It's time for more photos from Lou and Sue! It's sort of a random selection.
There's nothing like hearing some genuine live music in New Orleans Square, and the Royal Street Bachelors performed there for decades. The first two photos are dated "December, 1981". These days, NOS gets plenty of glitzy ornamentation during the holidays, but there is no evidence of Christmas here.
First of all, I need a suit like one of these for Dapper Day. So great! The musicians: Jack McVea on clarinet, Herb Gordy on bass, and Harold Grant on the banjo.
A second photo; Daveland has a nice article about the Royal Street Bachelors, you should check it out.
From 1978 Lou and Sue have this great photo looking in to Tomorrowland on a gray cloudy day. Rain, rain, go away! There's so much good stuff, like the Peoplemover, "America Sings" in the distance, and of course the Rocket Jets. If you look beneath the Peoplemover track, there are two later attraction posters flanking the "y"-shaped support.
Here's a better look at the poster, advertising the "Superspeed Tunnel", which I always thought was "just OK"; more interesting than a black corridor I suppose! It was added the previous year, when Space Mountain debuted. In 1982 "The World of Tron" replaced the Superspeed Tunnel.
Many thanks to Lou and Sue!
Is that a person standing on the roof of the Carousel Theater?
ReplyDeleteI liked the Superspeed Tunnel and World of Tron, but now I'm thinking those are probably what led to the horrible new King Kong at Universal Studios Hollywood and the projection-heavy Pirates of the Caribbean at DL Shanghai.
Thank you Lou, Sue and the Major, too!
Taking a second look at these, it looks like there might only be one rocket occupied by riders in that TL pic. All the other rockets are down low and appear to be empty. That would be kind of weird.....and fun, to be the only ones on the entire ride.
ReplyDeleteI think the shop behind the Royal Street Bachelors, is the Le Gourmet shop. Hopefully, Mike Cozart will chime in and let us know for sure!
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteYes, that is Le Gourmet shop.
I was thinking the same thing about the Rocket Jets - merely one rocket aloft, and its pilot. And I think that fella who appears to be "standing on the roof of the Carousel Theater" is merely a victim of forced perspective.
Thanks, Major (and Lou & Sue)
Wow!! I’ve NEVER seen the SuperSpeed Tunnel attraction poster displayed in front of the attraction’s entry!! I’ve seen it displayed on a parking lot Monorail pylon, inside the Tomorrowland Skyway Station and inside the Penny Arcade ..... but never at the PeopleMover’s entry- cool. That poster was actually never finished - it’s production was going over budget so the final black definition line screen layer was left off!
ReplyDeleteAfterwards one of the poster’s designers Tim Delaney decided he actually liked it better without that last screen.
Yes the Royal Street Bachelors are standing in front of Le Gourmet Shop. As a kid I had no interest ... but as an adult I think I would have liked it.
As much as I love vintage Tomorrowland..... as a kid I took the least pictures there ....Frontierland seems to have gotten most of my camera time.
I’m sure most of you have heard: GALAXYS EDGE opened to the public on Monday and June records are being set for LOW ATTENDANCE!! Not just in Star Wars Land but the WHOLE park!!? So much that the company has lifted employee block-out dates into July!! Did Disney’s own publicity scare people away? I’m sure it’s a combination of reasons ....possibly the reservation previews alleviated some of the “rush to visit” ...... also the reviews have been good - but most of it is all about expensive merchandise ( 100.00 Droids and 200 dollar light sabers..)and 2 drink MAXIMUM bar - so maybe this is keeping some people away
MAJOR: I think there is a man on the roof of the Carousel Theater .....and a second man to his right on the slope of the roof. Neither are on the Rocket Jet flight deck.... they are both too high.
ReplyDeleteAlso looking closer there are no guests or CMs on or around the PeopleMover!
Oh, that's just Future Santa up there. Since we won't be burning coal in the world of tomorrow, he's trying to figure out what to put in naughty kids' stockings. Plutonium rods, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe New Orleans Square pictures are particularly delightful. The composition! The color! The clarity! More stripes than a litter of tabby cats!
Nanook and Mike, thanks for the confirmation on the shop. Now, can you tell me if this was the original location of Le Gourmet or after it had moved into the former "One of a Kind Shop" space? Or did it even have a third location? I have trouble keeping up with the history of the New Orleans Square shops.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Future Santa and plutonium rods....HA, HA!
The banjo strikes again!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic, using Google Earth and my handy "Disneyland Encyclopedia," it appears as if this is the second loction of Le Gourmet. There's a good chance I could be wrong on that, though. It looks as if it was finally replaced by Le Bat en Rouge in 2002.
Was the Superspeed Tunnel convincing?
TOKYOMAGIC & PENNA ANDREW :
ReplyDeleteThe images show Le Gourmet ‘s first location - it also featured a second entrance from The Grand Courtyard. To the right you can see the wrought iron brackets above the arch it shares will Cristal Arts opposite the Royal Street Bachelors. To the left of the original location is The Blue Bayou entrance and Club 33. This location is now a woman’s dress and clothing shop - and the courtyard entrance is permanently closed to guests.
The lone pilot is a would be space pirate that tried to steal a ship, only to discover that it only flys in circles. Mondo-Astro-Bummer, man!
ReplyDeleteI liken the low Star Wars crowds to opening day for WDW. Everybody got so freaked out about the possible crowds that they stayed away. I think Disney might have scared folks off with their early predictions. After all, the second major attraction isn't even open yet and it's not like the "land" is going anywhere. I also think the prices for the merchandise are insane, but hey, what's a money grabbing company that has forgotten its roots to do?
I can practically hear the strains of music. I have great memories of walking in NOS after dinner in the cool of the evening. I love the way everyone is bundled up and enjoying Tomorrowland anyhow. Great snaps today, thanks Lou and Sue and Major.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, huh, at a glance I just assumed that the person in the distance was on the Rocket Jets platform, but you’re right, he is on top of the Carousel Theater! And yes, you can definitely see a link from the Speed Tunnel/Tron to the new King Kong. An early use of projections.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, it would be weird to be on the Rocket Jets with no other rockets occupied. But sort of cool - the loneliness of outer space! They should have named “Le Gourmet” “Le Glutton” instead.
Nanook, I think that poor guy is probably afflicted with “audio animatronicosis”, which you get when bitten by a robot. Tell-tale signs: moving stiffly and awkwardly, and eyelids making a clicking noise when you blink.
Mike Cozart, I didn’t know that Tim Delaney had worked as an Imagineer as far back as the 70’s, and I definitely didn’t know that he had anything to do with that Peoplemover poster. I agree with Tim, the poster didn’t need the final black layer. I’m surprised that this was done with a silkscreen, I guess I just always assumed that by this time it would have been lithographed. As for Galaxy’s Edge, I have heard mixed things. A 270 minute estimate for the Falcon ride, only to be changed to 35 minutes (or less). It wouldn’t surprise me if people were staying away for fear of massive crowds, sort of like the way SoCal’s “carmageddon” never materialized for the same reason. My guess is that if I ever decide to go, it will be horribly crowded with long lines for the attractions.
Mike Cozart, I wonder what those guys are doing up there! Maybe just taking in the great view (I wouldn’t blame them).
Melissa, “Future Santa” makes me think of the evil Robot Santa from “Futurama”. HO, HO, HO!
TokyoMagic!, I’m just a spectator now, waiting for answers just like you.
Penna. Andrew, you have earned a calabash pipe and deerstalker hat. I don’t remember the Superspeed Tunnel as being very convincing - in my memory it was out of focus and chaotic.
Mike Cozart, thanks!
stu29573, I agree, I have no doubt that Disneyland will be back to normal (i.e. too damn crowded) before we know it! It does feel a little bit like when “Solo” came out, only to be met with a thud of disinterest… maybe the numbers of Star Wars nuts is not as huge as previously thought?
Jonathan, there is something about a chilly day at the park - as long as you are properly dressed, it can be a whole different experience.
The Royal Street Bachelors bring back great memories. Dad loved New Orleans Square. He had enjoyed a trip to NOLA before I was born, and often spoke of the food, music and coffee he enjoyed there. On our Disney visits, we nearly always had dinner at the French Market, timed to the Royal Street Bachelors performance at the little bandstand. This was my first exposure to creole food and Dixieland jazz, which I love to this day.
ReplyDeleteOn my solo visits now, I do the same thing. Always dinner at the French Market. I do love those suits, but I couldn't possibly wear one, unless we all did.
Like Mike Cozart, I ignored Le Gourmet back then, other than noticing expensive copper pots. Now, I would wander in it for an hour.
I barely recall the SuperSpeed Tunnel, it must have sounded more fun than it was. I only got two childhood trips after the Space Mountain opened, and I do remember the Tron version, so I might have only seen SST once, or my memory is garbled, either is possible. Maybe the Tron version was from a later trip as an adult? I think we had one kid trip with the PM still there.
That view of Tomorrowland is the best. Of course the Astro-whatzit had to go there.
I've read about the underwhelming crowds for Wookie World. One article asked if Galaxy's Edge had "saved Disneyland" since everything else had such small crowds and short lines.
I wonder if Disney overplayed that hand just a bit. Nice Billion-Dollar Park Investment you got there, too bad if something "happened" to it. Have to wait till the whole thing is running to be sure. Nothing like rushing it out half-open, which was purposeful all along.
I'll probably go at least once, just to see it. But it would really be great if it made the rest of the Park a walk-on. On the other hand, it looks like Ewok Alley will be a refuge from the interminable parades, as an expanded "West Side", where I used to hide from the parade crowds, so I might go there more than once.
Thank you, Lou, Sue, and Major.
JG
By the way, there was a "Speed Tunnel" at WDW in Dreamflight, that was preserved when it changed to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It is NOT convincing, but still kind of cool in a cheesy way.
ReplyDeleteThis talk of being on the rockets alone makes me think of the time my sister and I rode Spaceship Earth alone, late at night, four times in a row. Since there was nobody else waiting to get on, they let us just stay in the same car and cycle through as many times as we wanted. We set the soundtrack to a different language each time Just for kicks. Emerging into the outer space scene at the very top was really cool with no other riders around, but I won't deny that there were some spooky moments, too.
ReplyDeletePenna. Andrew, the Superspeed and Tron tunnels weren't convincing, but they were sort of disorienting.....kind of like those tunnels that rotate around you and make you feel like you are tilting or rolling over. An example of that would be the Glacier/Dante's Peak/Mummy Tunnel at Universal Studios Hollywood, which they demolished a few years ago, after it had been there for 40 years.
ReplyDeleteMike, thanks again, for the info on Le Gourmet. I bought some Mickey and Minnie copper cake pans from that shop in the nineties, which were marked way down for clearance. I plan to include them in a "Cake" post at some point in the future.
Stu, money grabbing is right! I prefer to say money-grubbing, just because it makes them sound dirtier! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words - I will pass them on to my dad (Lou). You bring a smile to his face!
Mike Cozart, as I've only been on this blog for about 2 months, I'm still learning about who some of the bloggers are . . . I would love to know more about your relationship with Disney, if you feel comfortable doing so here - as it definitely sounds like you were an employee of Disney.
I would LOVE to know more about any of you current bloggers, if you care to share it here. I'm really enjoying all the great humor and interesting facts - you folks are THE BEST!
Sue
I experienced both the Super Speed Tunnel and the Tron version. I disliked both. They took away from the leisurely tempo of the Peoplemover. I enjoyed going through the buildings in the little tunnels . A night ride on the Peoplemover was the best.
ReplyDeleteMAJOR: yes Tim Delany’s first WED project were the murals inside the STARCADE. The space mural still exists on the upper level...the sports/racing/motorcross murals on the lower level were removed many years ago. The lower wall spirts/racing murals used the SAME colors as The PeopleMover Thru Super Speed Tunnel attraction poster. This was probably because the Speed Tunnel was originally suppose to be located in the up ramp tunnels leading to Space Mountain that paralleled the STARCADE —- as if you were going through a video game! The poster was probably part of the STARCADE art graphic package so while it started out connected to the STARCADE project it ended up above the Carousel Theater!
ReplyDeleteAll of Disneyland’s 1970’s attraction posters were screen printed except for Country Bear Jamboree 1972(“Bear Country” was screenprinted on the bottom) the 1978 Mr. Lincoln and the 1978 Country Bear Jamboree and Space Mountain was part screenprinted part lithographed. All of Disneyland attraction posters were screen printed through the 80’s as well EXCEPT PeopleMover thru TRON . The last Disneyland screenprinted attraction poster was ITS A SMALL WORLD 1993.