Park Entrance, April 1973
I have a pair of so-so photos from April 1973, from the area outside the main park. It's a bit weird that these two are the only Disneyland slides that were in the batch, leading me to suspect that there were others, but they were cherry-picked and sold separately. Why they missed these two is a mystery.
It looks like many folks are walking toward the ticket booths from the parking lot, presumably dropped off by a tram. April can be chilly, look at all the jackets and sweaters, and one babushka. I guess the crowd of people to our right are in line to buy tickets? Mama mia! Perhaps it was Spring Break?
Normally I would theorize that the seller did not recognize some of the slides as being from Disneyland, but it's pretty hard to ignore the giant smiling face of the floral Mickey portrait. Maybe they thought it was a portrait of Al Pacino? I definitely see a likeness. I don't know what those people to the left are up to, and I don't want to know. As always, I enjoy seeing the Santa Fe name (in this case it's on the train cars); Santa Fe would cease its sponsorship in September of 1974.
7 comments:
Major-
"I don't know what those people to the left are up to, and I don't want to know".
Clearly, the 'gents' thought it would be fun to spontaneously play 'necking the orange', or 'the orange game' - undoubtedly inspired by Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn and a fellow 'dancer' in Charade (1963). LOOK HERE.
Thanks, Major.
So, are we looking toward the east, with the train station off to the left? I think we can see a train through the trees. This photo was taken on the day that the Park was listing toward the south(?). That's why all the people are piled up on that side of the photo. I think that red babushka is more of a fashion statement than anything else.
Mickey's flowery face is in full bloom; the last few photos of him were pretty skimpy looking. I don't think I'll venture a guess either, what those guys on the left are doing. There are at least two men scrunching down doing... something. The others seem amused by their antics.
Nanook, perhaps they are playing the 'orange game'. I thought maybe they were 'duck walking'. Maybe Donald was nearby.
Thanks for posting Park pics, Major.
Major, I bet you are right about it being Spring Break. I remember similar lines to buy tickets, during a childhood visit two years later, in 1975, during "Easter Vacation" (before it was called Spring Break!). I also remember super long lines inside the park during that visit.
I looked up April of 1973, and Easter was on April 22nd, so these photos very well could have been taken during that week.
A Monorail on the beam would have improved that photo immensely.
Thanks, Major
Zach
That might be a ticket line, one of those where people just get into the first line they see.
The little retaining wall has been cleaned up and painted go-away green. I hope it doesn’t go away or Mickey will slide off the berm. It looks much better, and Mickey has had his fertilizer vitamins, he’s very plush looking today. Too bad those ladies couldn’t have gotten further from those antics to the left.
An odd lot, Major, but a good memory of the Park Entrance. As much as I decry the all-digital-all-the-time nature of the modern Park, buying tickets online is much superior to these lines.
Thank you!
JG
Thinking about JG’s comment about purchasing ticket I realized I don’t think but a few times out of my hundreds of trips to Disneyland did I ever have to purchase or wait in line to purchase Disneyland tickets. Growing up in San Diego it seems we always had our tickets for Disneyland in advanced. Either because of a group school trip or mainly because I think my parents , grandparents and friend’s parents purchased MAGIC KINGDOM CLUB member tickets Thru employee benefits . I don’t recall if the tickets were ordered or if they were supplied by the company benefits group office …. I suppose the companies were large enough to have some deal with Disneyland …. GENERAL DYNAMICS , RYAN AERONAUTICS, MACOM-LINKABIT ( QUALCOMM) the U.S.Military …. Etc…. We always had our tickets before leaving San Diego …. In those green and white envelopes and mostly those pink and white envelopes - with the MKC castle or Tink on them. I think the first time I purchased a Disneyland ticket from a Disneyland ticket booth may have been in the late 80’s on a last minute trip — but I still used a magic kingdom card for a discounted ticket. In the 90’s being employed by Disney we used out ID’s for entry … we were also sent via the mail two times a year (2) complimentary DL passes we could give to family or friends without having to use any of our limited sign in privileges. The 4 a year comp passes could be used at Disneyland or Walt Disney World.
Guests in almost any city could also purchase Disneyland or Walt Disney world tickets at regular or Magic Kingdom Club prices at their local Disney Stores from 1987 till I think 2007(??)
….. if one wanted to avoid the parks ticket booth lines.
….
“Hello and welcome to the magic kingdom of Disneyland! There are many ways to experience the magic kingdom … whether it’s your first time visit or your 100th visit …. “
Those Jack Wagoner entry recordings are burned pleasingly into my memory and I can hear them in my mind like it’s 1980!
Nanook, I just watched “Charade” on Amazon Prime - for about the sixth time! So I know the “orange game” scene! A classic.
JB, yes, the train station would be to our left in the first photo. I hadn’t noticed, but you are right, we can just see bits of a train through the foliage! I am against people scrunching down, and if elected President, will promise to make such behavior illegal.
TokyoMagic!, I know they were still using some sort of Easter Break phrasing in the 1980s, you have Thumper buttons from at least two of those years I think. But I get that “Spring Break” is a bit more generic - working for everyone. Cool that you went to the trouble of looking up the date for Easter!
zach, I can’t argue with you!
JG, sure, I’ve seen lines at Disneyland, I think I need to stand in them, but am not quite sure. And the people already there aren’t quite sure either. It reminds me of an old Peanuts comic, with Snoopy finally admitting, “I don’t even know what’s going on”. Yes, the wall looks nicer in its go-away green, at least I thin so. I suppose that if this really was around Easter, the weather would be warming up, presumably we’d had a bit of rain, and the plants were ready to go nuts!
Mike Cozart, I’ll bet a lot of people are like you, they already had ticket books from one event or another, or (as you said), through school, or church, or an endless number of other places. I don’t really remember waiting in line for tickets, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t do it - we were kids, buying tickets was grownup stuff! Money? What’s money?? Just get me in those gates! Some of those special event tickets now sell for a lot to collectors - I might only have one or two, since I never made a point of collecting them. I’m sure most people are like me, the mere hint that a trip to Disneyland was pending was incredibly exciting - I probably had trouble sleeping beforehand!
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