A Selection From Lou and Sue
Sue B. has been so generous with sharing scans from photos taken by her dad, Lou Perry - I thought I would combine two pairs into one post!
First up (from 1986) is a popcorn cart near the Fire Station. Patrick Duffy, also known as "The Man From Atlantis", orders an extra large box so that he can share it with random strangers. This generosity is typical of Atlanteans. Omnibus alert!
Nearby is this balloon vendor - all those balloons jostling together made a squeaky sound that was enough to drive a person MAD. *Squeakety squeak squeak squeak!*. Plus that funny thumping noise that they make, you know what I'm talking about. Which is why each CM was only allowed to do this job for 46 minutes at a time. MIT determined that by minute 47, it was too late.
Moving forward to November 1991 we have this view looking over the feathered headdress of the Tobacco Shop's wooden Indian at some patriotic bunting above a doorway into the Emporium. The golden eagle looks like something you'd find in early American folk art.
I'm not sure when the Tobacco Shop stopped selling tobacco products, but it looks like they've switched to sports-related paraphernalia by '91. I'm glad they kept the Indian there, it's the kind of artifact one might have found in front of a real old-timey store.
Thanks as always to Lou and Sue!
17 comments:
Major-
And when you think of baseball, what's the first thing that comes to mind-? Why chewing tobacco, 'natch. The perfect transition from plain old smoking. The view from behind the wooden Indian is excellent.
Thanks to Lou & Sue.
I remember the TV show "Man From Atlantis," but I never watched it. I mainly remember our popcorn buyer as Bobby Ewing, the brother of Major Anthony Nelson. And .90 cents for a box of popcorn? What a ripoff!
In that third pic, the ghost of the wooden Indian can be seen in the Emporium window, across the street. It also looks like he is crossing the street in that photo, and that we are just following behind him. Such a great shot by Lou!
Thank you Lou, Sue and the Major, too!
It's interesting that the sign on Town Square still read "Fire Wagon" when the Fire Engine was actually the vehicle in use. Is it still like that today? I guess it's appropriate, though, because the wagon would be in the dark area right behind the sign, just not in use!
Great framing on the Indian/Emporium pic. Thanks Lou and Sue.
In the second photo, Except for the one leg sticking out the bottom, it looks like the balloons are pushing the stroller.
I love looking over the Indians shoulder.
Thanks for sharing!
It's a little known fact that when carrying those balloons, the CM weighs the same as she would on the moon. I bet JR is somewhere in the park stealing lolly pops out of kids strollers. Another batch of great photos from Lou. Many thanks to Sue for sharing them with us as well. Thanks to Major P. for today's awesome scans.
1986 was the year I got married. We went to the Park in August, so these pics are kind of neat to see! Do you remember when you were there? Looks like summertime in the pics. Must have been a beautiful day. Do like that over the shoulder perspective too.
Yesterland puts the closing of the tobacco shop in 1999. I've got a few matchbooks from the shop still kicking around somewhere.
Thank you Lou & Sue! Made my day.
Thank you Major.
Great. The other day I wanted tuna, now I want popcorn..and a big chaw of tobacco! Yum! I actually knew a lady that was scared of balloons. For real. She hated the squeaky noise, the bumping into each other sound and especially the BANG when they'd pop! She refused to be in the same room with them! After having transported a balloon bouquet in my Mini Cooper, I understood. All.Too. Well. Great pics, Lou and Sue!
Lou that behind-the-Indian shot is mighty fine composition!
The hitching post across the street looks like one of the Haunted Mansion's singing busts, without its projection effect.
Wow, good stuff today. The Indian is a treasured landmark.
I still have some matchbooks from the Tobacconist shop too.
Love the architectural trim on the buildings too. The Victorian Era, when too much was not enough.
I've wondered if the balloon selling gig wasn't physically challenging, fighting being lifted off the ground like the guy in the Pixar movie.
Thanks everyone, I feel lighter already.
JG
Nanook, I love chewing tobacco, and only date women who also like to chew. It’s something that really brings two people together.
TokyoMagic!, you never watched “Man From Atlantis”?? I am shocked. SHOCKED. It was like “The Sopranos” meets “M*A*S*H” meets “Barney Miller” meets “Game of Thrones”. I’ll bet Disneyland sold a billion boxes of 90-cent popcorn every day, people were just thrilled it was under a buck.
Andrew, boy, you are a stickler! But then again, most people who read GDB are sticklers, so you are in good company. The folks at the park probably didn’t think anyone would notice that the sign wasn’t 100% accurate when the motorized firetruck came into being.
Budblade, someday balloons will do our bidding, until they become aware and come after us all for “balloonageddon”. I’m already buying end-of-the-world supplies.
Jonathan, now that you mention it, I wonder how much lift that bunch of balloons would provide? If somebody weighed 175 pounds normally, would the balloons make them feel like they weighed 150? NEED TO KNOW.
DrGoat, it can look like summer almost any month of the year, as you know. Yesterday it was almost 80 degrees. Late February. Ugh. It’s gonna be a long hot Spring/Summer/Fall. There are a number of different Tobacco Shop matchbooks, I’m still trying to find one design (probably the earliest as far as I know).
Stu29573, here’s an idea - TUNA POPCORN. Fresh-popped corn coated with tuna oil. I’m already buying a Ferrari in anticipation of the millions I’ll make. Scared of balloons, well I guess it’s not that surprising, people have all kinds of phobias. I once bought some postage stamps with artwork of insects, and the lady at the post office refused to touch the stamps. At first I thought she was joking. She wasn’t. She had to get the guy at the next window to hand me two sheets of the stamps.
Stefano, gosh I feel like a yokel, I didn’t appreciate that “behind the Indian” shot the way everyone else does. Well, back to my daytime television!
JG, I think that Main Street’s architectural detail is overlooked by a lot of people; it’s been fiddled with (for the worse usually) over the years, but I’m still blown away by the craftsmanship that was evident back then.
Whenever Patrick Duffy is involved, you never know if the entire previous year is going to turn out to be a dream. He could have wiped out all of 1986!
When I was a kid, my uncle owned a cleaning company that had a contract for the local mall. Whenever they gave out balloons, he'd have to clean them all off the ceiling and he'd bring us a big bunch on the way home. I remember once I tied them to my Barbie doll and sent her floating up to the ceiling of the living room.
Major, I would love to see a post of those Tobacconist matchbooks.
I would almost be willing to eat tuna popcorn as price of admission.
Who's with me on seeing the matchbooks?
JG
Weirdly enough, tuna popcorn sounds sorta, kinda good. Ok...no, it doesn't.
Thanks for the laughs, everyone! :)
Speaking of chewing tobacco, I worked for a boss that would chew and spit it into his waste basket everyday - it turned my stomach, as it looked like poop. Yuck!
In the first pic, that little guy walking in the back, to the left, looks like he just walked out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
I love everyone's balloon comments - especially Budblade's. It really does look like the balloons are pushing the stroller! :)
Standing behind the indian seems a little creepy to me because he does look real. The moment I found this picture in my dad's collection, I instantly thought of "Trilogy of Terror" with Karen Black. In that same picture, in the indian's reflection, I also see a horse (or ghost of a horse) ??
Stu, transporting balloons in a car is an accident-waiting-to-happen. Those buggers instantly wrap around your head and face, the moment you start the car!
DrGoat, offhand I don't know the date those pictures were taken, but when I come across them, again, I'll look. My dad was good about either putting the exact dates on his pictures (or noting his travel dates in his 'diary'). It may be a while before I have the answer, but I will eventually have the answer for you. I'm glad these pictures made your day! 1986 was one of my best years, btw, too.
Stefano, I'm trying to figure out what you're 'pointing out' regarding a hitching post. Please explain more, as I'd love to see what you're referring to.
Thanks, everyone, for your nice comments, too!
Sue
Sue, I think the hitching post is in the third photo. You can see the top of it in the space between the Indian's shoulder and cheekbone. It's off-white.
Thanks for sharing Lou's pictures again!
Chuck, thank you, now I see what Stefano was referring to. That's cool!
Melissa, when you mentioned about floating your Barbie to the ceiling - it reminded me of that guy who, maybe 30? years ago, tied the weather balloons to his lawn chair and took off into the atmosphere. At least Barbie was in good hands - you were there to rescue her. :)
Sue
There's just something discordant about a Yankees jersey in the tobacconist's shop window. It's a little too much of the real world in the park (but still better than the endless piles of shirts with the Fab 5 to come)
Post a Comment