Today I am sharing the fourth and final post featuring Warren Nielsen's scans of a vintage Walt Disney World postcard folder that he bought in 1976. Yes, he was dressed as Uncle Sam, just like everybody was during the Bicentennial.
Here's a neat shot of Main Street; I think I have read that some of these early postcard views were taken when the park was not open to the public, and this one probably falls into that category. Maybe these people were recruited from the Preview Center?
Mickey strikes an "Ain't life crazy?" pose in front of Cinderella Castle. It is, Mickey, it really is.
This picture looks so golden and serene, but I can't help thinking of the gators just below the surface, not to mention the brain-eating amoebas crawling up the side of the sailboat, heading straight for that guys ears.
This view of the Admiral Joe Fowler steamboat and the Haunted Mansion is familiar, but still impresses all these years later. The Magic Kingdom was not surrounded by a berm (by 1971, bermite was in short supply), so trees were used instead, to pretty good effect.
Here's a terrifying view from inside the Haunted Mansion. Just look as those ghastly ghouls! Not for the faint of heart.
One of the Magic Kingdom's coolest features was the old "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" attraction. The beautiful lagoon was surrounded by palms and volcanic rocks, giving it a very different appearance when compared to the Anaheim subs. And of course Florida had those incredible Nautilii (that's the plural of "Nautilus", yes?) - Disneyland's subs evoked the era when nuclear power was the latest in cutting-edge technology, while the steampunk Nautilus subs were just plain bitchin'.
And finally... the 26th postcard of the bunch... it's the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, sponsored by Swiss Miss hot chocolate. The faux tree is just plain amazing - completely believable. I love the clever use of aerial roots for additional supports. I hope you Magic Kingdom fans appreciate that the Swiss Family still lives there!
MANY THANKS to Warren Nielsen for generously taking the time to scan all 26 images and sharing them with the GDB readers!
The guy in the sailboat has bigger worries than gators and brain-eating amoebas. That boat belongs to a kooky old witch, who has in mind his flute to switch!
ReplyDeleteThese pics are all great! Thank you, Warren, for sharing the entire postcard folder with us!
Today's post has me all the more excited for my upcoming trip to Walt Disney World (three weeks from today). Although is a whole different animal now, my imagination is still able to transport me back to my first visit, December 1973, when the MK appeared as it does in these postcards! Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteAt Walt Disney World the treehouse was officially called the SWISS FAMILY ISLAND TREEHOUSE - even its opening year attraction poster and its 1978 re-issue title it so.
ReplyDeleteWarren, thanks again for sharing more of these postcards. They area real treat!
ReplyDeleteI remember how bad things were during the Bermite crisis. I'm so glad that science was able to develop a suitable substitute, made from the bark of truffula trees. That's a source that'll never run out.
I'm surprised that Disney allowed such a terrifying photo of the Mansion interior to be released. Not good PR for a family Park.
That sub photo is odd. The cave entrance waterfall at the extreme right is switched off, and the sub itself seems to be held in place by a couple of cables. I wonder what was going on? Based on the angle of the cables, it looks like it's in reverse. Maybe it was some kind of test?
TM!, thanks for the earworm.
Mike Cozart, there goes Disney again, taking unforgivable liberties with literary classics. Anybody who's read the book knows that the marooned family's name is "Robinson," not "Island."
Chuck, those "cables" are actually cuts in the paper of the postcard folder. When the strip of pictures is all folded up, the "flap" on the end can be tucked into those slits to keep it closed.
ReplyDeleteD'oh! I see it now, TM! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDoes tucking in the flaps also shut off the falls? Sorry for asking but I've never been to WDW.
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Sadly, but naturally, I can no longer fit into the Uncle Sam outfit I wore in 1976. Thank you, Major, for posting these. I am happy that everyone has enjoyed them.
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I really love those red bells, and I know Major is coveting the white shoes. The sub ride was a cool twist on the Disneyland version, and I can't help wondering what became of them. The kid in the boat is not wearing a life jacket, and everyone knows amoebas prefer floating targets. What most people don't know, is the Swiss family Robinson tree house is actually made of Belgian chocolate. Ironic. I licked it once when nobody was looking. Thanks to Warren and Major for sharing these awesome postcards.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, I know that the Krofft boys insist that no drugs were involved in the creation of those shows, but COME ON!
ReplyDeletesteve2wdw, I hope you have a great trip to WDW! Very cool that you got to see the park in 1973.
Mike Cozart, I know I’ve seen the poster… is the treehouse really on an island?
Chuck, remember the long lines at the Bermite depots? Most people were civil, but arguments did happen. I was looking at the “cables”, and thought that they might be those slits in the postcard folder - but I see that TokyoMagic! has already commented thusly.
TokyoMagic!, great minds think alike. I was trying to find the other image from this postcard folder that had slits, but I think I didn’t use it because there was a “clean” version of the same image.
Chuck, the scales have fallen from your eyes.
dzacher, listen, I ain’t no engineer! All I know is that my TV works because little people live in it.
Warren Nielsen, thank you again!
Jonathan, the story goes that most of the Nautilus subs were scrapped, while a few were used for other ignominious purposes. Maybe the life-jacketless kid has a floating cushion? I’m not sure what the difference is between Swiss chocolate and Belgian chocolate. Some things were not meant to be known by man.
Major, WDW's treehouse is indeed on an island. The Swan Boats made a (horizontal) loop around it before heading back towards the Hub. You can sort of see it in this 1978 map, or if you zoom in, switch to 3-D, and do a "fly around" of the island on Google maps.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can tell, the Bicentennial lasted from roughly 1968-1981.
ReplyDeleteI have the Admiral Joe, small world, and 20K postcards in my folder from 1983.
The clothes on those "guests" look just a little too color-coordinated to me.
Thanks Major and Warren.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest regret about not having visited WDW is missing the Jules Verne subs.
JG