Friday, November 01, 2013

Nice Skyway Views, August 13 1960

I was so jealous of Tinker Bell when I was at Disneyland weeks ago. Wait wait, let me explain! I could help thinking of the spectacular view she must get as she flies from the top of the Matterhorn to... wherever she lands. The Skyway used to provide similar views to all of us regular people. 

We've just left the Fantasyland Skyway chalet and we're heading toward the heart of the Matterhorn. Back then it wasn't infested with yetis.  What can I say, I love this picture.


Our photographer's head was always tilted at a 10-degree angle. The Rocket to the Moon looks splendid as always; wouldn't you love to be able to wander into the main show building to see the exhibits? I'll bet they predicted colonies of humans living on the moon. 


8 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Nice shots, today. Love the Moonliner and the attraction posters.

As for Ms. Tinkerbell, funny I can't remember just exactly where she used to "land", but the end of the line consisted of a couple of mattresses to 'cushion' her stop. Honest-!

Thanks, Major.

Anonymous said...

Two items: 1) Tink landed in a wooden tower on the backside of the NW hill, and 2) it's interesting to see how simple the snow paint job on the matterhorn was in its first years.

K. Martinez said...

Great capture of the Skyway with the Mark I Monorail gliding by the Matterhorn.

I remember the Matterhorn when it wasn't infested with yetis and it had it's original bobsleds. You could certainly see more bobsled action back then.

I thought the Matterhorn Bobsleds redo in 1978 was a plus except for the enclosing of the top turn-around after the lift. I loved that quick southward view of Main Street as your started your journey down the mountain.

From the Central Plaza, I also loved to watch the Bobsleds high up just releasing from the chain lifts making the turn-around and then disappearing into the mountain. That view does not exist anymore.

Great pair of pics today. Thanks!

PsySocDisney said...

I couldn't stop staring at these photos today! I think I spy my favorite Disneyland Hotel poster in the second one... I got a small print of it on my trip! Don't you have a large version Major, if I remember right? Or was that someone else?

Nanook said...

@PsySocDisney-

Not certain about Major, but I have a DL Hotel attraction poster displayed on my stairway landing. In spite of the copious amount of white, which my framer brilliantly matted-over, I love the ultramarine blue and pink.

Melissa said...

Our photographer's head was always tilted at a 10-degree angle.

Either that, or he was like me and his dominant hand was so much stronger than his other one that it tilted the camera when he pushed the button!

The two screens right under the TWA logo on the Flight to the Moon awning look like a pain of sunglasses staring out at that lone doughy guy standing by himself in the noonday sun of the courtyard. "He ought to buy one of those souvenir sun hats like the people in the foreground," the disembodied sunglasses are thinking. "Poor fellow's got nobody to look after him. He'll have a sunburn and a migraine before the flag retreat, mark my words. Why, he's already started to go mad from the heatstroke, standing exactly equidistant between the trash cans like that."

Melissa said...

A "pair" of sunglasses, not a "pain."

PsySocDisney said...

Nanook that's fantastic!! Maybe one day I'll be as lucky :)