Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a good old snapshot. I can't explain it, and neither can those egghead scientists who think they know everything.
Here's a cute portrait (1956, I think) of a mother and son, with the Rocket to the Moon attraction behind them. Mom looks like a nice lady, and junior is suitably dorky (in the best way). I've seen shirts like the boy's in a few other vintage photos, with the striped collar and faux "necktie" stripe. It's not as classy as a t-shirt that looks like a tuxedo, but it will have to do.
Notice the Tomorrowland Spaceman in the distance (at the entrance to the Rocket ride)!
Next is an undated color snapshot featuring a woman standing in front of antique automobiles that are lined up in front of the floral Mickey portrait. This must have been one of those days when the Horseless Carriage Club came to the park (see some info about that in this 2008 post). Hopefully all entrants were given a free admission to Disneyland.
The car to our left is a 1907 Maxwell; I wondered if it was the same model that Jack Benny drove, but Google research showed Jack behind the wheel of several different Maxwells.
Major-
ReplyDeleteMother and son 'fer sure - they share the same eyes-nose-mouth combo. What a shirt-! (Just one of the many things making the 1950's so swell). And, let's not let a sighting of the Spaceman upstage the Frontierland 'Tri-Level' AP - which helps narrow-down the date between 1956 and 1959. (Ka-ching, Ka-ching-!!)
Thanks, Major.
Maybe that lady had ridden in a car similar to one of those models when she was younger, and that's why she wanted her picture taken with them?
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the colors of that boy’s shirt really were, as it already stands out in black and white. I love everything about this snapshot, but the spaceman truly completes this one.
ReplyDeleteMajor, I was impressed that you knew the year and make of that car . . . until I saw the picture. ;)
Thanks, Major!
Sue
Actually TOKYOMAJIC: that lady’s name coincidentally is Maxwell Briscoe..... and she was born in 1907 - I bet she was surprised that day!
ReplyDeleteMajor,
ReplyDeleteBoth photos are great, but especially the top one! I guess I'm also just a junkie for a good B&W snapshot....
Is it sad I *might* have just done an eBay search for a "faux necktie" shirt? *
Thanks, as always,
AlbinoDragon
* This is *not* a recommended activity for the faint of heart or vaguely fashion conscious....
Major, of course the Horseless Carriage Club was given free admission to Disneyland, but all they got besides that was a big fat book of A-tickets, perfect for riding the Main St. Vehicles to one's heart's content.
ReplyDeleteThe first snapshot of mother and son is pretty special. To me, it evokes emotion. I'm going to guess the son has lived a full life and is now his 70's or gone and that the mom has passed on some time ago. Photos capturing brief moments in time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major.
Fun Fact Alert! The Disneyland Spaceman (and, later, Space Girl) were the first participants Disney's Cultural Exchange Program. Being from Planet Zorn, they required no special atmosphere or temperature. They did, however, only eat crickets.
ReplyDeleteSpot on Nanook. They share the exact same nose and adjacent features.
ReplyDeleteK., my sentiments exactly. I would have been the same age, maybe a year or so younger, than that fellow. I turn 70 this year, not gone yet (last time I checked). My Mom and Dad passed away in 2000, perhaps like that fun Mom. That snapshot takes me back in a big way.
Thank you kindly, Major.
I remember that shirt. I never had one, but some of the boys at school did. I kinda like it, with cuffed jeans and PF's I could rock it even today. I would love to have one of those Spaceman costumes in my collection. I wonder what happened to them? Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteNostalgia in spades, including the Bobby Sox and Saddle Oxfords on the young lady in the background. Where's a Sock Hop when you need one.
ReplyDeleteI never had a shirt like that and don't remember ever seeing one. I, too, did a faux necktie search and now I can't unsee it. It's like an old Sears catalogue come alive but without the toy section.
These black and whites remind me of our old DL photos, lost to history, unless Major P finds them.
Thanks!
dz
I've always loved all the creative things the "face" characters say to the guests, while in character. What are some of the things this spaceman would say or talk about? (Serious question)
ReplyDeleteSue
Mike C., I'm amazed. You not only know a ton about the Parks, but also the guests. WOW! ;)
ReplyDeleteStu29573, so that's why we never saw any bugs around Disneyland's grounds.
Three Cheers for the Space Man.
ReplyDeleteJG
Nanook, they also both like to wear their pants up to their navels! That shirt is pretty swell, I don’t know if I could make a fashion statement like that work in 2020. And yes, love that poster!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, it was where she and her husband Clifford first kissed. Then that darn “War of the Worlds” broadcast came on over the radio and scared the bejesus out of them.
Lou and Sue, I’ll bet the shirt was a veritable rainbow! The lady looks like one of the nice teachers I would have had a little-kid crush on. Ha ha, you should know by now that I know NOTHING about cars. If I ever name a make/model, I’ve done research.
Mike Cozart, “Maxwell Briscoe” sounds like a name from a Sam Spade story. “She was a gorgeous dame with blue eyes and long legs”.
AlbinoDragon, I agree, sometimes there’s just something about a classic B&W photo. I think it takes me back to the days when I would go through my grandmother’s many boxes of old photos and make up stories about the people in the pictures.
Andrew, I would think that people in the Horseless Carriage Club would be just fine with “A” tickets. They don’t want any of those fast rides that will cause heart palpitations.
K. Martinez, I agree, that is kind of a sweet portrait of a mother and son on a day that I hope he is still around to remember. Then again, the photo was on eBay so… who knows.
Stu29573, I would normally be skeptical of your information, but you said it’s a fact (even better, a FUN fact), so I know it must be true! The Planet Zorn, eh? Crickets are nice, but those spindly legs get caught in your throat when you try to swallow them.
DrGoat, by now you’d think that the novelty of kids resembling their parents would have worn off, but once in a while I still see kids that look SO MUCH like one or both parents its kind of amazing. I’m glad that snapshot brought back some nice memories.
Jonathan, the shirt, with that striped collar, is so kooky. I wonder if some TV star made them popular? PF Flyers, I loved that you would get a whistle or something when you got shoes at their stores. Unfortunately my Navy mom usually didn’t want to spend the money for those.
dzacher, ha ha, I didn’t notice the Bobby Sox, awesome. That’s one of the things I love about old photos! I feel like I’ve seen those shirts, possibly in other photos on my blog, but who knows. And I have learned that some Google searches result in nothing but sadness and regret. ;-)
Lou and Sue, he’s probably telling them how hot he is inside that clear plastic helmet!
Lou and Sue, Mike Cozart might not be of this world. Just sayin’….
JG, I kind of like how the Spaceman is just back there, hanging out and doing his thing. The photographer wasn’t even that interested!
Thanks for the awesome photos, Major!
ReplyDeleteI think we're all in agreement that there is just something special about that Mother Son b/w photo! What a special moment to be remembered.
True, the Tomorrowland Spaceman almost upstages the moment, but mainly adds to the magic moment ("This Magic Moment"...).
Could it be that the Tomorrowland Spaceman was in fact mingling with the Earthling girls, perhaps asking if they had change for the pay phone? Surely the Tomorrowland Spaceman wouldn't need to use the phone, because he has the Tomorrowland Spaceman Phone in his helmet. Still, it might be more fun to ask pretty Earth girls for phone change. :)
I love the 'olives-on-sticks-like' deco lights that were prominent at the park at this time.
Now about that tie shirt, it looks like George Harrison was wearing the t-shirt version a few years after this photo was taken. It looks like he may have just visited that new chic tie-shirt-shop, tucked away in the bowels of Disneyland. Maybe on one of those forgotten backstreets.
Here's George in a not too dissimilar pose, with a woman, but with a child, too. https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01678/harrison_1678069i.jpg
I do wonder if the lady in the second photo is contemplating Jack Benny. She may have been about Jack's age, at the time, and may be lost in a reverie about Jack and his Maxwell.
Clyde Hughes, I’m glad that first photo appealed to so many people! If anything I’ll bet the Spaceman is getting that girl’s phone number. Go for it, Spacie! Don’t wait too long to call her! I love those olive on stick lights too, so kooky and mid-century. I was all excited to see George Harrison in a shirt just like the one the kid was wearing, but it’s a variation on the “t-shirt as tux” thing. To be honest I didn’t know that the idea was that old. I wonder who the woman is? Maybe the nanny. And that building! Must be full of hippies! Listen, we all think about Jack Benny sometimes, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
ReplyDelete