Saturday, September 26, 2020

A Selection From The New York World's Fair

Hey hey, it's time for another trip to the New York World's Fair! These are all from the Fair's second season in 1965.

As much as I love Disneyland's streamlined, sci-fi Monorail, I have a lot of fondness for the AMF Monorail that circled the Lake Amusement Area at a height of 40 feet, providing wonderful views. In this dynamic shot, the Monorail is about to zoom over the Meadow Lake Bridge that crossed above the Long Island Expressway. Notice the sign on the pylon to the right, "James Bond 007 Car".


Over in the Tranportation Zone you could ride an Antique Car (sponsored by Avis). It was designed by our old friends at Arrow Development, and was built at 5/8 scale. Top speed, a scorching four miles an hour. 


Here's an unusual view of the "crown roast" rotunda of the Ford Pavilion - our little family is standing somewhere in the northwest corner of the Fair looking across the Grand Central Parkway toward the Transportation Zone. I wonder if the family wants to go see Walt Disney's "Magic Skyway"? I always think about the New Yorkers who drove right through the Fair every day for over a year, it seems like it would be pretty hard to resist.


I know, I know, it's not very exciting, but hey, it don't cost nothin'. It's a view looking southwest along the Fountain of the Fairs toward the ubiquitous (but wonderful) Unisphere. The wooden A-frames of the Austrian pavilion can just be seen to our left.


The "Florida Citrus Water Ski Show" was new to the 1965 season, replacing "Wonder World" (a spectacle with hundreds of swimmers, divers, and music, in the vein of Billy Rose's Aquacade from the 1939 Fair). This was essentially the same show that people saw at the Seattle's 1962 Expo. I guess it's too early for  that skier to be Belinda Carlisle.


I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the New York World's Fair!

24 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Wheeeee.....the New York World's Fair!

The family in the Ford Pavilion pic are going to join that other family, standing in the area marked "Vehicle Traffic Only."

K. Martinez said...

The first pic reminds me of when I first saw this type of monorail in François Truffaut's film "Fahrenheit 451" in which a couple of scenes were filmed aboard the SAFEGE monorail in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, Loiret, France.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poQ25pFXIRg

Great World's Fair pics. Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

That pic of the water skier would make a good album cover. She just needs two, no, three more water skiers alongside of her. I bet this job at the World's Fair was "all she ever wanted." And I see that she has "both hands just reachin' out....and one foot hangin' on."

TokyoMagic! said...

I guess I should have mentioned, if that water skier slips, she'll probably be "outta control" and maybe even fall "head over heels"

Melissa said...

The Fountain of the Fairs is so lovely, I want to jump through the screen and take a dip.

Andrew said...

These are some great pics! My favorite is definitely the third one, with the otherworldly, open space in front and the Ford rotunda rising dramatically in the rear, complete with Mustangs.

Seeing the sky ride next to the Unisphere with a reflecting pool in the foreground calls to mind Kings Island, but the layout is also similar to Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, and the two Great Americas.

Chuck said...

Hooray for the Fair!

Note the big, empty carousel park in the first photo. I guess not many people drove their carousels to the Fair.

The Uniroyal Ferris wheel is lurking in the trees of the second image.

Is it just me, or does that look an awful lot like a Tom Sawyer Island raft in the center left background of the last photo?

You go-go, TM!

Ken, thanks for that link. I needs to see me that movie - I love the book.

Melissa, not judging or anything, but chewing tobacco is a nasty habit.

Andrew, you make a good point about the layout, although I'm not sure the Gulf of Mexico counts as a reflecting pool.

Nanook said...

@ TM!-
When you said water skis and album cover, I immediately thought of THIS gem from my collection... This should have been a feature of the Fair.

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, both of those families drove for two hours just to stand next to that sign. They can’t believe it’s real!

K. Martinez, I remember that scene in Fahrenheit 451, an odd but interesting movie! Of course I first saw it as a kid and couldn’t believe that there was an actual working Monorail somewhere (besides Disneyland of course). I assume it isn’t operating these days.

TokyoMagic!, I think that waterskier is ready to go solo! Who needs three other egos? I just listened to an audio book about the L.A. punk scene, and there were interviews with two of the Go-Gos. They were such pop darlings that it’s hard to believe that they were ever “punk”.

TokyoMagic!, I’m starting to think that you are a Go-Gos fan?! Even more than I am a fan of “Million Dollar Duck”.

Melissa, I wonder if people ever did hop into that fountain on especially hot, humid days?

Andrew, that particular photo is definitely unique in my collection, I don’t think I’ve seen that angle on the Ford pavilion before. I know just what you mean about the similarity to Kings Dominion, though I have no idea about “Canda’s Wonderland” the two Great Americas you mentioned.

Chuck, by 1964 everyone wanted a nuclear car, and carousels just weren’t going to cut it. I had to look for the “Tom Sawyer Island Raft” in that one photo, what t he heck is that thing? The world’s smallest ferry? I love Fahrenheit 451 too, it feels less and less like fantasy/sci-fi all the time. Chewing tobacco is both healthful and cool, I have no idea what you are talking about! Gulf of Mexico, huh?

Nanook, whoa, that is some album cover!

Chuck said...

Andrew is talking about North and South America, isn't he?

DrGoat said...

My parents, uncle and aunt drove to that fair from Tucson. It was one of the only three trips they took to go back to New York. Sis and I were left with our other aunt, which was fine with her. My cousin had a horse too so they would go riding and I was left fending for myself, which was also okay. I remember it well because my Dad had just bought a '65 Dart so they had they're great adventure driving across the country. We did get some cool presents when they got back though. I think I still have a little metal cannon from Fort Ticonderoga.

JC Shannon said...

I wish I had payed more attention to the fair when we went. My brother David and I were more interested in flipping baseball cards and checking out girls. I remember the Ford Pavilion and the Helipad, and some Polynesian pearl divers though. I thought the Unisphere was pretty big and cool as well. I think a great idea for a Disneyland Pavilion at the next World's Fair would include a Mine Train, a Peoplemover and of course a full size Moonliner. Where do I sign ? Thanks Major.

Omnispace said...

Wonderful photos of the fair! For some reason that AMF monorail always looks like an oversize toy to me. I wonder if Walt's proposal encircled the entire fair or just went around the entertainment area?

Those antique autos make me think of Frontier Village and Knott's and all those other parks that had similar rides. Junior is trying as hard as he can to steer so the car doesn't ricochet back and forth on the guide rail.

The Ford Pavilion photo is the classic American family meeting the future. Actually, Dad wanted to miss the crowds by going the back way and didn't realize there was a six-lane expressway in the way. I'm amazed that they built such massive buildings only to tear them down in two years.

The allée of fountains is impressive. Who could pass up a photo?

The water ski show looks like fun. I thought it was crazy how they built an elevated channel for their show in Seattle. It was like the largest above-ground pool.

JG said...

This looks like such a fun fair. Thanks for the pics, Major.

JG

"Lou and Sue" said...

Am enjoying these pictures and everyone’s comments, but Nanook’s album cover wins today’s prize!

Sue

Major Pepperidge said...

Chuck, way to throw shade at Central America!

DrGoat, ha ha, “Home Alone” with DrGoat! Did you make a giant pancake by any chance? Oh wait, that was “Uncle Buck”. Tucson to New York, jeez; what was that, at least a three-day drive? And I mean LONG days on the road. But if you go in with the right frame of mind, it can be fun. Cool that you still have some of your little presents!

Jonathan, it’s so funny, kids have no context for anything, so an amazing World’s Fair was probably just a very busy place. Not that it wasn’t fun (I’m sure it was)! A Disneyland Pavilion at a World’s Fair, now that’s an interesting idea! Especially if they could get major companies to pay for everything.

Omnispace, the AMF Monorail does look like an oversize toy, but that’s part of its charm! As far as I know they never sold a small toy version, maybe such a thing would have been too expensive. Just imagine how much one would go for today, in good condition! Since Arrow Development probably built all those other “Antique Auto” rides, it’s no wonder you’re having deja vu. It does look like that little family is somehow entering the park from a portal that was not used by most people - I’ve seen other entrances chockablock with people. I can’t help thinking that a wipeout on that “above ground pool” for the water skiers would potentially be a really dangerous thing.

JG, the more I see of that Fair, the more I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes. I would think that at least 3 or 4 visits would be required!

Lou and Sue, that is a peach of an album cover. I can just imagine Nanook flipping through the bins, finding that one, and instantly knowing that he had to have it!

TokyoMagic! said...

Chuck, it was the Major's mention of Belinda Carlisle, that got me go-go-ing.

Major, yes, I am a fan of the Go-Go's. I really liked their music back in the 80s, and I also liked the cover art for their first three albums. Oh, and I made a mistake in one of my comments, and I caught it right after I had hit the "Publish Your Comment" button. There were FIVE members of the Go-Go's, not four! (Sorry, ladies!)

Nanook, LENNY DEE! He is my all-time favorite! What a great cover....but who's piloting that organ? Is it the dog?

Dean Finder said...

Too bad that the NYWF monorail just circled the entertainment area. It would have been far more useful and popular if it had several stops around the fairgrounds, or connected out to Laguardia airport, but that would have needed 2 miles of track (I don't know if it's a "beamway" for a suspended monorail)

Dean Finder said...

Also, the structure at the left of the photo with the Ford Pavilion appears to be the Hollywood USA pavilion
http://nywf64.com/holwod01.shtml

Nanook said...

@TM!-
You bet that's a dog-! It's a breed specially developed to pilot Hammond B3 organs on water.

TokyoMagic! said...

Nanook! Ha, ha! I knew that was a dog! I was just wondering if the dog was piloting the boat. Now I know! Thanks. I wonder if the dog lived long enough and retained enough of his skills in his senior years, that he could have been piloting the unseen boat for this pic:

https://www.alamy.com/go-gos-vacation-vintage-12-vinyl-lp-cover-image363573490.html

I also wonder if that Lenny Dee pic could have been taken at Cypress Gardens? The album is called, "Down South" after all.

Nanook said...

@TM1-
To quote from the back of the album jacket "...a resident of Florida, where the unusual cover photo was taken..." So, it's quite possible it could be Cypress Gardens.

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, considering that I have been immersing myself in stories about the L.A. punk scene for a couple of weeks, I should have remembered that there were five Go-Gos too! Belinda’s sister Hope was one of my classmates for a short while, she was cute and nice, though I didn’t know her very well.

Dean Finder, I agree that it would have been very cool if the monorail had actually been able to transport people around that gigantic fair, but the cost of building that much more track was probably prohibitive. I feel like we might have seen the last of any significant Monorail action at Disney parks. But I hope I’m wrong!

Dean FInder, I should have looked up that building myself, but as usual I was too lazy.

Nanook, I think the dog is actually puppeting the man entirely.

TokyoMagic!, if only there was a TV movie about the rise and fall (and rise again) of the Go-Gos. You know, sort of a dramatized “behind the music” thing. I was thinking that the Lenny Dee pic might have been taken at Sunshine Springs, though it’s just a guess.

Nanook, I’m still guessing Sunshine Springs! My whole world depends upon it!

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, wow....that post is from almost 10 whole years ago! I remember it, but not the fact that I brought up the Go Go's "Vacation" album.

Nanook and Major, I just had to look up Lenny Dee and it said that he settled in Florida and that he performed at a lounge in St. Petersburg, and that there were popular resorts and an amusement park nearby, but it didn't mention the park by name. Maybe it was Sunshine Springs in Sarasota? Google says that Sarasota and St. Petersburg are 44 minutes apart.

I remember in the eighties, there was a restaurant on the corner of Harbor Blvd. and Orangethorpe Ave. in Fullerton (just up the street from Disneyland), called Orangefair restaurant. It looked like it had been there since the fifties or sixties. They had a marquee on the outside of the restaurant, which for many, many years read, "CHUCK SHOWALTER AT THE ORGAN!" It always made me chuckle. I think it was the exclamation point that made it funny for me. Like this was the absolute ultimate in live entertainment. I wonder how old this person was, and how long he had been appearing at the restaurant. I just tried to search for more info about him, but nothing came up. Now I wish I had stopped in some evening, to see and hear Mr. Showalter "at the organ!"