Here's a pair from January, 1962. Old Major Pepperidge wasn't around quite yet! BUT SOON. A family in sweaters and coats passes the Crystal Arcade, where one could buy Crystal Light, Crystal Pepsi, and Cristal champagne. I can only imagine what other wondrous souvenirs were offered in '62, I'll bet there were things that would fetch astronomical prices today.
The photographer's timing was a bit off, but he still gets points for trying to get a good picture of two girls on their Snooty Caterpillar as he crawled down the leafy exterior slope of the "Alice in Wonderland" attraction.
With a Christmas tree on display in the window in that first shot, these pics may have been taken in December 1961 — but developed in January 1962. Either way, Major, you were around — but you just hadn’t made an appearance yet.
ReplyDeletePretty colors in both scenes, thank you, Major.
The Crystal Arcade: Such a wonderful looking sign. Didn't Mike C. (or maybe it was Steve DeG?) tell us he almost bought that sign? But didn't because it was just too big! I tried to discern anything familiar inside the shop.. no dice... well, there probably were dice in there but... no dice. Anybody know what that cartoon-like character is in the window behind the bundled-up family?
ReplyDeleteNice picture of the Alice ride. The simple starkness of it gives it sort of a surreal look, like a cartoon cel. I'll give it an A+ for brightness! One could title this pic "a little bit of everyhing": A little bit of dandelion, a bit of track, a bit of Snooty Caterpillar, a bit of fanciful leaves, a bit of Castle wall, and a bit of Castle spires.
Bright and sunny pics from January (or December). Thanks, Major.
I do like that Christmas tree that Sue pointed out....what we can see of it, anyway. It looks like there are some hurricane lamps inside the Emporium. I wonder if they were for sale or just for decoration. I believe the "Hurricane Lamp Shop" was located on the other side of the street, next door to the China Closet (or maybe it was still "Lillian's Bra Shop" back then.
ReplyDeleteJB, I believe it was the original "Main Street Cinema" marquee that Mike had an opportunity to buy, but passed up because of it's size.
Thanks, Major!
^ Ah.I think you're right.
ReplyDeleteCould that cartoon like character in the window be Reddy-Kilowatt. But why?
ReplyDeleteZach
It’s a shame that first pic has the sign cropped so hard. The details look like a real city, the door set in the alcove, the bricks etc. and the family walking by fits right in.
ReplyDeleteI think the window character on the right is a doctor, the thing on his head looks like a speculum. I’ve been going to doctors for well over 60 years now, with increasing frequency, and I have never seen a doctor wearing one of those gadgets, even for a moment. And yet a cartoon of someone with one is immediately recognized as an MD. It’s like someone’s hat flying off when they stub their toe or banana peels being slippery.
I bet the photographer was unhappy about photo 2 when it came out of the package, but it has a certain rakish charm… peek-a-boo!
Fine views today, Major! Thank you.
JG
....there are also some cool stained glass pharmacy windows there on the top when Crystal becomes leeches...and vitamins! I like the somewhat muted colors that don't really shout...and then at night it all sparkles. Things don't need to shout...and of course this was purposeful so that the crowd would be drawn toward the castle and the hub...keep those people moving...then at night...all the twinkles and lots of shopping. They were masters. Now: Alice deserves saturation because it's all about going to Upjohn, and then down the rabbit hole. The actual film is kind of a bore, but visually stimulating...and I've never got through the entire thing. I like the ride though, although I've tried to go on 3 times...and every time: it goes down halfway through the ride and they are evacuating. I got something on my feed that documents "ride downtimes" every day....somehow I don't think that was remotely a thing in my day...something going "101" happened, but it wasn't with frequency...I think it's guests doing shenanigans + cut backs on maintenance...and probably several other factors where rides are going on 60+ years...I won't judge too harshly...but come on! There's a website for it (?!). Back to yesterday: we got many 50 and 100 bills....and if we got a counterfeit...(in those days it was very clear when you handle so much money every day...and we had an entire class in how to discern between real and not real)....but we were to take them...get descriptions of the guests (lots of them) and then a security guard would basically follow them around as they used $100 bills to get change and launder them. MEANWHILE....APD was on the way...as they continued to be given enough rope to "perpetrate the crime" without question...and then hauled off. Unfortunately, it was not uncommon...especially in the days of everywhere "cash only"....I had my share of them...even $20 bills which I kind of laughed at as "what's the point?!"....thanks Major for the trip to '61 and ;62....Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!
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ReplyDeleteAw, the two little girls almost qualify for "like twins, but not," but not quite. Their Mom is just too well-adjusted. Snooty Caterpillar: "Keep your arms in the vehicle, little girl, or you won't get that autographed picture of Crystal Gayle!"
Even my defective peepers would have recognized Reddy Kilowatt if he were in the shop window. My Dad worked for the electric & gas company, and Reddy's demonic little image was all over our house when I was a kid. Mind you, I wouldn't be surprised to see him turn up at Disneyland, what with all the brand synergy and whatnot. A guest at the main Street Electrical Parade?
I nearly did a coffee spittake at "speculum!" I'm not sure what the technical term for a doctor's headlamp is, but as a person with a certain collection of reproductive organs I can attest that a speculum is one of the tools a gynecologist uses.
I love the idea of little Major being on the way when these were taken!
HAHAHA IM TOTALLY WRONG!
DeleteJG
Lou and Sue, ha ha, I didn’t even notice the Christmas tree in the window, or the bits of garlands that we can see. Definitely from Dec. of ’61!
ReplyDeleteJB, wow, that is quite a huge sign, Mike Cozart must have a big mansion (or at least a big storage unit) if he was considering buying it! Like you, I tried to ID stuff inside the store, with no luck. Good news! Because you liked photo #2, those orphans have found a home with a nice family. Hooray!
TokyoMagic!, it seems weird that Disneyland guests would want to buy hurricane lamps while in the park; if I had to guess, I’d wager that they were there just for decor. But you never know! After all, I’m sure they sold them (years later) in the “One Of a Kind Shop”. Hey, yeah, why didn’t Walt honor Lillian by naming the bra shop after her? What a lost opportunity. Ah, the Main Street Cinema marquee makes more sense, I seem to remember a cloth version in an auction, maybe it was that one?
JB, oh, he’s right, don’t you even worry about it!
zach, I saw that character, it almost looks like a doctor with one of those mirror thingies on his head. You know what I mean! But it’s hard to tell. If I was home I’d look at the high res scan to see if more details helped.
JG, I think it’s clear that the father taking the photo wanted to catch his family walking past, and wasn’t that concerned about the Crystal Arcade. You’ve seen one crystal arcade, you’ve seen them all, you have to admit. And YES, you noticed the doctor thingy too! Gosh, I guess I thought a “speculum” was something entirely different. But I was kicked out of medical school for trying to build a person from pieces… well, never mind. Yeah, I don’t mind photo 2, even though it isn’t perfect.
Bu, I assume that when we see stained glass in the park in those days, that it was real leaded stained glass, and not some plastic simulacrum. When I take vitamins, I put them in a leech, they are easier to swallow that way. TOP TIP! The muted colors are due a little bit to the fact that these slides had a bit of color fading, but even if they’d been saturated Kodachromes they would have looked classier. Colorful, but unified. The background colors and styling of “Alice” is top-notch, along with “Peter Pan”, the artists could do that stuff in their sleep at that point. And they have the Mary Blair effect, she knew a thing or two about color. I don’t love the actual film of “Alice” as much as I want to, but it has things to enjoy. Funny, I was evacuated from that ride the last time I was at the park. After waiting in a rather long line, I finally boarded my Snooty Caterpillar, and moved forward about 15 feet, when it stopped. I hadn’t even gotten inside the tunnel yet. And they made me exit, and then they kicked me in the butt. “AND STAY OUT!”. True story!! I was just at a Salvadorian papusas restaurant, and they had a $100 bill and a $50 bill on their wall, and I asked about them. “They’re fakes!” the nice lady told me. I looked at them up close, and man, they were totally convincing. I know for you cool insiders, “APD” means something, but it doesn’t to me, who grew up in a shack.
Melissa, it’s nice to know that you are still interested in twins (and twin-related subjects)! Crystal Gayle, was she a one hit wonder? All I know is that song about the brown eyes, but she probably had a lot of country hits that didn’t make it to the pop charts. I’m a big fan of Reddy Kilowatt, and if I had some sort of workshop, I’ve dreamed of building my own Reddy figure, maybe three feet tall (or taller), with a nose that lights up. I’m a fan of advertising figures! Ha ha, yes, I’m pretty sure I know what a speculum is. Looking up the mirror device that doctors wore on their heads, I see that they had the exciting name of “head mirrors”.
ReplyDeleteJG, if only you’d gone to the University of Phoenix.
Major, Hooray! No more homeless orphans! (At least until next time.
ReplyDeleteI, and Lothar thank you.
JG, Never admit when you're wrong! (Hey, it works for Major!)
I know there was a Hurricane Lamp Shop on Main Street, but I was trying to find out exactly where it was and how long it existed. I usually skip over the A.I. answer at the top of the search results, but sometimes I can't help reading it. When I did an internet search, this was the totally mixed-up answer that A.I. gave:
ReplyDelete"Yes — there was a Hurricane Lamp Shop at Disneyland, located on Main Street, U.S.A. in the Bear Country area. It opened in 1972 when Bear Country was added to the park. The shop was a small retail space selling Hurricane Lamps, which were decorative lamps shaped like hurricanes, often used as table centerpieces. These lamps were part of Disneyland’s mid‑20th‑century merchandise offerings and were also sold in the park’s restaurants, such as the Carnation Restaurant, where they were placed on tables.
That response jogged totally jogged my memory. My mom bought TWO hurricane lamps at Disneyland. She purchased one of them at the Carnation Restaurant, and the other one in Bear Country which was a part of Main Street. And she loved both of them so much, because they were shaped like hurricanes! SHEEESH! :-/
Major, you and Nanook are right, those old-fashioned things on doctors' heads were "head mirrors." As for speculums, there was a commercial that ran frequently, but for a short time. It was for prepackaged speculums that you could buy and bring to your doctor's appointment yourself. They were pushing the fact that it wasn't made of metal, so it would not be "cold". I'm assuming that the fact they were packaged meant they were sterilized, or at the very least, sanitized. The commercials disappeared completely, so I wonder if it's something that was rejected by medical doctors. Still, the things they advertise on TV now!
And speaking of leeches, I was watching "Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" on Svengoolie last Saturday night. There was a scene where he is just sitting there casually with leeches on his back. There was nothing wrong with him, I guess it was just a case of healthy "bloodletting." Fun stuff! I still think the Upjohn Pharmacy at Disneyland should have let guests know what it was like to have a leech applied to their body. Today, they could charge for that experience........$50 per leech, but you get a Zinger to enjoy while you are being "treated."
Major, Crystal Gayle had about fifteen #1 country hits, but only one of them crossed over to the pop charts and that was the grammatically incorrect song, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", which went as high as #2 on the pop charts. I remember that song, along with Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" playing ALL THE TIME on the radio. They were released just a couple months apart.
Why did I bother to do an internet search, when I had the answer to the Hurricane Lamp Shop on my own blog. Here's a listing of Main Street shops from 1975. The shop was replaced about a year later, by the Disneyana Shop. That same space had previously just been a part of the Upjohn Pharmacy.
ReplyDeleteMain Street Listings - 1975 Guidebook