Random Tomorrowland
Today's first photo had turned a ferocious shade of magenta, but I fiddled around with it in good old Photoshop and brought it back to something that no longer causes nosebleeds, dizziness and nausea (well, maybe a little nausea).
It was worth the effort, because it is a swell shot of an undated Tomorrowland, probably 1956 if I had to put money on it. Look at all those adorable "Father Knows Best" families!
This was another faded slide, and while the restoration effort was not quite as impressive, it is still a cool view of the front of Monorail Blue. Quick, we have our choice of the front seat OR the bubble dome!
13 comments:
Major-
Well, I don't know if those are 'Father Knows Best" families, but there certainly is quite a display of 1950's trousers on display, with their 'amply-proportioned' seats, so common in the day.
And as for Monorail Blue, can we sit in both places - switching midway-?? Oh please, please, please-??!!
Thanks, Major.
Love that first shot bursting with fresh, new Tomorrowland goodness. I remember from some previous post trying to decipher what the letter-based signal flags spelled out. As i recall they are more or less lined up in something resembling alphabetical order.
And another Monorail cab shot! I think that's the Mk I (was it even referred to as the Mk I at that point?) with the teeny bubble on top. Great stuff, Major. Who'd ever know their was magenta to be found anywhere.
Always love a visit to Tomorrowland! Seeing the little white fence just a tad crooked and wiggly makes me remember how much of Disneyland was pretty much built by hand.
I love watching the special features on the dvd set Disneyland Secrets, Stories & Magic when they showed the film Building Walt's Dream, with all the footage from the time-lapse cameras he had set up to document the different stages that went into building each land. :-) Im geeky that way lol!
As for the Monorail, I will be in the cockpit! :-)
wonderful start to a beautiful day here in Pittsburgh! Thanks, Major
Nanook, pants from those days DO seem a bit more baggy in the booty. I never really noticed before! “Amply proportioned” is a nice way to put it. Just like Sears’ “husky boys” line of clothing. Husky is a word you don’t hear these days. And yes, you may ride in both prime seats on Monorail Blue!
Patrick Devlin, I tried to decipher those nautical flags as well, but I didn’t even get anything as orderly as the alphabet - it seemed very random. Of course I was relying on Wikipedia to help with the meanings of each flag. You’re right, that bubble dome looks almost too small to really peek out during driving, so maybe this is the Mark I.
Nancy, the white wire fencing was purchased in rolls - I can just see the gardening staff setting it up. And yes, that time-lapse stuff was amazing… Tony Baxter has hundreds of hours of the stuff, we only got to see a tiny fraction on the DVD. I wish they could release it ALL! I’m glad it’s a nice day in Pittsburgh… it is overcast here…
Major-
As someone who has been known to 'loiter around' thrift shops and scour eBay and etsy for vintage clothing, often wearing many articles of same - as a matter of fact, I'm wearing a reversible jacket from 1957 right now (it's a little drizzly here in Seattle), I can attest to what seems to have been a populace not nearly as tall as we are now, and evidently more stocky. (Obviously, all of those 'proportions' have been re-written over the last 30, or so, years), but - it's harder to find men's shirts, jackets, etc., from mid-last century that would pass for large or X-large.
Maybe that simply means those of taller-larger chests wore-out their clothes-? Anyway, I think it was considered a "good value" to have a "full seat" back then, as can easily be seen in the images from the 1950's, so often on view in these pages. Want to be comfortable, after all; one should be free to 'move about' unconstrained, especially following a heavy meal-! It doesn't appear as though the 'slim look' hit the ready-to-wear racks until the 1960's.
It always amazes me like others have said to see the fashions, particularly how dressed up people were during those visits. It was all so fancy!
My one regret from my younger days at the park was not getting to ride in the dome - I don't think it even occurred to me to ask.
Signed...
Ex Sears Husky Boy.
(You can find me in the "Put On" shoppe.)
Wow, Huskies and the Put-On Shoppe at Sears. That's a real blast to the past!
Katella Gate, long time no see! How have you been?
Nanook, I used to think I might be able to find an old jacket from Disneyland’s Pendleton shop (with the original Disneyland label), but I don’t think I’ll ever find one to fit a tall person. Other than that I don’t have much personal experience with vintage clothing.
Dan Heaton, it is true, in general people cared a lot more about how they looked in public back then.
Katella Gate, like you, I never did ride in the bubble dome or nose cone seats. ARG! If only I knew then what I know now.
TokyoMagic!, I don’t remember the Put-On-Shoppe. But I did own a Sears suit when I was a kid!
Major, depending on your age, your suit might have been from the Put-On Shop and you might not have known it. I have a Sears catalog from 1973. I scanned a couple pages, showing some of the fashions that were available from the Sears "Put-On Shop". And I had forgotten all about "TOUGHSKINS" jeans until getting this out!
1973 Sears Catalog
No stealth bragging intended, but one of the coolest things about riding in the bubble on the Monorail was seeing just how tight the clearances were as you passed underneath the opposing beam-ways of the several crossovers. Oh, and wanting desperately to own a white cravat and jaunty hat like the Monorail pilots wore...
Howdy TokyoMagic!
I'm doing well and thanks for asking. About two years ago I had to cut out the "Disney" stuff because it was just taking up too much of my time between looking at the pictures and daydreaming.
Also, my employer gave me two rather large projects that took several years. At the time (2000-2015) I worked for the company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic wreck, and I was asked to compile a catalog of everything brought up (and that runs several thousand pages), and then analyze and identify the wrecksite data brought back by the 2010 mission... So I've been real busy.
I turned my knee very badly the other day and I've been in bed for a week now, and on a lark I decided to see if Major was still turning out his very funny Disneyland commentary by the yard... and lo! here it is in all its color corrected goodness.
Katella Gate, It was good to hear from you! Sorry to hear about your knee. I hope you have a speedy recovery!
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