the postcard that you are talking about, and yes, it looks incredibly similar to your second pic!
This is a very nice photo of the Robinson's home; it shows a lot of detail. Plus, it's in focus and the lighting/exposure is good.
1974... Back when guys still tucked in their shirts. I still do... except when I wear shorts, which I practically never do anymore.
Dang it. There's a little cluster of leaves right where The Dent would be. The low-angled light creates some deep shadows, but it also makes some nice saturated colors. Well, except for the pink on the Castle, as Major noted. There's just a smackerel of it here.
Nice pictures today, Major. Thanks.
…..and cast member Deborah Stone was crushed between rotating theaters in the recently opened “AMERICA SINGS” …..
Any photo of the treehouse is a good treehouse to me. Tarzan was an interloper (made a mess) and now the Robinsons 2.0 live there...and it's pretty swell actually. I'm not sure who uses the word "swell" anymore, but I do. I see there is not a blossom to be found on the tree...guess this was after the "big storm" "blew them all away"...I still scratch my head over that one. Pic two I also have a photo, or did have a photo...from this exact spot the same year. The Hub was so shady and wonderful...and sans...weird statue: which I know or think people like, but I'm not a huge fan. Walt never wanted a statue of himself in the park, and this seems like a strange commercialism of his memory and the WDCo's ownership of his likeness and image...just my .02..I like seeing a big expression of flowers in that spot myself, and lovely shade trees to sit. This castle should never be pink...or pink and blue...at all...never. Now: at nighttime: you can jazz it up with lights and whatnot...akin to the end credits on "The Wonderful World of Disney"...but during the day: the color was built into the scale...anyway: this is not a moan and groan session, but it seems to have turned into one. Speaking of groaning: I see some unbuttoned vests: I won't go there, but everyone knows my POV. I tuck in my shirts 80 percent of the time: the shirt keeps my trousers up. I wear shorts at home: even when it's below zero...and sometimes my shirt is tucked...untucked seems a bit casual for work wear, but it's been legitimized by an entire brand, and also I guess untucked shirts give a more "slim" appearance for the BBA: the Belly Busters of America. I'm a card carrying member. Re: Debbie Stone: very sad: and for the guests to all witness the event it seems even more horrific. I have more details from someone who was working at the time, all very grim, but after that, major safety precautions were put into place: #1 the wall became flexible and not static. #2 the seat that the employee would sit on was on a sensor: and if you were not in your seat when the carrousel started to turn: there was no turning: and the same scene would play again. #3 They also had to turn a little button to say: "I'm in a seat, and all is well" before the turning started: and if you didn't do that: there was no turning....and we all had to watch the same scene again. This happened more than a few times in my watching the show...and, among other things...just was another thing I had to explain to my tour group: "technical difficulties"....after a few hundred or possibly thousands of times watching this show, seeing a scene twice was pretty much torture. It was torturous to keep your eyes open in the wonderful A/C, and the droning on of "Pop Goes the Weasel"...which was basically for Tour Guides: your alarm clock to wake up. Thanks for the trip back to the 70's major: 50 years. Wow: it goes so fast.....
Yes, the Treehouse seems to be a one of a kind thing, and I’m glad Tarzan got the boot. I haven’t seen the new version except in video, but it appears acceptable.
In a world full of SBC pictures, this one might be the top ten, or least the top hundred, it’s just what I want to see after the grueling trek up Main Street. I think Anaheim winters have gotten colder since the castle has snow and icicles in the winter now, just like the Alpine Motel.
Bu, I quite agree about the Partners statue. Mickey was clearly never meant to be three-dimensional, and he just looks silly. And being stuck in América Sings forever seems fitting punishment for the designers who thought it up.
Very sad story about Miss Stone. Operational safety should be paramount, especially with powerful weird mechanisms like the Carousel.
Thank Major!
JG
Nanook, if you visited all of the Photo Trail locations, you got a free churro!
TokyoMagic!, remember when we thought that Nixon was bad? Those were the days. Not that he was great. I finally did a Google image search and found the postcard! Since I didn’t know the number on the back (which is how my cards are organized), it would have taken me forever to find the right one.
JB, I tuck my shirt into my underwear, the elastic really holds the shirt firmly. TRY IT! I only wear short shorts when rollerskating at Venice Beach. Don’t be mad at the cluster of leaves, love them for who they are.
Mike Cozart, I didn’t remember that America Sings was open in 1974.
Bu, I didn’t hate the Tarzan treehouse, but I sure didn’t love it either. It was “lesser” than what had been there before, and that’s never a good thing. That big storm that blew away all the blossoms is now a legend. What other havoc did it cause? People definitely seem to love that “Partners” statue, and like the Tarzan treehouse, I don’t hate it. BUT… I kind of wish it wasn’t there. I wonder who spearheaded the Partners project? Eisner? I appreciated wanting to have more Walt in the park, but there has to be another way. Like not tearing out everything he ever touched. Someday the “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour will be five minutes long. “Here’s your cookie, get outta here!”. See, the vests, I think it must have been OK at some point (according to official rules) to have one’s vest unbuttoned, it happens too often. Or were all those cast members scofflaws and rule breakers? I can’t imagine witnessing the Debbie Stone incident, what a horrible thing. I don’t need the details, thank you. I remember reading that they changed a wall to be a breakaway wall, or something like that. Watching ANY of those Disney animatronics shows hundreds or thousands of times sounds like torture, I don’t care how good they are. I would have to meditate and somehow tune it all out. And do drugs of course, I love my recreational drugs.
JG, I saw the new Treehouse earlier in the year, and I am trying to control my “inner grump”. It is WHIMSICAL. Which I know many people enjoy, and it is not my place to say that they are wrong. To me it’s a little too whimsical, but I suppose that’s not much of a complaint. They tried to make it fun to look at, and there are touches that I really like (some little jumping chameleons charmed me), so I will try to add some sugar to my sourness. As for the cold and icicles, don’t forget that the Earth has left its orbit and is hurtling towards the Oort Cloud. I read about it online! Instead of a statue of Walt and Mickey, how about a statue of Sandy Duncan? Nobody could be mad at that!
Major, thank you for adding the postcard. And you can clearly see The Dent, in that postcard.
"1974 was a very good year!"
Yep. Bellbottoms and palazzo pants. Loved them both.
Someday the “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour will be five minutes long. “Here’s your cookie, get outta here!”.
LOL! Just let us stay in the apartment LONGER, to soak up the vibes! Please!
BTW, thanks, Bu, for sharing your experiences about being in "Walt's" apartment on yesterday's GDB post.
Thanks, Major.
I cannot remember WHO exactly got the PARTNERS STATUE underway …. It was of course inspired by a Charles Boyer lithograph of the same name - done in 1978 (I think) Walt was adamant about NOT having a bust or statue of himself inside Disneyland as he felt it was too “tombstone” like. HOWEVER ant the same time there was concern amongst longtime Disney employees and family members that the general population no longer “knew”
Walt the person and DISNEY was the same as FORD or SINGER … etc just a company name. Yes , there was the Walt Disney Story in both parks but let’s be honest : unless you are already a Disney FAN , that attraction was like being sent to the principals office in the middle of your day at The Magic Kingdom. So it was decided Disneyland would get a statue to let guests always be reminded that Walt Disney was a PERSON. Imagineer Blaine Gibson came out of retirement or sculpted the partners statue , then retired ( I cannot remember) Mickey is shown at the height surviving imagineers and animators who worked with Walt said whenever Walt talked about Mickey Mouse , he raised his hand to that height - Walt knew in his mind how tall he imagined Mickey to be … also long time park employees and imagineers all agreed the memory image they had of Walt Disney at Disneyland was always moving his arm and hands around explaining his future plans for Disneyland ….
Proper Castle.
(Thanks Sue for mentioning yesterday’s discussion about the apartment, I had missed that, and had thoughts)
MS
Mike, Blaine Gibson was retired and living in Sedona, Arizona, when he 'made' the Partners Statue, and a few other statues, too. My aunt was friends with the Gibsons and lived near them, and would sometimes spend time with Mrs. Gibson, while Mr. Gibson was working in his home studio. Mrs. Gibson was declining in health and needed someone to be with her, when her husband was busy working. My aunt enjoyed spending time with them, and would share with me about Mr. Gibson's 'latest project.'
MS, you're welcome...I'll check yesterday's post, now, to read your comments.
That is a truly delightful story Sue! Sedona is lovely, easy to see why Blaine and your family would retire there.
For me, that statue was the event where I got to visit with John Hench for what would be the last time, in Dec. 2001 at a dedication for Walt. Richard Sherman sang.
A powerful piece, regardless of its placement. I often get to appreciate glimpses of the one on the studio lot while walking my dog.
MS
One can argue the "Swiss Family Robinson" Treehouse had its roots (heh heh) in the walkthrough exhibits for "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Babes in Toyland." A fundamental difference is that the previous two attractions displayed set pieces and props from movies and presented them as such, while the Treehouse was "real" in the way other attractions were "real".
It also has a kinship to the Matterhorn, which was inspired by a good but mostly forgotten Disney feature, "Third Man on the Mountain". Don't recall any bobsleds in the movie and pretty certain there was not a Tibetan Yeti. In fact, I don't think there are any movie-specific references on the Matterhorn in contrast to the Treehouse, which is all about recreating what you saw in the movie with signs referencing the characters.
It's easy to forget how much of 50s-60s Disneyland was about "Intellectual Property". When the park opened most of Disney's output was regularly re-released or showcased on the TV show, and kept alive between times via comics books that sold in the millions and other merchandising. The submarine ride was named for "20,000 Leagues" even though the subs themselves evoked modern Navy vessels; there's a lot of overlap between Tomorrowland and the TV show; and of course Fantasyland is focused on Disney versions. Main Street was largely corporate sponsors in period dress.
The Jungle Cruise and Adventureland in general were originally "home" to the True Life Adventure films, with a dollop of B movie exoticism. In time the cliches and a tongue-in-cheek attitude prevailed, so the mine train -- already with touches of "The Living Desert" -- was expanded to become the new True Life Adventures attraction, naturally shifty focus to North American critters.
Eventually came a flurry a major attractions without obvious movie roots: Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and the World's Fair transplants. Meanwhile, the movie roots of older attractions got blurry. Thus you get the occasional Disney snob grumping about incursions of "IP" as if it were a recent development.
Lou and Sue, while the trees and shrubs look considerably fuller in my scan, the postcard shows all of the same banners out front, I wonder if both were taken within the same year or so? Imagine seeing Walt’s apartment the way Bu did year ago, WOW.
Mike Cozart, oh I forgot about the Charles Boyer litho. And yeah, Walt made it pretty clear that he didn’t want any sort of statue of himself in the park. I’ve even read (on message boards) people’s suggestions of some sort of AA show with an animatronic Walt “talking to the audience”. No thank you! It seems hard to believe that anybody, even a young person, would not know that Walt Disney was a real person, but then again… maybe not. Meanwhile I am more fond of the statue of Roy Disney and Minnie, they have one at the Studio that is quite nice (I believe there is one at the Magic Kingdom in Florida too), I feel like Roy often does not get his due, so he deserves some recognition.
MS, the castle really does look perfect there.
Lou and Sue, you never told me that your family was friends with the Gibsons! That’s so cool!
MS, Nice that you got to visit with John Hench; I wouldn’t know what to say. I even had somebody offer to introduce me to Richard Sherman (many years ago) and I declined, any not knowing what I would say that he hadn’t heard 1,000 times before. I’m OK with my decision!
Major…it was so much better than that. The first time was at his office, when I was there to interview him. Though scheduled for one hour, he kept on talking and took me to lunch within WED, and then asked me to stay into late afternoon…for an ‘ice cream social’ to invite lots of folks to come around and meet me! Would I like to meet Bill Evans, master of my line of business? I left at dusk. Incredible!
And only the beginning - we would meet many more times, in Florida, and France. We were supposed to again when he had his fall. So we were going to catch up at a Disneyana convention in Anaheim instead, but he was not able to make it. His assistant Sandy was happy to see me, and had John sign a copy of his new book to me; mailing it would be one of the last things his office would do with him there, according to the date on the box.
Hench was interesting and interested; approachable and comfortable. I don’t flatter myself to call us friends, but we were certainly friendly.
MS
Though generally Major, I completely agree, after meeting him once, I have let Bob Gurr glide past a few times…what can I say besides more about how much I love the work?!
On the other hand, an encounter with Tony Baxter might be a catalyst. We never know, impressions and ideas never die.
MS
Hoping Mellisa’s eyes are better.
DBenson, you make some excellent points; the Swiss Family Treehouse certainly had many influences from other walk-through attractions, but I was thinking more specifically about a towering treehouse attraction. One of the reasons given for the SFT’s removal was that “kids don’t know the Swiss Family Robinson anymore”, and even if that’s true, I don’t think it mattered. Kids are smart and could figure out that this was a home built in a tree by clever people. I’ve always heard that Disney has wanted to remake The Swiss Family Robinson, and frankly it’s surprising that they haven’t done it (unless there was some sort of TV series? Not sure) - it seems like a great idea for a family movie, even today. You are of course right about the park being full of IP, that was largely the point! People wanted to fly through Neverland, or see the Evil Witch in “Snow White”, or ride with Mr. Toad through the English countryside. Tomorrowland had the fewest examples of this, with the exception of the “20,000 Leagues” walk-thru, which was a low-cost late addition. I suppose we will never get a big non-IP ride like the Haunted Mansion ever again, and that makes me sad, but priorities have changed.
MS, well it sure sounds like you had a great experience. Possibly even exceptional? My old girlfriend worked at Imagineering for a while, and she got to visit John Hench in his office once. She says he mostly talked nonstop for an hour, about Walt and Disneyland, and then that was it. He was nice, but he definitely didn’t make any sort of connection or introduce her to anybody else! He might have been a lot older at that point, I’m not sure what year this took place. Maybe she didn’t take advantage of the situation as much as she could have? Didn't ask good questions? Maybe she didn't seem enthusiastic? Hard to say. Again, he was very nice, but she felt like she forgot about her the moment she walked out the door.
MS, I’d say that in almost all cases where I have been around any sort of celebrity, I’ve chosen to not bother them. I did get to talk to Bob Gurr for ten minutes or so, long ago. But as a rule I don’t want to go up to somebody and blather - I want to have something intelligent to say!
Anonymous, I hope so too…
Yes, Hench was writing his book, and running many well trodden stories across me, again, a rapt audience. If I had not just started my own company in the bay area, I would have taken a great deal more advantage of all this…instead we were friendly acquaintances.
On these repeated visits to WED, I could tell that maybe life within Disney was going to be not all I wanted. But it was WONDERFUL to talk philosophy with one of my favorite geniuses!!!
MS
Major: I remembered there was a one-season Swiss Family Robinson series starring Martin Milner from "Adam 12". Looked it up -- It was produced in 1975 by Irwin Allen, disaster and silly sci-fi king. According to Wiki, the cast included a preteen Helen Hunt as a fellow castaway
It wasn't Disney -- in fact it was on ABC opposite "World of Disney" on NBC, and both would get beaten by the brand-new "60 Minutes" on CBS.
I suspect we may yet get some new non-IP attractions, powered by corporate sponsorships and/or the need to match a new themed area. "Expedition Everest" has no IP, and likewise "Soarin'" and "Grizzly River Run".
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