Today's images are the last two scans from our hero, Fun Dad. But there's no cause for sadness; just think of all the joy his photos have brought us over many months!
The first scan is from a photo of the parking lot (circa 1972), with a Mark III Monorail ("Old Bluie"!) zipping past on a partly-cloudy day. Don't forget where you parked; there's a helpful sign, we're in section "J". That's J for Jiminy Cricket! Whew, I almost couldn't think of a character that started with "J". Can you think of any others? I am disqualifying "Little John" or "Honest John" for obvious reasons. Is there a character named "Jacques" in something?
The Mark III Monorails were notable because of their five-car length and much larger windows. I like seeing all the little silhouetted people inside - many of the kids are probably hoping to spot the family car. "Look, father, there's our Rolls Royce! How droll".
And finally, from April 1969 comes this look from the Peoplemover, looking past flowers and grass and trees toward Sleeping Beauty Castle. I'd love to see what this same view would look like today - my guess is that there would be a lot less green. Looking closely, you can see slivers of features such as the red and white-striped umbrellas from the Carnation Plaza Garden, or the white, blue, and red tented roof over the Carrousel. There's even a Skyway tower.
OK, I sort of fibbed; I'm saving one of Fun Dad's photos for a special occasion. Maybe my 14th anniversary? Or my 5000th post? So, someday, if you are all very well behaved, you will enjoy the true final scan from FD. It'll be worth the wait.
Fun pictures from Fun Dad!
ReplyDeleteIn the first pic: Besides Old Bluie, I love Mod Mom and her Fun Family who just stepped out of "Our Home On Wheels"!
In the last pic: I love the swirling flowers. Cute group of seniors, there, too.
Thanks, Major!
Sue
Jasmine? Jafar? Jane? But they're too modern for the old parking lot. Wasn't one of the mice in Cinderella named Jacques or Jack?
ReplyDeleteBefore 1 Walt Disney World trip, I made a countdown calendar with a character to cross off each day in ABC order. It went from Aladdin to Zazu.
Nice to know there's more Fun Dad in reserve!
Major-
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid all that Mark III 'goodness' has been upstaged by that camper shell - with the intriguing name: OUR HOME ON WHEELS. Ahhh - the call of the open road - which in this case led to "The Happiest Place On Earth". (However, there's no camper in the third image to distract from the unusual angle-!) Way to go, 'Fun Dad'.
Thanks, Major.
The car to the left of the "Our Home On Wheels" camper, looks a bit like the Ford LTD that my mom had in the seventies. It was blue with a white vinyl top, but I can tell that this car isn't exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteIn that second pic, some of the planters have metal railings around them and some just have stakes and a rope. Maybe this was a transitional period and they were in the process of installing metal railings around all of the planters?
The palm trees in that second pic are still just "babies!" I wonder if they (and their two siblings that were in the planter to the south) were cut down for Tomorrowland '98 or if they were dug up, intact. Maybe a certain Imagineer has them planted in his yard, right next to the olive trees that used to be in the Plaza?
Thank you, Fun Dad and Major!
Those people in the Mark III Monorail look like silhouettes in the window of a model train car. And yes, one of the mice in Cinderella being named Jacques does ring a bell.
ReplyDeleteThe "swirly" flower planters were nothing more than dandelions with some lilac mixed in. ;) Thanks for these pics; let the speculation begin on what astonishing secrets the final one will reveal!
"And we'll have fun fun fun til Fun Dad puts his camera away." Sorry, I love surf music. I am saddened to see it come to an end. Thanks to FD for his photo chops, and to the whole fun family. And of course to Major for sharing them. Major, when we went to Disneyland, we always took the Bentley.
ReplyDeleteMore Js: Jane Banks from Mary Poppins. Dumbo was christened by his mother as Jumbo Jr. And J. Worthington Foulfellow, all the leaded bombers of that era would be directed to his section.
ReplyDeleteThank you Major, we will be as well behaved for Fun Dad's last pic as we were for Old Nick.
Major, hearing you say that you're saving one photo for maybe your 14th anniversary or 5000th post sounds wonderful - but you know what sounds even more wonderful?! Hearing you say that you're saving a photo for your 28th anniversary or 10,000th post!!! Don't laugh - we have faith in you! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Fun Dad for all the photo goodness.
ReplyDeleteMajor, that last pic you speak of must be a doozy.
Yep, that third image is one of those shots that you want to dive into. Yep, today it would probably be less green and more peopled, by about 20 fold.
JC, remember what Hendrix said in '67, "You'll never hear surf music again." And he was pretty much right. Jan and Dean and the Beachboys were pretty cool back then though, right before the Beatles and the Stones hit the scene. And we always took the Chevy Nomad station wagon to the Park.
Thanks Major!
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteMake that a 1966 Oldsmobile.
The swirling flower designs in the flowerbeds and palm trees were the best landscaping for a Tomorrowland entrance I ever saw.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I don't like about the newer monorails is that it's difficult to see the passengers inside which makes the monorail feel less warm and inviting. They just designed things better back them OKAY!
Thanks, Major.
These are just so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThufer would have loved the parking lot shot.
Thanks, Major.
JG
Lou and Sue, I had to search, but I see Mod Mom now. Pretty groovy.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, yes, I was trying to think of characters that would work in 1972, but you thought of some good ones! For your calendar, what did you do for the letter “X”?
Nanook, I hope no more than 3 people stayed in that “Home On Wheels”, it sure looks cramped.
TokyoMagic!, I always liked the way the white vinyl tops looked, but even as a kid I knew that they would eventually fall victim to the elements. Good observation on the planters, I sure don’t know when things changed. I sure hope that they reused those palm trees and didn’t just cut them down, even if they went to Tony B’s yard.
Andrew, I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen Cinderella all the way through, but the name “Jacques” definitely rang a bell. Imagine planting that many dandelions, and then being around when they all dispersed their floating seeds.
Jonathan, I am partial to “Catch a Wave” myself. It’s that harp riff! I’m glad you took your Bentley to the park; when I was a kid, my brother was crazy about Rolls Royces, but REALLY loved Bentleys.
Stefano, oh Jane Banks is a good one. Jumbo Jr… I’ll allow it, even though I’ll be most people have no idea that would be “Dumbo”. And I suppose there’s nothing more “J” than J. Worthington Foulfellow!
Lou and Sue, OY VEY!
DrGoat, the one I’m saving is pretty sweet, it was sort of a last-minute decision to save it for a special occasion. I didn’t know Hendrix said that people would never hear surf music again. It’s kind of a shame that surf music didn’t morph into some other styles as happens sometimes. It’s hard to believe it, but there are kids who have no idea who the Beatles or Stones are these days.
Nanook, I WILL make it a 1966 Oldsmobile.
K. Martinez, that’s an interesting thought, it had never occurred to me about being able to see the passengers in the old Monorails. Notice in the closer view, right under the back of the bubble dome, there is a person who appears to be leaning way out. Could it be a Cast Member? Or the mother of that person who jumped on stage at the Carousel of Progress??
JG, ah, good old Thufer. It’s strange to go back and read the comments from the early years; so many people are gone now.
Major, "Then you'll never hear surf music again" is a line from his song 'Third Stone from the Sun', a kind of a jazzy, psychedelic song on his first album.
ReplyDeleteNow I need to go back and listen to Brian Wilson's album of Disney songs.
ReplyDeleteMy dad had a cab-over camper similar to the one in the foreground. The plus was you could lie up in the cab-over and watch the scenery go by and take a nap if you felt like it.
ReplyDelete