Sunday, January 26, 2020

Random Pix, 1970

Here are two very boring and bad and terrible and stinky photos from 1970, for your Sunday viewing.

Photo #1: A glassy river. A wooden raft. A mill. And other stuff. Did you know that you can make a funny anagram from the word "raft"? Try it and see! There are no apparent people on Tom Sawyer Island, maybe it was closed due to an overpopulation of squirrels.


Here's a scene taken from a Casey Jr. Circus Train as it crossed a bridge above the canals. Nowadays additional wrought iron has been added so that people don't try to leap off (guaranteed sprained ankles, as the canal water is only a few feet deep). I suppose this is an unusual angle, now that I think about it, so that's something.


14 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
"A glassy river. A wooden raft. A mill. And other stuff". That sounds like a Thomas Kinkade 'painting'-! [Who could ask for more-?] And why do ⅔'s of those folks riding aboard the Nellie Bly, or Annie Oakley, or Gretel, or Bold Lockinvar, or whatever, appear to be wearing matching outfits - or at least the same color-?

Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

There is nary a duck to be seen, in that first pic!

In the second pic, is that a legitimate Storybook Land hostess? I don't recognize the hat or the dress. Maybe the guests had all mutinied, thrown the cast member overboard and one of them took over as hostess? Something is not right about that boat!

Nanook said...

@TM!-
I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps the 'skipper' is just that - a return to the very early days when men piloted the boats.

K. Martinez said...

I can see part of the Skyway Chalet roof.

I wonder if that miniature foot bridge from Pinocchio's Village to the Storybook Land island would hold my weight if I attempted to cross it?

Thanks, Major.

Budblade said...

These pictures might be snoozers to us “modern people” but don’t forget how much work they were in 1970. Still expensive cameras and film. Never having enough film so you had to pick your shots and hope they came out. Taking them in to be developed. Waiting at least a few days for them to be processed. Paying for them again, and then getting to see the results. Whew! I’m tired just from typing all of that.

And we can’t forget the work you do in collecting, scanning, correcting those errors if you can, archiving, and posting the pictures for our enjoyment, even on a lazy Sunday.

Thanks Major! And whoever took these pictures. All that work so we can see them from the comfort of our homes, work, car or anywhere some 50 years after they were taken.

They aren’t so bad after all.

Andrew said...

You should have seen all of the squirrels doggy-paddling to the Island at once that day - river traffic was halted for hours. :)

Speaking of wildlife, I wonder if birds have ever messed with the buildings or miniature landscapaping of Storybook Land.

Chuck said...

T-R-A-F. Traf?! Major, you have the weirdest sense of humor.

Ken, I'd never noticed that there are actually two bridges from the Three Pigs Island (or whatever it's called) and the "mainland" at Pinocchio's Village - the stone bridge with the gatehouse and gate and a smaller wooden bridge. The folks in the village must really be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf to go the expense of a major fortification aimed at an island with three houses on it. Or maybe they have swinophobia.

Andrew, they mess with the scale all the time.

Scott Lane said...

"A glassy river. A wooden raft. A mill. And other stuff".
I thought it was a song by the Cowsills.

JC Shannon said...

I think there are no people on TSI because someone rafted. Think for a moment about the pure genius of Storybook Land. I have always loved it and always ride. The classics are the best. Thanks Major.

"Lou and Sue" said...

F-R-A-T ?? ;)

Nanook, that may be the von Trapp family. They gave up on the canoe.

Love the 1st pic and all the commentary!

Sue

zach said...

I did smell something stinky this morning but it wasn't this blog, I assure you. I should have taken the trash out last night.

I got ARFT! That's past tense of a dog bark, I think.

There was a 3rd bridge originally to 3 Pig island but it was made of straw. You can guess how that worked out.

Did I mention I had a crush on all the Storybook and Casey Jr hostesses back in the 60's and 70's?

Thanks for the memories,

dz



Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, Thomas Kinkade? THE single greatest artist of the 20th century (Picasso can go suck a lemon). The matching outfits can be easily explained; there was a sign on Main Street saying “Disneyland Welcomes Test Tube Clones”.

TokyoMagic!, the ducks were on strike, in solidarity with their swan brethren. I like the idea of a mutiny on Storybook Land. 50% of her narration was the “F word”.

Nanook, I am reasonably sure that’s a woman!

K. Martinez, that’s what that is… I could not figure out what that structure was back there. I see that you are wondering what it would be like to be Godzilla, stomping through a peaceful landscape!

Budblade, I wonder how many people were so stingy with their photo-taking that they still had 12 unused frames by the end of the day? Use that film, people (they can hear me 50 years ago, right?). Thanks for the nice comment, I do appreciate it!

Andrew, I actually did see a squirrel swimming on a lake once, our theory is that it fell out of a tree. My brother rescued it, otherwise it could have easily become lunch for a hungry pike or muskie. I think I’ve read about some attraction having problems with birds taking pieces, but I can’t remember what it was.

Chuck, that’s right, “TRAF”, the 1976 summer replacement series, “Teddy Roosevelt and Friends”. It opened with Teddy singing his disco hit, “Bully!”. Guests included The Captain and Tennille, John Denver, Helen Reddy, Jimmy “J.J.” Walker, and Evel Knievel. “Swinophobia”, I’m calling J. J. Abrams right now - it’s going to be a blockbuster!

Scott Lane, yes, that was the b-side to “The Rain, The Park & Other Things”!

Jonathan, ha ha! It’s funny how certain things that Walt always loved, such as miniatures or steam trans, translated into Disneyland attractions that we still enjoy many decades after he passed away.

Lou and Sue, “FRAT” was the short-lived TV series involving groovy teenagers who are in a fraternity but they also fight crime AND have a rock band. Theme song was by Mike Post, who also did the themes for “The Rockford Files”, “The Greatest American Hero”, and “Magnum P.I.”.

dzacher, the important thing is that you learned an important lesson about taking out the trash, and you didn’t even have to watch an Afterschool Special. “ARFT!” was a 1977 TV series all about Orphan Annie, but seen through the eyes of her dog Sandy. There are lots of good hostesses at Disneyland, one time I was in line for “Pirates” and I could hardly believe the outfits that the ladies were wearing. Va-va-voom!

Anonymous said...

Neither of these photos are stinky.

Let me agree loudly and publicly with Budblade. Really appreciating GDB for these pics of Disneyland how it should have stayed.

Also noting the attractive hostesses of Storybook Land and POC, among others.

Cheers Major, and thanks.

JG

Don Kunstel said...

Close
Such an interesting, unknown event in St. Louis history. Historically, Expositions and World Fairs have had a prominent place in promoting tourism and culture as well as new technologies of the period. Interestingly, these Expos began to die off at the same time television and major amusement parks like Disneyland became popular.