Town Square, August 1966
Good old Town Square; it's one of the first things guests see as they step through the tunnels into the land of yesterday. It's sort of like when Dorothy opens the window to her tornado-tossed cabin and finds herself in Munchkin Land.
Either our photographer took some last-minute photos before they rode the Disneyland RR, or they mysteriously didn't arrive at the park until late afternoon - look at those long shadows pointing eastward. Still, there's plenty of time to catch lots of rides if they are willing to stay late! The trees have grown to the point where they are beautiful, but they obscure a lot of the view.
Panning to the right, we get a lovely shot of the Opera House, gleaming in the warm sunlight. The Omnibus is ready to go on another trip up Main Street. Notice the Moonliner, visible in the upper left.
I've always loved the "bronze" medallion with Abraham Lincoln's profile, above the entrance to "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln". Sponsored by Lincoln Savings! I wonder if that relief was carved, or sculpted and then cast in fiberglass?
30 comments:
Even though these images are from 1966 this is pretty much the way Main Street remains in my memory from visits in the 70’s and 80’s . and is still very similar today - it was the 1988-1994 period Main Street became to see bigger changes. I can pretty much say that Lincoln “bronze” marquee relief is fiberglass- even in 1966. The weight of bronze over the opera house’s delicate portico would be substantial.
I guess now with Disneyland reopened the Main Street Horsecars now travel in the opposite direction - clockwise . I’m unsure what the reason is for the change .
Is someone standing on top of the Matterhorn? Is it Tinkerbell? Is it Santa Claus? Inquiring minds want to know.
Great shots today. I love Main Street and the Town Square. I remember walking around at night and taking it all in as a teen. I appreciated it more, the older I got. The street rail system is genius and completes the illusion. Thanks Major.
Mike Cozart, you are right, except for minor changes here and there, this is pretty much the Main Street and Town Square that I remember as well. And I didn’t ever think that the Lincoln sculpture was real bronze - though it would have been cool if it really had been a massive chunk of metal! I think I’ve heard that they changed the direction of the Horse Drawn Streetcars due to wear on the wheels. Or something. Die-hard Disneyland traditionalists are not happy!
TokyoMagic!, that’s a monkey on top of the Matterhorn, and he’s flinging “stuff”!
Jonathan, while I was too intent on getting to my favorite rides to fully appreciate Main Street in my callow youth, it was impossible to not be dazzled by Main Street at night, with all of the buildings covered in “popcorn lights”. Like an old-fashioned Las Vegas!
Even though the photographer's day is ending, this is a great way to start my day.
This is what Main Street is supposed to look like. Busy, but not too crowded, bathed in the late afternoon glow while the riot of bright colors is restricted to people's clothing rather than the buildings themselves.
Mike, I remember reading when they replaced all of the track in 2018 that they changed the route from counterclockwise to a figure 8 to even out wear on the wheels and horse harnesses as well as to make it healthier for the horses, who were only making left turns with the previous operational plan.
Major, a-ha! So Disney did copy Monkey Island from the N.Y. World's Fair, when they built the Matterhorn!
I was thinking that it also could have been a 7 year-old Randy Travis up there, practicing for July 17, 1995.
Sorry I didn't respond to your response on your Knott's post from two days ago. I don't dislike monkeys! I love all animals! I was actually kind of hoping that the World's Fair and Knott's monkeys DID throw "stuff" at the crowds, and DID remove a finger or two, on occasion.
Major-
What happened to that poor fella at the bottom of the first image-? Two ears, a big forehead and a butch haircut is all that remains. I certainly hope he enjoyed his day at The Happiest Place On Earth.
Thanks, Major.
I'll echo what's already been said by Chuck. Pretty much what comes in my head when I think of Main Street. Light crowds and happy people. That magical glow. Where's that Wayback machine I ordered!
By the way, this is a video by David, from Freshbaked, of the opening day of Disneyland, last week. It's a stretch to watch the whole thing, (I did) but at least catch from 7:00 to about 11 or 12:00. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5ab_xPIvms
Thanks Major, best way to start the day.
My Dad was amazed when he heard that DL changed out the popcorn lights on a schedule rather than chasing the burnt out ones. Fact or fiction, I don't know.
People are sure well dressed that day.
I see the conductor is hurrying to tell Stripey 'hands AND feet inside the ride at all times'.
TM!- Maybe it's a papoose up there?
Some videos I have seen recently of the re-opening show an uncrowded Main Street like I remember as a kid.
Word of the day is bucolic. Thank you, Major
zach
@ zach-
I'm certain Mike knows, but I've always heard the [original, incandescent S-6 lamps] were changed-out as 'a group', based on time. (Okay... In the 'too much information department' - the real original lamps were probably A-15, using full-size [Medium] bases. On the Mark Twain, guests can get close enough to the strings of lights to see the original sockets (Medium), and the socket adapters reducing the size down to a Candelabra base, so the smaller S-6 lamps can be used).
It's really the most efficient way to do it - unless you want to have one or two folks on the payroll doing nothing but that task. I would doubt even in Walt's day, that level of "perfection" was the norm. I presume it's all LED lamps at this point - although they fail at some point, too. Yes, just ask me.
ATMOSPHERE! I can practically hear the background music.
At first glance of the third picture, I wondered what were the odds that both people at the far right were wearing the same pattern of plaid pants. Then I realized they were sitting behind wire mesh.
Yes, the Main Street I always wanted, why would anyone want to change anything about it (except a light bulb now and then), and like Melissa, I can hear the music, the streetcar bells, and the train station announcer, smell the popcorn. Even though I am fairly indifferent to popcorn.
Major, I always thought the bronze medallion was plated with copper from hundreds of Lincoln pennies, it's what Abe would have wanted.
Zach, papooses were placed at all the cardinal points in the Park, including the top of the Matterhorn, and the deepest part of the Submarine Voyage, for their protective power.
JG
In our script, we were told that there were more than 100,000 lights on Main Street and that they were changed out when they reached 80% of their lifecycle. I frequently (like every day) saw light bulb changers out on their cherry pickers. I'm sure they are LED now, which is getting better from an aesthetic perspective, but they will never have the glow of an incandescent. Not in my book anyway. Those Main St. lights had kind of a "filament bulb" look. Very old fashioned. We had a total blackout one day (which I'm not sure had happened before or has happened after- I forget what year). We had to close. The only light on Main Street were the gas lamps...now THAT was magical. All of the shops continued to take cash by flash light. Those were the days of Sweda cash registers- and everyone had gone to cash handling class to make change. We didn't have a machine to tell us the change, we had to actually do it in our heads! (Imagine that!) I initially thought that this picture was a later year due to tree size- but then I saw the rope railings around the grass in Town Square- and the Mr. Lincoln penny head. It's interesting to note that the Pony Farm employees were still wearing the same costumes many years later- perhaps they still are. It could very well be a scene from the 80's. And, incidentally, the "butch" haircut was an "approved" haircut in the appearance guidelines and actually was called "butch" in the employee manual. I had a butch for about a year- management was not pleased regardless of what was "approved" by the appearance coordinator. I was dismayed to hear about the street cars going in the opposite direction- makes absolutely no sense to me- it seems like horsie would get the same work out either way...and that must have been a fun re-training for all the percherons after years and years of doing it the same way. I suppose animals adapt quickly. I won't go into the Main Street building colors- I'm not sure how that "adds" to the experience...I say bring back the Penny Arcade machine that electrocuted you! THAT was a good time for a quarter! And while we are at it...the shooting gallery with metal pellets that guests would shoot their fingers off with "is there something really coming out of this gun?" ...yep...there was...
Chuck, I agree with you! I love these views of Main Street, especially the way they look with the warm late afternoon sunlight. I didn’t think about how the horse harnesses would likely wear out more on one side than the other, that’s interesting.
TokyoMagic!, yes, once Disney heard about the flinging of the stuff, he was all in. I guess singing at the top of the Matterhorn was a lifelong dream for Randy Travis, and he achieved it in ’95! Unfortunately it’s been all downhill from there. Do you think that the organ grinder monkeys had to wear diapers? There’s nothing funnier than a monkey in a diaper. Name one thing that’s funnier. YOU CAN’T DO IT!
Nanook, that kind jumped in the air because he wanted to be in the photo, even if it was just the top of his head. He just loves to have his “picture took”!
DrGoat, it sounds like that Freshbaked Disney is one of your favorite YouTube channels! I’ll have to check out his latest video, but will probably do so later, since I am on “mom duty” today. So glad you are doing better!
zach, Disney loved to publicize the lightbulb thing, probably because a LOT of people couldn’t believe that they would replace bulbs even if they were still working! I’m not sure if they still do that today - maybe so. I’m just noticing a little kid on the bench (look in front of Mr. Stripey) with no shirt on - I always think that’s so weird. You’re not at the beach, kid! Sure, we all like to walk around naked in our homes (ha ha), but not at Disneyland. Also, look behind the flagpole, there’s a mysterious group, I wonder if they are listening to a tour guide?
Nanook, hmmm, interesting, I do wonder if they’ve switched over to LED lamps on Main Street? Nowadays you can get them in nice warm colors, folks probably wouldn’t even know the difference unless they looked up close. The idea of changing out the lights in “blocks” (my word) makes sense, much easier to keep track of.
Melissa, sure, atmosphere is great, but what about magnification? And that mesh is there to prevent monkey attacks.
JG, I understand that change is inevitable, but for Main Street, which is supposed to be an idealized representation of a particular time in history, there doesn’t seem to be much need for painting some buildings “baby blue” or making the bricks on the cinema multicolored (and very phony looking at that). I like popcorn, but only eat it if I’m with someone else who gets it (at the movies, for instance)! I wish that the bronze medallion was for real, though I guess it wouldn’t look so shiny in the SoCal air after so many years. It would look like it was carved out of dark chocolate. I wonder if there is a papoose in Star Wars Land??
Bu, now there are those LEDs that have a sort of filament, my mom has some for her “candelabra” style dining room lamp, and we love them. Bright and warm, and really almost indistinguishable from the old incandescent variety. From a short distance away, you can’t tell the new bulbs from the old-fashioned kind. I wonder how many times Disneyland has had a blackout? I was there during a rainy day, and the power shut off briefly, but that set off a chain reaction, and all the rides had to be closed while they went through their morning “test” phase again. So we just found a warm restaurant and ate an early lunch, and by the time we were done, everything was back up and running again. I believe that the Pony Farm has moved off-property, who knows what the employees wear these days. If you look at the current auction from Van Eaton Galleries, they have a couple of the original Main Street Penny Arcade machines, I sure wish I could afford one of those!
Major, Not so much my favorite YouTube channel, but I do check his channel once or twice a week. His exuberant, enthusiasm and joy is fun to watch, and we all here have a bit of that in us I think. There's one bit at 24:20 or so where he get completely verklempt, eating a churro with the Mark Twain going by behind him. We're slow here at work so I've been browsing away.
Thanks, feeling better feels good.
Bu, man do I remember that shocking machine. I was the only one of my high school group who could finish it. But in reality, toward the end, I couldn't let go if I wanted to, but I got credit for having more courage than sense.
I just cannot imagine anything like that in the Park today.
Major, on one visit, there was a "transformer failure" (how it was described) that shut down the whole West Side, from Splash Mountain and WTP all the way to the Tiki Room. everyone fled to Tomorrowland side and left the area empty. It took most of the day before everything turned back on. Sort of dampened the enjoyment a bit.
JG
JG, I’ve always preferred the smell of popcorn to the taste!
I consider popcorn as a conduit for the butter.
The 'mysterious group' is chastising the person who knocked over the bag of sugar.
zach
Melissa, I am the same way. I rarely eat popcorn. My daughter buys a big tub when we go see a big-theater film, but that's the only time. Just doesn't do much for me, but the scent is wonderful.
After hearing Tokyo's stories about the fate of left over popcorn, I want it even less.
JG
Zach, ah yes....the ever disappearing and reappearing papooses! They like hidden "Easter eggs."
JG, I think that is what turned me off from buying popcorn in public places.
Bu, I remember the machine in the Penny Arcade that would "electrocute" you. There were actually two of them. One of them had "Electricity Is Life" printed across the front of it. One of the machines was still there a few years back, but I believe it has been removed now. The last time I tried it, the sensation was just a tiny fraction of what it had originally been.
Major, the organ grinder monkey probably did wear a diaper. Didn't Michael Jackson used to put a diaper on Bubbles the chimp? Well, he probably didn't put the diaper on Bubbles, himself. I wonder who got that job? And poor Randy Travis. He really has had a rough time, the last ten years or so.
Ooops, I meant that the papooses are like hidden Easter eggs. But they might actually like them, too.
Twenty years ago (!) on a visit to London, I visited the house where John Wesley lived in the 18th century, which had been turned into a museum with period furniture and objects the Wesley family actually owned. One of the latter was a “galvanic” device that he used in his charity work. Poor sick people could come around and give themselves a mild shock, which would give them a temporary mood lift. (It wasn’t functional anymore, so I didn’t get to try it.)
DrGoat, a good host is half the battle when it comes to a YouTube channel. If they are enthusiastic and personable, anything they talk about will be much more interesting to the viewer. That’s my theory, anyway!
JG, I only tried one of those “zapper” machines once, and it was very unpleasant. No need to ever do it again! I have to wonder if the amount of electric current could be potentially dangerous to folks who might be a bit more sensitive? I’m not sure if the power outage I experienced was a transformer failure, but in my case, they got most of the rides back up and running within perhaps an hour or 90 minutes. Once we saw empty Big Thunder trains zooming around the track, we knew that things were almost back to normal!
Melissa, I always think of various offices I’ve worked in, since so many people bring in microwave popcorn. I’d rather eat it than smell it!
zach, yes, popcorn without butter… what’s the point?! And you are probably right. “Do you know that you’ve just wasted a whole dollar’s worth of sugar?!”. ;-)
JG, I’m lucky that my niece or nephew is happy to share their popcorn, otherwise I would literally never eat the stuff. It’s fine, but I don’t want to pay theater prices for 5 cents worth of kernels and 2 cents worth of butter flavored oil.
TokyoMagic!, it’s probably best to not know about the making of most food at restaurants or especially amusement parks. I had a friend who worked at a Subway sandwich shop, and after her stories, I will never eat at one of those again. Instead of paying Disneyland 25 cents (or whatever) to be electrocuted, I just like to put a fork in the nearest outlet. I’m imagining putting a diaper on a monkey. “I should have listened to my mother and gone to law school!”.
TokyoMagic!, collect all the papooses!
Melissa, oh, London, la di da! ;-) I don’t know who John Wesley is (was), but that just demonstrates my ignorance. As if you needed more evidence. I think the idea of a mild electric stimulus potentially altering the mood of people is an interesting one! “Mild” being the key word.
Major, Tokyo and Blu,
I remember those electrical zapper machines well. The worst one was the one that you had to hold on to the "doorknobs" till the Knight crossed the bridge and speared the dragon. I swear once he got to a certain point on the bridge, you couldn't let go. I played it many times back then, but now I wonder why. It was painful.
Zach, I almost spit out my drink. Thank you!
Major, John Wesley and his brother, Charles, founded the Methodist movement.
Melissa, I wonder if we were there on the same day. Seems weird to think I left England 20 years ago. Can that be right? I mean, my oldest is only - shoot, he's 20, too. Which means I must be - oh, dear...when did that happen?!
I was there the first two weeks of April 2001. Oh, dear, indeed!
I was there the first two weeks of April 2001. Oh, dear, indeed!
DrGoat, I remember seeing that "electrical shock" machine with the knight somewhere. Did Disneyland have that one? I don't exactly remember that being the place where I saw it. Like you, I am now wondering why something like that was so much fun? As Major questioned earlier, I wonder if those machines could have been potentially harmful to people with certain "preexisting" conditions.
One of those machines was still in the Penny Arcade, as recently as 2017. I just posted the link in the comments on Major's post for today (5-5-21). However, the last time I tried it, the current was turned way down on it.
Melissa, we moved in late May (got back to the States just in time for Memorial Day), and Wesley's house was one of those things we tried to check off the list on our last trip down to London, so it's within the realm of the possible. I would have been the guy wearing shoes, if that jogs your memory.
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