Two More Beauties From 1958
I have a folder with well over 150 scanned slides for upcoming blog posts, and hardly any of them are the kind of thing that might make your hat fly off your head (like in comic books). Luckily for me (and you), Sue B. has scanned some really beautiful photos of her father Lou's vintage slides.
We'll start with this swell view of the Rocket to the Moon attraction, on a hazy and uncrowded day. How I wish I could see the exhibits on display in the waiting area (beneath that flat-ish roof) - it's likely that there were graphics and photos of what manned spaceflight might be like in the future; and also probably information about rockets, living in microgravity, and the best photos of our Moon that 1950's technology would allow. A mom and her two kids gaze up at the Moonliner while heading to the ticket booth for their trip to the Moon.
The Skyway allowed a pretty good look into the backstage area (I'd love to stroll around there too), including the old Dominguez household that was being used as the administration building.
We've seen photos of Lou on this blog, but this is the first time that we've seen photos of "Mrs. Lou", aka Donna! What a great picture, with her standing next to the wonderful Viewliner at the Fantasyland station. It's nice to see Donna, and nice to see this rarely-seen corner of Disneyland.
Here's a closer look. Sue wished that her mom had been smiling for the picture, but it almost looks like she has a mysterious Mona Lisa smile! There appears to be no customers for the Viewliner, which is very strange.
THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!
20 comments:
Major-
Beauties, all (including Donna)-!
Thanks to Lou and Sue.
Wow!!! Look at that typical view of world of 1986!!!!
Spanish revival residential architecture : CHECK!
TWA Airlines : CHECK!
Flat top hair cuts : CHECK!
Penny Loafers : CHECK!
Ferro-cement commercial architecture: CHECK!
Daily Moonliner Space travel : errr ahhh ummmm.....
Is that Oingo Boingo and Depeshe Mode scheduled to play over at the Yahtsmen Bandstand??
1986 was totally radical year!
That Viewliner shot is great!!! Sue your dad sure knew how to set up photographs!
I am drawn to two random details in these photos. In the first photo there is that yellow and white perimeter wall next to the Rocket to the Moon building. I love the simple, repeated design. I guess it reminds me of other places from my youth where a similar tactic was taken to dress up a blank wall. It’s effective, pleasing to my eye, and vaguely comforting. I don’t have a clue as to why,
The second is the red, white and blue Viewliner logo on the pilot (a.k.a. “cowcatcher”) of the locomotive. I don’t think I have consciously noticed it there before. There is something about that - and other red, white, and blue logos, as long as they are graphically simple and there is more red and blue than white - that I find very comforting.
I think it’s based an a series of positive images from when I was very young that involve my grandparents. There was a coat closet in their living room next to the unused front door (the street outside, which was also a major U.S. highway, had been widened a couple of years after they had moved in and street parking had been banned), and toys for the grandkids were stored on the floor underneath the coats (I still associate the smell of mothballs with toys and grandparents). Amongst the toys was a Tupperware Build-o-Fun set, which, like the Tupper Toys logo, had large red and blue pieces separated by thin white connectors.
I have similar associations with the 1970s logo for Cedar Point and Amtrak’s Phase I and Phase II paint schemes, both of which feature red and blue with white accents and both of which I associate with memories of my grandparents. There’s probably some Bicentennial nostalgia and good old ‘Merica thrown into the mix as well. Whatever it is, I like it.
Sue, it’s great to see your lovely mom making an appearance in today’s photo set. Please thank your dad again for these wonderful images!
Possibly my favorite corner of Old Tomorrowland in all its Tinkertoy Moderne glory. Look at the little boy in the orange sweater tugging Mom toward the Rocket to the Moon entrance! “C’mon, Mom, I wanna get some green cheese!”
And speaking of Moms, what a nice picture of Donna against a Viewliner backdrop! She’s wearing the same pants I wore to Disneyland in 2008, so obviously she had great taste.
I'm with Nanook. Beauties, one and all. The color of the Viewliner almost matches the jacket Sue's Donna has on. Wonderful photo!
Those pics are "I want to be there, please" pics, if I've ever seen any. Still can't find the Way Back machine, curses.
Thanks Lou & Sue and Major. I think these are in the AA++ category.
Lou’s photos always stand out, no question.
I remember how surprised I was to learn of the Viewliner, there were whole complex rides that came and went before I could remember the Park. And what a fine picture of it too. Sue you have mentioned Lou’s fondness for the Viewliner, he made a picture of two loved ones at once.
This may be the first picture of the Rocket show building where we can clearly see the white rock roof. Tomorrowland 1967 must have been in mind even then since so much in this picture looks temporary, but I know both budget and schedule were challenged at this time. Good to see the view backstage, including the old house. The skyway was a great way to cheat the fences. And speaking of fences…
Chuck, I share your fascination with the patterned fence, it’s a good look. I think the pattern was repeated on one of the permanent buildings, perhaps the 20K Leagues exhibit hall. I will try to research later.
JG
I always thought they should have at least "asked" if Oldsmobile wanted to sponsor the Viewliner since it was basically cobbled together out of some wrecking yard donors of that brand.
Great pictures today. Thanks for posting.
Xlnt photos! The first long-shot photo of the TWA Rocket to the Moon actually did make my hat fly off my head! Along with quickening pulse and respiration.
As I always say, "A day without the Moonliner is like a day without the Moonliner!" Hey, I didn't say it was profound. Lou grabbed a great Moonliner pic here!
By the way, kudos on the "micro-gravity" line Major! Far too often folks fall into the "call everything in space zero gravity" trap, when, in fact, the mere fact that the solar system is holding together and things are orbiting other things mean there IS gravity. So there.
Wonderful pic of the Viewliner (not to mention Sue's mom, which I did, in fact, just mention.) Lou has the touch!
Nanook, these really are exceptional! I’m glad I could share them here.
Mike Cozart, you are so right - every prediction came true! It’s pretty amazing. I was just putting butch wax in my flat top this morning. Hey, I would have loved to see Oingo Boingo at Disneyland - I saw them live numerous times back in the day.
Chuck, yes, those construction walls are somehow very nice - sort of the equivalent of “breeze blocks”, only in painted plywood form. And I also agree about the Viewliner logo, so pleasing! I bought a patch that I thought was vintage, thinking I’d really scored, until someone alerted me to the fact that some jerk is selling repro patches (as genuine vintage ones) on eBay. I don’t associate the smell of mothballs with toys - but more with my dad’s closet, he was sick of moths munching on his wool coats and sweaters. I do think of the smell of cedar, since my grandparents had a “cedar closet”. It was full of fun stuff! Hey, I never knew that Tupperware made toys, that’s cool.
Melissa, I love different Tomorrowlands for different reasons, but this original version sure had its many charms. I wouldn’t complain if I was left there for a few hours to explore! So nice to see Donna, so far this is the only photo I’ve seen of her.
DrGoat, Donna always color-coordinated with anyplace she was going to go. Niagara Falls? She’d wear blues and greens. Yosemite? Heathers and grays. I just wear yellow velvet everywhere I go.
JG, same here! It was probably in the book, “Disneyland: The First Quarter Century” that I saw a photo of the Viewliner (and probably the House of the Future too). That might have been right around when I started slowly collecting Disneyland merchandise (old stuff). Yeah, I think the temporary, pre-fab nature of this early Tomorrowland was more due to lack of funds than to prescience about Tomorrowlands to come!
Alonzo, interesting point! Sounds like Bob Gurr just took it upon himself to use those car parts, though of course they didn’t advertise or sponsor, so they didn’t earn a mention. Plus, Santa Fe already got their name plastered on due to their arrangement.
Grant, I admit, it’s a pretty spectacular picture! You need a hat with a chin strap to prevent further hat flyaways.
Stu29573, it’s funny, I was going through my computer files, and I found an article that you’d written about the Moonliner. “Hey! That’s OUR Stu!”. Thanks for the kudos about microgravity, though for all practical purposes, you might as well call it “zero G”. Floating around makes you forget about whatever little gravity there actually is!
What great photos today! The one of the Viewliner is amazing because really there are not that many photos of it out there. Wonder why? But then I don't even remember it and I was there! Perhaps my parents didn't go back to that part of the Park or maybe they just weren't interested. Love the look of Sue's mom Donna - perfect.
A couple historical beauties today Major. And thank you Sue. Now to get both your Mom and Dad in the same frame! I can only imagine what the CM in the background is thinking. "This place is so slow...it will never make it" LOL. The Dominguez house shot is probably the best that I have seen of it. I can only imagine Ron's thoughts when it was torn down for later expansion and placement of the Admin building. Must have been tough to witness. KS
I had a cedar closet in one of my childhood bedrooms. I used to shut myself in there so I could concentrate on my math homework, and it always smelled so nice.
I love all of these but that one of the Viewliner and Sue's mom is especially fun. Here we have Donna looking at us from the past while she does something we all long to do…walk around the original Tomorrowland and ride the Viewliner. She is obviously a seasoned Disneyland visitor. Casual clothes yet color coordinated and very stylish. And of course a bag with everything Sue or Lou might need during the day. Thank you for sharing these Sue and Lou!
Stu, in yesterday's post, I meant to mention that YOU are in the 5th scan. The "future Stu"! How cool is that!
I'm glad you like these pictures!
Everyone is so sweet regarding my mom's picture but, to be honest, this is NOT a good picture of her. (She'd probably be mad I posted it, if she were still around.) All my years, I always knew her to have a big, beautiful smile...but I just recently discovered (looking through hundreds of old photos and slides) that my mom rarely smiled or showed her teeth for pictures - before she had caps put on her front teeth (around the time I was born??). But, I do have a picture or two of her with a beautiful smile, with my dad, in her teens. I'll see if Major wants to post them - but it probably won't be 'til next year, as he's already working on Christmas posts. Our Major never rests!
My grandma kept the toys in her front closet. No moth balls in there...those awful things were in her bedroom closet. I do remember always smelling a "pasta" smell in her back enclosed porch. She made food from scratch (German and Austrian recipes), but I really don't know what she had stored in that porch (spätzle dough?). It was a yummy smell...I've never smelled it, since.
Irene, remember that the Viewliner is infamous for being one of the shortest-lived attractions in Disneyland history. Less than two years, if memory serves. And then photos of Tomorrowland seem to generally be less plentiful than most of the other lands. It does feel as if many guests were more impressed by Frontierland, of all places.
KS, I really do wonder if some (or MANY) cast members had doubts about whether Disneyland would survive those first two years. Especially on days when under 5000 showed up for the ENTIRE day! I hope Sue finds a photo of her mom and dad together at Disneyland, that would be awesome.
Anonymous, you said it! If I had that time machine, and could only visit ONE land from 1958, it would definitely be Tomorrowland. Maybe I'd run into Lou and Donna!
Lou and Sue, I know you are very busy, but folks here would love to see those photos of your mom with her big smile! My adventures with a kaput computer have set me a little bit behind, but you are right, I am already working on December posts. Funny, when I think of cooking smells from my grandma, I mostly remember sauerkraut and something they called "ring baloney", which I never liked, ha ha. A course, greasy sausage. They always had bread and butter on the table, and a bowl of radishes, which they would salt before biting. The thing I liked the best were her rhubarb preserves, so delicious!
I wonder how Disney got those "tinkertoy" elements built, like the roof support for the Viewliner station. It's tapered, so they couldn't just order an I-beam and cut holes. Did they have them custom cast?
Whoa.
Mind blown.
...or, future mind blown...
Or something...
Late to the party...great seeing the backstage area with Ron D's house. I've never seen it, and honestly never thought about it. There is another photo of another Administration Building- which was a wood frame 2 story- which I thought was Ron's house. This house is more like a Hacienda! Since the Dominquez's and the Yorbas were prominent families (in the 1800's) I can understand this house more than the wood frame. It seems that if they moved it here...they could have moved it elsewhere. I suppose the Pope House was left as the Pope's lived there for so long. It misses it's charm a bit out there in an employee parking lot...but at least it was saved. I saw Ron Dominquez practically every day- I wish I would have fostered a better relationship to ask him questions about the house, the property, etc. Word on the street, is that the sale of the acreage was contingent on Ron having employment for the rest of his life. Don't know if that is particularly true. There are many stories surrounding this- including a fist fight at Dick Nunis's house-(Dick took the blow not meant for him.) In any case, no one ever had anything bad about Ron Dominquez. There has to be photos out there of the house before Disneyland was built, the interiors, the converted office spaces etc. Looking forward to stumbling across those.
I never encountered an unkind word about Ron. He was robust, fast to laugh and was a leader to us. He earned his way up the ladder. The ORH awarded him its #1 'challenge coin' in recognition of his time at Disneyland, and for being an original member of the club, a few months before his passing. Unfortunately, with Covid, this was done at his home with a few top members in attendance...the formal annual meeting being cancelled. I am proud to have served under (way under) him. KS
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