Holiday Time, 1950s
I Have two 1950s Christmas-ish scans from Disneyland for you today, starting with this first shot looking along West Center Street, and at the Carnation Milk Truck. The garland and wreath overhead is the only real indicator that it was Christmastime. It's strange to see West Center Street before the Flower Market was added... it looks like a dead-end - which of course it was. I'm assuming that this was taken as the park was closing, since there is a notable absence of people.
To the left, in front of that one façade, we see a map of Main Street, illuminated by an overhead lamp (which is why I think this is evening rather than early morning). To the left of that is a sign with Mickey's likeness; it's hard to read, but says something about "XMAS FUN" at the Mickey Mouse Theater in Fantasyland.
This next one shows the Emporium, along with Town Square and Main Street adorned in fairly minimal Christmas decor... some garlands, some red bells, a small tree in the middle of the square (was there a larger tree out of frame??), and if you look closely, some plywood cutouts above the entry to the Emporium, used only in 1956, I believe (please correct me if I am mistaken).
14 comments:
Major-
"... a small tree in the middle of the square (was there a larger tree out of frame??)"
Not if this image is from 1955, as the 'large' Christmas tree was placed at the hub. LOOK HERE.
Thanks, Major.
There is another bit of Christmas decorations; the colored string lights around some of the Carnation Co. windows. Like yesterday's photos, this one looks sorta surreal.
The Bekins truck looks awfully skinny. Maybe they only moved furniture from very narrow houses back then. The sign above the truck says "Parcel Check Room"... or is it "Pastel Chick Room"? Maybe this is where you could get lightly colored hatchlings for Easter. Looks like the Emporium has a lot of interesting window displays, but I can't tell what they are. Those plywood cutouts remind me of Whos down in Whoville. I suppose it's pointless to look for the Matterhorn Star. ;-)
Another warm, nostalgic, Christmas-y edition of GDB. Thanks, Major
The tree in Nanook's link made me recheck the second photo. I believe we can see that big tree in the hub. Cool, man! I never knew that they put a tree in the hub! Thanks for that link, Nanook!
And thank you, Major!
That photo of West Center Street looks like it was taken on a movie set. Or possibly in Disneyland of the Damned.
Looking waaay down Main Street past the Hub to the Castle, this angle and the lens make it look like the castle goes on and on to the right. It looks much wider than it does in my memory, but the last turret on the right is the one immediately to the right of the east entrance to the court between the Castle and the Carrousel, so I know it’s not some temporary annex that none of us have ever seen before.
I see the cloaking device has been activated on the Matterhorn.
Thanks, Nanook, for that Hub tree photo. I had no idea there had ever been a tree there.
Wow. Where are all the trees? That end of West street always butted up to a wind-break of existing eucalyptus trees, even before the bamboo grew in. Not today. Interesting to see these buildings more clearly, as they would soon become layered over. Are these some of the reused / repeating architectural elements found on Main Street? I think Cozart has mentioned such details before. The asymmetrical long shot is also devoid of trees we would come to
love. Nothing behind the castle yet? Just a few pokey palms towards Adventureland.
Also, I liked that Dutch-style Bekins building, featuring not just far more convenient lockers, but the thrill of studying the huge aerial photo of the park.
MS
The first photo is almost creepy, hard to see a favorite spot so lonely. Usually Main Street looks like a real place, but here it looks like a movie set. Add a few bits of trash and Humphrey Bogart in a fedora and trench coat and hey presto! Disneyland Noir.
In photo 2, the Bekins moving van is horse-drawn. I don’t recall having seen that vehicle before? To the extreme right, behind the guest in the blue shirt, we can see one of those original drinking fountains with exposed plumbing. These were later replaced with the white grooved pedestal type of C&H fame.
Major, thank you for these early and informative pics!
JG
@ JG-
"To the extreme right, behind the guest in the blue shirt..."
Looking at that guy (and the two gentlemen to our right,) I think they are all workmen. The blue-shirted guy looks as if he's carrying a lunchpail and shovel...
Nanook, very cool, I guess that first pic is from 1955! You can see the tree in the hub, way down there.
JB, I wasn’t sure if those were Christmas lights, or just the regular lights that line the buildings on Main Street. But I think you’re right. The Bekins truck DOES look skinny, I’m sure it was a scaled-down version of an old horse-drawn van. I love pastel chicks! As in babes. And yeah, I can’t tell what is in the windows of the Emporium, I’d love to know what they did for the first holiday season!
TokyoMagic!, yes, you can see that tree, now that we know to look for it. I feel like I knew about that tree at one point, and forgot about it (like so many things)!
Chuck, that first photo really does have a spooky vibe! I see what you mean about the Castle, it does look like it could continue further to the right. But it’s all an illusion! Pepper’s Ghost AND forced perspective! ;-) I hope the cloaking device helps keep the Matterhorn warm.
MS, I’ve seen later photos that have eucalyptus trees behind Walt’s apartment, as well as behind West Center Street, so I don’t understand why we can’t see any in that second photo! If I had more time, I would look up to see when the Flower Market went in; no wonder they added it, since that street looks so empty and lonely without it. I love these early views when the park was looking a bit rough around the edges (but still wonderful)!
JG, yeah, the first one is like something about a horror movie, or one of those “liminal spaces” creepypastas. I am sure you’ve seen the Bekins van before, in fact I think we might have even seen it being pulled by small white horses. I’ve wondered about those drinking fountains - somebody must have decided that they were not much to look at, and that they should replace them with more elegant versions.
Nanook, I think you’re right, those guys are all maintenance or construction dudes.
I understand the Christmas plywood cutouts ( HARBORITE : a marine plywood) were used throughout Main Street USA . I’m not sure if they changed every year , but one year they were “The 12 Days of Christmas “ and another year they were “The Night Before Christmas “ . Early on Walt had Gus WED imagineers develop possible Christmas overlays for each land … including special “space Christmas tree” ( I used this Herbert Ryman concept for my Christmas cards one year!) there were concepts fir fake snow cover all over the Frontierland entry stocade …. And a giant Christmas Tree at the hub with the castle in the background- a the base of the tree a “Dicken’s” like village with animated vignettes inside that could tell The 12 days of Christmas or A Christmas Carol . There was no money available for that kind of extreme decor in the very early years …
My phone Changed WED to GUS (???) our civilization will be doomed by AI ….
Lol : user error: HIS was changed to GUS
Nanook, thanks for linking that image. What a unique shot! The Christmas tree looks nice, in front of the castle.
"Maybe this is where you could get lightly colored hatchlings for Easter."
JB, I remember seeing those dyed critters in pet store windows, in the 60s...chicks and ducklings...and probably bunnies, too. (Note: It's good they stopped doing that.)
"I suppose it's pointless to look for the Matterhorn Star. ;-)"
JB, if you look closely, you'll see a little Matterhorn Star on the top of the drinking fountain.
Thanks, Major, for more Christmas images.
Mike Cozart, I think (but am not positive) that they may have used some of those plywood cutouts for more than one year. I’m sure that once they were done with them, they went into a dumpster, which is sad to think about. Funny, at first I was like, “Who is Gus?”, but then realized it was a typo. It happens to me too. A space Christmas tree sounds cool! It’s kind of too bad they could not do the snow for Frontierland, but I’m sure that it was considered unnecessary for how much it would have cost. It’s hard to imagine that they would have had room for those Dickens scenes, unless they were really small, which would have had less impact.
Mike Cozart (the next two comments), please tell me more about Gus! ;-)
Lou and Sue, I thought these were nice, but Mr. X wants copies to print out, so they must be nicer than I imagined!
An empty Park at Christmas...what a joy. Probably after Jan 1...when the decorations were still up...and the crowds vanished from thin air. Thanks to Family Stuart for keeping the Carnation Truck alive at their farm. I think this iconic truck goes into the "one of the most photographed things at Disneyland". Thanks Major. Happy Holidays to all...the games have begun!
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