Friday, January 15, 2021

Two Beauties

It's Friday, and that usually means that I try to post some better-than-usual photos to ease you into your weekend. I think you'll like today's selection!

This first one is a swell view (from August 1962), taken from beneath the Monorail track (here comes "Old Bluie"), with the Matterhorn to our right, and the Yacht Bar to our left. I've always been a little bit baffled by the Yacht Bar. Why not the Rocket Bar, or the Zero-G Bar, or... you get the idea. There's a line, I hope you don't need your hamburger right away. Notice the swirled balloons that you could get if you didn't want one with black mouse ears.


This next one is from October, 1961. There sure aren't any long lines at the ticket booths, but then again, it looks to be later in the afternoon. The clock appears to read 2:35, but that doesn't seem right. Look at all those posters, the ones stuck to the Monorail's support pylons, and the ones back by Mickey's flower portrait (how many can you ID?). October can be a fine time to visit Disneyland, I wish I could step into this picture!

14 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

The Monorail is wearing a little pointy party hat, in that first pic. ;-)

Also in that same photo, my eyes are drawn to the woman standing to the right of the Monorail pylon, wearing non-sensible shoes, and smoking a cigarette. I am a bit surprised (but glad) that we don't see more people smoking in vintage DL photos. And would that "dress over a dress" look that she is sporting, actually be considered just a very long peplum?

Anonymous said...

Well, let's see, I can identify the Monorail, The Golden Horseshoe, Something blue and red that I should know...and then ADD kicks in. Sorry!
The Space Bar was clever, but yeah, I don't get it.
Old Bluie was going to be the direct to DVD sequel to Old Yeller, but they didn't have DVD's yet (or even VHS!) and the whole idea was kinda stupid. By the way, Bluie was going to be played by Grandpa Smurf. See, I told you it was stupid.

Tom said...

That shot under the monorail of the corner of the Yacht Bar is wonderful! There's something wonderful and mysterious about that forgotten little corner of the park where the monorail has to swoop around the edge of that roof before swooping the other way around the Matterhorn. Plus the architecture of the Yacht Bar is glorious on its own.

Great stuff for a Friday!

"Lou and Sue" said...

That wasn’t the Yacht Bar, that was the short-lived Borscht Bar.

Nanook said...

@ TM!-
You're mis-reading our fashion gal's 'look'. She sports a different pair of shoes in each thematic land. She just got a bit muddled and forgot the 'correct' shoes for Tomorrowland is a pair of silver lamé flats. As for that dress - maybe she's starting a trend-? Or, perhaps it's her answer to all the clam diggers on display...

Thanks, Major.

zach said...

Major, Disney has eliminated the annual pass for DL. You aren't considering doing the same at GDB, are you?

People not born 60+ years ago must have trouble understanding the feeling we all had, standing in that spot, watching and hearing the Monorail. What an amazing place for it's time.

Thanks for the blog, Major, and please don't take away our annual passes.

zach

JC Shannon said...

Great shot of Ye Olde Blue Monorail. Sue, I hope that Borscht came with a raw egg floating in the middle. Yumm. I actually have that Monorail poster in our guest bedroom. It's a repop, of course. That second photo reminds me of the anticipation of a day at the park. And Carly Simon. And Heinz ketchup. Thanks Major.

Anonymous said...

I have never understood the Yacht Bar terminology. Maybe someone with experience can tell us the back story.

I do understand both of these pictures that make me happy.

As Zach says, these little hidden corners are fun to see documented, like the trees in yesterday's post.

Trying to figure out what the pointed thing is behind the monorail, it is the wrong angle to be SBC minarets and too regular to be a tree top?

Major, I think I got one of those mottled balloons one visit. The pattern looked like that odd Venetian paper used for the inside of book covers. I kept the balloon for some time after it went flat, but the rubber eventually got weird and brittle.

The entry picture is terrific, but I agree the shadows look pretty long for 2:30PM. This was one of the best sights ever, the entrance to Disneyland, with the whole day before you. I'm not much good at posters, but I can see the Monorail and the Golden Horseshoe Saloon for sure. I think I'll stop in for a tall cold one.

I think we can see the back of the Main Street Theater over the eastern letter D.

It's kind of strange how this place is now such high-rent real estate in the Downtown Disney mall. I liked it then and I like it now, but the difference over time is striking.

Thanks Major, have a great weekend everyone!

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, maybe the Monorail had just been to a birthday party? Pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, cake and ice cream, the whole deal. I agree, it is surprising that we don’t see more cigarettes in old photos, since it seems that almost everybody took up the habit back then. As for the peplum… what’s a peplum?

Stu29573, the red and blue one (facing us) is the Golden Horseshoe, while the one sort of facing to our left is the Grand Canyon Diorama poster. I do love the mid-century design of the actual Yacht Bar building, but I am just baffled about what is so futuristic about yachts. Maybe somebody thought that as the ocean levels rose, we would all live in boats? “Old Yeller” had a sequel - “Savage Sam”! Grandpa Smurf was trained by Stella Adler (he was friends with Brando), and if anybody could play Old Bluie, it would be him.

Tom, sometimes it is enough for a photo to be different from the usual stuff that we see, but in the case of that first one, it is different, but it’s also a really nice picture! I could almost see the Yacht Bar as being a crazy cabin in the woods for some famous person.

Lou and Sue, who doesn’t enjoy a hot bowl of borscht on a summer afternoon? A dollop of sour cream is just the thing. Yum!

Nanook, I wonder what the woman wore in Adventureland? Woven sandals? Keds? Red Ball Jets? I think the lady looks nice, even if she is smoking. She made an effort! Imagine walking around all day with shoes like those, yikes.

zach, I saw that Disney had done away with annual passes. BUT… they said that they were going to figure out some other kind of membership pass, so all the OC locals who are panicking will probably be able to buy something to satisfy their three-times-a-week Disneyland habit. Don’t worry, GDB will still be free!

Jonathan, ew, was a raw egg in borscht a thing? I mean, pickled eggs, sure. But raw eggs, no thank you. I’m glad you have a Monorail poster hanging in your guest bedroom! I guess you have to be a certain age to think of Heinz ketchup when you hear the song “Anticipation”. Would Carly be happy about that? Probably not.

JG, originally the Yacht Bar was right on Tomorrowland Lake, with the Tomorrowland (“Phantom”) boats, so I guess in a way it makes sense. It was lifted and moved when the Matterhorn was built, and then the context was gone. So why not change the name? Maybe they didn’t want to spend the money to make a new sign. The pointy thing has to be the tip of the castle’s tallest spire, what else can it be? I can’t remember if those swirly “marbled” balloons also had Mickey Mouse stamped on them - you’d think that they’d do something to make them unique to the park. At certain times of the year it is dark by 5:00, I suppose it is possible that the second photo was taken on one of those short days. I am not anti-Downtown Disney, but it’s hard to get very excited about one’s visit to the park when pulling into a multi-story parking lot, just like one at a large mall.

Nanook said...

Major-
Actually, the Yacht Bar originally opened as the Yacht Club - an opening day attraction, adjacent to the Phantom Boats; but was moved, re-named, etc., in April, 1957 to make way for the Viewliner. Check THIS out.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Major, and Nanook. Now I do remember that the Yacht Bar building was moved. I never thought of the name having a maritime connection with the Phantom Boats, but that makes sense too.

Did the Phantom Boats run on tracks like the later Motorboats, or were they free to roam about?

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, well that’s what I get for not doing a little research! Even as I was typing that the Yacht Bar (club) was moved for the construction of the Matterhorn, I thought, “That doesn’t sound quite right”. But I just plowed on!

JG, maybe I’m mistaken about the connection of the Yacht Club to the Phantom Boats, but it’s the only thing that can I can think of that makes sense. I don’t believe that the Phantom Boats ran on a track, but am not 100% positive about that.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Major.

Re the monorail's pointy hat.

I went back to look at the Google map aerial view and you are right, it must be a castle top spire.

The monorail track route has changed somewhat since the photo was made, since they added more cars to the trains, the wiggly curves were straightened out. But it appears possible to have that line-up with one or more castle spires even today.

I was thinking the castle was too far behind the Matterhorn, but the part with the towers is really south of the mountain and would be visible from the photo vantage if not for the beamway track.

It's fun to work out these questions. Thanks.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

JG, I know that the Monorail track has been moved around for different reasons, but am not really up on how much it has been moved. It sure seems like such an operation has become too costly to do unless they absolutely have to. I certainly didn't have any deep knowledge of where the castle was in relation to where the Monorail was in the photo... it's just that it was the only thing that pointy object could be!