Monday, March 19, 2012

Fantasyland, September 1963

Here's a nice, busy (and smoggy) view of Fantasyland as seen from the deck of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. I like how they use those yellow "bug lights" in the lantern! If only I could add motion to the image so that the teacups were spinning and the Skyway buckets moved past. The dark rides (Snow White, Toad, Peter Pan) all have respectable lines. Hey, what's going on down there by the teacups?


Looks like the Firehouse Five (plus two) are preparing to put on a show! One band member appears to be fiddling with something on top of a tripod, but I can't quite tell what exactly. I always think of the FF+2 as Ward Kimball's band, but he was a busy guy; could he have been there (with his trombone) standing off to the side?


Also, do you think the lady to our left (with the apron) is a cast member?


And just "because", here's a shot of the Pirate Ship; I am assuming that the fellow in all white carrying a lunch bag is also a cast member.


If you have been reading the comments below (TokyoMagic!, D ticket & Glen Banks, with extra cool info from Bill in Denver), here is a larger look at the record cover that is mentioned!

11 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I have a Firehouse Five LP with a photo on the cover of all of them crammed into a single tea cup. Could they have been setting up the photo shoot with that tripod to take that cover pic? I'm going to bed, but will try to remember to check the date on that LP in the morning.

D ticket said...

This slide might be quite a capture, because there is a famous cover of the LP "The Firehouse Five Plus Two At Disneyland" (Goodtime Jazz s10049) 1962, which features the boys in a pink teacup, and that could be Dick Roberts leaning on the rail with a banjo, and that may well be Roger Marshutz, the photographer, holding a trombone, next to what may be Ward Kimball on the stool checking the shot (medium format cameras had viewfinders on the top that you had to look down onto).

You certainly don't see that every day.

TokyoMagic! said...

I'm still up....I tried to cheat by looking online, but could only find this re-release on CD.

Firehouse Five Plus Two at Disneyland

It doesn't give the original date. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is in the background though and from your pic, it looks like that would be the same camera angle from the location of that tripod.

TokyoMagic! said...

Ooops, D ticket already found the date....thanks! Now I'm really going to bed.

Nancy said...

interesting...do you notice the guy to the left we can see next to the bug lantern who looks like he is holding what is also a tripod? not everyday you see a tripod just hanging around in Disneyland!

I agree, Major, that the girl in the apron may be a CM. I wonder where she worked...maybe in one of the restaurants?

neat pics today ;-)

Anonymous said...

I believe they are shooting the album cover. That's an amazing find!! - Glen Banks

Major Pepperidge said...

TM!, I know just the cover you are talking about; my dad had the reel to reel tape version of the album (which I now have) with the same cover. I never made the connection though; how cool if it is really is from that photo shoot!

D ticket, you and TokyoMagic! are on the same wavelength. Thanks for the additional info (even the photographer's name?!). And I didn't notice the trombone in that guy's hands, maybe that IS Kimball on the tripod.

Nancy, the guy definitely has a tripod, but I'm guessing that he is just a guy. You never know though, maybe they tried to capture the scene from multiple angles!

Glen, I know! And as you can see, I would not have had a clue without the readers chiming in, ha ha.

JG said...

Now there's a coincidence. How fortunate to have this reconstructed, also a neat picture w/o the album tie-in.

Thanks Major...

JG

Rich T. said...

I've got that CD, too; today's posting is even more magical than usual! Thank you!

Major, your site is the Happiest Time Machine on Earth!

Anonymous said...

From a photographers perspective, that's a very large tripod, and not one used by a tourist. He's also looking directly down into the viewfinder, which would indicate either a Mamiya twin-lens or possibly a Hasselblad, definitely a more expensive rig than one would carry around the park for snapshots. At the base of his tripod you can see a large brown leather camera bag with a strap. Makes me think the person that took the slide was aware of something interesting and grabbed this pic!

Bill in Denver

Daveland said...

Wow, what a find! I love happy accidents like this. Congrats Major!