Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Main Street and Pirate Ship, November 1958

I love me some vintage Main Street! This November was gray and overcast, but it must not have been too chilly; look at how the guests are dressed. Plenty of short sleeves. A Horse Drawn Streetcar heads away from us, as does a Horseless Carriage (which narrowly missed the one pedestrian in the street - he's lucky to be alive!). 


This is a fairly standard view of the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship as ween from the Skyway; it has only a few striped sails unfurled, but it's better than none. I realize that this is from 1958, but the two girls (in blue dresses) about to board the ship look like they are refugees from a performance of "Oklahoma!". 


Extra! Extra! Here's an extra scan from 1955 for TokyoMagic!, in which you can see the street sign for East Plaza Street.



9 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Oklahoma!, you say-? Awrighty. Maybe Carousel.... And as per usual, any view of the Pirate Ship (even sans Skull Rock and Pirate's Cove) is a grand sight.

Thanks, Major.

Nancy said...

Nice view from the Skyway. Looking off into the distance reminds of how we see London in Mary Poppins :-)

I wonder how far away you could see from the Skyway....

Melissa said...

The ladies in blue are the mother and aunt of the Grady Girls from The Shining. "Come eat tuna pot pies with us... forever and ever."

Alonzo P Hawk said...

It's like that old bumper sticker says: "The worst day of gloomy skies, black water, and soggy tuna samiches is better than the best day workin"

TokyoMagic! said...

I know we have seen pics of the "Center St." street signs on Main St., but I don't remember ever seeing a street sign for the little road that ran alongside Coke Corner. West Plaza St.? Who knew? I just checked your pic of the Plaza Apts. that you posted last Friday and I don't see a corresponding sign on the other street corner for what I assume would be "East Plaza St." I wonder what the time frame was for all of these "side street" signs? And who has them now???

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I can't use Carousel as a reference because I have never seen it and don't know anything about it!

Nancy, Disneyland certainly looks gray enough to resemble the foggy, coal-dust blackened London! Looks like you could see several miles in either direction once you got up to the Skyway's highest point.

Melissa, I love pot pies, but am not so sure about a tuna pot pie. Sounds weird.

Alonzo, that is a very wordy bumper sticker! But it gets extra points for the word "samiches".

TokyoMagic!, I've added a photo from 1955 in which you can see the other street sign. As for who has them now, I've heard horror stories about the things that just went into dumpsters (like the little Atomobiles)… those signs are probably long gone. On the other hand, I just saw some photos of somebody's house, and they have several rare old Disneyland signs. WHO KNOWS!

Brad Abbott said...

Major -- I've been trying to track down reference images for some of those "house" signs, but haven't come across any yet. Once I'm able to share them I will!

Nanook said...

Major-

Let's just say as far as Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals are concerned, Carousel is at the bottom my list, at least. (I find the story a bit strange).

Whew-! When I saw the picture of the Plaza Apts. this morning, I wondered how I missed it last night. Appreciate the addition.

Also in the shot is the banner across Main Street 'Welcoming Van Nuys". (It was probably Van Nuys' proudest moment until Fedco located a store there-!)

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Hey now, I still got a necktie from the Van Nuys Fedco.

Old Fedcal Booze is finest rotgut you could buy for $5.00 (or less).