It's time to dig into the box of vintage, souvenir Disneyland slides! This first image is so great, showing the Tomorrowland Spaceman and his Space Lady as they wave from the foot of the atomic-powered moon rocket. Souvenir slides were often made with inferior film stocks that had fugitive dyes, and this one was a vivid magenta. But the picture was so great that I thought it still was worth looking at even in sepia tone! By the way, there aren't a ton of photos of the Tomorrowland Space Girl, but it seems that the costume is slightly different in every photo I've seen. Just an observation!
From a slightly more recent batch, here's a great view taken from the top of the Matterhorn, looking down on the Sub lagoon, Autopia, and the Monorail. This one was somewhat restorable, as you can see! The Monorail is in its three-car incarnation, so this is probably from before 1961.
I have the names of a bunch of people who played Spaceman K-7 and Spacegirl over the years. One pair of them even got married! It'd be nice to be able to match up the facts and the names.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what year the first photo is from? On the left you can see a Security Officer. His costume looks a bit different than what they wear today (which has been around at least since 1963). I'm wondering if it's the costume worn by the Burns Detective Agency that operated Security until late 1957.
Cute Spacegirl! I love the “cowgirl” space boots and the embroidered cape. Not only is there a security guard at the left but did you see the hand at the right? I have a feeling that’s another security guard and they were sort of clearing the area for the picture. “folks if you could just wait for a minute while we get a couple of pictures…” The people in the background were probably left in because the kid is wearing a Mickey Mouse hat. The skyway bucket is also at just the right place. When I think of the 100+ temperatures it can get during the summers I have a lot of sympathy for the spaceman. Are there any former spacemen reading this? Would love to hear about your experiences!
ReplyDeleteUpon closer inspection I see it’s not a hand at the right. Sure looked like one at first glance. Better put on my cheaters.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Monorail Sub Lagoon pic. Ah yes the K7 Pic! Still looks awesome in black & white. Beauty job Major.
ReplyDeleteAbout 1962, Keith Palmer and I were frequent lunch visitors of the Carnation Icecreme Parlor on Maine street. The tall blond in Daveland's photo .....http://davelandweb.com/tomorrowland/popup.htm? images/Spaceman_126_60s.jpg... was a greeter at the door, and had to duck to get through it. Needless to say, she was tall. Keith got the idea, and presented it to her, that she should be the space girl in Tomorrowland. He then set up and interview with the head of personnel, and she got the job. This must be and early photo, because later she also had a bubble helmet. It seems like a lot of different girls and costumes were used throughout the years, but I thought she was the most striking.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that our intrepid spaceman gets full and complete coverage. But look at wha tthe spacegirl gets. Not even a helmet. :(
ReplyDeleteawesome px - thanks for sharing!
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