A Pair from October, 1956
I have a swell pair of photos from October, 1956 for you today. As is sometimes the case, it's the people that make the pictures so fun.
Here's a family posing beneath two signs that I don't recall seeing before: "TO FRONTIERLAND - FRONTIERS OF AMERICA". Nice! And I'm glad to know that this wasn't the frontiers of Uruguay, which was what I thought for a bit. The main entrance to Frontierland can be seen to our right, and the rock counterweight can just be seen to the left of center, behind that pole.
The young lady in the long gray dress looks pretty elegant - the large (artificial?) red rose corsage makes it look like she just left the prom. The two moms are holding their souvenir guidebooks (please don't fold them or spill greasy food on them!), while two small children are bewildered by it all. Dad is just going with the flow, as all smart dads do.
And here's the same group, now heading into Adventureland. Such strange architecture! Those skulls! Those shields! I wish I could tag along behind them (not in a creepy way) just to experience all the things that they got to experience.
18 comments:
I wonder if Prom Gal and her sister, in the first photo, are part of the posing family? They don't seem to be in the second photo. I think they were just walking by when the 1st photo was snapped.
I'd be a bit leery walking under that suspended boulder. I'm sure it's fiberglass or something, but still.
I don't think I've seen those signs before either. I'll take a guess and say that this is a connector between Adventureland (behind us in the 1st image) and Frontierland, ahead of us. Maybe the other side of the signs say "To Adventureland" and "(something, something, something)".
Thanks for the early glimpse of this corner of Disneyland, Major.
Lovely pictures today, chock-full of “You Are There.” The gray dress with the red roses is absolutely my favorite outfit. Check that group in the second picture, all wearing white shirts and black bottoms. I wonder what their story is? Men in Black trainees? Community chorus?
It’s been a decent interval since we’ve seen that rock counterweight on GDB, so I am glad to see it today. We spent quite a lot of time ten or eleven years ago discussing how that thing would work, but not about whether there was a real-life inspiration for it (other than Rube Goldberg’s cartoons).
The Castle and two Skyway buckets are just barely visible through the gate and the intervening background haze.
Fun fact - the Castle and stockade were both built to defend against swans.
Both of today's images are wonderful.
I believe that rock counterweight near the stockade entrance is now gone or at least it was missing last time I was there. Apparently, skulls are a thing of the past in today's Adventureland.
Thanks, Major.
In the first pic we can see that Dad is holding a camera case. It might be for the camera that took this photo, but I tend to believe that there are more pictures out there of this day from his perspective. Of course the chances of finding them hover right around zilch.
Fun fact: The fort worked because swans fear trees! Think about it. When was the last time you saw a swan sitting up in a tree merrily twittering away? Never, that's when!
I think the skulls were removed because they were offensive. I can't for the life of me think who would be offended, though. Perhaps cranial surgeons?
Sweater sets and pumps, jackets and ties, lovely dresses...now....sweats, pajamas, overpriced bedazzled mouse ears. I saw something about some rogue "day" where people dress up in vintage clothes to visit the park. This photo looks like that. Very respectable. I'm all for being comfortable, I just don't know how comfortable I need to be to go on the Mark Twain or the DDRR? I wore a wool suit in the Summer. Do I need my "binkee" too with my jammies? The odd part is they dressed up for a $1 admission. Now, they dress down..way down..for a $100+++ admission. The irony of it all. I do enjoy the simple border "fences" that have graced the past two days of photos. Something very quaint about it. Not everything needs to be so overly dolled up. Stop dolling things up and with the money you save, lower the prices. I was a few miles from Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. this past week, but still could not muster up the courage for a $30 parking charge, the pain and suffering of going through a security checkpoint, the pain and suffering of paying $156 to see something I was paid to see five days a week. I'd MUCH rather see GDB and faux rose corsages and offensive skulls....have they taken the tusks down too? Isn't that Indiana ride thingy full of skulls and whatnots?
Great photos. People pics. I love the way the woman holding the hand of the blonde child, looks back in the last pic. Cut and wrap.
Cozy pics, thanks Major.
BU, I feel your pain, except envious for the fact that you got paid to work at the park. I do have a pack of Mallomars in front of me to soften the blow. Always keep them at work for such occasions.
@ Melissa-
The 'white shirts and black bottoms' was so the group wouldn't get lost.
@ DrGoat-
That rock counterweight is actually filled with Mallomars-!
Thanks, Major.
JB, ya know, I think you’re right, Prom Gal and her friend do look like they might just be strolling by. But now they are STARS. I hope somebody has the boulder in their yard, unaware that it was once at Disneyland. I agree that the signs were directing guests from Adventureland to Frontierland, but it’s still surprising to me that I don’t recall ever seeing them before.
Melissa, the red corsage is so unusual, I have to wonder if Grey Girl just wore it because she was in the mood, or if she was there as part of a fancy event. Funny about the people all dressed the same - I have no idea why. Maybe it’s The Beatles?
Chuck, it’s true, the Big Rock (soon to be as popular as The Dent?) does not show up in many photos, I assume it was removed fairly early on. I don’t recall anybody mentioning a real-life example of a heavy rock counterweight (or maybe it’s just a weight) used at a fort entrance. I did not notice the Skyway gondolas! As we learned yesterday, mere walls are not enough to contain rabid swans.
K. Martinez, oh I believe that the rock counterweight has been gone for decades, maybe since the 1960s. Just a guess, though, since photos from that angle are not common. Most cameras were pointed in toward Frontierland and the Mark Twain. I think I did read about the removal of all “human skulls” from Frontierland, that’s no fun.
Stu29573, I think I acquired these two slides all on their own, and not as part of a larger lot (sadly), so I have no other nice early views from this photographer. I thought swans feared BEES. But maybe they feared trees as well. Especially pine trees. I was offended by the skulls because they lacked the extremely heavy brow ridge and sagittal crest that my own skull has.
Bu, why dress up when you can go to the park in the unwashed clothes that we wore the day before? I certainly did not ever go to Disneyland “dressed up”, but I think I at least made the attempt to look somewhat neat and tidy. A cummerbund for sure. Maybe spats over my flip flops. Unless something terrible happens to the economy, I don’t see Disneyland prices ever going down. Remember when they used to try to entice locals by offering reduced rates if you could show that you had a California address? Boy, those were the days. That’s the only time some of my friends would ever go. I think they still have the tusks, but they now look like carved wood rather than ivory. And yes, the Indy ride is full of skulls!
DrGoat, there you are! I also like the mom holding the little girl’s hand. Considering that my eight year old niece barely remembers when I took her to Disneyland, that little girl probably has almost no memory of that wonderful day. Mallomars, it has been a long time since I have had those! My dad liked something similar called “pinwheels”.
Nanook, I once went with a group, and we all agreed to wear red or orange shirts so that we could find each other. Naturally there were one or two people who just ignored the suggestion.
These are such good pictures, thank you Major! I wish the Dads had switched off photo duty so we could see everyone in the party, but I’m grateful for what we have.
Yes, the two debutants are just passing through. I seem to remember the counterbalance gate in a different place, but photos don’t lie… … or DO THEY?
OK, just had some tea, I’m better now.
Yes, there has been a general purge of skulls, at least as part of exterior decor. Apparently they remain as story elements inside of selected attractions, Indy, Pirates, Snow White, etc, but these places are tagged as scary. I guess the intent is that no one should be exposed to cranial nudity without going through a full disclosure opt-in process. I guess jack o lanterns must fill in for the new sacred holiday of Halloween.
The group in black and white are definitely organized, my guess is a church group. there are five visible, four in shirts and pants, and a man in a black jacket who looks like a chaperone. They are off to find the rest of their party, who are probably off ogling skulls somewhere.
Dr. Goat, you nailed it, the backward glance is so natural and graceful. Lovely people having a good time, no one staring at their phone trying to make lunch reservations.
JG
Funny how the spot in the first photo looks pretty much the same nowadays (ok, the last time I was there at least) and the second spot looks totally different. There’s a pouty kid far left in the first photo; why so upset at the happiest place on Earth? You’re in the good ol’ skull-filled days! Thanks, Major.
Major-
"I was offended by the skulls because they lacked the extremely heavy brow ridge and sagittal crest that my own skull has". I prefer flaring zygomatic arches to make an impression whenever I enter a room.
There's a photo of the 'big rock' over on Daveland, that's dated from February, 1965, so...
Melissa, yeah. I noticed all those white-shirted, black-pantsed people as well. I wasn't sure what to make of it, so I said nothing. Maybe they're the 1950s version of The Kids Of The Kingdom. Except that the Tomorrowland Terrace doesn't exist yet so they're forced to wander around aimlessly till it's built in 1967.
Chuck, Ha! I was wondering how anyone could work in the swan meme today, since they are nowhere in evidence.
K. Martinez, you're making it awfully difficult to resist saying (all together now): "They ruin everything!"
Stu, Huh. Swans fear trees. I'll keep that in mind next time I'm in a forest, about to be devoured by swans. I suppose one could drag a tree around as one walked through swan-infested areas; but that would get tiring real quick.
Never underestimate the power of the Cranial Surgeon's lobby!
Bu, all of your good advice makes too much sense... it'll never happen.
DrGoat, I noticed the lady looking back over her shoulder as well. It left me feeling happy.
Major, my 90 year old mom has Pinwheel cookies at hand all the time. Even though they're in the 'cookie' aisle at the store, they're much more like candy. I have a big sweet-tooth but Pinwheels are just too cloyingly, unrelentingly sweet for me. I'll eat one every 6 months or so, just to remind myself that I don't really care for them that much.
Ha! So now Disneyland skulls are a thing here at GDB. It's getting hard to remember them all: the counter-weight boulder, Fudgie, The Dent, killer swans/ducks, the Stain, others?
Yep, JB, I can think of more.
Nanook, by the time that photo was taken, those Mallomars were getting pretty chewy and stale, in that rock piñata.
Fun pictures and comments, today - thanks, all!
JG, I love these kinds of photos… from the early days, but with great color and great “vintage” atmosphere. As far as I know the gate with the boulder was always in that spot, but I will defer to anybody who is better informed than me (a low bar). The idea of people being offended by prop skulls is ridiculous, and YET… these days I believe it. Folks, they are made of plastic, don’t worry about it. A church group is as good a guess as any for the black and white team. Or else they are a family of chauffers.
Kathy!, I’d love to see a current-day photo taken from the same angle as photo #2, assuming that that is even possible. I’m sure the changes are extensive. Ha ha, I didn’t notice the pouty kid. Cheer up, fella!
Nanook, zygomatic arches are good too, if somebody has big “zygos” (as I call them) then I know they are my kind of people. Thanks for the info about the big rock being there as late as ’65.
JB, I can’t say I liked pinwheels that much either, the chocolate was very waxy, and the cookie part was dry. Give me a good Moon Pie! While I have tried to eat much healthier over the last 6 or 7 months, my sweet tooth has not gone away (as some people swore it would)!
Lou and Sue, I’ve seen some crazy piñatas, but never one that was supposed to look like a rock. How about one that looks like the Powerpuff Girls? Or Fred Flintstone? Those are more my style.
Major, my sister and I wore matching custom T-shirts the day we spent her birthday at the Magic Kingdom; it was a real throwback to our childhood of matching clothes. Great fun, and s lot of nice comments from strangers.
I am so tickled with the idea of musical groups just wandering aimlessly around the wilderness until their performing venues are constructed, like hummingbirds when you put up a feeder. If you build it, they will come!
"The Hummingbirds". Maybe that was the name of the group in today's post! They're just waiting for their 'feeder' to rise up out of the ground so they can do their musical thing.
A high school friend and I made a piñata for Spanish class that looked like Fidel Castro.
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