A Random Pair From the 1960s
Today I have a pair of nice photos from "sometime in the '60s" for you. Let's start with this rather shocking picture of Town Square as seen from the train station. Talk about a slow day! There are only a few people milling around; if you want to sit on a bench... no problem. Everything is as neat and tidy as one would expect.
Zooming in a little, we can see the drinking fountain (sans C&H Sugar) that is just behind the flapole, and beyond that, a Surrey passes by; maybe the driver was encouraged to go around and around until he managed to get some passengers before he went north on Main Street? The beds of bright yellow and red flowers really stand out in this photo.
Next is this pretty view of Rivers of America, with the new Haunted Mansion building in place, looking as if it had always been there. The water on the river is smooth and glassy, only disturbed by ducks. As is often the case, the Columbia rests in Fowler's Harbor. And the mill on Tom Sawyer Island is practically swallowed by the vines and creepers!
To the extreme left is a little ticket booth that sometimes moved around. Unused rafts to Tom Sawyer Island are moored next to an unused Keelboat.
27 comments:
I count 10 (possibly 11) trash cans in #1.
I love these photos! What a great day to be in the Park!
Hey, is that a real man sitting on top of Columbia’s sail - or whatever it’s called?!?!
WOW!!! I remember very very light crowds in the 80’s and Disneyland - but never anything like this!! And it’s such a nice day out! I’m torn: it would be great to enjoy Disneyland on a day like this , but on the flip side - I have a feeling maybe operations would keep many attractions closed on a day like this.
At first, it looked like there was no one in the 2nd picture. Then I saw two in the zoom, but I never would have spotted the guy on the yardarm. Good eye Sue! No lines, no waiting on that day, sign me up. I love the River picture, let's all take the Keel Boat out for a spin. Thanks Major.
At about one o’clock from the flagpole in the first shot, there is a fella wearing an unusually-shaped hat with a red band that matches his wife’s dress. I’m wondering if it’s her hat and he’s borrowed it to cover the bald spot on his head and prevent it from burning any further?
In the second photo, the weather vane on the Haunted Mansion has only one sail and Gullywhumper only has two hatches, so we know this picture was taken between July of 1964 and 1967. The Mansion’s gates are closed and presumably locked. I wonder if they are ever going to open that thing? I heard it was open for a short while, but it was so scary a guest died of fright and they had to close it.
I wonder if maybe that guy on the yardarm woke up there after a particularly harrowing visit from some pink elephants? He should stop hanging around with that bunch of clowns he was with last night.
Major-
That guy up there on the yardarm is a nice bonus. Perhaps adding that location to the 'guest area' could help alleviate crowds down on terra firma on those crowded days-?
Thanks, Major.
Wow, Chuck, great detective work! You're a regular "gum shoe!"
These have a certain "tilt/shift lens" quality to them that makes them seem even more ideal.
By the way, I had no idea how a tilt/shift lens worked, but I asked the Google gods and they explained it. Turns out what I thought was a digital effect is actually a practical effect that would work on regular film just as well. Who knew???? (Not me).
These are wonderful, Major!
Lou and Sue, I think I see 10, though some are just teensy blips - one is partly behind the Tobacco Shop Indian, and the one way at the end to the left is barely there!
Lou and Sue, it sure is! Technically he is sitting on the “Sail Thingy”.
Mike Cozart, I wonder how they would decide which attractions to leave closed? My guess is that a lot of the Frontierland rides would not be available. It really would be a bummer to perhaps drive all the way to Anaheim, only to find that you happened to go on a low-attendance day, and perhaps your favorite attractions were unavailable that day.
Jonathan, you can see some people in front of the Haunted Mansion, and a few others roaming the riverfront, but it is definitely a slow day. Even without all the attractions open, it would have been a great day to take photos.
Chuck, I see him! I have to admit that the hat has a feminine look to it - not a lot of bright red ribbons on men’s hats. It’s hard to really tell what style of hat it is, though… it might be a red cap with a white top and a white bill? Good eye on the Mansion’s weathervane. I admit that the single-sail version looks a little underwhelming, at least from a distance. I can see why they eventually decided to make it more elaborate. I hope that the guest who died of fright now gets to be one of the 999 ghosts. Could it be that the guy on the yardarm was in the process of unfurling some of the sails? If so, why? The Columbia was in drydock!
Nanook, you are thinking outside the box, and that means that I am raising your pay by 200%!
Stu29573, when it comes to anything gum-related, Chuck is THE MAN. I have played around with a tilt-shift effect in Photoshop, with a few examples looking pretty good, and others looking... well, not so great.
The first pic is great with the flowers, surrey, and empty street. The second image again gives me the idea of a "full river parade." Have the Mark Twain in front, followed by the two Keelboats, three rafts, and six or so canoes, with the Columbia being the grand finale. It would've been like Fantasmic before it was cool!
Andrew : I’m not sure if you were a GDB follower when Tokyo Magic and I talked about the Frontierland ROLLIN’ RIVER REVUE : it in fact was a precursor to Fantasmic and used all the Rivers of America watercraft as water bound parade floats with musical numbers and performers - even dancing . The Tom Sawyer Island rafts were included. I recall the Mark Twain being used as the finale float and appeared at the end of a medley of songs of American rivers. The watercraft went in both directions with some going counter clockwise and others at times clockwise. A dock stage was on Tom sawyers Island and also featured performers tied in with the show. After the ROLLIN’ RIVER performance a guest celebrity band or singer would perform. I have a screenprinted standee advertising a similar show however it isn’t just a Americana based show and Polynesian outriggers and dancers and the Mark Twain shows live performers with America on Parade costumed “dolls”. I can find no proof that this version of the show was actually performed - but it is possible it was . The fact that the standee is screenprinted and very specific on its “floats” seems like a lot of money was spent on it. It’s possible such an elaborate show - parade has to be toned down to just the American - Frontier sections ...... and I have a feeling the gas crises had something to do with that.
Not long ago someone on eBay had a vintage Disneyland main entry sign featuring the Mark Twain and fireworks with show times for something just called “RIVER SHOW” . Fireworks are Depicted behind the mark twain on my Standee. I don’t recall fireworks as being part of the ROLLIN’ RIVER REVUE.
Looks like the chicks and ducks and geese have all scurried.
Not much that hasn't already been said. Okay, you can add in a few more people. Maybe 4 more. The perfect Disneyland day.
Got to watch out for that Surrey Melissa. Especially the one with the, well, you know.
Thanks Major. Perfect "let's all jump right in" pics.
Major & Sue, I agree, at least ten trash cans for sure.
Extra points for the C&H white drinking fountain. Another of these appears to be visible in the Haunted Mansion photo. I thought that style was limited to Main Street, but here it is.
Beautiful pictures today, all very peaceful.
The River is shallow today, as it only comes up to that duck’s belly.
JG
Ha! I found #11, zoom in tight, it is partially behind the flagpole on the Hub.
JG
Good job, JG! That’s the one!
@ DrGoat-
It's those isinglass curtains that cause all the trouble-!
Those empty-Park days were my favorite. When the kids were little in the 80s we would declare a school/work holiday on a February weekday and have a non-crowded Disneyland-day. Those pics are as non-crowded as I ever saw.
"Technically he is sitting on the “Sail Thingy”"
Major, as a former sailmaker I'm impressed by your knowledge of sailing terminology. ;)
Nanook,
Ha, good one. Between the isenglass curtains and the fringe, those poor animals didn't stand a chance...or any old timey folks that got in the way.
My Mom had a lamp with a Mica shade (unfortunately not a Antique Roadshow Tiffany) that didn't fair well after the Dalmatian we had plowed into it. I was about 5 years old but I do remember that incident.
Andrew, Andrew, they could have included the service boats with the outboard motors! The more the merrier, I say.
Mike Cozart, I am pretty sure Andrew was with us by the time that conversation came along, but it never hurts to mention the Rollin’ River Revue again! You mentioned that the river craft went in both directions, that sounds like a recipe for disaster (especially since it was done at night, I seem to recall). I wonder if the guest celebrity band or singer would generally be a Dixieland or Big Band performer? Or would they even include pop music stars? Here’s Paul Anka! It almost seems hard to believe that the Revue wouldn’t include at least a few modest fireworks, but of course it’s hard to say. For things like this, mostly lost to history, I have to wonder if there is any documentation regarding the Revue in the archives. Thanks Mike.
Melissa, oh they scurried alright. They scurried with extreme prejudice.
DrGoat, I am even more magnanimous, I will allow 20 more people. Clearly you are referring to the Surrey with the very loud boom box.
JG, maybe C&H should have sponsored a “sweetened” water fountain! (YUCK). The park used that style of trash can all over, just with different paint jobs. That particular version tended to be seen in Fantasyland, but it works perfectly well over by the Mansion too.
JG, oh yeah, I see that one now!
Lou and Sue, I really did have to zoom in.
Nanook, where can I buy some nice isinglass curtains these days? Maybe IKEA?
Grant, oh man, your kids had the best parents if you would actually let them have a Friday off to go to Disneyland! You realize it went on their PERMANENT RECORD, though. I know all about sailboats, having played with one in the bathtub for years.
DrGoat, I love those Craftsman-style lamps (made of hand-beaten copper) that have the mica shades, they are beautiful. I wish I had one! Well, I do, but it’s a cheapie copy that’s not even that nice, to be honest. But it casts a nice warm light. Thank goodness yours wasn’t a valuable antique, since the Dalmatian destroyed it!
Major, I'm starting my 29th year in public education, and I'm about to blow the top off the whole scam....
THERE IS NO PERMANENT RECORD!
Chuck...to set the record straight...the Haunted Mansion never opened before 1969. No one died before that date! The show building behind the berm was not constructed until readying for the 1969 opening. As for river traffic...look closely...tucked between the keel boat and the raft is a service boat...or 'skiff'' as we'd call them. KS
KS, PLEASE share YOUR skiff story...
Mike, I see that I was part of the discussion you mentioned in this post from September 2019. I vaguely remembered leaving a similar comment, but I didn't realize it was nearly the exact same!
KS, I know. I was just jokingly referencing the urban legend that I have read was current at the time (I don't remember it myself - I wasn't born until late '68). But I do appreciate you making sure that accurate info is in the thread so we don't throw off the uninitiated.
The condition of the weather vane on the Mansion indicates that the photo was taken some time after January of 1964 and before 1973.
HBG2, I cheerfully agree with your “after January of 1964” date. My “July 1964” date was based on the date of the first definitive photo showing the single-masted vane in your blog post, ”All in Vane,” but as the last photo you have showing the vane with a single mast and the jib is dated January of 1964, we really don’t know exactly when the jib fell off, only that it was gone by July of 1964, and it could very well have disappeared 38 seconds after that January 1964 photo was taken.
The Gullywhumper didn’t gain a third hatch until sometime between late 1966 and early 1967, so that visual clue allows us to narrow the date even further than the the vane’s condition does.
Not meaning to argue, just to explain my reasoning and to agree with yours.
Chuck...no problem. Lou and Sue...that skiff story is on the Daveland blog...and it was on the JC. What a day that was! KS
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