A Pair From August, 1966
I have two nice views from around the park, circa August, 1966. A swell time to go to Disneyland.
First up is this POSTCARD WORTHY™ look at the entrance to Adventureland as seen from just inside the arched gate (made of woven palm leaves and bamboo). The elephant tusks are a neat addition (no elephants were harmed, so it's OK), and there's nothing quite like the combination of human skulls and vibrant bougainvillea blossoms to give any location that tropical ambiance. The Enchanted Tiki Room would be to our right, just beyond the archway.
The billowing sails (well, some of them are billowing) of the Columbia makes for a striking sight along the shore of the Rivers of America. It looks like we are too late to catch this voyage, but if we don't mind waiting 10 minutes or so, we can hop on the next one. Let's get some ice cream from that vendor and find a shady bench! Sounds pretty nice, if you ask me.
25 comments:
Speaking of human skulls, I've heard that Disney removed the skulls from the entrance to Adventureland, during the park's closure. The skeletons were also removed from Snow White's Adventures. (I refuse to call that attraction by it's ridiculous new name!)
@ TM!-
But aren't skeletons and skulls 'enchanted'-? It's so confusing.
Thanks, Major.
My human skull will remain for the duration, I can assure you.
A warm summer day at the park is just what the Dr ordered.
Thanks, Major
zach
Major-
Our young friend in the first image might be holding a Kodak Brownie Starflash camera.
Love the Madras shorts in pic 2. OK, I plead ignorance TM, what is the new name for Snow White's? I don't get out much. I can, however hear the song Last Train to Clarksville playing in the distance. Great, now I will have to dig it out and play the CD in my truck on the way to Bozeman today. Gotta pick up a new toy I bought on line. Yes, I have the Monkees Greatest CD. Don't judge. Hey, Hey thanks Major.
@ TM! (again)
And speaking of new names... The [former] Washington State Coliseum (for the 1962 World's Fair); then known as the [also former] Seattle Center Coliseum; and still the [about to be] former KeyArena (since 1994) will soon be known as the Climate Pledge Arena. Well - as far as names go - this one's a doozy. I certainly won't be referring to it as something this silly and self-serving-! So far I'm going with The Lemon Pledge Arena. It kinda rolls-off the tongue better, don't-cha think-? Plus, it sounds so 'fresh'-!!
Major, I agree, this is a postcard-worthy view, even if it is inside looking out.
The animatronic elephants in the Jungle Cruise donated their tusks in a huge imitation-ivory drive just prior to the Park opening in July 1955. Fortunately imitation ivory re-grows rapidly, leaving no tusk-free pachyderms at Opening Day. Animatronic elephants can remove their tusks more easily than the biological elephants because of their Alabama origins, where their Tuscaloosa.
Removing themed skulls sounds really stupid to me. Will they also remove the animal skulls and antlers on the Frontierland roofs? Seems like I saw video of the revised Snow White ride and the building still had skulls in the moldings and trim outside.
As others have noted, I will be steadfast in retaining my skull as part of my decorative scheme, no matter what Disney wants.
Sitting on a bench watching the Columbia is second only to sitting on the Columbia watching a bench.
Thanks Major!
JG
Looks like a nice day in the park.
JC, Last Train was one of their best songs. The Monkees do have a rightful place in the history of R&R after all. I had Incense and Peppermints running through my head the other day. Not joking. Strawberry Alarm Clock's one and only hit.
They did a version of Good Morning Starshine that can cause permanent damage to your GABA receptors.
TM, I can't believe they removed the skulls from the Adventureland entrance. They probably don't sell rubber shrunken heads at the Bazaar anymore either. Someone needs a couple of bad dates.
Thanks Major.
@ DrGoat-
The Strawberry Alarm Clock performed "Incense and Peppermints" in our "wonderful" gymnasium, back in 1967. (If I remember correctly, something about the Dad of a student being connected to the management of the group, thus the connection formed). And I believe the performance was during lunch-! Those were the days.
TokyoMagic!, I guess the implication of “head hunters” is considered in poor taste these days. Somehow the removal of the skeletons in “Snow White” bothers me a lot more. Let’s remove all the skeletons from “Pirates”, while we’re at it!
Nanook, I can just imagine the “suits” getting four letters from upset moms, and that’s all it took to remove those scary bones from “Snow White”.
zach, you might want to consider one of those new titanium skulls, available at all better hardware stores. Lightweight and nearly indestructible!
Nanook, “Starflash” was my nickname on my breakdancing team.
Jonathan, I’m not going to look it up, but I believe the new name is “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish”, which is just BLECCCHHH. Did you hear that the two surviving Monkees are going to do a “farewell” tour? This is your big chance!
Nanook, jeez, the “Climate Pledge Arena” is about as uninspiring as can be. Why not the “Income Tax Arena”? Maybe that was already taken. My mom was more of an “Endust” person, rather than Lemon Pledge!
I’ve always kind of wondered why the tusks have been painted to resemble wood. Were they worried that guests would think that they were actual ivory tusks? Maybe someday we’ll have lab-grown ivory. Otherwise known as “plastic”. The removal of the skulls seems so dumb to me as well, let’s just make everything suitable for a three year-old. We all know TokyoMagic’s classic motto: They ruin everything!
DrGoat, I was always partial to “Daydream Believer”, which I remember wanting to hear on a juke box at a restaurant, over and over when I was a kid. But I do like “Last Train”, as well as “Im a Believer”, “Mary, Mary”, “Circle Sky”, and many other Monkees hits! I heard the Strawberry Alarm Clock’s version of “Good Morning Starshine” not long ago, I’m so used to the version by Oliver that it didn’t do much for me.
Nanook, I like "Incense and Peppermints", but prefer "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night"by the Electric Prunes!
Skulls are gone, tusks are gone...they ruin everything! Thanks TM! In the vintage photo I wish that they would have had shrunken heads dangling from the tusks- that would have been cool- got rid of skeleton heads? huh? are these things now "too scary"? "Scary" is guests wearing sweats to Disneyland. Just my POV. The tusks were wooden later (or maybe they just scraped the paint off of them), and then carved wood after...and now "poof" gone. In the Kenyan city of Mombasa they have giant tusks like this that you drive under- also not authentic tusks- but still super cool. I love the handmade look of the original sign, and quite honestly I am amazed that it lasted as long as it did. I wish Bougainvillea would grow here in the north east- such a pretty plant when in full bloom. As a kid we would make "punch" out of the flowers. It looks like guests were still dressing "smartly" at this period of time- guys in slacks and dress shoes, and pretty dresses- definitely a different time. RE: Ice cream vendor in the Columbia shot- very interesting. The cart is not something that would be found in Frontierland- that is a Main Street or Fantasy/Tomorrowland look. The costume is also very Main St. Maybe he got lost. Who knows? You can kind of make out the Carnation logo on the pricing sign. I always thought when I was a vendor that the sign should be hanging from the umbrella pole- not down below. When someone is standing at the cart they cannot see the sign and would invariably ask: "what are you selling?". The question got very old, very fast- I put in for a change via the "I Have an Idea" program, and my idea was nixed due to cost of implementing the change- well....I tried, and still have my rejection letter... somewhere. If blond guy on the right had white pants on I would have taken him for a sweeper- it seems that the department was full of these clean cut fit blond hair guys. All flirting with the great populous of single and beautiful ladies of Disneyland- a perk of the department.
Goat, I love Incense and Peppermint as well. An absolute classic Psychedelic masterpiece.
So nice to find so many fellow Monkees fans among the Junior Gorillas. I was just listening to “The Door Into Summer” a few hours ago. Just found out that their rescheduled tour is coming near me in October, but it’s just not in the budget this year.
I once read a Monkees fanfic where they came to Disneyland and got in a fight with the Dapper Dans.
When I was a kid, I remember going to the Buffalo Science Museum on a class trip, and there was a room full of big game trophies that people had donated from their ancestors’ private collections. There were two rows of elephant tusks that you had to walk between and under like the archway of swords at a military wedding.
I saw Micky Dolenz sitting with his family on the patio of the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor at Disneyland, back in the early eighties. I also saw The Monkeys perform at the Anaheim Celebrity Theater in the late eighties. That theater and the stage were round and the stage rotated. It was pretty cool. The rotating of the stage could confuse you at times, making you think that the audience was revolving around the stage. It was sort of like watching The Monkeys perform in the Carousel of Progress!
Nanook, But aren't skeletons and skulls 'enchanted'-? It's so confusing. I keep dreaming and wishing that they were, but alas, I don't think they are. Perhaps I need to use a little magic. And yes, "Lemon Pledge Arena" rolls trippingly off the tongue. It's also unique and euphonious
JC Shannon, the Major is right. The new name for the Snow White attraction is "Snow White's Enchanted Wish." I think at this point, Disney just has to try and find a way to insert the words, "Enchanted," "Magic," "Dreams," and "Wishes" into as many titles of things as they can. Prior to 1983, the attraction was just called "Snow White's Adventures." In 1983, they changed the name to "Snow White's Scary Adventures." Why couldn't they have just gone back to it's original name? Or if they were dead-set on inserting the word "Enchanted" in there, why couldn't they have just swapped it out with the word "Scary" and called it "Snow White's Enchanted Adventures." Calling it her "Enchanted Wish" just sounds weird, and too contrived.....in my opinion, anyway!
JG, you are right, they did leave the skulls (and ravens?) in the facade of "Snow White," but I believe they are now painted lavender and periwinkle blue, so they should be less threatening to the faint of heart. ;-)
Major and Bu, they DO ruin everything! ;-) I wonder how long it will be, before they do remove the skeletons from Pirates of the Caribbean? And the bottles of booze. And the guns! And the dunking of the mayor. And the implication of arson in the final scenes.
@ TM!(3)-!!
On June 5th a new exhibit will be opening where I work, entitled: Walt Disney Archives Presents - Heroes & Villains - The Art of the Disney Costume. As you can imagine, things are beginning to get really magical here-!! I had to pinch myself several times - just today-!
I will say this, though... I can't find any instance (so far) in the official documentation which uses the word "magical". [It's probably written in-house...]
@Nanook, so jealous!
Sounds like the some of the suits at Disney are out of their skulls.
I saw the Monkees live in concert at the Oklahoma State Fair in 1986 along with Herman's Hermits, the Grassroots, and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Something like 35th row on the arena infield. We drove two and a half hours to see it - left right after high school let out that day. Great concert. I still have the ticket stub and t-shirt somewhere.
Melissa, the Monkees actually played Disneyland on July 4th, 1976. Well, technically, it was "Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart" (Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones along with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who wrote the Monkees theme and "Last Train to Clarksville") on their 1975-77 "Golden Hits of the Monkees" tour, although Peter Tork joined them for part of the performance.
@ Melissa-
I can take pictures. (Any requests-?) https://www.mopop.org//exhibitions-plus-events/upcoming-exhibitions/heroes-and-villains-the-art-of-the-disney-costume/
First, I must say the comments today are FUN! Though now I'm VERY worried about what may get removed from, or changed at, POTC.
"Incense and Peppermints"
I had no idea what song you all were referring to, so I looked it up on YouTube. So that's what they're saying! I DO recognize the song!
Nanook - OH MY GOODNESS!!! You work at the 2nd coolest place!! (Disneyland being #1) YES, I do have two picture requests (and maybe you could have our Major post the photos someday):
1. Photos of anything involving Cruella de Vil (my favorite Disney character).
2. Photos of EVERYTHING ELSE!!!! (Thank you!)
@ Sue-
Done & done-!
Nanook, I hope you get to touch everything and try it all on!
Nanook, I hope you get to touch everything and try it all on!
Nanook, if you do the latter, please DO take pictures for GDB!!
@ Sue & TM!-
If only-!
Boyce and Hart: also as “Mortals” sang the “Serena” penned song: “I’m gonna blow you a kiss in the wind” at the Cosmos Cotillion on “Bewitched”. Love that episode! Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena are her best episodes- and she gets to sing in this one herself! Brilliant.
Post a Comment