You know how sometimes you get a meal that isn't that good, and you just sort of eat it, and it's not that satisfying? That's just like these photos!
Here's an unusual (but not pretty) view of the Matterhorn as seen from the Peoplemover. I believe that the vertical sign with the stylized traffic symbols is part of the Fantasyland Autopia queue. It's not the worst photo I've ever seen, just kind of "blah". But... just pretend you're on the Peoplemover!
And here's a perfectly acceptable photo of Drooling Skull Rock.
Major-
ReplyDeleteHey, Major - think as Disney would. You gotta sell 'em, baby-! You got 'gems', here. You've got a big mountain AND a waterfall. "Two for the price of one". And don't even get me started on that far-out skull-! It gives a whole new definition to the word spooky. I gotta go - you've made me too excited.
Thanks, Major.
Major : regarding your question yesterday “WHAT WAS CHINA CITY”
ReplyDeleteMAJOR : Los Angeles had a second China Town called CHINA CITY. It was developed by Christine Sterling who also developed OLVERA STREET.
CHINA CITY opened in 1938 and used most of the movie sets from the film THE GOOD EARTH ( imagineer Herbert Ryman actually worked on those movie sets!!) CHINA CITY was more themed than CHINA TOWN and was famous for its maze of winding narrow streets and alleyways as well as its popular rickshaw rides. CHINA CITY held all kinds of Chinese community events as well as various celebrations popular with tourists. Because so much of CHINA CITY was made from temporary movie sets there were problems with fires and after a BIG fire in 1950 the city of Los Angeles decided to permanently close the attraction and tear the rest down.
Many pictures and photographs of CHINA CITY are mistakenly identified as CHINA TOWN - especially CHINA CITY’s multi-tiered pagoda tower that house the Lotus Inn Restaurant.
Very rare shot from the PeopleMover showing the backside of the Fantasyland Autopia marquee tower!! Pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing "blah" about that first pic. I love the unusual angle. And we can even see the backside of a bobsled, as it speeds away from us (just to the left of the waterfall). The vehicle is about to do a quick dip downward, underneath that section of track to the left of it.
ReplyDeleteHey, Junior Gorillas - I think the Major is just testing us to see if we even look at Sundays' pictures. I agree, these aren't "blah" at all! Wouldn't you love to be in one of these pictures, now?!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major!
The first pic is wonderful! It's the kind of view and unusual angle that I love and appreciate. It's great on-ride POV. Not only a great view of the Matterhorn and its Bobsled tracks but the backside of the Autopia tower too. I can almost feel the bumps and vibrations of the PeopleMover vehicles as we glide through the area. I love it! Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeleteOk, so they aren't great. Not everyone with a Brownie can be Lou. But I would give four of my best pigs for a ride on the Peoplemover and the return of Skull Rock. That's right I said four. Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I can get excited over a monorail beam so that's a great photo. Plus I'm on the PM. What's not to like!
ReplyDeleteThanks Major
Dz
No picture of Skull Rock can be called "blah." There. I have decreed it! It pis interesting, however, how my mind makes it bigger than it really was. So, "kinda small?" Maybe. "Blah?" Never!!!
ReplyDeleteEach of these images passes the cromulence test in my book.
ReplyDeleteMike & Ken both beat me to the "backside of the Autopia tower" joke. You gotta get up pretty early around here to beat this crowd to the punch, and I was dead tired last night.
Had a really vivid, involved dream solving a mystery involving overworked people from my job, home video production, a spooky old house, a scheming executive, online collaboration with members of the GDB community, and culminating in a madcap chase through the quads of the red brick campus of Haunted Mansion University. In the end, it turned out the Man Behind the Curtain was Michael Eisner, laughing maniacally as he masked his exits with blinding flashes of smoke through trap doors in the floor a la Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz. The only thing missing was The Mystery Machine.
Safety tip - only seven more shopping days until Mothers' Day.
Chuck, Ha, ha! Great stuff! It's Mr. Hansen's Wild Ride!
ReplyDeleteChuck, I hope all the GDB folks were kind, helpful, informative, and entertaining, in your dreams. The Major will be happy to hear that GDB plays such a big part in your life.
ReplyDeleteNanook, I’m glad you liked these, but I’m only willing to work so hard! However, you get 26 points for the phrase “far-out”, which needs to come back into vogue.
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, so strange, I honestly don’t ever remember hearing about China City before. Sounds fascinating. I was wondering if there was any chance that I could have photos that were actually of China City, but if it was torn down in 1950, then probably not. When I have more time later today I will definitely have to look for photos and information about it. Thanks!
Mike Cozart, I suppose it’s a rare shot of the back of the Fantasyland Autopia sign, but… still hard to get very excited about it?
TokyoMagic!, you know how much I like seeing the bobsleds in action in vintage photos! Too bad there’s only one. It’s still so amazing to me that they could design and build a ride like this before computers.
Lou and Sue, I guess I’m just jaded. Although, YES, I would love to be at *that* Disneyland right now!
K. Martinez, well gosh, I guess maybe these are the greatest pictures of all time! ;-) Seriously, I am glad that you and the other Junior Gorillas are enjoying these Sunday Snoozers as much as you are. When I go through my folder of scans, I can’t help grading them. Like beef! “This one is prime!”. “This one is dog food”.
Jonathan, now I am wondering what kind of camera Lou liked to use! Maybe one of those ones that looked like Mickey’s head (the “Mick-A-Matic”)?
dzacher, hey, there are people on this blog who enjoy telephone poles. And anchovies! As long as they’re happy.
stu29573, yes, in my memory Skull Rock was two or three times bigger than it actually was. I would not have guessed that an adult probably could not stand upright inside the cranial cavity.
Chuck, by GDB standards, 6:56 AM is like noon! Some people are commenting at two in the morning. I’m generally asleep at that time. Sounds like you had a real “Welsh rarebit” dream there. Michael Eisner is still haunting people all these years later. If only we could somehow make a film directly from your dream! Plug some RCA cables into your ears maybe. And oh jeez, I totally forgot about Mother’s Day!
K. Martinez, I’m trying to imagine Chuck’s description with black lights and painted “flats”, and crazy echo-y audio. Sounds pretty cool actually.
Lou and Sue, you never know, dreams are kooky things. I remember having dreams where people I went to school with, but barely knew or even liked would appear at some point. Why??
That Mick-A-Matic is cute! I’m surprised my dad didn’t have one in his Disney collection. He experimented with different cameras, lenses and film, over the years. His best pictures were taken with Leica and Hasselblad cameras; Leica is/was
ReplyDeletehis favorite; mine, too.
Whenever there's a picture of the Matterhorn in one of your self-proclaimed "snoozers," it makes me think of the second verse of the patter trio from Ruddigore.
ReplyDelete"If were not a little mad and generally silly
I should give you my advice upon the subject, willy-nilly;
I should show you in a moment how to grapple with the question,
And you'd really be astonished at the force of my suggestion.
On the subject I shall write you a most valuable letter,
Full of excellent suggestions when I feel a little better,
But at present I'm afraid I am as mad as any hatter,
So I'll keep 'em to myself, for my opinion doesn't matter(horn)!"
Brilliant(!!!) Melissa! I love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, Major. Any little scrap of old Disneyland, no matter how obscure, is like manna in the desert to the GDB crew.
ReplyDeleteChuck, write a screenplay and get Disney to make it. Haunted Mansion University, I want to study there, and it sounds like Melissa already has.
The Long-Forgotten blog has a post about how Ruddigore is a forerunner of the Mansion story.
JG