Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Three From the 70s

I recently found a small lot of stereo slides that I am guessing are from around 1970 or '71. Not all of them are gems, but hey, I can't be too choosy.

This first one is pretty neat, who doesn't love a view of the original "New Tomorrowland", looking fresh and crunchy. The Peoplemover trains never looked better than when they were painted aqua,  royal blue, yellow, and (not seen here) tomato red. Adventure Thru Inner Space, man, did I love that attraction.


This one's OK, mostly showing the Skyway, Matterhorn, and the teeming masses (waiting to ride the Subs, perhaps).


That kid mighty glad to be at Disneyland, and I don't blame him. In the background is a brand-new Mark III Monorail (introduced at the park in 1969). Notice the outdoor speaker to the right of the kid... any idea what it was used for?


13 comments:

K. Martinez said...

The first image is great. I never heard "tomato red" used to reference a PeopleMover color. I like it.

I think the teeming masses you're referring to in the second image are waiting to ride the Monorail. That was back when the Monorail entrance was left of the Submarine Voyage entrance.

The last image is my favorite with the Monorail Mark III gliding over the Submarine lagoon and the Autopia cars starting their journey into the wooded back areas of Tomorrowland.

Anonymous said...

The speaker in the third photo was used to communicate with the folks waiting in line to (hand off their tickets and) ride the Stephens-Adamson Speedramp up to the Monorail platform.

Nancy said...

oh so cool...Transportation modes of Tomorrowland....Peoplemover, Skyway, Monorail....

You have sooo MADE my day!! :-)

MIKE COZART said...

Major: these are the names of the ACTUAL paints used on the original PeopleMovers from 1967-1987 :

MALIBU TURQOISE (changed to SALLY GREEN after the 1968 redo of the shells from ABS plastic to fiberglass) FIESTA YELLOW, IMPERIAL BLUE and BRIGHT RED. CAMEO CORAL (a medium orange color) was selected to be used, but to save money and time only the first colors were actualy used.

and remember, wherever you blog, across town or across the country, GO, GO, GOODYEAR!!!

Alonzo P Hawk said...

The time traveler in the first pic is checking his Disney almanac to see if anything interesting is going to happen. Either way he's prepared for the great Disney flood of 71'

Peoplemover (original color scheme), skyway entering the nostrils of the Matterhorn and old school monorails. It just don't get any better than this. Home run Major, well done. Thanks for another perfect post.

Chuck said...

I'll bet that second photo is stunning in stereo.

Along with Nancy, I dig the the '67 Tomorrowland's world on the move. I'll always consider the Mark III "my monorail." Thanks for today's post - it made me happy.

Melissa said...

Love that Peoplemover shot. I don't think I've ever seen that angle before.

I used to hate those wallpaper shirts back in the day, but through the lens of nostalgia they're pretty groovy.

K. Martinez said...

@Mike Cozart - I love that kind of Disneyland trivia. The color palettes used at Disneyland always fascinated me. Thanks for sharing it.

Tom said...

The final 70's touch in that first picture is the shirt the guy in front is wearing. It's like he's modeling for the Sears catalog.

Peoplemover! Another ride I cannot see enough of. Great pics as always!

Major Pepperidge said...

K. Martinez, it looked tomato-ey to me, anyway! And you are probably right about the Monorail line. This was a fun little lot of slides to find!

Anon, thanks for the info. Hey, my great-grandfather worked at Stephens-Adamson (long before there was a Disneyland)! I was told that the company was involved in the Haunted Mansion in some way, maybe just for the moving speed ramp at the end.

Nancy, glad these made your day!

Mike Cozart, wow, awesome info! I've never seen those color names before, at least not in relation to Disneyland. Even the names all by themselves evoke the 1960's. THANKS!

Alonzo, if that guy is truly from the future, he might be holding a white iPad. The fact that he is prepared for a flood is potentially worrying! And you are welcome.

Chuck, there is just something about pictures of Tomorrowland from this era that make me happy as well. Thanks for the nice words.

Melissa, as wildly patterned shirts go, that one seems relatively tame. Maybe that's why you like it… no headache.

K. Martinez, I agree with you.

Tom, now THAT is a pretty ugly shirt in my opinion. The pattern definitely makes me think of shirts that I used to see when I was a little kid.

Unknown said...

Wow those shirts! I miss the people mover!

Unknown said...

Regards to the picture of the boy in front of the Sub lagoon, and the small green speaker -- that looks like it's around the Tomorrowland Matterhorn bobsled ride, right? I'm thinking all around there they played Swiss-type music (accordions and whatever) to set the proper "mood". I remember that music while waiting in line for the bobsleds... can't say for sure if it was played that near to the lagoon, though. Interesting to see if anyone else remembers for sure.

Major Pepperidge said...

Unknown, you might be right, though it seems unlikely to me; there were plenty of speakers around the Matterhorn itself. Why play the music from the middle of the Sub lagoon, which was all about the miracle of sea exploration and nuclear subs? BUT… I could be wrong.