Here are two so-so photos from 1970! Let's begin with this image, shot from the queue to It's a Small World. We're near the "Picture Spot" sign, so you know that it's legit. It wouldn't be long before GAF replaced Kodak as the official film of Disneyland, and all of the Picture Spot signs would be changed to reflect that fact. One of the first things I notice (besides gramps giving us the eyeball) is the trees atop the Small World building. The teen boy in front of us hangs his head wearily at the thought of hearing that song soon. Hey, I like that song!
This is an odd photo... was this really such an inspiring view that the photographer needed to use a precious frame of film? Maybe he was a fan of folding chairs. Who isn't! The Tomorrowland Stage is out of frame to our left, the Carousel of Progress to our right, we can see a rare view of the back side of Rolly Crump's ticket booth, and we can even see the Skyway and Peoplemover.
The Kodak Picture Spot photos are a dime a dozen, but the second image interests me because it's an unusual view and angle. How often do we see photos like this affording a different view of the park? I remember those blue folding chairs and it's great to see the Skyway, Monorail Green, yellow PeopleMover, the rotating winged shoe Goodyear sign and the Submarine Voyage sign. And the G.E. Carousel building looks busy too! The odd photo is a win for me. Wonderful image. Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeleteP.S. and I do appreciate Kodak Picture Spot photos.
In one of the Wally Crump interviews, he tells the story of how the trees cam to be on top of the IASW building. In short, (and as memory servers) Walt was due to arrive to give the final ok for the IASW facade design and Wally and another imagineer were hurriedly placing model plants and trees around the base of the model. Out of time, they placed the remaining trees on top of the model as a joke. Walt came in, saw it and loved the trees on top, thinking it was part of the design. Wally told Walt it was a joke. Walt said he liked anyway, as it would make the public think that there was a forest back there, not a show building, and gave approval - with the roof trees in place. For several years, the tree were in place in pots on the roof till maintenance complained that it was too much trouble to water them.
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDeleteChalk-up one more vote for that song. It is a 'round', after all.
And what would we do without the 'odd' shot-? In today's installment, not only do we see chairs better-suited to a different body type than typically wanders thru Walt's great creation these days, but lacking the proper "cushion", it's doubtful today's guests' could tolerate this sort of chair for very long.
Thanks, Major. Please be seated.
I LOVE that second shot! I don't remember seeing any cube-shaped signs in Tomorrowland like that one in the planter behind the chairs. At least, I'm assuming that's a sign. And I think that lady on the far right might just be enjoying a glass of Space Mist!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what special event the chairs were set up for in the second photo? Looking at contemporary pictures of the area, there normally wasn't much if any seating for the Tomorrowland Stage:
ReplyDeletehttp://smg.photobucket.com/user/bananaphone5000/media/Gorillllas4/6-68_KidsOfTheKingdom.jpg.html
http://davelandweb.com/aerial/images/KTPBKYC__8_71_N14R.jpg
One of the awesome things about Tomorrowland '67 was the use of color to unify and yet make everything more interesting and exciting. That concept is extended to the folding chairs. It would have been logistically easier and perhaps cheaper to buy just one color of chair, but the place is richer for them having made a different decision.
The first photo is from the East side of the attraction, where the exit ramp used to be before the queue and exit was reversed some years back.
ReplyDeleteTokoMagic!, great catch on the "Space Mist" punch. I loved getting one of those while at the Space Bar/Lunching Pad.
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, Picture Spot photos aren’t necessarily a total loss, but they do get repetitive. Your eye for detail has given me a whole new appreciation for photo #2!! It certainly is different, if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteGraffer, I think the trees on the roof are very cool… where else do you see that? The fact that maintenance didn’t want to water them being the reason for their removal is amazing. Walt would have just raised his eyebrow and told them to keep watering the damn trees!
Nanook, I think of the song as more of an oblate spherioid. It kind of surprises me that they didn’t have a system of seating that was better than folding chairs, but I suppose they were easy to store, and only required a few $1.98/hr employees to put them up.
TokyoMagic!, thanks for pointing out that cube sign, which I didn’t even notice. It IS unusual. Why did I always assume that Space Mist was green? I guess because things from outer space tend to be green (like moon cheese!).
Chuck, somebody recently pointed out (via comment) that the first photo you linked to is not the Kids of the Kingdom (as I assumed), but is in fact “Up With People”. Which I find to be very cool, in a pop-culture way. Remember the Simpsons send-up, “Hooray For Everything”? They sang a neutered version of “Walk on the Wild Side”.
Anonymous, that makes sense… presumably somebody had just exited that attraction (after seeing the Progress City model); I still wonder what exactly inspired them to take the photo, though.
K. Martinez, was Space Mist basically a “Hawaiian Punch” sort of drink?
Major, I sure do! My wife and I reference "Hooray for Everything!" all the time.
ReplyDeleteMajor, you are correct. Space Mist was a Hawaiian Punch sort of drink. Kind of like the "Moon Burger" was basically a cheeseburger. It's just Disney putting whimsically themed names on basic food items. I also used to remember getting a "Frontier Freeze" at the Oaks Tavern or Delta Banjo in Frontierland back in the day which was basically a vanilla soft serve ice cream in a cup. Same concept.
ReplyDeleteMajor, thanks for the great photos and all my fellow commentors for the great tidbits like the trees on the roof, etc. A great thread and a good advert for GDB at it's best.
ReplyDeleteI agree in preferring the vantage of the second picture, it sort of confirms my non-scholarly thesis that there has been a photo taken from every square foot of Disneyland's surface, at least once over the 60 years. May GDB continue until all have been posted and re-touched twice.
I recall Space Mist as bright red, like the drink in the ladies glass. Vaguely recall it advertised as having a "cherry" flavor, but it was just sweet to me, no particular flavor. It came in the same flimsy clear plastic cup as the mint julep drink in NOS, which was green in color, Major.
I would save these cups for use at home for the summer, usually I could drink iced tea from one until almost Thanksgiving before they cracked and had to be thrown out. The cup had a deco border ring (greek key, I think) at the top and bottom and a stylized Castle with fireworks on the side, I think two, so both sides looked good. The pattern was just frosted plastic with no color or anything to wear off.
@Chuck, maybe the folding chairs were just bought in two trips to "ACME Theme Park Folding Chair Emporium" and they were out of teal on the second go?
My wife's sister sang in "Up With People", a few years after this pic was taken, no word on if they played in Disneyland, but she said "Anaheim" so either here, or maybe Melodyland. She hates Disneyland, maybe that's why.
The palm tree landscaping theme is certainly evident. Odd that it never registered on younger me that much. I am frequently very impatient with younger me, he is very much a dolt most days and his powers of observation sadly lacking.
Cheers.
JG
Rolly, not Wally.
ReplyDeleteOh well, it was after midnight.
You've ignited a memory cell with that last picture. I believe it was taken near the exit for the Mission to Mars ride. I remember coming out the exit with my sister and expecting to see our father waiting there. We sat in those chairs for about 15 minutes waiting for him and then went to look all over the park for him. When we came back he was there and claimed he had been there the whole time. (Shouldn't have been that hard to find a man in a wheelchair).
ReplyDeleteHoyt Clagwell, that's funny! Did you ever find out where he had been??
ReplyDelete