A Pair From September 1966
Here's a pair of nice views from 1966, on a sunny, beautiful day. Look at the blue sky! And low crowds. Maybe if I click the heels of my sneakers together and say "Take me there..." repeatedly I will transport to the front gates.
It's morning(ish), and our photographer took this swell photo of the exit turnstiles, with Main Street Station - complete with train! The Ernest S. Marsh, to be specific. I can almost hear the bell clanging and the whistle tooting. I guess those are the "Holiday Green" passenger cars (waiting to be corrected, ha ha)?
So many of my shots of the entrance are from the 50's, it's interesting to see some of the later silkscreened posters, such as the "Primeval World" (near the tunnel), "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln" (just to the right of Primeval World", and "It's a Small World", furthest to the right - an attraction that had only been open at the park for six months.
And here's an especially lovely view of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, as seen from the Skyway. You know how I love it when the sails are unfurled, and there they are in all their stripey glory. The water in the little "lagoon" looks surprisingly clear, normally I think of it as being somewhat turbid. The ship flies the Jolly Roger, and some other flag that I don't recognize. Any guesses?
Another one of my peculiarities (there are so many!) is that I love getting even the merest glimpse at the dining area behind the Pirate Ship - maybe because I now wish my family had eaten there at least once. But no such luck.
22 comments:
Major-
The Pirate Ship is looking particularly jaunty in this view.
As for the mystery flag - the blue/white check (portion) could be a stand-in for the phonetic alphabetic letter "N", or the International meaning for 'no'. The red, who knows.
Thanks, Major.
These are really lovely! You so rarely get to see the entrance without crowds anymore, so it’s nice just to be able to admire the layout. And it’s pretty hard to take a bad picture of the pirate ship.
My Mom calls Jolly Ranchers candies “Jolly Rogers.”
“Peculiarities, Proclivities, and Peccadilloes: The Major Pepperidge Story.”
I wonder if local kids would go right up to the exit fencing and wish that they could go inside the park, watching people stream through the tunnel into Town Square, with the Main St. Vehicles all bustling about... I guess it was cheap enough that you could just "hop in" the park and walk around back then, though.
I bet that everyone that reads this site would've loved to have had the perch of the Kodak Picture Spot figure in front of the Pirate Ship and Skull Rock and would have gladly sat there all day.
You can see how effective body language is in that first photo. A cast member stands there with crossed arms, and the subconscious effect is so uninviting that arriving guests automatically move to the right, away from the exit turnstiles, and making the "Ent" sign (which directed large, sentient trees to their own special entrance) redundant.
Maybe that's the flag of Never Never Land. And unless Mike Cozart chimes in with his outstanding knowledge and reference material straight from the WDI files, we may never never know.
Andrew, I don't know if I'd have sat there all day. There were gorgeous views from the eating area and behind the waterfall, too!
Both of today's pics are postcard worthy. They make me want to step right into the photos like Bert's sidewalk drawings in "Mary Poppins". Thanks for another trip back in time, Major.
The first thing I thought of when I saw that second flag was the flag from "The State of Confusion" gag in America the Beautiful. (Strangely, one of the few memories that remain from my 1973 visit). The Pirate Ship was SO Fantasyland (without being tied to a princess) that it was the go to icon for boys in the area. Unfortunately after the Dred Pirate Baxter sank it, princesses infested the area like bedbugs and they haven't been able to exterminate them to this day. Sad...
Beautiful pictures full of wonderful things to see and do! Even the Matterhorn is sneaking into the first shot.
Thanks, Major!
CHUCK: well I looked up the pennant and flag pattern drawings for the ship dated 8-16-55 , Art director is Bill Martin. The flag in question in today’s picture is actually on the wrong mast : it’s suppose to be on the mizen mast shown as the rear and final mast :
7’ x 3’-6” FLAG : White field - same both sides, blue checkers upper left corner , red panel lower right corner
The flag that is suppose to be in the position of the flag in question :
10’ x 3’ FLAG : same both sides , yellow field , green checkers .
*NOTE! Add grommets 1” from corner all flags & penants
The galleon flies (2) penants and (3) flags
..........unfortunately I could find no nautical or historical information as to WHY the flags or penants are the colors or styles they are. They may have been purely arbitrary by Bill Martin or someone else.
That first pic is so inviting. Thanks for the Ent reference Chuck. It takes them so long to decide to go to the park that they always miss the morning rush.
Andrew, my parents liked that spot too, but between my sister and I, we probably spent all of 15 minutes sitting in one spot.
Nice pics Major, thanks!
Nanook, the mystery flag might be some obscure pirate banner, I’m actually kind of surprised that I can’t find anything about it!
Melissa, sometimes the park looks so uncrowded in these early views that I can’t help wondering if it operated at a loss on those days. Mmmm, now I want a Jolly Rancher cherry candy. Also, you left out “Perspicacity” for my story!!
Andrew, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if local kids rode their bikes over to the park to gaze through the fence. Even though the park was cheap from our perspective, there are plenty of complaints about how expensive it was back then, it might have been hard for the average kid to scrape together $5 or $6. That’s a lot of mown lawns and sat babies! I wonder if any of those Kodak Picture Spot signs survived? Maybe Kodak took them when their sponsorship ended.
Chuck, that cast member knows three forms of martial arts (I almost mis-typed it as “marital” arts, which is a whole different thing). Usually he stands there in the “crane” position, but the camera caught him in a more relaxed pose. I’m glad to know that Ents enjoyed Disneyland, though they might find some of the rides to be rather “hasty”. I actually think your Never Never Land flag idea is pretty good, I’ll have to do a little research!
K. Martinez, I often want to step into the vintage photos, but I agree, today’s examples show an especially nice day. So bright and clean and colorful!
Stu29573, I don’t remember “The State of Confusion” gag from America the Beautiful; in fact I didn’t remember that there was any humor in that attraction at all! The Pirate Ship really was one of the biggest icons of Fantasyland, arguably right behind the Castle in popularity. The story goes that they wanted to save the ship and move it, but that just never rang true to me. Where would they have put it? I hate to blame Tony B. for it, but the buck’s gotta stop somewhere!
Lou and Sue, gosh, I really had to look for the Matterhorn in that first photo! I didn’t expect it to be to the left of the train station. Good eye!
Mike Cozart, fascinating! I’m amazed that you actually have access to any documentation that has to do with that flag. Perhaps you’re right, maybe Bill Martin just made the thing up. It definitely has an authentic feel to it, but he was a very talented artist. Thanks for that info!
DrGoat, it usually took the Ents several days to say that they wanted the “Big 15” ticket book, but once they got that out of the way, they had a great time. While I might be OK with sitting for a long time in one spot now, I would have been much to antsy to do stuff when I was a kid.
Wow, thank you Major!
Very fine pictures today. The Pirate Ship, of course, but a fine view of the E X I T is welcome too. The saddest part of Disneyland, but worth seeing again anyway.
I am always amazed at the depth of knowledge of the poster aficionados at GDB. I can recognize a few, but my goodness...
Thanks to Mike Cozart for the flag information. I remember some time back, I researched almost every photo on Daveland looking for definitive list of the flags and pennants. I wrote it all down and now cannot find it. I'm glad Mike has the real list.
The one in question today is usually, as Mike points out, on a mast toward the stern. Maybe the CM got confused and started at the wrong end on photo morning. I thought this flag vaguely resembled the State Flag of Maryland, but I couldn't find anything on-line that matched it.
I am now content to believe that it is completely fictional, like the Ship itself.
Yes, Major, any picture with the sails unfurled, and a glimpse of the pebbled paving in the dining area means a good day ahead.
Andrew, while I would start my visit at the photo spot, I would prefer to spend the day back in the grotto, peeping out behind the waterfall at the passers-by, admiring the pebbled floor, and hearing Casey Junior chugging by periodically, while sipping my iced tea.
Chuck, "Nostalgia is the feeling that you are happy you are sad". That is me today, remembering this place.
Thanks Major and everyone.
JG
Major, the gag was in the pre show. They had all the state flags hanging up and then they highlighted a mixed up flag and had people guess what state it was from. The State of Confusion was the correct answer...Kind of cheesy, but those are the things that stick in the mind of a 4th grader...
I hope the Ents don't sit down on that bench. Not only will they block the view, they won't move for days. My handstamp is only good for today, and that crossy-armed expert in martial and marital arts won't let me back in tomorrow unless I buy another ticket. And I'm supposed to go to Busch Gardens tomorrow!
Stu, I'd forgotten the "State of Confusion" gag until you mentioned it. And that's inexcusable, because that's where I spend most of my time.
Mike, thanks so much. I knew you'd come through, and you didn't disappoint.
JG, I knew you'd love these photos. That quote and the whiteboard it's written on are going with me when I start a new job Monday. Been feeling that way all week as I've been cleaning out the garage and saying goodbye to things we and the boys don't need anymore and just don't have the room to hang on to. The memories will always be there, though, just a quick think away.
Whew - just got dusty in this room. Now, where did I leave that handkerchief?
Major, I'd definitely be content to sit in one place for a long time. I guess we have become very Ent-like. Heck, I was going for an Elf, but I'll settle for a sentient tree.
JG, I find myself feeling I'm happy I am sad a lot now. In the end, memories will be our most precious commodity. I try to work mine diligently and keep them in shape.
Of course, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the second image. We even get a brand-spanking new yellow Skyway gondola in the pic. And behind Cinderella's Castle, we can see the recently relocated berm. That gray wall and railing (far right) is part of the retaining wall at the entrance/exit of the brand new backstage underpass beneath the train tracks.
Major, I remember one other touch of humor in "America the Beautiful." It came at the part where we "venture into Zion's deepest gorge" and the narrator tells us, "Uh, please don't pick the flowers as we pass."
Wait... old Disneyland had more to get excited about than just the tuna boat? ;-)
@ Stu-
It isn't only the 4th graders who remember such Disney 'pap'; those of more advanced years remember it, too.
@ MIKE-
Thanks for the flag info. It almost feels as if the colors/patterns were purely arbitrary - but there may yet be a hidden meaning waiting to be discovered.
Andrew, of course it did! There was the lagoon around the tuna boat, too.
@Chuck and Dr.Goat, for old Disney fans, GDB is the place to come to keep those memory muscles sharp.
This has been a long bad year and recollection of these past days provides some balance. The memories shared here are good to read and keep my spirits up when the future is so uncertain. Being happy about being sad is some kind of happy.
Thanks everyone for commenting.
JG
Yeah the Jolly Roger Pirate Galleon has been proposed to be returned to Disneyland several times since its demolishing in 1982. In the last 10 years there has been much attention on a NEW new Fantasyland for Anaheim .... and around 2011 was a proposal for a “Neverland” area where the Fantasyland theater is now .....thus included a re-located Peter Pan’s Flight to alleviate the congestion que right within the castle entry .
Currently the Jolly Roger is slated to be added to a new Tokyo Disney Sea “port of call” , NEVERLAND. However with the virus situation I’m not sure what future projects will be continued in their original scheduled format or plan.
JG, I agree that leaving Disneyland was always bittersweet, but usually by that point we’d been going strong for at least 12 hours and were more than ready to take a break. There are only around 50 different attraction posters, and that includes some variations, so it doesn’t take long to get familiar with them. It helps if one is interested, of course! As for the flag, I thought it could be a very old-fashioned flag of some place like “Hispanola” or some such place. Just a wild guess. I’m trying to think of anyplace in the park where I would be happy to sit all day! Maybe - maybe - I would be OK sitting on a bench observing the Rivers of America. But I still think I’d get antsy.
Stu29573, ah, that makes sense. I vaguely remember the preshow, but not that “State of Confusion” gag, obviously. Maybe it went over my head?
Chuck, on one of my last visits to the park, my date and I walked out, completely forgetting that we’d stored coats and other stuff in a locker on Main Street. We headed back to the gate (the park was officially closed by then), and it took some real talking to convince the guard to let us back in. I still had the receipt for the locker in my wallet, I think it had a code number necessary to open the locker, otherwise we might have wound up having to leave our stuff there.
DrGoat, my friend Mr. X used to go to the park on Sundays with his wife, and they’d eat breakfast and then sit and enjoy the view in various places, usually in Frontierland though. But he got out of there before traffic home would be too bad!
TokyoMagic!, thanks for pointing out those details! I’m often in such a hurry to write these blog posts that a lot gets past me. I don’t remember the “please don’t pick the flowers” gag, but I can imagine it in my head!
Andrew, yes, there was a tree to look at too!
Nanook, I’m sure we all remember certain tiny details that impressed us when we were kids - things that many people didn’t even notice. I’m still holding out hope that the flag is for one of the small islands in the Caribbean!
Chuck, everyone likes a lagoon - except for Commies.
JG, my 85 year-old mother is always complaining about her memory, and I have to tell her that I can’t remember a ton of stuff either! We do crossword puzzles on the weekends, and it’s a real comedy to watch us, I’m sure.
Mike Cozart, putting a Neverland area where the Fantasyland Theater is currently located seems like a recipe for gridlock! But maybe they could make it work, I don’t want to discourage them if they really want to do it! I’ll be curious to see the Pirate Ship (will it be called the “Jolly Roger”?) in Tokyo Disney Sea if it ever actually gets built.
MAJOR: that was around 2011, and there were no recent plans for a NEVERLAND at Disneyland California. There were also WONDERLAND, ARENDALE and other mini lands proposed for the Fantasyland theater space. But with what has been in the planning stages , the Fantssyland changes were going to be far drastic than anything that occurred in 1983. And very little recognizable to people of Walt’s day.
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