Thursday, March 08, 2012

Two from September '72

Today I have two images from a lot date-stamped "September 72".


Something tells me that this first photo is not from September, however - look at how bundled-up everyone is! It must have been pretty chilly, and September tends to be hot in SoCal. Jason's Disneyland Almanac informs me that it averaged around the low to mid-80s in Sept. 1972. So... maybe this is from the previous winter. It could happen. ANYWAY, there's Sorcerer Mickey atop the big bass drum as "Fantasy On Parade" passes through the New Orleans Square area. Cast members appear to be wearing the same Pendleton woolen gray plaid coats. Wish I had one!


Yes, this photo is from the same lot, and yet it looks sunny and beautiful. Frontierland is lush and green; the Columbia hibernates in its usual spot over at Fowler's Harbor, while a Keel Boat sits nearby, unused. I wonder when the turquoise paint scheme was added to the Keel Boats? It gives them a sort of early-American folk art look, compared to the rustic bare wood appearance I am so used to.

10 comments:

Nanook said...

I'm guessing the first photo is from 'some' December, as wasn't that when the Fantasy on Parade parade made its appearance-?

TokyoMagic! said...

Yep, Fantasy On Parade was a Christmas parade. I bet they were working on Bear Country when these photos were taken...which makes me wonder which gate that the floats were entering the park through back in the days when the parades used to go past the Haunted Mansion and through Frontierland.

Anonymous said...

Makes me wistful to see how overgrown the end of the island was at that time, real wilderness look.

Now it's all an ugly, poorly proportioned stage. Yech.

I don't remember the green shutters on the keelboats at all, but that river pic is very pretty.

Thank you Major, I have been reading every post, but it is very difficult to log in to comment using just a phone. Gotta go.

JG (on the road)

David said...

It's possibly December, but where's the Christmas decorations then? Unless the decking out for the holiday was not that huge back then. I'm thinking this is February or March.

As for the second one, that's obviously summer. The lushness of the plants make it so, plus the if you look close, people appear to be dressed for summer.

But both are cool, especially the top picture.

Connie Moreno said...

That first photo has me perplexed...ladies in dresses? In the 70's???

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, taking another look at these pics, it looks like there are at least two people sitting on top of the Keel Boat (far right) and someone sitting inside as well (middle window).

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I guess this must have been taken in December-ish, 1971 if that is that case (and I am sure you are right).

TM!, I never thought about it, but Bear Country probably *was* under construction by then. I'll have to post those construction pictures I told you about!

JG, I'm with you, that stage at the end of TSI is really an eyesore.

David, I don't know if they did "Fantasy On Parade" all the way in to February or March; and I agree, the second one has to be at least late spring or summer.

Connie, maybe I need to double-check the date of that slide, since i just screwed up fairly recently!!

TM!, you are right (as usual), in fact you can even see the cast member at the oar in the back.

dfan07 said...

There's a tiny sliver of the New Orleans Square ticket booth visible in the first pic.

Major Pepperidge said...

dfan07, thanks! I was wondering what that structure on the left could be.

Nancy said...

my mom was famous for getting film developed a while after the pictures were taken. one time she took 7 rolls of film and we got pictures from events that happened like 2 years before!

i like the harbor..so sunny and peaceful. i want to just sit and watch for a spell