I've been scanning slides from a box that seems to have a lot of duds (unfortunately); especially this batch from March, 1961. They've been blurry (a lot of them!), or poorly-composed (kind of a lot of them, too). I almost wonder if they weren't taken by a child with a camera. Anyway, Here are three Storybook Land photos that are lousy!
"Up ahead, you'll see where the Three Little Oinks lived. There's the house of sticks, and the house of bricks, and one Oink ate his house, which happened to be a house of pancakes". (Guests in the boat mutter to each other in amazement - "Pancakes? Well I never!"). You can tell that the fellow to the right is can't stop thinking about his TPS reports... double-spaced, perfect indents and margins... things of beauty!
"Next we see Geppetto's Village, which the toymaker rules with a wooden fist. The streets are deserted because they are afraid that if Mr. G sees them, they'll be iced". (More excited murmuring from the guests. "My Uncle Leonard was iced!").
Never take a photo if it 1/3 of it is going to be the backs of people's heads, OK? Listen to your pal, the Major. "To the left I'm sure you'll recognized the village where Cinderella lived with her wicked stepsisters, Monkey-wrench Mary and Head-lock Harriet" - yes, they were both professional wrestlers". (Gasps from nearby: "Wrestling is the Greatest Sport, everyone says so!").
Major-
ReplyDelete(Gasps from nearby: "Wrestling is the Greatest Sport, everyone says so!")
Everyone knows it's Roller Derby - please-!
Thanks, Major.
“house of pancakes”
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there, Major! :oD
Those miniature gondolas fit perfectly, in that scene!
No pumpkin! Definitely a lousy shot.
Thanks, Major.
I've never noticed this before in similar photos, but at that distance, the Skyway (second pic) looks in perfect scale with the miniature mountains.....almost like a ski lift or gondola ride up into the mountains.
ReplyDeleteNanook, I remember clicking by Roller Derby on Sundays (never watched it), and it was taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center, across the street from Disneyland. I wonder if it was being televised "live"?
Well, at least the people in the boat aren't blurry. I guess that's something. You can look at this photo two different ways: 1) The people in the boat are taking up too much of the composition and distracting from the carefully crafted miniature scenes in the background. Or, 2) Those blurry things in the background are distracting from the nice people in the boat.
ReplyDeleteOoh! This is actually a nice one! As Sue and Tokyo! mentioned, It looks just like real-life aerial gondolas making their way over a village in the foothills of the Alps. The people in the foreground look better all blurred up here. They provide a point of view without being overly noticeable.
Dang, as Sue noted, no pumpkin coach... not even a blurry one! I suppose we can't blame the photographer too much. He, or she, is stuck in the boat with all those other people in front of him. He can't stand up in the boat, that would a violation of the Disney Constitution, and he would be taken away by Security and fed to the Swans!
Two pics worthy of Snoozledom, and one that's pretty good... I'll take it! Thanks, Major.
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteI remember flipping the TV dial [in prime time] in the 1960's and hearing Dick Lane announcing the 'action', live, for KTLA when the Los Angeles Thunderbirds (the T-Birds) were playing at the Olympic Auditorium. Dick is fondly remembered for his use of the phrase "whoa Nellie-!!" when some excitement took place on the roller rink - the phrase subsequently becoming quite famous.
Nanook, wow! Is that the origin of that phrase? Or was he just responsible for reviving an old phrase? I remember watching only briefly and seeing the women push each other down. Gee, they were mean!
ReplyDelete@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteIt originated back in the days of horses; but Dick Lane is responsible for bringing it back during the days of Roller Derby - later becoming a catchphrase for Keith Jackson.
Nanook, got it! Thanks for clarifying!
ReplyDeleteI remember the T-Birds, but as a kid I didn't really understand what was going on...other than girls pulling each others hair: which I suppose has it's own entertainment value. I thought it wasn't really efficient to just go around in circles on the skates and not get anywhere, but just back to the same place over and over again. That being said, I really enjoyed seeing these photos of Storybook Land. The ride is so very calming and soothing...and charming of course. I was inspired to make my own little models given the very basic materials I had: basically things taken from the trash, and I set up scenes in my closet so that my brother wouldn't disturb them: "Don't mess with my stuff!!". I hope this attraction inspires more kids like myself, it's way better than a machine that sits in your hand taking away brain cells. My opinions only. Smart phones are wonderful, but let's not forget the other things too. It would be a sad day if Storybook Land took a trip to Never Never Land. Thanks Major for the SBLS!!
ReplyDeleteThe first 2 photos aren’t too bad, I think that is the House of Pancakes, too! Now I want pancakes. Mr. TPS appears to approve, the simple and meticulous scenes appeal to his sense of order. While photo 2 is positive proof that Matterhorn is a stroke of genius theming.
ReplyDeleteThe last photo, commemorative hairdo recording, was probable valued by the photographer, there is a sliver of the scenery visible beyond all the hair. But for present audiences, it is somewhat lacking in interest. Could be a hairspray ad.
Thanks for these might-have-beens, Major. They touch a chord of memory in spite of being a little off.
JG
When I rode the Canal Boats a few years ago, I noticed how the mountain backdrop blocked almost everything outside the village and tied the village scene to the Matterhorn that was too tall to block. I'd guess the scale was intentional to make the skyway appear to be part of the scene too.
ReplyDeleteNanook, are you telling me you prefer Roller Derby to the elegance, class, and beauty of professional wrestling??
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, I guess the gondolas do look tiny! How does that work?
TokyoMagic!, they should add a tiny Skyway to that part of Storybook Land as a tribute to the ride we lost. They could say that Geppetto built it. I’ve only seen bits of Roller Derby, including some movie with Raquel Welch that I forget the name of. I almost went to see Roller Derby up in Portland with friends, but it was sold out!
JB, the way I look at these photos is… I notice everything wrong with them. I just went through a batch of slides in a box that I will scan soon, and was disappointed to find MANY that are pretty crummy, more than usual. I’m not looking forward to those. The photographer could have stood up in the boat for a second, and claimed that a bee was trying to sting him. Nobody would have blamed him, even if the boat tipped over. Bees are serious business.
Nanook, I always associated “Whoa, Nellie” with Bozo the Clown!
TokyoMagic!, some say that cavemen first said “Whoa, Nellie”. In fact, I say that.
Nanook, oh right, Keith Jackson, he said it too. And yet he never said, “Land o’ Goshen”. Go figure.
TokyoMagic!, there will be a pop quiz in three months.
Bu, it’s very simple, it’s fun to watch people beat the stuffing out of each other, especially when it’s a bunch of dames! The goal? MAYHEM. And that’s good enough for me. I can enjoy photos of Storybook Land, though today’s examples leave much to be desired. Unless you like the backs of heads too. We used to have to make dioramas in school for various projects… I did one for the canals of Brussels (complete with a tiny stork), and I built a model of a California mission out of sugarcubes. It was big and heavy and terrible.
JG, I like pancakes, but the only time I ever eat them is if I’m visiting my sister and she’s decided to make breakfast for the crowd. I don’t want chocolate chips or bananas in my pancakes, I prefer them pure, like me. My mom puts raspberry jam on hers instead of syrup, and it is delicious. Do you want to know more about my pancake thoughts? “Commemorative hairdo”, you have given me a great idea… I’ll be calling the Franklin Mint tomorrow! They are on speed-dial.
Dean Finder, the mountains definitely are there to form a mini-berm, otherwise the visual “noise” of Fantasyland would distract. Kind of brilliant. It was folks on this blog who made me realize that the Matterhorn was probably intended to be a part of Storybook Land, and in certain photos it really does seem to fit right in.
Major-
ReplyDelete"“Commemorative hairdo”, you have given me a great idea… I’ll be calling the Franklin Mint tomorrow!"
Clearly, you're not given enough credit for the advancement of mankind - this idea is sheer genius. Let me offer-up THIS suggestion as their first offering, which some Photoshop guru managed to 'plus' by adding-in the [obvious] cans of Aquanet-!
Nanook, I know it's not the point, but those three be-wigged women are so hot!
ReplyDeleteWell... with those "helmet" hairdo's, there's plenty of 'heat' being generated somewhere-!
ReplyDelete