Here's an odd assortment of vintage snapshots from the 1970's. There's a theme (besides being snapshots), "posters and signs". In fact, I consider this my doctoral thesis.
Poster (noun) - a large printed picture used for decoration or as a means of conveying information for the purposes of advertising or propaganda.
Yep, that about covers it! This photo shows a series of Disneyland attraction posters; I'm not entirely sure where this covered area was located - was this someplace inside the park, or was it out in the parking lot? Not sure. Anyway, you can see the wonderful posters for Tom Sawyer Island, Swiss Family Treehouse, Adventure Thru Inner Space, Jungle River Cruise, and Primeval World. Nice!
Speaking of Adventure Thru Inner Space, thar she blows. Here's the exterior sign, as seen from the Peoplemover. I LOVED this attraction, in all of its trippy, imaginative glory. The sign itself is a lesson in simplicity, with no playful hint of what was inside. Come on, at least an atom? Please?
United Air Lines was the sponsor of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room from its debut in 1963 through 1976, when Dole took over. Even now, when I hear the name "United Air Lines" a part of my brain thinks of the Tiki Room. I'm sure that hand-carved wooden sign was, in fact, sturdy fiberglass, skillfully painted by the Disneyland sign makers.
Major, could that first photo have been taken at Carnation Gardens? There was a paneled wall that went from the right side of the bandstand over to the restaurant building and it had attraction posters hanging on it.
ReplyDeleteThe Enchanted Tiki Room has a similar sign at it's exit today: Tiki Room Sign
The attraction posters in the photograph were taken over near the outside locker area located near the tram stop and restrooms (west of Disneyland entry) The posters stayed on display there thru 1980 when the entire main entrance was remodeled to get ready for Disneyland's 25th.
ReplyDeleteThe Tiki Room sign you show -although replaced several times -- has always been wood. Western Cedar, lightly sandblasted, stained and hand-painted!
ReplyDeleteIf only Adventure Thru Inner Space had survived into the 21st century. It would've been cool to see it re-imagined with the technology available today.
ReplyDeleteAs the design of Adventure Thru Inner Space pre-dated the advent of digital music storage, the sound cues for it, and many other attractions, used multiple, audio cart machines as their sources - "triggered" when an Atommobile passed a specific sensor.
ReplyDeleteOn a tour, back in 1980, of the underground inner workings of Tomorrowland, it was a blur of equipment racks, projectors and other electrical/electronic support equipment for the attractions & adventures there. But one thing I remember clearly to this day - and that would be the cart machine that was labelled MAGNIFICATION, printed in the font Disney used almost to excess - which if I remember correctly is usually called "contemporary". I can hear Paul Frees' voice even now...
Thanks, Major.
A re-boot of ATIS would be so cool, with the updated information from theoretical physics, or even a tour of a living cell, similar to that at the Worlds Fair.
ReplyDeleteATIS made me want to be a physisist, now I can't even spell it...
JG
Nanook, that is so cool!!! I also like to imagine what a modern day ATIS would be like and lament the loss of edu-tainment attractions in the park. I read a blog somewhere a while ago and the author owned one of the "A's" from the sign out front and that blew my mind. Can you imagine seeing that huge silver letter every day? So cool.
ReplyDeleteAfter my last Disney trip, my boss mentioned to me that her SoCal native grandmother always said that after she died she planned on haunting the Tiki Room at Disneyland, so she could always come and visit her there. I thought it was sweet, but my boss kind of shuddered and said she would have chosen the Jungle Cruise. "At least you'd get to be out in the sunshine and play with the hippos!" I'm with SoCal Grandma; might as well be in with the air conditioning and the pretty music. Here's how the revised sign might look.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, the Adenture Thru Inner Space sign reminded me of the hotel sign on Fawlty Towers, where the letters kept getting changed around. So, I hope you don't mind that I put together this (fairly NSFW*) photoshopped version at lunch when the mood struck me.
Adenture Thru Inner Space is right up there with EPCOT's Horizons and the Magic Kingdom's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on the list of rides I'll always be sad I never got to experience. Every bit I get to see, hear, and read about them makes them seem like they would have been high-grade catnip for the nerdy-but-impressionable kid I was. And who better to lead you through a snowflake than a man whose last name rhymed with "freeze?"
*Naughty words, but no pictures of people doing things or not wearing things or blood and guts. The only things changed are the words on the sign. There's basically one word everyone will know, but it's not really that bad, and a couple of other ones that could be perfectly innocent out of context and might fly over your boss's head. And there's nothing objectionable abuot the Tiki Room sign at all, unless you're that English teacher I had (the one who dressed up like Mark Twain) who gave us detention once for using Tarot cards in study hall. We weren't even placing bets or anything. And everybody wore lots of black eyeliner in those days, even the boys.
TokyoMagic!, that was my thinking as well (either in the parking lot or near Carnation Gardens). But then Mike Cozart commented….
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, thank you for the info!
Mike Cozart, wow, I am surprised that they used real wood. I just assumed it was plastic or resin, painted by their sign wizards.
K. Martinez, I TOTALLY AGREE!
Nanook, at least they didn't use the "Disney font", which really IS used to excess nowadays. Oh how I wish I could have had a tour of underground Tomorrowland back in those days!
JG, I'm just not sure how they could have worked Jack Sparrow into the ride.
PsySocDisney, I know the person who had that "A", and wish I had it myself! I do have one artifact from the original ride, though.
Melissa, I always loved that Fawlty Towers sign gag. I somehow was under the impression that you were a long-time WDW visitor; I'm surprised that you never saw the 20K ride there! By the way, anybody who is offended by the mere word "p****" (hey, there might be kids around) is crazy.
I've been a visitor since 1983, but there was always some reason not to ride 20K that particular day, you know? It was down for refurb, or the lines were too long, or Dad wanted to leave early, or Sis wanted to ride something else, or Mom's claustrophobia was acting up, or someone was hungry, or whatever, and like the naïve rubes we were, we figured something that big, solid, and landmarky would be there as long as the park was, and we'd catch it next time.
ReplyDeleteThese days, I try to try every ride once, even if I'm not sure I'll like it, 'cause you never know if it'll be there next time.
AUGH I hate you! (no I don't) Have you posted that before? Can't remember. I know quite a few people have the little atommobile figures that were in the Mighty Microscope, which would also be way cool to have.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I made the same mistake with the Keel Boats, I just figured they would always be there.
ReplyDeletePsySocDisney, no, I have not posted the Atomobile. Yet. I know somebody who has one that he pulled from a dumpster when he worked for Disney. It is in better shape than the one I have!
ATIS was the best attraction in Tomorrowland at that time. I loved that ride. It always bugged me that as time went on people screamed and yelled more and more. Quiet please! I’m trying to learn about the atom...and... THERE IS THE NUCLEUS OF THE ATOM!
ReplyDeleteFunny thing I was just reading about atoms last night in a tech book and my mind went back to ATIS. I remember the first time I rode it when Tomorrowland version 2was all new. So exciting. You went forward in the atomobile and all of a sudden you were traveling in reverse as twirling snowflakes appeared to come from behind you. Wow.
Hey Nanook, Your memories of the cart machines is the best!
Magnification, magnification!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://es.audiko.net/ringtone/Paul+Frees/Magnification?ring=16986810
Never rode ATIS as my parents maintained it would be "too scary" for me at age 6 & 7. Just got to wait in line with the family, then left in the care of the friendly ticket-taking cast member with my younger sister as we tried to pick out my parents in the lineup of miniature atom-mobiles. Never did see them go by; I guess we must have just missed them.
ReplyDelete"Nope, sorry, too scary for you, Free Babysitter, er, I mean, Chuck..."
ReplyDelete@ Alonzo P. Hawk-
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link.