Check out this beautiful view of the New Tomorrowland, from the summer of 1968! I think this picture was taken from the upper level of the Carousel of Progress building. Folks are enjoying their burgers and fries (and Coca Cola) at the Tomorrowland Terrace, while the yellow Monorail glides above them. The stage in the foreground is in its "down" position, but if we're lucky, Sunshine Balloon will play a bit later.
A new stage has appeared next to "Flight to the Moon", and it's full of squeaky-clean young folks. It's the "Kids of the Kingdom"! They sing groovy songs with positive messages, unlike those long-haired hippies you see everywhere. Notice the construction going on next to the little ticket booth below... any idea what that was for?
The second photograph was taken either from the people mover or the rockets. Perhaps either the people mover or the rockets were getting a refurbishment at that time. That is my guess.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it odd that there's only one row of chairs in front of the stage? I wonder if that was a high school or college group performing. It seems like an awfully large group to be the Kids of the Kingdom. Either way, I bet they're singing "This Land Is Your Land"!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the construction was for the giant wet marble. Sure, it would be 30 years too early, but maybe they were preparing for it's arrival.
heaven, I'm in heaven....
ReplyDeleteYou KNOW I am, Major...Monorail Yellow AND New Tomorrowland yellow Skyway buckets?!!! The only thing missing from these images is the sunshine, but I am not minding that too much at the moment. Oh, and there is my other fave, The Tomorrowland Terrace Stage :-)
For some reason I love the Coca-Cola sign here, I think b/c the red adds nice color to the mod black and white of the rest of the decor. There is nothing about this picture that I don't like except that I am not in it!!
Tearing myself away to look at image number 2 here, always loved that tail fin on the McDonnell Douglas sign there as well. The Tomorrowland Stage....awesome!! They must be pretty good b/c quite a crowd has gathered, and I also hope they are singing "This Land Is Your Land", TM!. I always associate that song with Disneyland any time I hear it! Cool ticket booth as well. The design used for The New Tomorrowland was just the best thing they ever did...and the best thing the undid :(
I am one happy girl today...thanks for the smiles!!
I remember that stage (by moon flight).
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a little squirt we saw the Osmonds and the The Fifth Dimension on that stage.
Up up and away.
I believe you'll find that the kids on stage are singing the aforementioned Fifth Dimension's chart hit from the previous year,'Up, Up And Away'.
ReplyDeleteThe construction in the second picture is of a planter being built. it was added after the new tomorrowland opened.
ReplyDeleteI kind of wish they'd kept the Yacht Bar... but progress must be made. I think this era is when Tomorrowland was at its best.
ReplyDeleteI'd concur with that, there should be a planter with seating edge to the left of the ticket booth, it must be what's being worked on here.
ReplyDeleteOC Native, thanks!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I thought that was odd too about the single row of chairs. Wasn't the Kids of the Kingdom a fairly large group in the old days? Whoever is onstage has the matching outfits, and the three guys with guitars, and it all looks pretty spiffy to be a high school act. And any Peter, Paul and Mary song (I know, Woody Guthrie really) would qualify! Howsabout "Puff the Magic Dragon"?
Nancy, it is funny about how i associate certain companies with Disneyland after so many years. Like Monsanto, which many people claim is one of the most evil corporations ever. But they sponsored "Adventure Thru Inner Space"! How can they be bad?
Alonzo, do you remember if there was a lot of audience response to the Osmonds or The Fifth Dimension? I always imagine them performing to 20 indifferent people.
Pegleg Pete, I prefer 99 Luftballoons!
Bearride, thank you for the info, even though I was hoping the construction was for something much cooler!
Tom, I liked the Yacht Bar (though I only have seen it in photos)... but it couldn't stay if the New Tomorrowland was to be. And I mostly really loved New Tomorrowland!
Major-
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid it's not The Kids of the Kingdom: "Sixteen talented young people sing and dance..." That's a much larger group than 16 folks.
The mystery continues...
D ticket, between you and Bearride, I am convinced that the construction is for a boring planter! ;-)
ReplyDeleteNanook, if I am lucky, maybe it is a photo of the incredible Doodletown Pipers!
I remember the planter, after it was finished. It held a huge multi-trunked palm tree, which is visible in photo one and several later photos. I remember the tree was a "largest-ever" specimen, or something like that. Why do I remember that...and not something else?
ReplyDeleteThe stage, however, I do not recall at all, even though I must have walked right by it many times. Not musical I guess, at least not for the Osmonds or 5th Dimension. I can hear that awful music now and I think they were far more evil than Monsanto.
Photo 01 is one where I wish I could just step into it. I think if I stare at it long enough it will begin to move, and my Mom and Dad will come out from behind the crowd and beckon to me to come down and join them.
I have to go now, Major, I have something in my eye. Thanks for the trip back.
JG
JG, I don't ever remember seeing that stage either (not counting photos). I wonder if it was there until Space Mountain went it? Funny that you remember so much about that tree! As you probably know, Tomorrowland is my favorite, so I would also walk into these pix if I could.
ReplyDeleteI saw the King Family (remember them?) on that stage and don't think I've seen a photo of it since, so today was a treat for me. One of those opportunities to match memory against reality.
ReplyDeleteBehind the single row of chairs there's a wide gap and then I think a second row of chairs--I can see some people sitting in front of the big crowd and a few chairs off to the right. I wonder if that gap was for the show--maybe the singers came down into the audience? I like to imagine that day's Main Street parade charging right through there in the middle of a set.
Major, I must've seen the King Family in 1973-74, so I'd guess the stage probably was there until Space Mountain was built. I went fairly regularly in the '70s and don't remember anything else in that spot.
ReplyDeleteI always remember the stage being there from when New Tomorrowland opened up until the construction on the Space Mountain complex began.
ReplyDeleteWow I'm learning so much from this comment stream! Love when that happens, which is why I mostly lurk and let the fine smart people do the talking!
ReplyDeleteI do love how the singers' outfits match all the vehicles "on the move" of Tomorrowland. Way groovy.
Brain, the King Family name rings a bell, but I can't say that I actually remember them! I noticed that gap between the rows of chairs, your guess is as good as any as to why it is there.
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, I figured it was probably there all that time, but didn't know for sure.
Hannahx2, I didn't make the connection between the singer's clothing and the Tomorrowland vehicles. It might just be that those primary colors were "in" back in those days, the way burnt orange, avocado green, and harvest gold were a few years later.
Love it!
ReplyDeleteOnly a couple of kids in red, I notice. Nobody wanted to be called a Commie.
ReplyDeleteThe boys are wearing ascots with an emblem on their left chest. It must be a choir from a college. The conductor can be seen on the left side in a dark suit. Odds are they are from out-of-state since the seated audience is small. Here is a 1969 photo of the Kids on the Kingdom: http://www.disneybymark.com/2011/10/16/kids-of-the-kingdom-summer-1969/
ReplyDeleteAs for the construction fence... 1967 The Rocket Jets/People Mover construction!
Nice site ... as for the picture with the stage and singing group.... I think you may be incorrect, that is Up With People singing. I know because I was there singing. Kids of the Kingdom had a cast of only 12-15 people. And those costumes were un-believably hot I have to say...
ReplyDeleteThat is most definitely Up With People performing on the Space Stage. The girls are wearing the 1967-68 blue, yellow and red dresses with the white collars. It's also a very large ensemble, which was typical of Up With People back then. This was when Up With People were still doing tightly scripted numbers on risers, and before they really started to let loose with choreography by about 1970.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Up With People appearing at Disneyland before, but that's them.
Here's a link to a photo of Up With People from 1968, showing those exact uniforms that appear in this Tomorrowland photo. http://disinfo.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/UWPColwellslowres.jpg
That is most definitely Up With People performing on the Space Stage. Here's a link to a photo of Up With People from 1968, wearing those exact same uniforms. http://disinfo.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/UWPColwellslowres.jpg
ReplyDeleteI never knew Up With People ever performed at Disneyland, but there they are!