Thursday, April 02, 2009

Fantasyland and Shootout, 1960

Here's a classic shot of Fantasyland, circa 1960. For those out there who never knew that land before 1983, those flat painted façades must look pretty kooky (and maybe even a bit crappy). But the rest of us love them! The Matterhorn looks very impressive here, with the Skyway giving a nice sense of scale. I am also amazed at the drastic change in the way that people dressed in just a few short years. Men and women now arrived dressed for comfort, no more sport coats or floofy skirts to be seen!


A good old fashioned shootout entertains bloodthirsty crowds outside the Golden Horseshoe Revue. One of the bank robbers (he is holding a cloth bag, and it surely has a giant dollar sign on it) are desperately trying to make a clean getaway. But the sheriff has a steady hand and can shoot a hole in a gold piece from 100 yards away, so those criminals don't have a prayer. I wonder if the dead bodies were carted away like they were at Knott's, or did the cast member eventually stand up and reassure kids that it was all in fun?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look at all the Spin and Martys watching the outlaw show!

Chiana said...

Spin & Martys! hehe

You're right. Most pipple are looking more casual. Though still pretty sharp. It might've been a heat wave too, so they're dressing lighter. It's certainly nice & summy. :)

Maj, re: making the supply of slides last. I know it might sound particularly onerous now, but eventually some re-dos may be good. Nowadays you have a better scanner and you're more experienced and skillful. On the other end, people's monitor resolutions and connection speeds are generally getting better. All of our knowledge & appreciation has been growing but our memories often get hazy. So esp. if in higher quality (moreso with earlier posted slides), many could make a welcomed re-look. Everything's hunky dorey right now and I'm delighted with the quality too, that's just a thought to mull over down the road. Lot of wonderful images here.

Nancy said...

one of the things that i love about the original Disneyland is how simple it was, like Frontierland being pretty much simply a vast desert so to speak with the little Old West town smack in the middle of nowhere, and the carnival-like decor in Fantasyland. it shows Mr. Disney's notion at the time, making things comfortable and familiar and thereby enjoyable. i so often wonder what he thinks of today's Parks.

love the images today. we have some of my fave vintage highlights in our first shot, including the white cat-eye sunglasses on our lady in the blue and white gingham, and a metal stroller there in the foreground on the left.

we have some beautiful posters there on the porch of The Golden Horseshoe as well...

oh yeah...and a nice sunny day, too! :D

TokyoMagic! said...

I love the medieval tournament tent facades of the old Fantasyland, but I must say that the 1983 refurb gave us some very nice storybook architecture.....I just wish they hadn't taken out the Pirate Ship or Skull Rock!!!!! I do like Alice's old facade better than the one we have today. WDW and Tokyo DL still have the old dark ride facades, so going there is like going back in time and revisiting my childhood. :-)