Scenes on Main Street, May 1984
Oh yeah, it's time for more photos from Lou Perry, graciously shared with us by his daughter, Sue B! This time we're going to be looking at Main Street, USA (circa 1984).
Lou was standing on the steps of Main Street Station, looking down into Town Square when he grabbed this shot of a Horseless Carriage toodlin' by. I think they could have fit another three or four people in that vehicle, no problemo! Maybe the CM driving the vehicle remembers cars just like this from his youth.
Hot popcorn! Oh boy! Oh wait, it's "fresh"? I am very set in my ways and can't abide things that are fresh. They are too controversial. "Do you happen to have some stale popcorn?" I would ask politely. I would then inquire about where I could buy a Coke that has lost its fizz.
Note that the costume worn by the Cast Member is no longer a striped shirt, vest, and straw boater. It's "mustard yellow" for this fellow.
Here comes the Disneyland Band, looking spiffy in red, white and gold. Folks who lead the band are Disneyland equivalents of the Beatles. Women faint when they walk by. Notice the Horseless Carriage again.
Yeah, yeah, we get it, you're cool. You don't have to be so smug about it!
It turns out that the Disneyland Band wasn't just marching down the street for no reason; they were on their way to play a brief concert while seated around the flagpole. Did they play classic Souza marches? Disney classics? Maybe a mix of both?
Next we have the Saxophone Quintet. It used to be a quartet, but they are hard to control without constant supervision. Just days later it was a sextet. Notice the tongue hanging out of the bell of the bass sax. And check out that teeny tiny sopranino sax to the right! It's so cute. Say boys, the wife would love it if you'd play "Stairway to Heaven".
What time is it? The New Century Clock and Watch Shop (sponsored by Elgin) has you covered. If we eat lunch now, we'll beat the rush at noon! Notice the window above the street lamp still bears the "E.G. Upjohn, MO" sign; Upjohn was the original tenant in this corner establishment, but they moved out in 1970.
THANKS as always to Lou and Sue!
38 comments:
I think the popcorn vendor’s costume is BUTTER yellow! And the band is playing a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to Donald.
Happy birthday to Don,
Who’s a duck, not a swan.
And he’s dressed like a sailor,
But with no trousers on.
Thanks to Lou & Sue & the Major, too!
Melissa - hahaha!!
Major, make sure you give Melissa a raise! She deserves it!
I was just checking Google "street view" to see if that window still had "E.G. Upjohn" written on it. It does not. It now says "Starbucks Coffee Available Across The Street." Okay, I'm kidding. It now has the names of two different doctors on the window, but neither of them is E.G. Upjohn. And the "Elgin" name has also been removed from the clock.
And get this....I was looking around at the facades on Main Street, and saw one of the "Electricity" machines, just inside the doorway of the Penny Arcade! The current Google "street view" for Disneyland is dated 2017, so I'm not sure if it is still there today. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the last time I tried the machine, it was just a fraction of the shock that you used to get, which wasn't much fun at all. They ruin everything, don't they?
Thank you Lou, Sue, and the Major, too!
Ooops! I"m always forgetting things! I meant to include the link to the view of the "Electricity" machine, sitting just inside the doorway of the Penny Arcade:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8112351,-117.9190529,3a,75y,203.94h,85.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2jadl-hfjBwQDqUAMBx-sg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
That car is just like the Gurrmobile he remembers Dad driving back when he was a just a lad. It was a very popular car in its day - there's even one on the back of the $20. Then that upstart Hank Ford came along and ruined everything!
My oldest loves stale popcorn. He will pop himself a bowl, set it off on a corner of the kitchen counter, and wait until the next day to eat it.
Thnaks, Lou!
I'm glad to know someone else always has a maraca tucked in his belt.
In my dream last night, I was walking past Knott's Independence Hall. When I got to the Knott's entrance, it's a small world was randomly front and center. Of course, I then realized that I had forgotten my ticket.
Thnaks, Lou and Sue!
Beautiful shots today, thanks Major, Lou, Sue, Melissa (Gorilla Poet Laureate), and Tokyo!
A peaceful day on Main Street.
JG
Great poem Melissa, thanks. Lou never disappoints, these are great shots as usual. My favorite is the band playing at the flagpole. The Sax Brothers are about to perform Pink Floyd's Money. They are discussing who will play the solo. Thanks to Lou and Sue and Major for todays great scans.
TM!- 'Current' Google view- good one. You're supposed to put your tongue on it for the full effect, but not during Covid, of course.
Google spell doesn't recognize Covid yet? Get with it.
Melissa, it's not just the clever poetry but it's done in the middle of the night!
Andrew, No ticket but you remembered your pants, so that's progress.
I love a parade said just about everybody by now. My son marched with a Sousaphone all thru HS and College so I always check those guys out. He looks out of step with the rest of the guys.
Lou never disappoints. Thank you Sue, and Major, too, whose long over due, for a promotion.
Zach
Major-
It IS true: Lou never disappoints. It does bear repeating. (And neither does Melissa-!) It's almost as if Billy Collins and you are joined at the hip. [Does it hurt-? Golly, I certainly hope not].
Thanks to Lou and Sue. And the Major fella, too.
TokyoMagic! I always loved the Penny Arcade - thanks for linking us to it! I don't remember ever being brave enough to hold onto that "electricity" game, but I found it fascinating to watch the other brave souls.
Chuck, does your son like stale Peeps, too? My one friend likes to open her Peeps packages and let them sit a couple days to get really chewy before she'll eat them. I, personally, like to "blow them up" in the microwave.
Andrew, do you play that maraca while fiddling?? BTW, you really should attach a link, here, to one of your fiddling performances, for all the Junior Gorillas to watch. Am serious, because you are good at it!
Speaking of pants, boy do those guys in the short shorts look silly (I know that was the style back then)...
JG, JC, Zach and Nanook and all: Thank you for your nice comments - you'll make my dad's day!
Oh, Nanook, I also meant to say: Billy Collins is good - but he could take lessons from Melissa! (Melissa, you're the best!)
Wonderful pics, as usual Lou & Sue. Red was the color of the day I see. Red and black goes so well on the Saxophone Quartet.
The 80s were a good decade for me personally. Lots of trips to the Park, good job and got married in '86. Plus I was in my 30s. Feels like a thousand years ago. It went by so quick.
Tokyo, I'm certain that Knight crossing the bridge electric machine was in the Penny Arcade. Vivid memory of not being able to let go of those doorknob thingies. I think I even broke a finger nail on that thing. Good times! There would be so many lawsuits today if the current was as strong as back then.
Thanks Lou & Sue. Will never get enough of your family photos. Be well and be good.
Thank you Major, goes well with yesterday's post.
Popcorn! I love popcorn, and after making a few tons of it (literally) in my "Yellows" I still love it. My hair would smell like the seasoned partially hydrogenated coconut oil when I got home- when I took a shower the bathroom would smell like a popcorn factory. The yellows were a bright, bright yellow- visible from space. The guy in the picture I THOUGHT was me!...if it was taken in 1982- it could very well be me. That location was "Popcorn 2" which was the Hub (Popcorn 1 was Town Square- only open Summer and Holidays.) On slow, rainy days Popcorn 2 would be the only popcorn wagon open. It was also the location of the one and ONLY full time popcorn vendor who worked 40 hours a week. It isn't him in the shot. If you were scheduled for Popcorn 2 you would wear Main St. Merchandising. Since the guy (or me) is in Yellows, he was giving Gene a break. I can see that Orville Redenbacher (Hunt-Wesson) was still sponsoring- the logo is still there- we would have to wear an Orville "pin" with our costume if we worked a popcorn shift- it always ripped your costume as it was too heavy for most of the cotton or cotton poly blends.- I liked to be "peter perfect" in my costume, so I was quite distressed over holes and whatnot. Mr. Horseless carriage is unfortunately not wearing his costume correctly (unbuttoning your vest was verboten- but I think these older guys on Main Street got away with more than I ever could.) His name tag is also worn incorrectly- never in the middle for a costumed cast member- and he is probably an old timer because where the Mickey would be above your name there is a service pin indicating years. The Elgin shop replaced the Bradley shop- the Bradley watches (even though they were kind of cheap) were much nicer design Mickey Mouse watches- and reasonably priced. I had a LOT of Mickey Watches through the years- they would get covered in Popcorn salt and then would die. There was a story about the "pharmacist" who worked at the Upjohn shop was miffed when he was relieved of his position when Upjohn moved on...the rumor was that he threw the live leeches into the Rivers of America- which started more rumors about cast members being "attacked" by leeches (third shift people, divers, etc). So we never dipped a toe or two into the water- there are many more rumors about what went into that River, but for another time...
Okay BU, I saw Attack of the Giant Leeches a long time ago. Never get out of the boat. Don't blame cast members for keeping their members out of the water. Only a Pharmacist would think of dumping those things in the Rivers of America. Didn't Frank Zappa write a song about that?
Attack of the Giant Leeches came out the same year as The Killer Shrews, which is the most classic of B-movies.
Good stories, thanks.
Bu, your reminiscences never disappoint.
I just found my old 1980's Disneyland guide book (to scan to share). It has a photo of a popcorn vendor wearing that wild yellow uniform. I thought it was a Rocket Jets or Autopia uniform. Seems pretty off-kilter to wear that on Main Street.
I remember being creeped out by the big jar of Upjohn leeches. I almost hope that River story is true.
JG
Melissa, I suppose “butter yellow” would be more applicable! Thanks to TokyoMagic! I know the lyrics to Donald’s special birthday song. I like your song lyrics!
Lou and Sue, I am doubling her pay IMMEDIATELY!
TokyoMagic!, Aw, that makes me sad that they removed the Upjohn window sign. Why not leave a little nod to the past here and there? Is it because they are no longer paying that precious, precious lessee money? I’m shocked (see what I did?) that the Electricity machines are still there. And now I need an investigative report on those machines to see how much of a jolt they used to give guests, versus how much they give now. If anything they should have increased the voltage. Yes, they do ruin everything!
TokyoMagic!, thank you for the picture link! We need to figure out how to say “They ruin everything” in Latin, and that can be the official TokyoMagic motto. Who here speaks fluent Latin? Melissa?
Chuck, if there is a Gurrmobile on the back of a $20 bill, shouldn’t Bob Gurr’s likeness be on the front of the bill? Let’s start a petition! And I wonder if anybody called Henry Ford “Hank”?! Stale popcorn, yuck! But my mom likes stale cookies - she’ll buy a package, open them up, and let them sit like that for a day, two days, a week. I think they’re gross, but she likes them that way.
Andrew, the maraca is a sign to let the ladies know he’s available! The only thing that would complete your dream is if you discovered that you were in your pajamas while at the Knott’s entrance.
JG, I feel pretty proud to be one of the few blogs to have a poet laureate.
Jonathan, I didn’t think about which one is my favorite, but I do like that Horseless Carriage shot an awful lot. I’d love to hear a saxophone quintet attempting to play “Money”, I’ll bet it would sound pretty cool! In fact, they should do the whole “Dark Side of the Moon” album.
zach, really, Google doesn’t recognized “Covid”? Well, not many people are talking about it, I guess. Melissa works best when the moon is full and the wolfsbane is in bloom. Ha ha, see my comment to Andrew! My nephew played in his school band, and loved attending the football games. Now that he is in college, he still performs with an orchestra a few times a year, in a tuxedo! He looks like a skinny James Bond.
Nanook, I’m not sure who Billy Collins is. Bootsy’s brother? Phil’s cousin?
Lou and Sue, just imagine all the other arcade games that they could have designed that were intended to cause pain. The Wedgie Machine. The Eye Poker. The sky’s the limit, really. I don’t like Peeps, fresh or stale, though I appreciate their massive cultural impact. I wonder if they’d be better if they were roasted over a fire like a regular marshmallow? And wait, what? Did Andrew tell us he plays the fiddle? What am I missing? I have pictures of myself wearing shorts sort of like that, and yes, I look really silly in them. Kind of embarrassing.
Lou and Sue, Bootsy Collins could also take lessons from Melissa, he has money.
DrGoat, it really is amazing how long ago the 1980s were - I remember being in school and everything seemed pretty great. I was going to see a lot of live bands at the time, it was just the thing me and my friends liked to do. Punk, New Wave, and Noise bands! I don’t remember the electric charge being as strong as you describe, though I definitely did not like it.
Bu, your description of coming home smelling like a popcorn factory reminds me of when my older brother worked at McDonald’s. He’d come home, and his brown polyester uniform would be covered in grease, and he immediately had to take a shower. I think that was the main reason he finally quit, he was sick of constantly washing his uniform. If only we could see that it was you in that popcorn vendor picture! My friend Mr. X was a popcorn vendor, but I forget which station he worked at - he’s told me a number of times. I’ve never compared popcorns, is Orville Redenbacher any better than some other brand? Pop Secret or whatever? Maybe Mr. Horseless Carriage was extra funny, it wouldn’t surprise me if they gave him some leeway with his pin. After all, it’s not like it ruins the experience! I’d like to believe the story about the leeches in the river - I wonder if they would actually survive there. As someone who has had to pull more than a few leeches off (thanks, lakes in Minnesota), I really really don’t like them!
DrGoat, I would be more worried about yucky microbes in that river water. Who knows what goes into it every day! My brother is a Zappa expert, I’ll have to ask him about whether Frank wrote a song about pharmacists dumping things into a river. I’ve seen “Killer Shrews”, but never “Killer Leeches”!
JG, I have a photo from the early ‘70s, and at that time the ice cream vendors were wearing yellow, red, and white stripes. They look like McDonald’s employees. For some reason they moved away from trying to look like they belonged in that turn-of-the-century world (straw boater, red vest, etc), and they started to look like “amusement park employees”.
Major, yep, Andrew told us he played the fiddle - in the comments, maybe a year ago (at least I'm pretty certain it was on GDB, and not another blog). I picked up on it because I also played the violin.
DrGoat, the 80s were great years!
Bu, keep sharing your stories - I love all the background info and details! I think you're a couple years younger than me, but I just realized that some of you other Junior Gorillas are the ones who worked at Disneyland during the late 60s and early 70s and, in my eyes, I thought you were THE COOLEST! And still ARE cool!
^ I should add that I didn't go to Disneyland in the late 70s or 80s (sadly), so I can't comment on how "cool" the employees were, then. ;o)
Major, here is the GDB Latin Motto:
"Et omne loquendum sentiet mala"
"They ruin everything"
Great idea, add it to the blog masthead.
JG
Great pics, today – thanks Major and Lou and Sue. Those yellow outfits, while very '80s, are not very Main Street at all!
You beat me to the translation, JG. I've gone with the pithier 'Omnia destruunt', though.
Major, I just re-read your comments and read that you said:
I have pictures of myself wearing shorts sort of like that, and yes, I look really silly in them. Kind of embarrassing.
I'm holding the rest of my dad's photos and slides hostage and won't release any more UNTIL you post those pictures!!!
Orville Redenbacher at the time was the first and only "Gourmet Popcorn", and Hunt-Wesson had recently acquired them in the 70's. Orville actually was in the park in 1976 (?) and some of my compatriots were there that day...(it was photographed- do a web search)...they said he was a bit "eccentric"...The popcorn was definitely better than any other popcorn at that time- big and fluffy. This was the days before microwave popcorn. Disneyland popcorn at that time was .50 cents. On very busy days- generally 4th of July, or the Christmas week...in one shift (there was two) you could sell 2500+ boxes of popcorn- so about 300+ an hour if you were speedy. There was a "system" to physically crank out that many boxes (we were a solo show), and I have to boast and say that I was a master. Those particular days were tough for some, and often times there were seasonal who couldn't take it and you would have to rescue them at their wagon- generally they were in tears unable to communicate with a long line of guests screaming for popcorn (quite literally). There were no phones at the locations...you would have to flag down a sweeper, who would then call the garage for you for help. There was no butter (everyone asked), but we did use Morton popcorn salt, which is a superfine salt that I highly recommend for your popcorn. The popcorn was salted DURING the cooking process, which for most directions is a "no no" since it toughens the kernels but for some reason, it did not affect Disneyland popcorn in the least- it was probably due to the custom made cooker (which was extremely hot and I STILL have scars on my arms 40 years later!! No joke!) For some costume notes: Yellows were for Leads, Reliefs (break people and re-stockers), and for all Tomorrowland and Fantasyland locations. If you were in another land, you wore the Merchandising costume for that land. So, your costume generally changed daily. The only person that stayed in the same spot everyday was Gene on Main Street- otherwise you were in and out of different costumes all the time- when you arrived at the ODV "Garage" (behind America Screams...I mean sings...)you would check to see where you were assigned to, then went to wardrobe to get the correct costume. Sometimes, if you had to change wagons for some reason, you had to wear two different costumes in one day. The Frontierland costume fit me the best, with it's tapered brocade vest..and the trousers were cut very slim as well. I wish I had more photos of that time! I fancied myself as quite the handsome lad! This was in the days that costume sizes were much smaller...and once you hit the limit: "bye bye." I was only in that department for 2 years, but I have such vivid memories and popcorn still ranks as my favorite food of all time. I discovered Garretts popcorn later in life as I was in Chicago twice a week...wow...that is popcorn! (a hybrid of Butterfly popcorn and Mushroom popcorn.) I drone on...
Andrew, but had you remembered to study for the test that you were having that day? ;-)
Sue, I always loved the Penny Arcade, too. I hated it when they scaled it back by removing most of the machines, and then put merchandise in that space. They tried doing that with the Main Street Cinema recently, but I guess too many people screamed, so they got rid of the merchandise.
Zach, I wonder what a tongue....or wet hands would have done to the "shock" sensation on those machines. A friend of mine from junior high put a coin in one of those machines and had me hold onto only one of the handles. He held onto the other one. We couldn't feel anything, but then he grabbed my forearm with his other hand, and we could then feel the shock. I guess that "completed the circuit" or something like that. We did try it with a third person in the middle, but none of us felt anything. We should have kept experimenting with other positions and body parts!
DrGoat, then that must have been where I saw the "shock machine" with the knight crossing the bridge, because I do remember it!
Bu and Major, I am also hoping that leech story is true! Katherine Hepburn uses salt to remove leeches. I wonder if Morton's popcorn salt would work just as well? A few months ago, I watched The Leech Woman on Svenghoulie. Funny, there were no leeches in that movie. I guess the title was just a metaphor.
JG and Pegleg Pete, thanks for those Latin translations. I need to have that put on a T-shirt!
@Pegleg Pete, concise Latin is the best Latin, I like yours.
Although we could go with Tacitus' popular quote (which was my first thought):
"Ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant", which conveys a similar sense and the sad story is well-known.
JG
Major-
Billy Collins was appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. [Although retiring in 2016] he was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York. He was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library in 1992 and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004 through 2006. In 2016, Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. As of 2020, he is a teacher in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.
To quote from the Poetry Foundation... "Dubbed “the most popular poet in America” by Bruce Weber in the New York Times, Billy Collins is famous for conversational, witty poems that welcome readers with humor but often slip into quirky, tender, or profound observation on the everyday, reading and writing, and poetry itself". Your time would be well-spent to give him a read (or even better - a listen). FER INSTANCE...
Bu beat me to it but he’s correct : disneyland popcorn vendors from the 70’s modern times used a merchandise or area general costume specific land . Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were an exception. For the opening of Walt Disney World costume designer Tom Peirce created a specific outdoor vending costume consisting of yellow pants or skirt and a red white vertical stripe top and a apron. Two variants of a striped hat went with this costume. A version of this was used at Disneyland as well . This was revised around 1977-1978 and is the version you see in today’s pictures . The white and red stripes remain but only as trim on the new costume. The tall striped hat is modernized with a visor. This outdoor vending costume was much more modern in look but that was the trend in 1977 and is really only used in Tomorrowland .. parts of Fantasyland and as a break relief. The 1977/78 version’s basic look was kept in use into the 1990’s. On a side note the Candy Worker- Balloon Seller and outdoor vendor costumes were designed. To use the same yellow ( technically called GOLD) fabric.
In 1994 Walt Disney World wardrobe department went HATS OPTIONAL. So many of the designed hats for costumes became phased out because they just were not being worn . Sorry I think that was a question from another blog as to why WDW railroad engineers are seen often without hats ...
The metal Orville Redenbacher costume pins were not unique . With the costumes being designed for EPCOT CENTER it was decided to no longer produced costume patches with sponsors logos or names on them. This way should the sponsor leave before the costumes are replaced the patches won’t continue giving free advertising or get damaged trying to remove the patches. So the corporate sponsors identification began to be done with the pins .... DOLE, COLUMBIAN COFFEE GROWERS , COCA COLA , FED X etc.
Some costumes still featured sponsors on the costumes long after the sponsorship had ended and before the costumes were replaced . In 1987 the winter coats for PEOPLEMOVER still had the PeopleMover - Goodyear patch on them despite that Goodyear departed in 1981. AMERICA SINGS jumpsuits still had the Del Monte tomato patch until the attraction was shuttered. In California the winter attraction only coats were not used very much so there was no rush to replace the garment.
Bu also mentioned the costume sizes : it’s true : they were done in very limited sizes .... weight control was very much a big part of the Disney Show .... if you didn’t fit the costume : you didn’t fit the job. Tour Guides who gained a bit too much weight we’re sent to the phone room until the weight was under control. In general weight wasn’t much of a issue very often in the 70’s and 80’s .... but thanks to microwaved peeps and state popcorn it is. Did you see how my response was regarding the popcorn vending then I brought it back to popcorn at the end?
Well, if you really want to see it, here's one of my fiddle performances with the N.A. Fiddlers, a group I'm in through school. I'm to the right of microphone #3. We learn fiddle tunes by ear (no sheet music), and I've been to the summer workshop every year since middle school, so I can play 50 songs from memory, which is surprisingly not hard to do! We only performed our 2020 set once but had an end-of-the-year "jam" today. :-)
Mike Cozart, I have a Universe of Energy costume (It doesn't look like it was ever used.) with the Exxon logo on a patch.
Lou and Sue, I guess the fiddle thing went right over my head, I have no memory of it! But then again, I have no memory of a lot of things. And yes, Bu (and anyone else), I love hearing stories of their time at the park, whether they were a cast member, or a mere mortal (i.e. a guest)!
Lou and Sue, you took two whole decades off? I didn’t know!
JG, Thank you for the translation, but I feel like that should be TokyoMagic’s masthead, since it he is the person who makes it his mantra!
Pegleg Pete, why, I have half a mind to wear all yellow tomorrow! Everyone will stare in admiration. Look at you with your fancy Latin!
Lou and Sue, ha ha, NO DEAL! As wonderful as Lou’s photos are, there’s only so much humiliation I can handle!!
Bu, oh I know the Orville Redenbacher story - I just wonder, if somebody handed me a tub of popcorn, would I be able to tell that it was Orville’s? Maybe if I had one tub that was his and one that was “something else”, I could discern that one was lighter and fluffier. Otherwise… popcorn is popcorn. Or so I say, a barbarian! Wow, hearing about how much popcorn could be sold on a busy day, and multiplying that by however many individual popcorn vendors were in the park (five? eight?), that’s a whole lotta moolah. My brother swears by the fine popcorn salt. It’s good on french fries and onion rings too (oh man, now I’m getting hungry). Thank you for all the fun information about the costumes, and for your time working those popcorn shifts!
TokyoMagic!, Andrew studied the WRONG CHAPTER! It kills me that they got rid of most of the machines in the Penny Arcade. Greed is all it was. I’m sure every kid remembers going in and being fascinated by those unique games. It sounds like you spent a lot more time experimenting with the electric machines than most people would. You should write a dissertation and get some sort of advanced degree. Salt will make leeches fall off, but who has salt on them when they’re swimming in a lake?? So we just yanked the slippery buggers off, and then the wound would continue to stream blood for a while. Some fun.
JG, how in the world did you end up learning Latin? Medical school? Divinity school?
Nanook, oh POETRY! I know not of this thing you refer to. In my book, the best poetry rhymes and has something to do with daffodils, and uses the words ‘ere or oft. Now that is some classy poetry! Thank you for the link to the video, I feel like I absorb poetry better when I read it, but I will watch the video a second time.
Lou and Sue, you took two whole decades off? I didn’t know!
Major, you only have that half right. Lou (and my mom) went almost every year, at least once. I missed two whole decades. Ugh. I was busy with "life" - school, work, dating, getting married...plus went to WDW during that time - as it was closer and less expensive. I know, those are terrible excuses.
Thank you, Major and Jr. Gorillas, for the fun day, today!
Ugh, I can't do anything right today! One more attempt at responding to comments I missed:
Mike Cozart, I feel like I’m losing it, somehow I missed your comment, even though it is huge! Mike, do you know if there is some kind of “master record” of all of the costumes that have been used in Disneyland over the years? Sort of like those photos that Huck Caton shared with us so long ago? I wonder because some costumes, such as the Jungle Cruise employees, changed constantly, or so it seemed. And even the venerable Tomorrowland Spaceman costume changed in details quite a lot - I have photos with many different versions, including that crazy version of the helmet with the red “veins” (or is it supposed to be some sort of electricity?) on it. I’d like to think that there is a big book, or at least a drawer full of hundreds of photos. I do think that it was a big loss when they decided to unify the costumes all over the park, instead of having unique versions for each land, or even each ride. “Hats optional”, i want “pants optional”! The dream. WDW should have had a walk-around Orville Redenbacher. Even hearing about how the costumes for EPCOT CENTER were “dumbed down” is a bummer to me. Cost-cutting at its worst. Interesting that they kept the Goodyear name on the Peoplemover costumes, it seems like they were much more aware of such things years earlier (that TWA logo went away in a hurry when that company stopped sponsoring the Rocket to the Moon). Thanks again for all the great info!!
Andrew, somehow I missed your comment too, sorry about that. I must have just scrolled too fast, or was looking at my pet Tasmanian Devil or something (note: I WISH I had a pet Tasmanian Devil!). I love that fiddle video, thanks for sending the link! What a fun thing to be able to play an instrument like that! I also love that folky tune, whatever it is. A digression: my relatives in Minnesota were all farm folk, and it seems like they could all play multiple instruments. They’d play music on the porch after supper, and when I was a kid it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen (and heard). My Uncle Harold could play the fiddle, the guitar, and the accordion - and probably other instruments too. I hope you stick with your fiddling, and someday you can play for your kids!!
Lou and Sue, oh I get it - especially when you live in Illinois, and as you said, went to school, got married, and had to establish your own life as an adult. It has its own rewards, but dang it, you didn’t go to Disneyland for so long! ;-) Hey, going to WDW is no sin, I’d have done it if I could have - I’m still sore that my family never went when we lived on the east coast.
Andrew again, when I wrote my last comment, I'd only heard the first song - I'm on the second one now, and like that one too!
Andrew: yes .... when the original 1968 costuming department was disbanded in 1996 and most of the costume department ( now called creative costuming ) was relocated to Walt Disney World. When this happened the park continuity in costumes went with the wind and each park began to basically create their own costumes - and many were outsourced entirely by outside vendors .... this period was also was a low point in the quality of the costume. But even with the costuming department changing to pins and not corporate patches in 1981 there were exceptions .... one includes Horizons - there was no budget to do a GE pin so costuming duplicated the Carousel of Progress patch in blue rather than red .... etc. and GE had a 10 year contract.
MAJOR. I’ve interviewed Bob Phelps , Jack Muhs , and Tom Pierce - the core group of the park costuming department from 1968 thru the mid 1990’s ..... and they had costuming documentation all handled right at Disneyland . Much of it was not saved or taken care of when the big change occurred - but there is some . Some of it that remained was sent to the archives ( at the Disney studios) and some is kept at WDI in documentation ...... however I know that when the slide binders were trying to be located showing all the costume artwork they could not find them and some of the documentation photo albums were lost or misplaced and some I know for a fact were destroyed . But I don’t think it’s all together in one central location. In the mid 1990’s much of the origal artwork was sold thru Disney’s OFFICIAL DISNEYANNA CONVENTIONS . The Disney Gallery above Pirates of the Caribbean also sold original park Costume sketches framed for a time in the late 80’s and early 90’s .
But from 1966 - 1995 every Disney park costume was designed at Disneyland on the opposite side of primeval World .
Major : the EPCOT costumes for opening and early years were in no way dumbed down ... in fact Epcot costumes probably went through more consideration than any other costumes by Disney ever. They just were avoiding having to stitch on patches and having to possibles ruin the costumes by removing them. Dole pineapple was a good non example - shortly after Dole sponsored Tiki Room , they updated their logo .... and in mid signage changeover WED had to alter the logo .... as dole insisted .... the second time the logo changed the costumes ( the white hibiscus pattern went to the logo pin and no patch . Sometimes sponsors are EXTREMELY picky when even a slight logo change occurred.
Reading this late about costuming...themeing being limited now, poor quality, no longer in-house creations, wear it home and wash it yourself, such a loss of pride in product made exclusively for a CM by Disney. Yep...a lot of change. Now I need to find a positive here. Darn. KS
Back up the bus Partridge....wear it home and wash it YOURSELF?! .....oh dear...that is rather horrifying to me...sounds like the Magic Kingdom of Wrinkles..."eek" Well...I suppose it eliminates the "get to work with plenty of time to change your costume before your shift.."
Andrew, what wonderful performances, thanks for sharing that!
I am somewhat envious that you can play an instrument, skills that passed me by. I do love fiddle music, especially Irish and Scottish.
Major, I forgot that the original slogan was Tokyo's. Pegleg Pete has the better version. I took the idiomatic approach over conciseness, but the latter is the soul of the Latin language.
JG
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