Two Interesting Pix From June, 1962
I normally like to share better-than-average images on Fridays, and was a little perturbed to find that my current folder of 100+ scans doesn't have much in the way of "wow" pictures. I'm trying to figure out who to sue - I'll let you know.
The two scans I'm sharing today are from June of 1962, and at least they have some less-usual details. Like this first one, taken outside the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and a mysterious man in black is clambering on the railing around the balcony (is "balcony" the correct term?), he's probably trying to sneak into the show. Hey, Paladin, you can just walk through the front door, you doink.
Meanwhile I thought that the new fancy wooden sign for the Golden Horseshoe might not be completed in this pic, but it's just a bit washed out.
The Man in Black appears to be confronting somebody else; Sheriff Lucky? An irate dancer? We'll never know. I sure hope they work out their issues with calm reason, even though that pistol is gleaming in the sunlight. Chekhov's pistol.
Across the way, the cheerful Gonzalez Trio performed in the little bandstand that was near Casa de Fritos. Apparently somebody shot at the photographer, there are bullet holes in the film! Those Boy Scouts to the right exude squirreliness.
8 comments:
Major-
"(is "balcony" the correct term?)" I'm certain JG will know the proper name, but for my money, I think it's just a 'wrap-around balcony'.
It's nice to see the Gonzalez Trio in their natural habitat bringing joy to Disneyland guests'.
Thanks, Major.
I think we can see the cowboy hat, of whoever that man in black is confronting. The hat is just above the Pepsi-Cola sign (the one on the left).
That's quite a crowd watching intently to see if'n that man in black is gonna git hisself shot an' fall off'n that thar railin'. The girl in the green pants is doing the Pee-Wee Herman dance; "Tequila!"
Major, I agree, those Boy Scouts are up to somethin'. Especially the one in the blue socks. I mean... BLUE SOCKS!!!"
The image is tilted a bit. I sorta expect the bandstand to slide out of frame to the left, like one of the Flying Saucers. The Frito Bandito is responsible for the bullet holes.
Tokyo!, I think you're right about the cowboy hat. I have no idea why the "mysterious man in black" would be so worked up about a cowboy hat sitting on top of the Pepsi sign. ;-)
Thanks for the pics, Major; bullet holes and all.
Squirmy Boy Scouts in a public place…I can relate to their leader (or perhaps just a Scout Dad) standing behind them. We have them wear their uniforms in that sort of environment because studies have shown they behave better in uniform. Our troop even has them in uniform on the way to and from a weekend camp-out (although the shirts hang in the trailer as soon as we get to teh campsite).
And…light blue socks? My first Scoutmaster would have given that kid a kindly but very firm talking-to and a serious downgrade on a uniform inspection. As a Scoutmaster myself, I was generally happy to have them in a Scout shirt with the patches in the correct place and their current rank on the pocket. But I still encouraged proper uniforming and still strive to set the example.
I have a couple of those flat side caps that I will occasionally wear even today (the BSA rule is “once a uniform item, always a uniform item”), one of which has the full-color logo like the ones in the photo. Introduced after WW II and styled after the popular “overseas cap” worn by returning Servicemen, the BSA called them “field caps,” and they were the first Scout hat authorized besides the “Smokey Bear” campaign hat. Today the Air Force calls them “flight caps” and the Army officially calls them “garrison caps,” although - the Army being the Army - there are, of course, a couple of vulgar nicknames which I will not repeat here.
The Gonzalez Trio’s bandstand looks like a mid-‘70s Main Street parade float.
Thanks, Major!
Major and Nanook, I would call this element a balcony without much hesitation. I appreciate your confidence.
The Man in Black is Paladin’s erstwhile competitor Palindrome, a bad guy who can’t tell if he’s coming or going. He is sneaking into the show without paying, while not realizing entry is free.
Chuck, our troop had custom baseball type caps, the wearing of which was strictly enforced to make tracking easier. “Green hats are my responsibility”. I would explain to the boys that their uniform is the physical representation of their Scout Oath that set them apart from the Rabble. Of course uniform pants or shorts and socks were encouraged, especially at public-facing events, but were relaxed on the road or trail. Travel always required Class A shirts, we had several types of Class B shirts specific to our troop (all in green) and we discouraged wearing standard BSA Class B gear, again so our group stood out in the crowd as the Green Machine.
We called those garrison caps as you explained since our troop was heavily influenced by Army doctrine. The slang name to which you refer was known among the adults but never filtered down to the Scouts (I hope). As a hat style, they possess no functional attributes such was weather or sun protection, serving only as a place to hang unit ID and similar regalia and were never worn by our unit.
JG
And…
Thank you, Major!
JG
Nanook, I prefer “cyber-balcony”, but I guess “wrap-around balcony” will do.
TokyoMagic!, I said I wasn’t going to do it, but I wrote the blog only looking at the thumbnails :-(
JB, it would be funny if there was a gunfight going on in Frontierland and nobody stopped to even look. “I see this every day in my neighborhood”, they sigh. Blue socks, I would notify the FBI immediately. There are some things that I can’t abide, and blue socks is way up on that list. When slides are tilted, I never know if I should straighten them out. Often some chunks are lost around the edges, sometimes it doesn’t matter, but other times it does. Also, straightening out an image involves extra effort, and you know how much I hate that!
Chuck, I have to figure that a kid in a uniform can’t pretend to be some other random kid. “It’s THAT boy, the one in the green uniform, HE’S the one who put ketchup (or maybe it was catsup) in my hair!”. The boy with the blue socks must have had a growth spurt, those pants should be at least another three or four inches longer. Then nobody would even be aware of the faux pas. The “flat side caps” seem to be the most commonly seen, but I admit to having a fondness for the more old-fashioned “Smokey Bear” hats. Go ahead, use the vulgar names, life is short!
JG, balcony it is (I accidentally typed “balony” at first, and now I’m hungry). I remember learning about palindromes and thinking they were so cool, I had a book of “cool facts” that listed longer and longer palindromes. Sure, they made no sense (“Sit on a potato pan, otis”) but who cared? Baseball-style caps, that makes me think more of Cub Scouts, I didn’t know that Boy Scouts wore those. What if a troop member wears one to the side, or even backwards? Chaos! All of my shirts are Class A, I have my pride. Plus they all have little Snoopys sewn on by my mom. I’m afraid I’m going to have to look up that slang name, you’ve driven me to it. I’m not responsible for my own actions.
JG, you are welcome.
Major, we were very strict on the hats, no backwards or tilted caps in our Troop. This really wasn’t much of a problem past the first years, as our Scouts took pride in their uniform and were careful to wear it correctly.
Also, Class A uniform is the classic khaki shirt with the various insignia, ours today are different and more complex than those in today’s post. Class B varies by troop but most troops have their own t-shirt or golf shirt with insignia in various colors. These are work shirts for service projects or hikes etc.
If you do find that term somewhere, just remember you were warned.
JG
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