PROGRESSLAND booklet, 1964 World's Fair
Today I have some scans of a very nice item from the 1964 New York World's Fair - a colorful booklet featuring General Electric's "PROGRESSLAND". Some guy named Walt Disney was involved, too!
Here's the cover, with a wonderful illustration by an unknown artist - I wonder if it could be by Neil Boyle (see him previously referred to HERE)? If I had to bet money, that's where I'd put it. There is a full-sized poster using that same image, it can go for big bucks. I love the multicolored lettering, something that seems to have been in vogue right around then.
Say, what is this "Progressland", anyhow? Thanks to this page, we know that it is all about showing "the role of electricity in the progress of man". Frankly, I don't get it.
Beneath another nice illustration showing the exterior of the striking Progressland building is a cutaway plan showing the surprisingly complex interior. The "Sky Dome Spectacular", the "Carousel of Progress", the "Nuclear Fusion Demonstration", and "Medallion City" - we'd better allow at least an hour for this General Electric pavilion.
Most of us remember seeing the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland (though it was only there for six years) or at the Magic Kingdom (where it has been playing for over 40 years). It's fascinating to think that the experience was brand new, and probably truly astonishing for Fairgoers.
I think they mis-labeled the "1940's" illustration, but who's keeping track? I AM. The concept of having the audience move around the stage is still something that I consider to be an incredible "outside of the box" idea.
Here's the 2-page spread in the center, with that impressive painting of the Skydome Spectacular. You would have seen "the largest projection screen in the world". I'd love to see the film, even in a shrunk down YouTube format. You can listen to the audio HERE, however, it's pretty wonderful (the audio for the Spectacular starts at about 30:20). Meanwhile, the demonstration of nuclear fusion must have been even more impressive, with a blinding flash and loud boom as they achieved fusion for a fraction of a second.
The final part of your visit to the General Electric pavilion showed the miracle of our all-electric future. "The magic of Progressland bewitches you - behind the exciting stylized facades are all the electrical products now changing the world we live in".
Rock Hudson is showing Lee Remick the best place to get a falafel. Don't forget that it was General Electric that brought you this show; if you had an ounce of gratitude, you would buy a washer/drier combo right now.
"How do I find Progressland?", you wonder. It couldn't be easier!
There it is, next to the Fountain of the Planets, on the Avenue of Commerce. Sorry, there is no Avenue of Candy. I checked.
I even love the back cover, for its simple, minimalist graphics. They somehow communicate the idea of a better future for all of us.
If you go back to the page about Medallion City, you'll see this graphic of a - well, a medallion; the "Total Electric Award". Live Better Electrically! (But what about my steam-powered television?).
Check this out! This is the doorbell at my parent's home - I had no idea that I lived many years in a Medallion Home. And as it turns out the house was indeed built in 1964. I remember that it had an intercom system when we first moved in - mom could ask me to take out the trash without her having to walk upstairs. I would of course pretend that I didn't hear because I was listening to my New Wave music and wearing my DEVO energy dome.
And finally, here's a rather impressive vintage, solid bronze medallion that was intended to be mounted to a place of honor so that every delivery person, Girl Scout, and salesman knew that you lived in a convenient, modern Medallion Home. This thing is a real chunk, three inches in diameter and .25" thick. Put it in a sock for a makeshift weapon!
21 comments:
Major-
Wha an impressive brochure - and exhibit. General Electric was quite the company back then. My, how the mighty have fallen-!
I would say that 'gentleman' is a cross between Rock Hudson and Joey Bishop.
I'd match my gas record player against your steam-powered television any day.
And for some pre-1964 'plugs' for Living Better Electrically HERE're several spots (from 1957), with a really great jingle and swell animation to sell the joys of electricity.
Thanks, Major.
This booklet has been a favorite of mine for a long time. And there are several versions of it - featuring some different concept artwork in each. I’m assuming some were using artwork for things that had changed in the actual build. And again for the second season of the fair. It was THIS brochure I learned as a collector to compare PAGE by PAGE if I think I have a duplicate of an item before I sell it off.
Major I think the cover art probably is Neil Boyle’s work - many years ago lots of Boyle’s stuff was miss-identified as Sam McKim’s. It’s weird that there would be pieces of such well published art that Disney didn’t have records of for the fair project. Often it takes awhile for WDI to make adjustments to art identification. I remember in the late 1990’s WDI art collections had lots of Monorail station concept art incorrectly filed under Disneyland Hotel when it was actually for the proposal of the Disney ALWEG Monorail system at the Fair and Flushing Meadows Park. The stations obviously were for mega crowds and featured much larger trains as well as boarding levels at higher levels. When I pointed out to the collections staff the mistake they seemed almost irritated. I had to bring them two different proposal packets for the Disney ALWEG New York world’s fair Monorail to prove it to them. They were finally corrected . Interestingly in the recent Disney Monorail book there doesn’t seem to be any mention of the Monorail system almost built at the fair.
I love this souvenir booklet! The booklet, along with the Progressland "attraction poster," are among the very first items I ever purchased on Ebay.
Major, how long was it before you realized that the medallion on your family's doorbell, corresponded with the G.E. pavilion at the NYWF? That's incredible that it's still on the house. I wonder how many of those still exist out there?
Progressland was a wonder! But if you think about it, we will always be progressing through time, so the theme was a sure thing. Kind of like "Tomorrow at 7 a.m. Land." What am I talking about? I have no clue!
Anyway, I've seen the CoP many many times and not just for the air conditioning! I love the way the seats move around the stages, and when I first saw it, I thought the stages were moving. I was kind of naive.
Where I grew up the electricity was produced by a city run facility...and it was expensive! You sure didn't want to be a Medallion Home, since natural gas was much cheaper. It's still pretty much like that around here, but it's gotten a little better...
My parents have told me that Progressland was one of the standouts from their visit to the 1964 World’s Fair. In fact, I remember my dad describing it to me while we were waiting in line for the Carrousel of Progress at the MK on our first visit in 1979.
500 points to Hufflepuff for reproducing the exact color progression from the brochure in your post text for “PROGRESSLAND.” That must have taken forever to figure out.
Note that the entrance to Medallion City uses nearly the same proportions as the Gateway Arch in St Louis (although this arch is wider than it is tall).
That is an impressive way to to show your parents lived in a modern, all-electric home. It makes me want to replace my coal-fired doorbell.
Mike, interesting story about the misfiled monorail art. I know how frustrating it can be sometimes trying to deal with archival and museum staff when you know something is wrong, try to bring it to their attention, and they treat you like you are some sort of ignorant, plebeian rube whose input must be politely endured before patting you on the head, pointing you to the gift shop, and then blatantly ignoring your suggested correction. I understand that they regularly have to deal with know-it-alls who really don’t, but it doesn’t take much to be polite, take the input, make some notes or have the guest fill out a form, nicely tell the person that they will look into the suggestion, and then actually follow up when time permits. There are some remarkable amateur historians out there whose contributions to the craft can benefit everyone.
Great post! I never realized that the main show wasn't on ground level in New York.
Saying that "Walt has used all his resources to make Progressland the number one attraction at the fair" sounds a little ominous. But I do agree that even today you "instantly... sense the magic of Walt Disney" on it - the CoP is the best kind of throwback, and I hope it gets a refurbishment to ensure its survival at Magic Kingdom in a post-Tron Tomorrowland (even if that means Tom Hanks has to be the narrator).
Sorry I’m late to comment, I had to split some kindling to start my iPad.
What beautiful graphic work, Major. Thank you for finding this.
What a building that must have been, Architect Welton Beckett no less. They went straight to the top for that commission. I love that cutaway view.
The family stepping through the arch is a religious image, change my mind.
I knew some kids who lived in a medallion home. I confess I was a little jealous, but couldn’t say why. Our home had everything theirs had, but some of it powered by gas. Big deal.
I do miss CoP, I have considered visiting WDW just to see it.
JG
I do remember the CoP at the Worlds Fair. It was a show stopper. Of course, I was mostly interested in fair swag and girls. Living in a Medallion Home was a badge of honor and kids would brag about it in school. You were one of the cool kids for sure, Major. What I remember most about the Fair was the positive outlook it portrayed. We couldn't wait to go to the Moon, and live in a modern new world. A far cry from the doom and gloom of today. Now I can't get the song "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow" out of my head. Great stuff today Major, thanks.
Once again, I find the internet lacking. I was trying to find an image [and any sort of reference] for the medallion for what was referred to as "Balanced Power Homes". I believe it was a slender gas flame, the bottom of which had an electrical plug, with its prongs pointing down. I don't know the timeframe (presume late 1950's - 1960's) and if it was a campaign for just the Southern California Gas Company, or was part of a bigger 'campaign', but if definitely existed.
Okay...
HERE WE GO Scroll down to the bottom of the ad, to the left of the map. (Who knew Carson Estates is "... located at the hub of three of the Southland's greatest freeways..." I had no idea there were any 'rankings'). What do you suppose came in last-??
Nanook, “Progressland” really does look like one of the “must see” pavilions at the Fair - thinking about the long lines for the major pavilions, and the fact that you could probably easily spend an hour or two in some of them, I will need to schedule several days in the Time Machine to thoroughly explore the entire fairgrounds.
Mike Cozart, I’ve had three of these booklets over the years, and I believe that two were identical, while the third was mostly the same, only it had vellum “endpapers” inside the covers. I’d love to have versions with different concept artwork! Now I can’t help wondering if there actually were some differences that I just didn’t pick up on, but unfortunately I sold off my two extras. The Neil Boyle attribution also lines up time-wise, as this is just about when he started to do other artwork for Disney. I was frankly pretty surprised that I could find no credits for various artwork, especially that cover image, which was used for a poster (as I mentioned before). I think there’s a LOT of misinformation out there about Disney stuff (well, about everything, really!), and it is true, many people would rather just hear the rote (and wrong) info than be corrected. I’m glad you finally got them to realize that you were right!
TokyoMagic!, oh man, I’m jealous of your poster! I see those going for more money than I am willing to spend, but I want one. I discovered the doorbell perhaps five years ago, and was amazed that I’d never really looked at it closely before. Someone on eBay had some “new old stock” doorbells that were just like the one in the photo, only they were shiny and new-looking. I wish I’d bought one to replace my mom’s, but they are all gone.
Stu29573, I’ve decided to stop progressing through time. Everyone else does it, and I like to be contrary. The concept of the theater moving around the seats is so “out there” that it’s not surprising that you (and others) assumed that it was the stage that moved! I have a number of advertising items that desperately try to convince consumers that electricity was “your best value”. Edison had a mascot that was sort of a lightbulb/chicken called “Little Bill”!
Chuck, very neat that your folks got to see Progressland! Did they take any photos at the Fair? Hint hint. Thanks for the kudos about the multicolored lettering, it probably only took a couple of minutes. WORTH IT! I wonder if the entrance to Medallion City actually had that arch? It’s possible that this artwork was very early, when they would throw any idea at the wall to see what stuck. I don’t think I’ve personally had any experiences trying to convince an “authority” that they were misinformed, but I have seen people on message boards who got very bent out of shape when they were told that their version of the “facts” was just plain wrong.
Andrew, yes, until I saw that diagram in the booklet, I didn’t know that the Progressland building had multiple levels. Pretty impressive, architecturally. I don’t know if Progressland actually was the number one attraction at the Fair… “Futurama” certainly gave it a run for its money, and the Vatican pavilion was surprisingly popular too (gotta see Michelangelo’s “Pieta” during its historic visit to the U.S.!).
JG, like TokyoMagic!, I feel like this brochure/booklet is one of the nicest artifacts from the Fair. Which is why I kept buying copies when an affordable one came along! Now I may have to look for examples with different artwork, as Mike Cozart mentioned. Yes, Welton Beckett sure did a lot of amazing buildings. While my mom and dad’s house was nice enough, I don’t know if it was that different from a non-Medallion home!
Jonathan, ha ha, those mod (or pre-mod?) New York chicks! I’m sure there was plenty of opportunity for some quality girl-watching. I wonder how many other homes on my mom’s street have those doorbells? I’d go look, but don’t want to look like I’m trying to steal packages. It seems like the 1964-1965 Fair was one of the last gasps for any kind of optimism about the future.
Nanook, I’ve never heard of “Balanced Power Homes”, I may do a little deep-diving on the Internet myself to see if I can find anything (though I’m sure your search was thorough). Maybe it was mostly a regional thing and not nationwide, as you said.
Yep...a Medallion Home. Ours was in Costa Mesa built in 1963. Still had the same doorbell on the wall at the time we sold it in 2016. It was a big deal back in the day. Clean and efficient...something we are being told today. Wonder if there will be medallions placed on EVs?
KS
I know I’ve said it before, but I sure do miss the old future. You guys with your fancy steam-powered TVs and your coal-fired doorbells and here I am pedaling a bamboo bicycle to run my coconut gramophone,
But can you fix a hole in a boat?
I'd also like to compliment Major on the color scheme for "PROGRESSLAND" in the text. It really was the greatest industrial exhibit ever, and I'm glad that it still rolls on in some form today. I'm not the only one - Cory Doctorow wrote and entire sc-fi novel that revolves around it. It's free here. And of course the ultimate reference is always at NYWF64.
I saw that art at a poster preserved at the NY Hall of Science years ago, and then on the Progressland CD box set that Disney sold in 2014. I'd always assumed it was a Herb Ryman piece, but I don't know if he worked on that project. Now I know...
That medallion home thing just meant that it has all electric appliances. Other than that they're pretty standard. Great for GE, and the local electric utility, maybe not for you in a cold climate.
JG I agree. I can practically hear the organ playing a hymn like the end of a Davey and Goliath short.
I never visited a world's Fair. By the time I was old enough, the only North American was was Vancouver 86. Not a trip my parents could afford to take the gaggle of kids on. I hear some of the recent ones are nice, but not on the scale of the Seattle or NY ones. Probably a lot harder to get people optimistic about a future of recycled waste water and compressed insect protein burgers. :-)
Yeah baby! Love me some Progressland! I was born in '64 so of course did not get to see the fair, but would have loved it for sure. I happily own one of the Progressland attraction posters. Love this art.
Loved today's post and comments!
Major, you sure put a lot of extra work into today's post! Cool doorbell, too! I thought maybe today was something special, because of this big, beautiful post, so I googled to find out what the National holidays are today...
Today is National Julienne Fries Day.
I know you're dieting, Major, so I doubt you're celebrating fries today.
Today is also National Vinyl Record Day.
You might be celebrating that...
And today is also National Middle Child Day.
Maybe that's what you're celebrating??
Well, no matter what you're celebrating, we always appreciate your fun posts, and we'll gladly celebrate everything with you!
Sue, the proper way to celebrate Middle Child Day is by forgetting about it entirely until later. That's why there are only belated greeting cards for it :-)
Dean, hahahaha!
;o)
I actually live in a "Medallion" apartment. Outlets in every wall; electric heat, electric everything. While electricity was cheap when this place was built, it's very costly these days!
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