A Pair From December 30 1969
Brilliant December sunshine makes the Mary Blair tile mural practically incandescent in this nice photo from 1969. I like the multicolored doors - exits from "America the Beautiful"? Notice the overcoats, it's colder than it looks.
Meanwhile, over in Frontierland, sturdy mules return from their journey through the spectacle of Nature's Wonderland. No fast thrills or extreme g-forces were necessary... just the gentle motion of the living animal beneath you, the trust in your brave guide, and the amazing tableaus created by Walt Disney's Imagineers were more than enough for 10 minutes of memorable fun.
12 comments:
One of the best shots of that mural I've ever seen!
That Pack Mule photo brings back such great memories. Looking at it, though, I can't help realizing...wow, what a low-capacity attraction! :) It was worth the wait, though!
"...the amazing tableaus created by Walt Disney's Imagineers were more than enough for 10 minutes of memorable fun."
Indeed we're still enjoying them!
Now that's a happy kid, in the middle. Maybe he stopped in at The Palace... ;)
I'm struck how well the smartly dressed guests jive with the mural aesthetically.
Looks like I picked the wrong day to give up inhaling nostalgia.
Why, oh why, did they ever get rid of Mary Blair's murals? I just don't get it! They were timeless pieces of art. And how much longer are we going to have to live with those flat ugly "billboards" that replaced them?
I never missed the Pack Mules when we went to Disneyland.
I always thought they should've saved the Mary Blair murals and re-assemble them in a lobby at the Disneyland Hotel.
When the Pack Mules were removed from the Park, Nature's Wonderland was never the same to me. I actually rode the Pack Mules more than the Mine Train when they co-existed back in the day.
I had one opportunity to ride them when we visited in 1969 and I know I wouldn't have wanted to - I was afraid of just about everything back then. If I could go back in time, I'd tell myself to man up and ride them anyway because they'll be gone before you ever come back for a visit.
I believe the "multicolored doors" were actually glass enclosed booths in the post-show area where one could talk on the phone hands-free. Imagine that -- hands-free! I'm sure that many guests in Tomorrowland at that time were wondering when they could get their own hands-free phone room, courtesy of the Bell System... ...perhaps as soon as 1979?? ;)
Omnispace is correct. There were glass windows on the phone booths, or "Chatter Boxes" that looked out into Tomorrowland. Those were ripped out sometime in the seventies, I believe, which opened up the entrance/exit to that building. At that time, the hands-free phone booths were moved along the inside walls of the exhibit.
Rich T., (always the first commenter!), it is definitely one of my better mural photos! I wonder how many mule trains would operate on a busy day. If they had enough of the animals, it might actually have had a pretty OK capacity.
Chiana, I love seeing the faces of happy kids in these vintage photos. The girl with the glasses looks pretty cheerful too!
TokyoMagic!, even though we know that the tiles have been damaged, there is no reason they could not be restored if Disney ever decided to do so. I agree that those painted murals are nothing special.
Debbie V., I wish I had at least experienced the pack mules ONCE….
K. Martinez, I love your idea of putting the murals at the Disneyland Hotel! I wonder if the fact that they were made for a curved surface would be problematic.
Tom, the thing that really stings is that we always think we can do something "next time", and then suddenly there IS no next time.
Omnispace, thanks for the correction… I obviously had no idea!
TokyoMagic!, how do you remember so much about that attraction? I barely remember it at all.
We once called our mom from the booths in the Belll exhibit - “Hi mom, we are calling from Disneyland, can you hear all of us?”
The phone booths also included a Picturephone, which enabled you to call the same kind of phone at the Worlds Fair.
CoxPilot
The thing about the Pack Mules - you really felt you were there - you experienced it at ground level or eye level - or heart level. You could feel the air going through the rocks and then on to you...kind of like the Railroad trip around the park when it gets right up next to the pine trees.
Anyway Tom - sha, la la la la la, live for today - and don't worry - bout tomorrow - hey hey hey hey hey.. (hoping you remember this one)
Post a Comment