Tomorrowland and SBC, October 1981
The amazing collection of photos from photographer Lou Perry, scanned and shared with us by his daughter, Sue B., just keeps on providing us with more wonderful stuff! As you've seen from the title, today's scans are from October, 1981.
Oh man, I just love that view of the entrance to the classic "New Tomorrowland". The Peoplemover, Rocket Jets, and Adventure Thru Inner Space were all still going strong on this beautiful sunny day. Note that the flower beds flanking the entrance are in the process of being replanted, hopefully with swirls of violet and yellow like the bed in front of us.
I'm assuming that Lou was trying to capture the aqua Peoplemover train, and not the weirdo with the bucket hat staring right at us!
For the next two, Lou basically pivoted to his left and got some pretty shots of Sleeping Beauty Castle, with its hues of gray, along with soft pink and blue.
Ivy softens the appearance of the castle - I assume that at some point it might have actually done some damage to the faux stone façade? There's always at least one person gazing at the swans... at least I think there were still swans in 1981.
THANKS as always to Lou and Sue!
20 comments:
JGCC's:
Picture #1: I see 6, for sure...probably 7.
BTW, I've found they're easier to spot, on my cell phone...can really zoom in.
Yep, definitely the 80's...I see leg warmers in the last two pictures.
Wow....more photos that I wish I could step into!
Mickey says, "This Attraction Is Closed For Refurbishment." (Regarding Adventure Thru Inner Space.)
Major, yes, there were swans in the Castle moat, into the nineties (and maybe even beyond that).
Thank you, Lou, Sue and the Major, too!
The Omnibus vehicle stop sign still accepts a A ticket .....only one year left to go for the famed A-E Disneyland tickets. During this time Imagineers were figuring out ways to insert some of the EPCOT elements they were working on into Disneyland’s Tomorrowland..... some happened ... many more did not. This was a New Tomorrowland being developed prior to the 1990’s TOMORROWLAND 2055.
In 1981 WED was developing a new IF YOU HAD WINGS attraction for JAPAN AIRLINES at Tokyo Disneyland ( that appears as a future attraction for TDL’s master plan ) and they were proposing a IF YOU HAD WINGS for PSA airlines ......which is odd because it used a whole new omnimover system being built in the Circle-Vision building ..... while the Inner Space omnimover was being planned to be removed. PSA didn’t bite for a PSA IF YOU HAD WINGS , but signed a sponsorship contract for a new Circle Vision “ America the Beautiful” titled AMERICAN SPIRIT ...... but opened as American Journey’s .
So many unbuilt versions and variations of Tomorrowland that never were......
Great pics Lou, Sue, Major!
..... the Omnibus sign appears to the left in image #1.
I like how we can see four blue Peoplemover trains in the first picture along with one of the blue-and-white Goodyear signs. Thanks, Lou, Sue, and Major!
Note the “oxidized copper” on the castle “chapel’s” steeple. I had never noticed that until JG pointed it out a few weeks ago. Cool detail that is probably lost under gold filigree today.
In that last photo, the woman is actually yelling encouragement at her kid, who she has just thrown into the moat to learn how to swim. “Kick those legs, Katie! You want those swans to get you?” Sadly, the swans ate well that day.
Andrew, I think there are five blue PeopleMover trains in the first photo; there’s one hiding in the trees to the right. That’s how they escape detection by predators in the wild.
Thanks again for more a.m. awesomeness, Lou & Sue! It’s gonna be a grrrrrreat day! (And yes, I said that in Thurl Ravenscroft’s voice.)
I still scratch my head over changing THIS Tomorrowland so drastically and horribly! The design is timeless and could have amended in a subtle and appropriate way for "2055". This looks like a perfect Spring or Fall morning, with sunshine, a light breeze, not too many people about. Those Tomorrowland planters not being planted were one of those "Walt would never let this happen!" things back in the day...it takes a while for landscaping to plant those, and it would be arduous to do on a graveyard shift. It looks kind of natural seeing the guys plant the annuals when it was time. I think when the park was closed Monday and Tuesday they would do more large scale things like that. In 1981 I could swear the park was still closed on M & T but I may be mistaken. They took the ivy off the castle? They ruin everything. It's what made it look natural. The yellow and purple combo is my favorite. They also did these with pansies. I still plant these colors all over my yard despite neighbors saying marigolds are too common!
Nice photos Lou and Sue, crisp as a Mackintosh apple; there may be a mild Santana wind going, the sky is so clean and the Tomorrowland flag so active.
The last photo recalls the postcard of Walt Disney standing with a throng of his characters. The dent in the middle of the turret cone on the right is faintly visible here; it is very evident in the Disney postcard, because the picture was taken in slanting morning sunlight. Apparently the dent was there from opening day, and never fixed; a likable flaw.
Wow, that first photo needs to be on a postcard, and the second one as well. Lou has captured the magic of Tomorrowland perfectly. I agree with Bu, they should have left perfection alone, and updated what they had. Lou has also shown us all how it's done with his Sleeping Beauty Castle shots. Bravo, my friend. Thanks to Lou and Sue and Major P. for making my morning. Sue say a big hi, howdy and hello to Lou for me.
Sue, I agree, possibly 7 trash cans visible in photo 1, two different styles. Great stuff.
I think the planting in daytime was evident long before this, I seem to remember my Mom commenting on it. For my part, I don’t think it is “bad show” at all, no more so than having sweepers on the grounds. Stuff has to get done.
Chuck, thanks for noticing the verdigris. The herringbone roof pattern is also a common detail on Gothic churches, St. Stephens in Vienna is a notable example. And yes, the spire is now all gilded. Sigh.
Thanks Lou (best wishes for good health!), Sue and Major.
JG
Lou and Sue, ha ha, I always forget about the trash can game. I definitely see 6 in that first photo, and there are other things that *might* be cans - a bit indistinct when zoomed in! Hey, I still wear leg warmers every day, what’s the big deal?
TokyoMagic!, I know, these are really nice. Thanks for pointing out the Mickey sign near ATIS, I guess I did notice that there was a lack of guests over there! I’m glad they finally got rid of those freeloading swans.
Mike Cozart, I’d never heard that the Imagineers were hoping to add some EPCOT stuff to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. I remember hearing about “Tomorrowland 2055”, and know that you have described some of the proposed additions. A few of them sounded super cool, while others - not so much. But I guess when you have a project of that scope there is bound to be a wide variety of ideas. I can’t remember if people liked “If You Had Wings” or not… was that a beloved attraction? I generally like any ride with an Omnimover! Thanks Mike.
Mike Cozart, ah yes, I see the sign!
Andrew, I did notice that there seemed to be ONLY blue Peoplemover trains in that one pic. Was that the work of mischievous cast members, sort of like the 10 red Skyway gondolas in a row?
Chuck, while I am not crazy about all of the tacky gold embellishments, I never really minded that the “Notre Dame spire” when it was gilded. And now that the original has been destroyed in that terrible fire, well… the spire seems extra nice. I wonder if it is fiberglass beneath the paint and gilding? Like that kid, I learned to swim when my dad threw me into a moat. Well, more of a leaf-filled above ground pool, but still. And if the swans got you, that’s just nature taking its course.
Bu, I agree, that Tomorrowland was so great. I confess that when I first heard about the plan to make it into a “retro Jules Verne Tomorrowland”, I was sort of excited at the prospect, but they really half-assed it, and made it ugly rather than inspiring. Maybe too much “steampunk” is… well, too much. I guess the gardeners could have planted all of those pansies (or whatever they were) at night, but I don’t think that I would have been too bothered by seeing the plants going in during the day. That’s just me. And I do think that we’ve seen enough photos of work being done in the park during the years when Walt was alive to put an end to the idea that he would have never allowed it! Whoever says marigolds are too common needs to mind their own business.
Stefano, yes, in October there could very well be some winds blowing - the pennants on top of the castle seem to be catching some air. I know the postcard that you are referring to very well (as a longtime postcard collector!). I’ve never heard of the dent in that spire, what’s the story there??
Jonathan, those are definitely “postcard worthy”, with that intense cerulean blue sky (courtesy of GAF). I can’t wait to see what else Lou has for us, I’m sure there’s still LOTS of great stuff.
JG, it’s funny, somehow that bare dirt with the things (what are they?) sticking out of them remind me of a cemetery. As you said, stuff has to get done, and not ALL of it can be accomplished at night. I don’t think too many guests were perturbed by it, but it’s possible that there were some people who expected perfection. I know I am being hypocritical about the gilded spire, since I generally dislike all of the tacky gold that they’ve added, but somehow that one detail never bugged me.
Lou and Sue... the gift that keeps on giving. Thank You!! (And Major too!)
October was a wonderful time at the park. It was off season and we'd get the Santa Ana winds to clean out the air. The colors were vivid and the crowds could be...well...non-existent. It paid the same rate, so many of us CMs called the slow days a "skate". KS
Great pics, as usual from Lou. The first pic lines up perfectly.
Thanks Major and Sue & Lou. Glad Lou is feeling better.
PS Off topic...I just found out that Charlie Watts passed away. Not welcome news.
I always liked If You Had Wings, but it would probably be considered a "snoozer" today. Still, it was nice.
I'm not sure that there was any fiberglass in the castle (unlike Cinderella Castle). It was pretty new in 1955, and in the construction films I've seen, it looks like they're using plaster.
I never liked the retro Tomorrowland look at all. The gleaming white IS timeless!
i think more issue was made about having to "keep up with tomorrow" than was really true. It seems more of a "gleaming white is harder to maintain" thing.
Thanks, Lou! (and Sue!) (And Major too!)
Like most flowers at Disneyland , the Tomorrowland swirl beds were done with annuals so they are changed out seasonally. Since summer is a popular time to visit we probably tend to see certain colors schemes from busier seasons and associate those to a “land” ....like the Mickey entry floral or the Tomorrowland entry concourse. And like architecture and fashion , landscaping styles and tastes change as well and even landscaping designs can become dated.
Grant, you aren’t kidding!
KS, I used to almost always try to visit the park in October or November, I loved it. At some point the main drawback was that the Haunted Mansion was no longer the original version, but instead had been transformed to the “Nightmare Before Christmas” version. Which I like, but… come on, the original will always be the best.
DrGoat, yes, I wasn’t sure if I should mention that Lou was recovering again, but now that it’s out there, I am (of course) also very glad that he is doing well! WHOA, Charlie Watts, oh no! What a legend, and he seemed like a very cool guy too.
Stu29573, sometimes I personally liked the rides that others considered to be snoozers. In fact, I’ve seen people classify the Peoplemover as a “snoozer”, so that just goes to show you… something. I thought that the castle did have fiberglass elements, such as the conical roofs on the spires, but can’t say for certain. I seem to remember seeing construction photos where those roofs are sitting nearby, ready to be hoisted up. I never thought about how “gleaming white is harder to maintain”, I wonder if there is any validity to it?!
Mike Cozart, it’s kind of fascinating to think about how they (Bill Evans?) came up with a process where they could keep the park looking fresh and nice throughout the year - how many other places even bothered? Think of the additional expense and labor too. But Walt knew it was worth it, ultimately.
I read all of today's comments to my dad, late this afternoon, and he said to tell you, "I'm feeling great!" He really is doing well and is pain-free, and has most of his strength back. Everyone's kind words always 'make his day'!
Thank you, Major, and everyone!
Stefano and Major, I’ve never heard of the dent in the turret either! Now I need to know more…
Celeste (back from another hiatus, ha!)
Just so you know, these are the correct colors of the Disneyland Castle.
That is the authentic “Tomorrowland” look.
Accept no imitations, or inferior interpretations.
Disney designers in 1967 were master planning Walt Disney World, and its system of underground ‘utilidors’….test proven here, along with PeopleMover.
Post a Comment