Snoo. Zles.
Today's Sunday Snoozles™ are (perhaps) not as snooze-tastic as some, but they get the job done. First up is this 1957 view taken from somewhere in the queue up in the Fantasyland Skyway chalet. I kind of think that the photographer might have been exiting the ride, but I don't really know. We can assume that little Casey Jr. was the thing that was supposed to be the main subject, but it is too far away and we must laugh at the photographer. Derisively! I'll wait. Beyond the borders of the park - a whole lotta nothin'.
Also from 1957 is this un-lovely look at the Golden Horseshoe building. It's sort of dark and greenish, like my tuna sandwich that I left in the fridge for too long (yes, it tasted OK). There are rare photos that show guests loitering on the balcony of the GH building, but that must not have gone well.
While I can't say that I am too crazy about the photo, my favorite details were obscured by my annoying watermark; two girls proudly wearing their Mouse Ears. Meanwhile, what the heck is that woman wearing on her head? "These tighty-whities will make a fetching turban!".
22 comments:
Major-
Yes, the 1st image seems 'poorly-framed', but I'm feeling charitable this early AM, and am going to give special points for capturing the "candy cane-striped" light poles for the Fantasyland DL Railroad Station.
"Meanwhile, what the heck is that woman wearing on her head? "These tighty-whities will make a fetching turban!" "
Clearly, that woman was inspired by watching the episode: Lucy Gets a Paris Gown of a "certain" TV show...
Thanks, Major.
It IS difficult to determine the item of interest here. Could be Casey Jr., like you said. Or the Tuna Boat. Or the golden Skyway bucket. Or the sculpted rocks, which remind me of Richard Dreyfuss' character in "Close Encounters" dragging his fork through a pile of mashed potatoes to form Devil's Tower. Or maybe the "whole lotta nothin'" that you pointed out. We'll never know!
The right third of the GH building looks more lovely than the middle third, which, in turn, looks more lovely that the left-most third. So this photo was taken from the upper deck of the Mark Twain?
"Tighty-whities". Ha! Maybe it's a chef's toque that has lost its stiffness. Or a bagful of half-melted marshmallows. Is the man in blue with the red hat talking on his phone? Perhaps he's yelling at someone further down the street. Or maybe he has an earache.
Thanks for he Snoo. Zles, Major.
I just noticed, if one looks above the 'parapet' and to the right of the Golden Horseshoe sign, sandwiched between that pair of large, round "finials" we can see the top edge of an Altec 31A sectoral horn (speaker) with the throat attachment shooting-up, topped-off with a 730B driver. I wonder if it was used for general announcements and/or narration for some Frontierland 'shootouts'-??
In that first pic, are we actually witnessing the DL Railroad, with the engine pulling only one or two of the passenger coaches?
Thanks, Major!
On second glance, I think the DL R.R. engine really is pulling just one car. It's the Grand Canyon coach car, which was eventually converted into the Lilly Belle.
While not “postcard-worthy,” these still evoke a day at the Park in 1957, although I am scandalized by the paucity of red jackets.
The first photo is useful in helping work out spatial relationships in the back of Fantasyland, and it’s a good reminder that both the entry and exit to the Skyway chalet were on the same side of the structure. I had gotten that mixed up in my head and had to go look at a photo. I blame municipal water fluoridation.
Note the random cable strewn across the rocks next to the tracks. That’s probably connected to a plunger and a bundle of dynamite. Casey, Jr. suffered from raids like this until they managed to get the last orange grove partisan holdouts to surrender in 1972.
TM!, all six passenger coaches are there, but because of the angle and the resolution it’s kind of hard to see. If you zoom in and follow along the train’s roofline, you can see dips or brighter spots at regular intervals that denote the end of one car and the start of another. Three cars are between the locomotive and Casey’s caboose (two behind the last sleigh car and one between the sleigh car and the caboose), one is completely obscured by the caboose, another (the one you can see the windows most clearly on) behind the caboose, and then Grand Canyon is actually pointed straight at us before making the turn towards Tomorrowland, so all you can see is the rear platform and drumhead.
The girl between the two wearing mouse ears is wearing an unusual cap. It kind of looks like a keppy kap, but that blue “poof” on top makes me think it’s something else.
Thanks, Major!
I think the forensics of seeing all train cars would be a big pixel investigation: not sure I have that kind of time this AM....and I was on Amtrak for an obscene amount of time yesterday and the conductor called the cars something else...which I should have written down...not cars, not carriages...something else....I think I can still feel my body moving and jiggling around, kind of like getting off a boat and feeling the rolling for hours or days after....anyway: I am finding these photos very worthy of closer inspection. Underpants on head...well: that is back from my drinking days...and I am pretty sure I have photos to submit once GBD AFTER DARK goes into full swing. Underpants are easier to stay put than a lampshade. I am charmed by the Mouseketeer type ears....I'm not a huge fan of the head band thing....or the price of said thing....but, I'm grumpy about everything these days. The colors on the Golden Horseshoe are interesting...and I don't think It's really registered before with me. Very restrained...which is not a bad thing. I'm not sure how guests got to loiter on the balcony...I don't remember a door up there...but research is afoot. There is a sign outside that I haven't seen or it hasn't caught my eye...would like to see that in full view....is it Pecos Bill? Even today, I really like the wide plank boardwalk around this building. It actually looks authentic and '55 ish....don't know if anyone else has inspected this, but it's really lovely and has incredible patina...also known to some at Bettina....I digress to the side view of the Skyway Chalet....if anything, they could use the blueprints to do a wonderful restaurant over by the Matterhorn..."Bier Garten ober Motor Boaten"....why the heck not. Disneyland these days CLEARLY needs a place for beer swilling...imagine Videopolis with booze...wow...a nightmare...but didn't that turn into WDW Pleasure Island? That sounds kind of AFTER DARK too....thanks Major!
Bu, I think the first balcony “window” after the corner on the right and the second after the corner on the left are doors. They have a different depth from the others and you can just make out the door closing mechanism at the top of each. I’m sure they are normally locked, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have been remuddled out of existence in the intervening 71 years.
I like the first photo as a slice of early Disneyland. Had the photographer waited 5 seconds the Skyway gondola would have been front and center sliding in from the back side of pirate ship. I notice the Jolly Roger flying asking us to surrender. And there is Anaheim beyond reminding us of what was there before.
Thanks, Major.
Zach
I like the first Golden Horseshoe Saloon pic. Always preferred the original color of that building.
Thanks, Major.
Photo 1 has some interesting elements. The green-blue stained shingles (matching the Matterhorn queue), the flower pots, and the vast expanse of undervalued real estate beyond the walls. I don’t recall ever seeing a photo of the Jolly Roger flying, even though it is a pirate ship. Usually the CotS flags are a combination of made-up flags from imagineering.
Bu, was the word the conductor used “coach” by any chance? I’ve heard passenger cars referred to as coaches and carriages?
Chuck, I think you’re right about those openings being doors. In the wide shot of the saloon, there’s a pair of finials to the right, and behind the left hand finial of that pair, next to the speaker, we can see the top of a beehive turbine attic vent, the kind that spin without a motor by the rising exhaust air. And further right, the top of a static vent that allows air into the attic. I like the facade design, it’s simple and dignified. And not pink or purple. Or gold, in spite of the name.
Major, you asked yesterday about foamed roof designs. Here are some of the more interesting ones. One was for a high school gym in Napa, and the other two were enormous (600,000+ GSF) refrigerated warehouses, one for a winery in Stockton, the other was a warehouse for fresh fruit in Bakersfield. In all cases the roof was behind a parapet much like the saloon. SPF is easy to detail and install because the foam just seals to everything, roof deck, back of the parapet, pipes, vents, roof curbs etc. making fussy sheet metal unnecessary. It’s very popular for big warehouse type buildings in hot, dry climates, easily adds lots of insulation too.
Thanks for these interesting pics.
JG
The first picture is accidentally brilliant. The Skyway chalet is literally eavesdropping on the photo, and I love seeing tiny details like the roof slates and the flowerpots that would otherwise b lost to time and memory. And the odd angle makes it look like the Pirate Ship is leaning into the wind of an ocean gale.
Carmen Miranda's poor American cousin has lost all the fruit off her headdress. She may be a cousin of mine, too - I may have talked here before about my family's holiday tradition that when you get underpants for Christmas, you have to wear them on your head until the rest of the presents are unwrapped.
First: I love the underpants Holiday Tradition...one I am going to hijack this year as it will make my usual "Scrooge McDuck" personality a little softer. Thanks Melissa! COACH! Yes...what a very simple word to forget....if he said Pasamaquoddy I would have remembered...maybe they always say "coach" on Amtrak? Never noticed....usually because the sound is all muffled...or it's too loud in the coach...doors on Golden Horseshoe...well...I can't see them...yet......but for a guy who makes his living using his eyes...there's a lot I can't see....and then: there's a lot you can't see, but I can see. And if you understand that...well...then you do. Something to ponder. Thanks for clearing up the mysteries Chuck and John! Onto more door "forensics": which is a French distraction word for...."I just cant pick up one more pile of leaves today....." When Summer gives you a lot of rain....the Fall will reward you with more leaves.
@ Chuck-
I think you are spot-on as to which opening has the door. LOOK HERE. You can more-easily see the door closer and what may very well be the mortise lockset. HERE's another view with some activities going on on the balcony and right in front of the guests with the ladder on the move-! If you look carefully around the left portion of the balcony, the 2nd opening is recessed - for a second door. In later images where canvas awnings were added above the windows, the two openings [with the doors] have no such awnings.
Thanks for those photos, Nanook!
Nanook, I do like those candy cane-striped poles! I can’t say I’m familiar with that episode of “ILL”, unsurprisingly.
Nanook, interesting, if that speaker is there in 1957, does that mean that they were playing “area music” even in those early days? Or was it there for general announcements (fireworks for instance, as you said)? Or maybe there was music for parades. I wish we knew!
JB, since Casey Jr. would have been moving, I could see a person deciding to try to take a photo of it, not realizing that it would be so tiny in the frame. I love those early metallic Skyway colors, bronze, gold, silver, and even blue and green. Maybe when somebody made a little model of what that rocky “hillside” was supposed to look like, they did use a fork! You don’t like the “middle third” of the Golden Horseshoe building?? You mean the main part where you would enter? I like it! There are soft chef’s toques of course, maybe that lady was about to whip up a plate of flapjacks.
TokyoMagic!, oh wow, good eye! How odd that there is not the usual string of cars behind that train!
TokyoMagic!, yes, I think there is only the single car. WHY??
Chuck, it might have been too warm for the 1957 red jackets, though the Jolly Roger seems to indicate a pretty stiff breeze. Hufflepuff gets three extra points because you used the word “paucity”. I’m sorry about the fluoridation, you should be like me and never brush your teeth. I wonder if that “cable” is just a common extension cord? If so, strange that they didn’t hide it better. Ha, interesting, I guess you’re right about the passenger coaches - amazing how perspective really fooled me. Very observant! I think we’ve seen caps like the one that girl is wearing, in fact I think I’ve seen a version with a blue puff (like this photo) and also versions with red puffs. That way, two friends could get “matching but different” souvenir hats!
Anonymous (Bu), wow, Amtrak, as far as I know I have never had the pleasure, though I did take a long train ride when I was a kid (from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin), maybe that was Amtrak. Uncomfortable! An even younger kid wanted to play, and I just wanted to drink my bourbon and think about my life’s mistakes. Send in those “after dark” photos! DO IT! We’re all friends here. I do always like seeing the classic Mouse Ears on people back in those days, and I agree, the headband-style is popular, but I don’t love those. I guess folks like the variety, which is infinite. At some point the Golden Horseshoe was painted a sort of pale pumpkin orange, and I remember Mr. X ranting about it. I guess I’m used to it now, but the original colors were perfect. I’ve read that a certain person got big points from the money boys by using leftover paint from other projects to save $$$, I wonder if that’s what happened here? Pecos Bill was a character played by Wally Boag in the Golden Horseshoe Revue. “Bettina”??? There has been discussion about the waste of the Chalet after the Skyway closed, and it still rankles. I actually like Galaxy’s Edge, or at least parts of it, and appreciate the details that they included, but tearing down a beautiful and historic feature seems so dumb.
Chuck, I’ve only seen a very few photos in which guests were allowed out onto that balcony, it must not have been a thing for very long. I’m sure you’re right, any door has been long-unused, although you’d think that they might still need at least one door for maintenance - Christmas decor and such.
zach, maybe the photographer was annoyed by all those Skyway gondolas! “ANOTHER ONE??”.
K. Martinez, Amen, as I said to Bu, the original colors used on Main Street and in Frontierland were particularly perfect.
JB, I wonder why the shingles were blue-green? Did it just look good? Was it supposed to evoke moss? I think the Jolly Roger is usually on the Pirate Ship, but it isn’t always so easy to see like in today’s photo. i sure couldn’t tell you if the conductor used the word “coach”, though it sounds correct to my ear. I’ve never seen those vents referred to as “beehive turbines” before! What’s wrong with pink and purple? My Cybertruck is pink and purple! A foamed roof for a high school gym?? Somehow a refrigerated warehouse makes sense. I guess if you live in an area that won’t have any snow load, it would work OK. I still assume that the foam was reinforced with wire mesh or something. And coated with something more weatherproof.
Melissa, I agree with you, sometimes these “off the cuff” photos reveal details that would not ordinarily be visible. Which is just the thing for “enthusiasts” like us! Yes, the Pirate Ship appears to be leaning, I’m always tempted to straighten out a crooked photo, but then you lose stuff on the edges that I want to keep!
Bu, these days you can buy underpants in every color, so you don’t have to use white. Maybe boxers would make a better soft cap? You’d have to buy “small” unless your head is 30+ inches in diameter. WHICH MINE IS. “Coach” seems right and somehow classy, though I would not balk at the use of “car”, which is fine. I guess “forensics” is a French word, I admit I never thought about it. Those French have a word for everything!
Nanook, well, now I have to pay Daveland another fee! TWO fees, in fact!
Chuck, don’t encourage him, I need my money for Pokemon cards.
I found a picture of the Christmas Underpants Hat Tradition from what looks to be the mid-late 90s.
@ Melissa-
You were never lovelier-!
Melissa, I had no idea that this was a thing!
Nanook, we ALL need underpants on our heads
Major, "You don’t like the “middle third” of the Golden Horseshoe building??" All I meant was that the right third is in direct sunlight, making it look nicer. The middle third doesn't have much sunlight, and the left third is in shadow. I think the architecture looks fine. :-)
Melissa, thanks for sharing that wonderul family photo with us!
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