Around Fantasyland, 1957
I have a couple of vivid 1957 photos of what I was initially going to call "peak vintage Fantasyland", until I thought about it a bit more; the Alice ride was added in '58, and Skull Rock arrived in 1960 - I loved both of those. But... '57 was still pretty awesome.
There's that crazy Pirate Ship. Whenever a merchant vessel spotted the tuna boat in its rear view mirror (ships have rear view mirrors, right?), the entire crew felt a chill in their hearts. "Sacre bleu!". The sails have been reefed, so we can rest easy... for now. Tomorrowland was a "land on the move", but this area had the spinning teacups, flying Dumbos, and the Skyway overhead for a general sense of activity and excitement.
Ach du lieber! Look at how busy it is - this must have been a summer Saturday. The lines for the dark rides are bonkers, but... everything is relative. As always, I love the use of stripes, polka dots, and other patterns.
Mama mia, I don't love crowds, but I would gladly be mixed among those lucky people.
12 comments:
Major-
Que gentÃo, indeed-! Just what century do these folks think they're living-? It would be several decades before this sort of thing became common place. And, oh those 50's clothes. So practical.
Thanks, Major.
¡Ay caramba! Look at those crowds on the pirate ship! I wonder what the line is like below decks for a spin on the tuna burger.
Lots and lots of happy people without a care in the world, so this must have been taken before October 4th. It may not be "Peak Fantasyland," but I'll take it over a dactylectomy it any day.
I hate it when I don't proofread. "...I'll take it over a dactylectomy any day."
Wow. Five count 'em five cast members operating Teacups. What gives there?
Even large crowds seem to be more civilized back then.
I think that's a Madras shirt that lady is sporting in the first pic.
Wash 'em and they bleed. Big selling point back then. They were a must in high school.
The 2nd pic is wonderful showing off Fantasyland in all it's dream like pastel beauty. Thanks, Major.
Vintage Fantasyland AND a language lesson for no extra cost.
¡Muchas gracias, Mayor!
dz
1957, Eisenhower was president, Chevy cranked out a classic, and children still respected authority. Heck, I'd mingle with that crowd any day. It is great to see all the 50s fashion and Fantasyland in it's infancy. Fun fact, the U2 recon aircraft has a rear view mirror, so why not a ship? I love the family strolling down the promenade, Mom, dad and one boy and one girl. Talk about the American dream. Ausgezeichnet Herr Major, danke.
Nanook, those people are in the Matrix, so time has no meaning. As long as they believe that they are in 1950’s Disneyland, they will be happy.
Chuck, everyone is on deck because the Pirate Ship was experimenting with Rat Burgers. Nobody likes to talk about it, but sailors ate rats back in the day. Walt wanted guests to experience the “hard facts”. Sadly, the average yokel didn’t appreciate his vision, and he had to go back to tuna burgers just months later.
Chuck, as a rule I would prefer to keep all of my fingers! What about a pterodactylectomy??
Anon, maybe that was standard for a busy day? Seems like today there’s two CM’s if you’re lucky.
DrGoat, I’ll have to look up what a “madras shirt” is; I’ve heard the term but never really knew. If I was going to take a guess, “madras” probably means “bullet proof”.
K. Martinez, I love that old Fantasyland! People on Facebook who don’t know any better say that it was cheap and tawdry. I curse them.
David Zacher, as a man of the world, I want to make sure that all people feel welcome on GDB! Danke.
Jonathan, the weird thing is that I look back on the days of my childhood, and now it really does feel like HISTORY, not just “stuff that happened when I was younger”. Not sure when that happened exactly. Did the U2 spy plane (maybe “spy plane” isn’t polite) actually have a rear view mirror? I can't tell if you're kidding or not. Did it also have those mud flaps with the sexy girl silhouette?
Yes, the U2 had an external rear view mirror. It was used for spotting contrails. It is technically a reconnaissance aircraft, after being transferred from the CIA to the USAF. Spy plane infers an unmarked aircraft, not carried on the roles of any government. Fun fact, if you are claustrophobic, you can't be considered for the U2 program. In a full pressure suit, you can barely move for the many hours a mission can last.
Major, actually, a lot of airplanes have rearview mirrors. Most fighter aircraft from WWII to the present did/do, as do glider tow aircraft. Many Cessna light airplanes manufactured in the '60s and '70s did as well. There are other airplanes that have them also, although they may not be used to look to the rear as you do in a car but may be used for specific applications like ensuring control surfaces are working properly or that the gear is up or down.
Sorry I'm late. There's a Cub Scout joke in there somewhere.
@Chuck, I remember my Dad checking the tail control surfaces in the rear view mirror of the newer Cessna 150 and 172. As I recall, our older 150 did not have a rear window.
JG
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