Hey hey! It's time for the third installment of Warren Nielsen's scans of a vintage Walt Disney World postcard folder. See part one HERE, and part two HERE.
It's amazing to think that the Haunted Mansion was only five years old at this point (the Florida version, I mean). Were guests as familiar with every detail of this ride back then the way they are today? It is well known that many sculpts show up as different characters throughout the ride. The guy playing the lyre is also a "Julius Caesar" type at the table where a ghostly birthday party is being celebrated. The trumpeter also appears as the lady blowing out the candles in the same scene.
See?
What are the odds that people could see the back side of water in two Disney parks? And yet, it is a fact.
Liberty Square looks so impressive here - like a Hollywood backlot colonial Philadelphia. Thanks to the Fife and Drum Corps, fifes became more popular than electric guitars in the 1970's. Would I lie?
Walt Disney World was much more than just an amusement park, and golf courses were a major enticement for people seeking a complete vacation destination.
I love this cinematic shot of Main Street during an afternoon parade. Hundreds of people line the streets in the most orderly manner - almost as if there were bleachers, though I know there weren't.
I love Disneyland's train station, but the one is Florida definitely kicked things up a notch. It almost looks like an old time casino, or the home of an important dignitary. Love the train too (is it the "Walter E. Disney"?).
You know, golf is nice and all, but what about foosball? I don't think I'll get an argument when I say that foosball is the greatest sport in the world. The fact that the IOC still hasn't included foosball for the Summer Olympics is a travesty.
There's one more installment of vintage Walt Disney World postcards from Warren Nielsen!
Major-
ReplyDeleteMore wonderful images from WDW. No matter how much the Fife and Drum Corps plussed Liberty Square, it's hard not to notice the groovy pants and pair of hot pants, upstaging all that colonial action.
Thanks Warren and Major.
You've got both the Palm and Magnolia courses in this folder. Very cool! My favorite is the Main Street parade with the huge drum that has the iconic "Vacation Kingdom" logo and tri-circle "D"s on it.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Haunted Mansion opened in Disneyland in 1969, I believe both Mansions were being developed at the same time. At least the A.A.s and props were. Maybe Mike Cozart knows the details of that and whether it's fact or Disney fiction.
Looking forward to the final installment. Thanks, Warren and Major.
Yes - that’s true! All the sets for Walt Disney World’s HAUNTED MANSION were built at the same time as Disneyland’s with a few exceptions ..... but the duplicated pieces were put into storage until needed. In fact the WDW MANSION was the first attraction completed and was fully operational many months before other attractions were -all because of the pre-manufactured elements.
ReplyDeleteThanks Major and Warren. I've always loved that distinctly '70s logo on the giant drum. A bit too many shots of golf courses for my liking, but I guess they really were keen on pushing the 'vacation kingdom' angle. I too am looking forward to the final batch.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I like about the Magic Kingdom's "backside of water" is that it's still a waterfall instead of a little trickle. Although the WDW mansion is longer that the Disneyland version, I like the facade of the DL version better...especially now that WDW had mucked it all up with the world's stupidest interactive queue. The Imaginrears that came up with that should be rounded up and shot... or at least fired.
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming in, Mike. Nice to know something I read is true. I find it a fun bit of Disney fact. What an exciting time it must've been to be an imagineer at WED Enterprises.
ReplyDeleteThat is indeed the Walter E. Disney in front of Main Street Station--which is actually a pretty close replica of the old Saratoga Springs, NY, train station:
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Nanook, I like the girl with the Betsy Ross-stylle cloth cap on her head… presumably chosen to participate in the Fife and Drum Corps ceremonies.
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, I guess it’s nice that they pictured both golf courses, but I can’t get too excited about photos of them. I think Dick Nunis was a big golfer (maybe I’m getting that wrong) and he was the person who insisted that world-class courses be a part of Walt Disney World. Are they still there, or was the land used to build yet more hotels?
Mike Cozart, when the Hatbox Ghost was added back to the Anaheim mansion, I read that the original plans for the Florida Mansion included that legendary AA. I assume that they didn’t put him in because he never worked properly. Also, I believe that many of the AA’s were essentially variations on “Pirates” figures as well.
Pegleg Pete, I wonder who manufactures a drum that’s 9 feet in diameter?? The logo is pretty sweet. They definitely wanted to make WDW a total vacation destination!
Stuart Powley, I’ve seen photos of Florida’s Schweitzer Falls, and you’re right, it is still a proper waterfall. Why in the world was the Anaheim version reduced to such a pathetic trickle? I’ve also seen footage of the interactive queue; at least guests can bypass the gimmicks if they just want to get to the ride. I wonder how popular the wacky graves are?
K. Martinez, do you happen to know why Florida got the Library room? Maybe there wasn’t space for it at Disneyland, or maybe they wanted to make the WDW version just a little different.
Steve DeGaetano, thanks for the confirmation. It’s kind of spooky to see a very old engraving of a train station that looks so much like Main Street Station!
Major, the Palm and Magnolia golf courses are still there, plus 2 more have been built since these pics were taken. I am sure someone here can supply more info about where and when they came about. The Golf Resort hotel is still there too, but is now called Shades of Green and is operated as an MWR (Morale, Welfare, Recreation) facility for military members. We stayed at the Golf Resort one short night (red-eye flight in) and then moved on to the Polynesian as soon as we could pry our eyes open. As I recall it felt very country clubbish, laid back.
ReplyDeleteAs always, thanks for posting these.
W
Wow, more Magic Kingdom goodness. I love Disney park advertising, beckoning the public to visit the total vacation experience that is Disney World. So many goodies here, I don't know where start. Lets not forget that Disney turned a small Florida town in to a Mecca for vacationers from around the world. The original "If you build it they will come." And come they did, thanks to advert pieces like this one. Thanks to Warren for sharing these and Major for posting.
ReplyDeleteThere is still the Palm and Magnolia (along with the 9-hole Oak Trail) near Shades of Green, along with the Lake Buena Vista course near Disney Springs.
ReplyDeleteTwo Eisner-era courses from the 1990s east of Fort Wilderness were essentially closed and replaced by the Four Seasons resort and a new golf course as part of that resort.
MAJOR: yes, HAUNTED MANSION uses AA figures and faces from Pirates of the Caribbean , Carousel of Prigress and even Jungle Cruise! ( the graveyard caretaker is the White Hunter at the top of the pole and rhino scene) So many attractions reuse AA figures - but do so in a very creative way - The RCA HOME of FUTURE LIVING used Carousel of Progress and even Hall of Presidents! HORIZONS and WORLD OF MOTION used Pirates, Progress, and Hall of Presidents figures throughout. And even some attractions used the same figure as much as three times : like Pirates of the Caribbean!
ReplyDeleteI know the story goes that Marc Davis wanted all new figures for the Western River Expecition and was part of the reason among several other factors it wasn’t built - but new figures would have been mixed with existing AA figures as had always been done in the past so I think that part of the story is slightly exaggerated -Marc would have been very used to this practice.
Major-
ReplyDeleteDisney could've built that drum, and Remo would've been happy to have made the drum head. I believe the University of Missouri's 'Big Mo', clocking-in at nine feet, is the largest bass drum in the U.S., easily-eclipsing Purdue's so-called "World's Largest Drum", which measures-in at a 'puny' seven feet, three inches. (There's a drum in South Korea that's a 'svelte' 18 feet 2 inches in diameter - which purports to be the World's Largest).
Major, Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion has the ride-thru "library room" and Disneyland's has the walk-thru "portrait gallery". It has to do with the way the show buildings were positioned behind the facade buildings at each park. I think also that the "portrait gallery takes guests under the railroad tracks which isn't necessary in the Florida mansion. There are other reasons as well, but here are two blueprints showing the layouts and variations.
ReplyDeleteDISNEYLAND Haunted Mansion blueprint
https://www.flickr.com/photos/63631877@N00/3285581412/sizes/l
WALT DISNEY WORLD Haunted Mansion blue print
https://www.flickr.com/photos/63631877@N00/3285581568/sizes/l
Warren Nielsen, I guess Dick Nunis was right about the appeal of golf courses! I remember hearing about the hotel that was now used for military folks. So funny about you changing hotels, it sounds to me like that is a very common thing during a multi-day stay at WDW.
ReplyDeleteJonathan, I should look to see if I can find photos of Orlando, pre-Disney world. There must not have been much to it. I wonder if they had any idea just how huge of an impact WDW would have on not just their city, but on surrounding cities? And of course having Disney there also attracted Universal, and probably other tourist attractions as well.
Anon, thank you for the additional info about the golf courses!
Mike Cozart, I guess I don’t understand enough about the process of sculpting and casting faces, but it just doesn’t seem like it should be that expensive. Pricey, maybe, but in the scheme of things, a good sculptor can do a head pretty quickly. Then they just need to make molds (not super hard for those who know how), and… that’s it? It sounds like it would cost a fortune, considering how they just reuse the same figures and faces over and over. I wonder if Mr. Lincoln’s face was used elsewhere? Without the beard, and with glasses or a hat from a different era, and old Abe might be unrecognizable.
Nanook, there’s a whole world of giant drums out there! 18’ - 2”, zoiks. Wonder what kind of a “boom” that thing makes?
K. Martinez, ah, I didn’t know that the Florida mansion lacked the walk-through portrait gallery. I did know that the gallery was how guests got under the RR tracks in Anaheim! Thank you for the links to the blueprints, I’ll check ‘em out when I get home.
The Florida stretching rooms are not elevators because there in no need to go under a berm. The ceiling raises instead. The effect is close, but not exact. (maybe just because you know you're moving in the DL version) Interestingly enough (to me anyway) one thing I do like about the WDW facade is that you can see the Conservatory from the outside. Although the actual ride scene is nowhere near it, they at least attempt to make it make sense from the outside.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Warren and Major for the pics, and everyone for the comments.
ReplyDeleteI think it was very sensible to include several golf courses, as these would be a draw for folks who wouldn't be interested in the theme parks. I know it's hard to believe, but I know people who would never think of setting foot inside a Disney park, but go wild at the thought of a subtropical golf course. Dad could go golfing while Mom and the Kids hit the Park.
These also make WDW a legitimate business destination. Several business associations to which I belong always tout the golf opportunities at their convention sites. Anaheim is no exception, but the courses are always remote.
I played for several years as a "business" thing with my partners, but was worse than awful and didn't enjoy it, so I gave it up. Shots of those Florida courses remind me of the stories of golfers maimed by alligators while trying to retrieve lost balls from the lake. With my luck, I would end up as a gator snack. I prefer the Jungle Cruise gators to the real kind.
JG
JG, that is correct. Sports have always played a big role at Disney's Florida property. Not only was the "Vacation Kingdom" billed as a complete resort with hotels, restaurants and shopping, but also a sports and recreation resort with horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, tennis courts, bicycling, jogging trails, archery, fishing, swimming, water skiing and various other recreational activities as well as the multiple golf courses.
ReplyDeleteIn later years more facilities were built including the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I know, it's boring to most theme park enthusiasts, but it is part of the Walt Disney World Story.
Warren, thanks again for sharing things from your personal collection. I know that means a lot to all of us here.
ReplyDeleteMajor, here's a 1968 photo showing Orlando before WDW.
Ken, they used to offer archery at Disneyland, too, out on Tom Sawyer Island. There was some kind of accident and the lawyers made them close it down.
Well played, Chuck! You'd think Disney would've removed evidence of the fatal accident instead of leaving the victim's body out there on the island for all to see who passed by on the river.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha! That 1968 photo of Orlando is a good one!
Disneyland too had the exact same giant parade drum - it made its debut in Disneyland’s Fantasy on Parade . It was only natural that Walt Disney World also get their own.
ReplyDeleteThe Fife and Drum corps is sorely missing at today's Liberty Square. The Town Crier is an awesome dude and makes for great atmosphere, but he's just one guy. I mean, they don't have to have a whole band and stop traffic; one piper and drummer playing some period tunes outside the Librerty Tree Tavern or Hall of Presidents a couple of times a day would be pretty rad.
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