OK-zles
What has the world come to? A world without Snoozles?? Alfred Einstein (Albert's third cousin) theorized about such a thing, but it only recently has been proven through scientific observation. In a folder of 140 scans, there are none that exhibit pronounced Snoozle characteristics. And so, Junior Gorillas, I must instead share scans that are totally OK. Not bad, not great - just OK.
This first one is dated August, 1969; it's a familiar view of the Matterhorn on an overcast day with a milky sky. IT'S TOTALLY OK! We've got a little Skyway action goin' on, and even a bobsled, sort of like a slice of jalapeño in some mac and cheese (yum). The lagoon's blue-green waters hide all kinds of sea life, including some bright orange critter that is probably covered in venomous spines. Notice the spire on top of the Matterhorn, a handy place to put a Christmas star.
Next is this photo dated "November 28, 1973", a perfectly OK look at the iconic Disneyland sign at night. How do I know it is nighttime? Just a hunch. Somebody needs to buy a few new fluorescent bulbs, passersby might not know where they are. Notice that the park was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, something hard to imagine now.
16 comments:
Major-
That poor sign really does look seedy. I'm shocked 'back then' things got so messed up. (It's always possible there were multiple failures simultaneously at several points in the sign; but still).
Thanks, Major.
You mentioned the Bobsled, but I think this photo gets extra points for being snapped just as the Bobsled was going over the stone bridge. Plus, it's a red Bobsled! I suppose we can see a bit of Fudgie behind the waterfall, but it's so iffy that it isn't worth mentioning... so I won't. I'm seeing all kinds of fanciful faces in the Matterhorn rockwork today. Also, what is that blue thing next to the venomous orange thing? It looks like it has tentacles.
Seems odd that they would allow the fluorescent bulbs to burn out in the Disneyland sign. They're always so fastidious about the Main Street bulbs being replaced before they burn out.
Nanook, "seedy" is the right word. The sign fits right in with some of the motels in the area. I expect to see "COLOR TV in every room" mentioned on the Disneyland sign, along with "Magic Fingers".
I'm OK with OK-zies, Major. Thanks.
Since the Disneyland sign is dated 1973 there’s a very good chance those bulbs are NOT burned out. The height of the 70’s energy crises was 1973 and to do their part Disneyland went with “every other bulb” lighting . I don’t think it was THAT drastic .. but the park lost lots of its Themed lighting .. like the upper floor windows on Main Street , New Orleans Square , Frontierland , and Tomorrowland lost lots of its area atmosphere lighting including the “bright and boldly” illuminated carousel theatre . Exterior landscape lighting and facade lighting was also greatly reduced during this time. And of course the end of the Matterhorn Christmas Star . Lots of these lighting reductions during this time were never returned to use …. Most notably the New Orleans square upper window theme lighting and Tomorrowland area lighting ( building facade flooding and the PeopleMover Beamway running lights … being good examples .
In addition to the nighttime lighting reductions that started with the 1973 energy crises , other drastic changes occurred with Disneyland and Walt Disney world …. Including the canceling of many PHASE TWO developments in Florida like the ASIAN RESORT, Western River Expedition , the completion of Liberty Square’s other block of buildings and the market tower , and the 1974 WDW RR TOMORROWLAND STATION, the bay lake main gate restaurant too. Disneyland had many expansion plans canceled or delayed … like the Fantasyland Pinocchio’s Village and attraction / announced in the 1973 annual report , the attraction was completely designed in 1973 but delayed til 1983! At Disneyland also delayed was SPACE MOUNTAIN….fantasyland expansion And totally canceled was LIBERTY SQUARE , HALL OF PRESIDENTS , WESTERN RIVER EXPEDITION , Fantasia attraction , the first pre -Discovery Bay “island at the top of the world” attraction and the ride- thru fireworks factory shooting gallery .
It looks like there is a brown splotch on the Matterhorn, just past the stone bridge. Or is it a dead shrub? It kind of looks like a silhouette of the Matterhorn's original Abominable Snowman, and he's waving at us. Hi Harold!
Thank you, Major! Your OK-zles are A-OK!
Major, I challenge your characterization of these slides as “OK-zles” - I fail to see any connection with the state of Oklahoma.
Look at all the crows on the Matterhorn! And…look at what they’ve done to that formerly gray mountain!
Imagine pulling off the 5 onto Harbor one night, worn out from driving all day, and seeing this sign showing the entrance to the Park and Hotel. “Lois, kids, wake up - we’re here!” Picture the excitement - and then the frustration when they discover they just paid 50 cents or whatever the parking price was in 1973 only to discover that - despite what the sign says - this isn’t really the entrance for the Hotel.
I would love a light-up desk version of that sign.
Thanks, Major!
Major, I concur in your assessment, these aren’t just good, they are good enough (as Krusty the Clown says)!
The weird shadowless light really brings out the joints in the rocks. I’m suspecting those are expansion joints in the plaster to reduce cracking, but not sure.
This view is the obverse of the view in the pic with my Dad and I, now I’m trying to determine which cleft in the rock we were standing in.
For some time, I had been hoping for a picture of the Park sign, and GDB has delivered. I definitely remember the 1973 “energy crisis”, but didn’t suspect this was part of a “solution”. Our school bus driver was nervous about getting a refill for the trip home.
I often wonder about the power lines on the Park site, first, did the constraint of the easement reduce the land price? And second, was proximity to HT power a factor in selecting the site? Disneyland must have an amazing power bill. Probably needs a whole other dam on the Colorado to drive it.
Thank you for this perfectly adequate Sunday morning set, Major.
JG
Hi Major and Everyone. You're just joking comment about 'someone' needing to buy some replacement light bulbs reminded me of something I've been curious about for a long time ...maybe someone here knows the answer.
Have you heard the one about the Jungle Cruise Skipper who, finding that the waterfall had been shut off, joked that Uncle Walt forgot to pay the water bill? And supposedly this bit of cheeky humor was so scandalous that the fella (must have been a guy one imagines) actually got fired for making the joke.
Because if this story is really true that has got to be some kind of S-Tier Overzealous B.S. (Bolshevik Sausage) if you ask me. Does anyone know if this story is true, or if it's been debunked or maybe totally fictional?
I mean seriously. Even if Walt himself had got wind of the remark and had the guy fired then I would like to be the person to say, "Walt, he was just kidding. Take a chill pill and go have a cup of coffee." Maybe I need a cup of coffee...
“….the ride- thru fireworks factory shooting gallery”
Mike, are you just testing us, again?? :o)
Nanook, haven’t they heard of candles??
JB, you make a good point, it’s not just capturing the bobsled, it’s *where* it is. The blue thing… just the top of some “coral”? Not sure. From what another commenter said at one point, they made changes to the rock work on the Matterhorn, making Fudgie less prominent than in earlier pictures. I agree about the bulbs, especially since they made so much hay regarding the fact that they would replace all of the bulbs when they’d reached 80 percent of their lifespan.
Mike Cozart, I suppose you could be right, did they really do the “every other bulb thing”, even on Main Street, or on the Mark Twain? The “burned out” fluorescent bulbs seem fairly haphazard which is why they truly do look burned out. I think my family moved out of SoCal right around the later part of the Energy Crisis, and of course I was a kid, so I was not as aware of the measures being taken to conserve. Though I do remember the long lines at gas stations, and the “odd/even” thing (depending on your license plate number).
Mike Cozart, while all of the things you mentioned are fascinating, I am most fascinated by the idea of a Fantasia attraction. What in the world could that have been? The movie is so episodic, would the ride be that way too? And would they (hopefully) have a big scary Chernabog animatronic at the end?
TokyoMagic!, hmmm, no idea what that brown splotch is. At first I thought that it was just a wet area, but can’t see why it would be wet.
Chuck, I apologize to all the peoples of Oklahoma, and of Planet Urf. At some point somebody definitely decided that the paint on the Matterhorn should be subtle multicolors. It works, if you don’t pay much attention. Somehow the imposing dark gray of the early years feels more like a MOUNTAIN. Imagining disappointment is what I am best at! A light-up desk version of that sign, jeez, they should make that IMMEDIATELY.
JG, Crusty is wise and our greatest talent. I’m sure you’re right about those expansion joins, I once read about the Moonliner and how much it could expand in the hot sun, so the Matterhorn must have really needed room to “stretch”. Hmmm, I’ll have to take a closer look at the photo of you and your dad to see if I can figure out where you were. I’m glad you like this sign photo, though of course I wish it was a little better. I wonder if Todd J. Pierce’s book about the construction and development of Disneyland would say anything about the power lines and if they affected the price of the lot?
Anonymous, I have never heard the story of the Jungle Cruise Skipper being fired for making a joke at Walt’s expense; while I agree with you that it seems harmless (if a little naughty by Disney standards), it doesn’t surprise me that they fired him. I’m not saying I agree with the firing, but some of those old-timers were probably very faithful to the memory of Walt - to a fault.
Lou and Sue, ha, I’ll bet that was a real ride concept!
I’ve never heard the jungle cruise skipper /waterfall story before….. but if the skipper made the comment to guests as part of his routine - I’d expect him to be fired - even with Walt ever hearing about it or not. Also I’ve heard many validated stories from WED imagineers and Disneyland management who had some rough interactions with Walt . I think in general he was an amicable person to work with or for … but he was a work-a-holic businessman and very serious — don’t confuse that with the scripted “uncle Walt “ on tv.
Sue : THE FIREWORKS FACTORY was a proposed ride-thru attraction that fist started as a proposal for a ride - thru shooting gallery to be located above AMERICA SINGS …. That had a working project name called THE UFO SHOW. The idea was then re-themed as part of a big Frontierland expansion and re-alignment that included The Western River Expedition , Thunder Mesa Runnaway Railroad ( as two separate attractions) a large BBQ restaurant and a elaborate ride Thru shooting gallery themed to a mining explosive warehouse /factory . A later revision made it a ride Thru FIREWORKS FACTORY . This whole expansion brought in LIBERTY SQUARE ( 1972-1973) between Frontierland and Fantasyland - its entry was where carnation gardens stood . Frontierland would have its original entry and a second FRONTIERLAND - FANTASYLAND corridor going west of “its a small world “
The attractions along here segued to FANTASIA - I’m not 100% sure what this attraction ride Thru entailed but the show building was massive . Next to Fantasia was ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD attraction…. Still in fantasyland . Then the new secondary entrace to the desert themed Frontierland expansion . The energy crises killed this plan and this is when imagineer Tony Baxter - having just completed the shelved new Pinocchio attraction and Pinocchio village fantasyland expansion , proposes a plan to save the ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD & THE FIREWORKS FACTORY … and develops DISCOVERY BAY as a new Fantasyland/Frontierland segue “land” . Discovery Bay goes thru several revisions from 1974- 1984 but remained an active project. It was resurrected again in the mid to late 1990’s but was pretty much killed off after that . GALAXYS EDGE occupies most of the real estate where DISCOVERY BAY was to go .
Incidentally all the Disneyland show buildings for FANTASIA , ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD , and THE WESTERN RIVER EXPEDITION were located beyond the DL RR tracks … but like “ITS A SMALL WORLD” only the WESTERN RIVER EXPEDITION had a facade visible from the railroad. Disneyland’s “Thunder mountain runaway railroad “ was always going to be a stand alone attraction …. This model was followed in Florida … not the other way around.
CHUCK : that was a very common occurrence of guests pulling into the Disneyland lot thinking it was the Hotel . There was a series of “direct “ lanes paralleling the inner row monorail beam that directed guests into the Disneyland Hotel lot on across Walnut Street. Also if you had DL hotel reservations you were directed to park in a sweet spot that allowed you to easily got to your car mid day and drive to check in using the parking Lot hotel direct lane - the same one the tram used .
Any photo of the original Disneyland marquee is a good photo! I’m wondering if the photo “reads” differently (as photos do) and when looking at this sign in real life it was completely lit: perhaps with a few dark spots. It would be odd to skimp on the marquee, but stranger things have happened. During my short stint in the P-Lot, those trying to get to the hotel was pretty normal and frequent. It makes more sense from the 5 south to get off on Harbor…the guests would be a little confused, but we put a white (or was it red…) piece of paper on their windshield wiper and the employees would direct them to the exit that went directly across West St. as Mike said. People dropping off people, or picking up something at the newsstand/ticket booths/etc got a red (or was it white) paper that directed them to the 20 minute zone. The toll booth was fun: out there on the tarmac was another world…Thanks Major.
Thanks, Mike, for answering my question. Appreciate all the interesting details!
I see that KS (Ken) is back and added a comment to his September 9 birthday post. Welcome home, Ken!
Thanks, Major.
Bu, I remember those rectangular pieces of paper that the parking attendants would put under your windshield wipers. They were solid red on one side, and solid white on the other. They didn't have anything printed on them like "Disney" or "Disneyland," but I kept at least one of them anyway. Why? Oh, just because!
^ TM! -- I love it! We can mention anything here and there's always somebody on this blog that either has it or knows everything about it. :o)
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