Thursday, February 18, 2016

Special Guest Photos - The Devlin Family - Part 05

It's time for more Devlin family photos, circa April, 1960!

This first example, from the Tomorrowland Autopia,  is full of fun details. For one, almost everyone is bundled up against what must have been a cool (and blustery?) April day. The cast members are working hard, so they are fine in short sleeves. The girl to the left is performing an interpretive "Transportation Dance", while the Monorail and multiple levels of Autopia cars zoom around her. 

Judy Devlin is at the wheel of the pale yellow "Mark V" vehicle, with little sister Mary beside her. The Mark V cars were notoriously heavy, and were distinctive with their Buick headlights.

PS... there's no center rail yet!


Next we have this swell portrait of Pat, Joe, and Tom in front of the showroom-fresh Matterhorn. All three hold those classic blue striped popcorn boxes, while Pat also enjoys an ice cream bar.


And finally (for today), here's a followup to the second photo in this post... back then, I thought that Patrick was sitting near the moat, with the base of the castle nearby. But 2016 Patrick said that it was someplace else! I didn't have another guess.


So Patrick sent a link to the following 1957 photo (posted on GDB in 2011), in which you can see the little ramp where he was sitting, as well as the wall nearby. Interesting! Do you think that at this point the water is no longer considered part of the moat?


Well, that does it for April, 1960. But never fear, we have more photos from subsequent visits!

13 comments:

Nanook said...

Once again, Devlins-

So much fun to look at these images - especially the shot of the three brothers. It's perfect.

Major - I believe the girl in the first image is actually performing a step from the famous Polovtsian Dances-! And right there at the Tomorrowland Autopia-! Ahhh, the synergy.

Thanks, Major & Patrick (et al).

K. Martinez said...

I love the shot of the Devlin brothers in front of the Matterhorn. Such an unusual portrait photo. Looks like Pat is mesmerized with his ice cream treat.

Thanks, Devlin Family! And thank you, Major!

TokyoMagic! said...

It looks like the waterfall (the one that faced down towards the Plaza) was turned off on the Matterhorn. We can see the openings that used to be located behind the waterfall.

As for "interpretive dance girl", I often wonder about the huge number of guests that visit Disneyland these days in sandals or flip-flops. Don't they ever stub their toes? Don't they get their feet stepped on by other guests? Don't they get run over by strollers? It also amazes me how many people wear just sandals or flip-flops onto airplanes.....and then take them off and walk about the plane in their bare feet. If I could only tell you how many times I've seen passengers go into the bathrooms with no shoes on. Yuck!

Alonzo P Hawk said...

My take is the little blue clad lass learned her interpretive "Transportation Dance" from daddy. It's more of balancing thing from when he got pulled over and the nice police officer was shining that flashlight in his eyes.

Nice photos, thanks for sharing and posting. Pat/Major.

Chuck said...

The waterfall probably wasn't running due to a lack of runoff. As you can see in the photo, most of the snowpack has melted.

What does that triangular sign in the first photo signify? "Caution - bakers chasing runaway gingerbreadmen?"

Anonymous said...

It's also possible that the waterfall was off due to high winds that day. KS

Tom said...

I'm captivated by that second photo. It's one of those hidden gems of Disneyland, an angle seldom noticed but undoubtedly adding to the ambiance of the park. Here they have a little waterway that beckons the eye toward an implied adventure, when framed just like this shot was.

Thanks for another great unusual angle photo!

Unknown said...

I always love seeing that old-time view of the Matterhorn's face with the multiple paths behind the waterfall. It hadn't occurred to me that they might shut the water off when guests were being inadvertently moisturized, KS. The handy availability of shots where the water is shut off, though, certainly speaks to some kind of policy.

It looks like the front kid in shot #2 has managed to get over 60% of the chocolate down his gullet.

Unknown said...

And of course the water in Adventureland is part of the moat! It has the same delicious flavor, anyway.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, kids in those days loved Davy Crockett, Zorro, and Rimsky-Korsakov!

K. Martinez, you are right, I have never seen another photo like that one, it’s really nice. Pat loved his treats… ice cream AND popcorn.

TokyoMagic!, I suppose the waterfall could have been shut off for a number or reasons, but it sure looks odd without the cascade. As for flip flops, I can’t imagine wearing those to the park all day. For one thing, they aren’t that comfortable (to me, anyway). And it seems like my toes get stepped on at LEAST once during a visit. Steel-toed boots are the way to go!

Alonzo, That’s probably it! She is right in the middle of counting backwards from 100 while hopping from one foot to the other.

Chuck, the early photos of the Matterhorn definitely have a lot less snow, and it was painted a darker gray too. As for that sign, you never know what might cross the road at Disneyland. Gingerbread men, living puppets, giant mice…

KS, I think it was a pretty windy day, look at the girls hair in that first photo. I’d never heard that they shut off the falls when it was windy, but it totally makes sense.

Tom, I guess you mean the third image? Either way, they are both great!

Patrick Devlin, I have heard that various fountains sometimes drenched guests on windy days, and those waterfalls certainly could have been a problem (just think how far a strong gust could carry some of that spray!). That kid in photo #2 only has eyes for his ice cream.

Patrick Devlin again, it looks moat-y, but maybe officially it turned into… I don’t know, something else.

Tom said...

Yep, third photo. D'oh.

Anonymous said...

These are so great. Thank you!

JG

Anonymous said...

I should have indicated that as a matter of policy, there were days when it was determined by management to turn off the waterfalls. As I recall it, it was a safety issue in the event of an evacuation being necessary...the walkways would be wet. KS