Random Pix
I have some random photos for you (as the title of today's post indicates)... "leftuggies" if you like (and I do!).
From March, 1961 comes this photo taken from the Tomorrowland Skyway queue looking toward the Autopia. For all of the busy-ness of the criss-tracks and multiple levels of stuff, it all looks kind of deserted. Sure, there are a few tiny noggins visible behind the wheels of some Autopia cars, but otherwise it's relatively unpopulated. March, the "off season" I suppose. In 1967 things got even busier when the tracks of the Peoplemover were added, as you know.
Here's an unusual view of Castle Rock on Tom Sawyer Island, with a coonskin-capped boy giving us the eyeball. I am wondering if this photo was taken with a long lens from one of the Mark Twain (since the Columbia can be seen in the distance), or if the photographer was standing someplace on the island itself. I can't quite come to a satisfactory conclusion, maybe you can help.
24 comments:
There’s a old legend that if a old man climbs to the top of Castle Rock...... he will transform back into a young boy on the way back down.....
For an additional fee this “Magic of Youth” feature is available to all Disneyland guests with Genie+ via the Disneyland Mobile AP.
As a reminder our Disneyland Parking Lot Trams are available to ALL guests for the first 20 minutes after park closing. After that ALL tram passengers must pay a nominal fee for our “Magic of Transport” feature available to ALL guests with Genie+ via the Disneyland Mobile AP.
We hope all Genie+ members have a happy visit to this happy place called Disneyland !
To everyone else ; you made a poor decision that you didn’t pay extra for GENIE+ : You make Mickey question wether you love your children, family or friends. And we can’t be responsible for any frustrations you might have today here in Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
The waterfalls are turned off at the entrance and exit of the Submarine caverns.
Mike, too funny! Actually, I would not be a bit surprised, if Disney started charging for a "front of the line" pass to the parking trams. Nothing they do will ever surprise me, now. They are a bunch of despicable money-grubbers!
When do they start installing the pay toilets?
Major, the photographer of the second shot, was standing on top of the rockwork where Teeter Totter Rock was located. As seen in this previously posted pic of yours:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PjHqsbZkJBA/WcNICsfifeI/AAAAAAAAFgQ/BZXjlwKNKk0_OMyQh3FExOIA3zPi369YwCKgBGAs/s1600/5-1958-_CastleRockA.jpg
Mike, do I detect a note of sarcasm in your post? Funny stuff, indeed. Every time I see a shot of the island, I get a rush of nostalgia. Running free and exploring the wonders of frontier magic. Great leftuggies today Major, thanks.
Yummy leftuggies today, Major!
March of 1961 would make that first photo contemporaneous with this refurb of the sub lagoon, which explains why the waterfalls are off.
Great work on the placification of the second picture, TM!
And Mike, you win the Interwebs today!
I loved Castle Rock! (although I only saw it once). There was real imagination then.(as opposed to our plastic pre-packaged "Imaginashun (TM)" now.
Mike, you just predicted the future. Unfortunately, I can see it coming.
You know, they are blaming the COVID shutdowns for a lot of the money grabbing, as are businesses and industry as a whole. Wood prices, electronic availability, smelly feet; all due to that pesky COVID. I call "nuts" on it, though. A money grab is a money grab and Disney was doing it LONG before the shutdown (they just don't want you to remember that).
Oh, Castle Rock! Mike, I wish your legend were true, I would head there in a moment, except I want to be young then, not young now.
As I am afraid your latter predictions will come true. I’m sure if they could find a way, Disney would charge us for viewing GDB.
Tokyo, excellent work on the photo angle, I was thinking about that spot while looking at it.
Stu, you are right, real imagination beats the packaged kind every time.
Major, that Skyway pic is quite a rarity, thanks for posting these unusual views!
JG
Major-
Gotta love that first image - it's not often we get to see a close-up of 'the floor'. I presume the warning on the ground says "Danger Keep Off".
@ MIKE-
I have little faith that Disney Diehards® will do as they often say, such as "Disney has gone too far... I will not pay for that-!" And Genie+ will be yet another 'money grab', that will happily be forked-over. On the other hand, maybe it'll be Chapek's undoing...
Thanks, Major.
I’m going to assume that the kids in the Castle Rock picture grew up to be professional hat models.
Mike Cozart, it’s too bad Castle Rock is no more, or else I’d go to the top so that I can “youngify” on the way down. Disney should charge if you want to sit IN the trams, but you can ride for free if you are willing to hang on to handles on the outside. Ken Martinez speculated that they would eventually have a “preferred seating” charge, which sounds very plausible. Want to sit in the front of the Monorail? Just pay an additional $20. I’m just waiting until they truly announce that.
TokyoMagic!, good observation, I didn’t notice the waterfalls at the Subs. I haven’t read any of the Disney forums, I’m sure there have been some complaints about Genie+, as well as the passionate defense from fans for whom Disney can never do wrong. I don’t get it. Pay toilets, you should work for the company!
TokyoMagic!, I was thinking that they might have been standing near Teeter Totter Rock, but I was too lazy (or in a hurry?) to take the time to look it up. Thankfully, YOU aren’t lazy!
Jonathan, you know as well as I do that Mike Cozart loves everything that happens at Disneyland. I don’t know how much running I want to do at Disneyland these days, but I like the idea of it, at least.
Chuck, oh man, thanks for taking the time to do that research on the sub refurb! Very nice.
Stu29573, my main memory of Castle Rock is that I managed to bonk my head on some rocks - hard. And that “rock” is like sandpaper, I had a raw area on the top of my head. Ouch! As for the Covid shutdowns, they accused Scarlet Johansson of being heartless (because she’s suing them) in light of the Covid tragedy. As if that had anything to do with it! They are really awful.
JG, I think there would be the longest line in the park for Castle Rock. Now THAT would be some Disney magic. Hey, maybe I should charge everyone to look at GDB! I’ll call it GDB+. Just $7.99 a month. I still haven’t figured out what the “plus” part would be yet. A knock-knock joke every day?
Nanook, nope, strangely all the painted street note said was “Ger Off”. I think it was written by a Cockney gentleman. And you are right, there are enough fans who will love Disney no matter what that the company probably has nothing to worry about.
Melissa, a professional hat model?? The dream!
That part of the Skyway ride was the BEST part of the entire ride! You were on metal before the guys would "flick" you off onto the cable, and when you got on the cable it went "boing boing boing" in a very subtle and quiet way. I used to hear tales in the Tomorrowland break room from guys working Skyway how they would switch off arms to get an equal workout on each arm. I'm not sure how that worked, but good for them. If Castle Rock makes me younger I will gladly pay the over-the-top admission to a theme park I visited literally thousands of times for free :) They even paid me! :) Apparently, Davy Crockett made the sale of Coon Skins skyrocket. It's a bit horrifying to understand that millions of raccoons were slaughtered, but there have been a few in my yard that I would like to slaughter from time to time. It's interesting to see that view across Tomorrowland "A World on the Move" and how transportation was such a big part of envisioning the future. Soooo...if you were to envision a "new" future...wouldn't it still be transportation? Super-sonic travel, flights to the Moon, rockets? Oh wait...isn't that Tomorrowland '67? Yes...so things haven't changed! Except Genies giving people front of line privileges, restaurant reservations and nonsensical needless over the top planning...I don't know what genie is (besides Barbara Eden- happy 90'th Barbara!!) , and I'm not even remotely interested enough to do the slightest bit of re-con. I get it's a business and the shareholders and blah blah blah...Advice: People: just build something good and people will come, and the money will flow. I suppose if people are willing to pay, they are willing to take the money. The plaque reads: "To ALL who come to this happy place!" Not..."To all who come to this happy place with genies, reservations, wrist bands and a wheelbarrow full of cash...." In my day: $12 for Adults and $9 for Children ages 3-11. There was uproar when the kids stopped at 11 instead of 12. There was uproar when Juniors were eliminated. There was uproar with the senior pricing. The sheer original design of pricing was never meant to be "cheap", just reasonably affordable. Even THOSE prices were questioned by the public and considered "too high" for a family of 4. I'd like to say it's relative, but it's not relative. It is obscene. Done with my rant :) Thank you :)
Oh my...such a cynical group. And for good reason. Cater to the kids...the parents will pay up! Until one day they don't. Perhaps it will eventually be virtual and we can enjoy the park...or a computer generated image of it... while sitting in our armchairs wearing our 3d goggles via Disney+...for an extra fee of course. Sigh...
That first picture looks like it was taken on a Monday or Tuesday when the park was closed. KS
Bu, I can only imagine how much of a workout it was to be on the Skyway crew. Who needs a gym?? I mostly remember that sensation when you first left the station, and your gondola would swing gently, but with a definitely and unique feeling. I understand the sentiment about not wanting thousands of raccoons to be slaughtered, but at least they didn’t wipe them out. Now they are a nuisance! My sister has to block her dog door at night so that raccoons won’t come in and ransack their kitchen every night. Transportation is still a huge issue in cities, so Walt wasn’t wrong about that. I agree, “Build something good”, the most basic rule. I honestly don’t know if a ride has to have tons of animatronics and trackless vehicles to excite a guest, but that’s what the “suits” think, so that’s the way it is. I am always amused by vintage accounts of the outrageous prices that upset so many fathers; and I know that prices are relative, but my gosh, they are going to try to get blood from a stone.
KS, I don’t usually think of myself as extremely cynical, but the Disney company has tested my good will too many times. They can tell me what a great value I am getting until they are blue in the face - I will be the judge of whether the prices are worth what they are asking. Mostly I don’t think they are, but others will certainly disagree.
"Blue in the face," Genie+...I see what you did there ;-)
Major-
I'd gladly fork-over $7.99/month for a daily knock-knock joke, especially if one of the monthly jokes involved hats-!
“Knock-knock”
Who’s there? And are they wearing a hat?
"Major"
Major who?
Major, I’m embarrassed to admit that it took me about a minute to find that. I remembered my kid’s question about “is that a worker or a civilian?” and did a web search on that and “Gorillas Don’t Blog” and it came right up.
"Major day, I hope!" See THIS!
Chuck's always butting-in on my jokes! ;o)
Sorry, Sue!
I'm not surprised by the Genie thing. Disney has acquired a lot of detailed information about how people use the parts from years of the Magic Bands, now they're exploiting it. For some people who aren't the obsessive planning types, it'll make a less frustrating experience, since it'll act something like a tour guide. But of course they'll also use it to extract more money from those who are willing to pay for more access.
I just don't see how people will develop the same friendly feelings towards a company that's so clearly just run for profit maximization by a bunch of MBAs and alogrithms. I know that I'm no longer enthused about bringing my young niece and nephews there to see WDW.
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