Main Street Vehicles, September 1968
Oh boy, the Horseless Carriage, one of my favorite Main Street vehicles. To be honest, I like them all, but there's just something about this "Gurrmobile", a completely convincing "antique" automobile that is not antique at all, first going into service in 1956 (though this yellow vehicle was first used in 1957). It has a two-cylinder, 4-horsepower engine that will take the car up to 400 miles per hours! Hard to believe.
Next, the familiar (but still beloved) Horse Drawn Streetcar - although it looks like our photographer was more interested in the Main Street Theater, which was showing (among other things) Harold Lloyd's 1917 film, "All Aboard", all of nine minutes long. The synopsis: A father takes his daughter on a trip to Bermuda in an attempt to separate her from a suitor. Little does anyone know that the suitor has stowed away on board. When he is discovered, he is credited with catching a crook. The hapless hero receives a reward, and also the girl.
11 comments:
400 mph!? Wow, just imagine how fast it would go with four cylinders and 8-horsepower! The rubber tires would catch fire from the friction caused by the terrific speed!
I like the yellow and black colors on this Horseless Carriage. I guess riders could deposit 10 cents in that fare box if they didn't have an "A" coupon. (I know, not having an "A" coupon left in your ticket book is an impossibility.) Looks like a Harold Lloyd movie is playing at the Main Street Cinema. Or maybe it's Harold the Yeti... who can say?
Ah. In the second pic, I see it was indeed Harold Lloyd, not Harold the Yeti. You even give us a description of the film. I thought for sure it was Harold the Yeti in "All About the Himalayas". Alas.
Like you, I think the horse and Streetcar just happened to photobomb the photographer's pic of the Cinema. I bet the horse sped up just to get in the photo at the moment it was snapped. Horses have a sixth sense about such things. Einstein included it in his theory of special relativity: E = mc2; where the "E" stands for "Ecuus", or 'horse'. Smart people know stuff like this.
Nice, colorful Main Street photos. Thanks, Major.
Things from the 50s can be considered 'antique' so I suppose most of us are. I see a pretty woman standing on one leg for some reason. I try to ride a Main Street vehicle every time I visit. Slow down I say.
Thanks, Major
Zach
“Checks drivers license, sees birthdate” Yup, I’m antique all right.
While I very much love the Main Street Vehicles (MSVs), I don’t think I’ve ever ridden this one. Usually the omnibus, fire truck or the horse cars. Not sure why. One of my Disneyland quirks, like going in the east tunnel and leaving out the west one.
400 mph seems a bit understated, I’m sure they could notch a higher top speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats with a JATO bottle. I think all the MSVs had nitrous oxide boost too, even the horses.
It’s good to see these photos paired together since they are rare Main Street photos without a single trash can visible.
Handsome horse in photo 2, I always admire this fine animals and props to Disney for keeping them employed.
Thanks for the trip down Main Street, Major!
JG
*these fine animals
“shakes fist at autocorrect”
JG
JB, many people do not realize that old 8 horsepower engines were incredibly efficient. You are right about rubber tires catching fire, which is why the tires were made out of a space-age substance that hadn’t even been invented yet! I don’t believe that the Horseless Carriage driver would have accepted a dime, you’d think that the sign would have been more specific about “A” coupons. I’d watch a silent movie starring Harold the Yeti. “Stop That Avalanche!”. Horses are definitely sneaky and not necessarily nice, I was on a horse ride in the Sierras, and the horse behind me kept biting my horse, which would make it run off the trail. Some fun!
zach, I remember my antiques-crazy mom once said that anything over 20 years old could be considered “antique”, and if you had more than three of anything, it became a “collection”. Before my friends showed up at my last Disneyland visit, I rode the Streetcar all by myself, it was fun.
JG, yeah I’m not sure how I feel about qualifying for a senior discount when I get a haircut. “I’m still hip and groovy!”. I have definitely never been on a Horseless Carriage, and I do think those were running (or at least one was) the last time I was there. A “to do” item for sure! Same with the Firetruck. I’d like to see a Horse Drawn Streetcar with a JATO, that would be interesting. Perfect for “Mythbusters”, except that there’s no myth to bust. The horses are always top quality!
JG, I knew what you meant!
Everyone send good thoughts and prayers to our dear GDB friends Sue and her father Lou …. As Lou is not doing very well at the moment..
I actually remember watching that Harold Lloyd short at Disneyland (it's on YouTube -- see below). Back then it was hard for a kid to see Lloyd's films anywhere, except some very early ones that lapsed into Public Domain. He was still alive, very wealthy, and kept tight control of most of his work, including "Safety Last" (the one where he hangs off a clock). He'd allow special showings and experimented with compilation features, but it was decades before they became more accessible. Now you can find his best features on disc, looking way better than this because he and his heirs took good care of them.
Lloyd started out as a violent, hyperactive Chaplin imitator called "Lonesome Luke". He had the idea of giving up the makeup and fake mustache to appear as a normal young man with glasses -- but still doing wild slapstick, as he's doing here. Soon he figured out how to play the character fairly straight, as a sympathetic if overenthusiastic youth audiences could root for. That's the Lloyd you find in "Safety Last", "The Freshman", and "Girl Shy". Anyway, here's "All Aboard":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6QxKDBwBcA
Thanks for the heads-up, Mike. I'll be sending good, healing thoughts.
Mike Cozart, I wasn’t sure I should say anything, but yes, all good thoughts to Lou.
DBenson, I first watched a Harold Lloyd film when I was in college, and was amazed at how much I like it! It was “The Kid Brother”. I’ve since seen four or five others, and of course also watched Keaton and Chaplin movies. Truly amazing stuff. I know you know this, but when Lloyd was hanging off that clock, he only had one truly good hand, having had several fingers blown off by a prop bomb years before. He wore a flesh-colored glove so that it appeared that his hand was whole, but my gosh, it’s incredible what he did. Thanks for the YouTube link!
JB, I know Sue will appreciate your good thoughts.
Mike, JB, Major, your kind thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. Yes, sadly, Lou is now on hospice. (I'm still here -- hanging around GDB throughout the day, as it's a 'pleasant diversion.' Thanks, all.)
Virtual hugs to you and your dad, Sue.
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