Sunday, December 16, 2018

Views From the Hub, July 1959

It's time for more Sunday Snoozers! A Horse Drawn Streetcar makes its way around the hub, clippety-clop, much to the admiration of the girl in yellow. "I wish I could pet him and brush his mane and feed him carrots and ride him to school!". 


Actually, this isn't a bad shot looking toward the Matterhorn; it's as if the photographer pivoted 45 degrees to his right (from the first photo) to take in this view. The entrance to Tomorrowland is in that general direction, as evidenced by the House of the Future.


14 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

I wonder how long the line was, for the newly opened Matterhorn?

Nanook said...

Major-

"...much to the admiration of the girl in yellow capri pants-! Please. And a brand-new Matterhorn, too. It's definitely not a "Snoozer" for the lucky folks in these images.

Thanks, Major.

Melissa said...

I can't imagine wearing a form-fitting white dress for a day at Disneyland like the lady walking away from us in the second picture. It would be torn and filthy by parade time.

JC Shannon said...

I am really liking these, 1959 was a big year for Disneyland. I would love to putz around the Monsanto HOTF and then smell the fresh paint on all the new attractions. Last one to the Submarines voted for Nixon! Thanks Major.

Nanook said...

@ Melissa-

It was hard not to miss her, along with that dress. (I wonder if she's wearing a string of pearls-?) Perhaps that outfit is her way of honoring Disneyland's latest attractions for 1959...

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, now that you mention it, if this truly was July, you’d think there would be big crowds. And yet… it looks like a fairly laid-back day.

Nanook, well, yes, she is wearing capri pants! Actually made on the Isle of Capri, too. Imagine being able to drop into 1959 Disneyland, knowing what you know now.

Melissa, it’s possible that the lady just wanted to look nice and didn’t even think about the practicality of wearing white. Plenty of other ladies wore nice dresses though, maybe it wasn’t as dire as it seems?

Jonathan, your mention of Nixon reminds me of a piece that Hunter S. Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone - he hated Nixon so much, but his writing was hilarious.

Nanook, I do think that lady might be like my grandmother was… she wouldn’t leave the house without pearls, lipstick, and a nice outfit. A different time…

JC Shannon said...

Major, I remember all the Nixon, Kennedy bumper stickers that year. On Lamaida St., almost everyone had one or the other. Hunter Thompson was hilarious, and his hatred for Nixon is legendary. The Kennedy presidency is something that I will never forget, and as a boy, I was devastated when I found out about the assasination. I was in my room, reading a book when my mother told me. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Matthew said...

Hardly a snoozer. I just like seeing the hub without fences, and green lawns covered in shade. Families sitting on benches... just enjoying the day. I also like see all the brightly colored umbrellas around the hub. From the looks of it (according the second photograph) our photographer is seated on a bench on the East side of The Hub. He/She caught the back and side of the head of the gentleman seated next to them. I also spy some Attractions posters in that shot as well as a little lattice work sign probably the menu for the Red Wagon Inn (or was that on the other side?).

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle

Nanook said...

@ Matthew-

Yes - you're correct - that's the Red Wagon Inn on the right. There appear to be three attraction posters: The Submarine; [perhaps] Dumbo (it's hard to tell); and The Matterhorn.

Major Pepperidge said...

Jonathan, looking back on the Kennedy years, it seemed as if there was a sense of optimism and hope, in spite of the Cold War. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the youth of America became disenchanted after the assassination (combined with the Vietnam war). I can’t help wondering how things would have been different if Kennedy had lived.

Matthew, you are right, it IS nice seeing the real park-like atmosphere of the hub. It only just occurred to me right now, but perhaps one of the reasons the “Partners” statue was installed is because the trees were getting in the way of the fireworks for the ever-growing crowds; but they needed something there. Gosh, you observed way more details than I ever did! Good call on the Red Wagon Inn sign and the posters.

Nanook, I agree, the middle poster is likely for Dumbo.

Matthew said...

Is that the Monsanto M (red against a blue sign) below that green/blue umbrella behind that man and child on the far left of the screen in picture #2?

Thanks Major for the compliment.

Always your pal,

Anonymous said...

@Matthew, yes that is the Monsanto sign for the HOF. Lots of details in these photos.

Also notice how the "snow" effect on the Matterhorn ends at the line between the roller coaster and the "overhead" structure that we saw in last week's photo.

Thanks Major. fun stuff.

JG

Matthew said...

@JG Thanks for the confirmation. I wonder if our bloggers ever had a photo of just that sign. I've never seen or noticed it before.

Also, I remember reading one time that Bill Evans was having a heck of a time determining where the tree line should be on 1/100th scale of the mountain as well as handling the forced perspective.

Always your pal,
Matt

Anonymous said...

@Matthew, there are some good clear shots of the Monsanto sign posted on Daveland.

https://www.davelandweb.com/hof/images/PBTKT_11_59_N35R.jpg
https://www.davelandweb.com/hof/images/50s/PBTKTStars_11_59_N01P.jpg
https://www.davelandweb.com/hof/images/60s/Plain_2_64_21D.jpg

The very very 60's logo for the House itself is worth the price of admission.

I can't tell for sure, but there may have been more than one of these signs, some shots look like there is one visible as you exit TL and another visible from the Hub.

Re: Treeline. I remember having that conversation with my Dad looking at the Matterhorn. How do you decide?

JG