River and Island Views, August 1966
Before I get to our regularly-scheduled blog post, I want to wish Lou Perry (of "Lou and Sue" fame) a very happy birthday! Lou is 93 years young. What a guy! Here's a photo of him at Walt Disney World, Sue B. sneaked a shot while he was doing his thing.
Here are two slide scans, date-stamped "August 1966". At first glance they appear to be fairly ordinary, but some details are pretty interesting.
I'm guessing that this photo was taken from the Mark Twain, mostly due to the height. It could be from the Columbia, I suppose. We're looking down on Tom Sawyer Island, with the fishing dock closest to us - notice the long cane poles sticking out of that barrel. Beyond that is an unused raft moored at "Tom's Landing"... I guess visitors were rafting over to the Island via "Huck's Landing" on the western shore.
I wish our photographer had included more of what was going on to the left, because we can see just a sliver of Haunted Mansion construction, with piles of earth, some wooden framing, and (from what little we can see) the house itself, far from complete. There are some construction workers wearing their blue hardhats. The large show building is also visible from this angle. It's interesting to note that the construction wall was low enough for an adult to casually watch what was going on, no need to stand on your wife's shoulders.
This next one is from the very same lot, and yet it is clear that the Mansion is much farther along - in fact the actual house looks complete. I have no idea how many months later this must have been taken. Six months? Less? things moved pretty quickly back in those days.
It's also evident that additional trees were planted to partially obscure some of the Haunted Mansion, either to hide that show building, or to add a bit of mystery (or both). Meanwhile, it's fun to see the busy shore, the load of guests on the raft, and the Keelboat. And even the skiff that was used for various maintenance tasks along the river!
38 comments:
Major-
Although we must bid a fond farewell to Swift's Chicken Plantation House... what an exciting time for Frontierland-! In a little more than six months The Pirates of the Caribbean would be wowing guests. And soon would start the interminable wait for The Haunted Mansion to finally open.
Hats-off to the Sierra Tower, peaking-in above the tress.
Thanks, Major. And - Happy Birthday, Lou-!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Perry! Thank you for your treasure trove of Disney photos. And thank you, Sue for relaying them to the Major so we can all enjoy them.
Major, I'm not seeing Sue's photo of Lou. (?)
I remember walking past the outside of the show buildings for the Mansion and Pirates when we stayed (1975) at the 'campground' behind Frontierland (where Chuck and his family stayed, according to earlier posts). Nothing to see, really. Just gray cement walls with ivy growing on them and a couple of opaque windows.
The photo with the completed Mansion is super nice. Crisp focus, lots going on, beautiful sky; I saved that one.
Thanks, Major.
Nanook and JB—I’ll see my dad today and will gladly pass on your birthday wishes to him.
JB, you have to use your vivid imagination...
It’s September 1972 and my dad’s standing by the train station, snapping a photo down Main Street. I grab one of his cameras and take a shot of him, at the same time, unbeknownst to him—at least until we got back home and he got the film developed. ;o)
Some fun shirts in that first picture! And a very happy birthday to Lou, who has gives US so many gifts over the years.
Sue, thanks to your description, I CAN visualize it! It'll be interesting to see how my imagination compares to the actual image. (If we get to see it.) ;-)
I thought the Haunted Mansion's facade was finished in 1963!
A very happy birthday to you, Lou!!!
That is correct : the Disneyland Haunted Mansion’s exterior was completed in 1963. In fact even today the attraction is listed as FRONTIERLAND with architecture and engineering.
Beautiful day in these pictures with exciting things underway!
HAPPY “93” LOU!!!!!! Thank you for your work in photo-documenting these places dear to us quickly disappearing.
Great job capturing the Contemporary from the train station, Sue! Of course, that's all obscured by trees now. I love the idea that before the Carousel of Progress was built, you could clearly see it from Tomorrowland.
Happy birthday, Lou! And nicely done “surveillance photo” of him, Sue!
The first Disneyland photo is showing New Orleans Square construction rather than the Haunted Mansion being built. If you find the right end of the fishing dock and track straight up, you can juuust see a couple of chimneys and the top of the Mansion’s cupola. The building we see under construction is the one that holds the French Market.
Sue, is the August 1966 date based on the processing date stamped on the slide mounts or Lou’s records? The reason I ask is that New Orleans Square had its official opening on July 24th, 1966, and while I know Walt had okayed the opening without Pirates of the Caribbean being ready, it seems odd that he would want to open with a large area of the themed experience not quite ready for the public eye. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen that way; a lot of Disneyland was still unready for prime time when it opened in 1955 and construction continued for some time on planned opening day attractions like the tuna boat.
Chuck, these aren’t my dad’s scans today. Just the first one, but he didn’t take that either. ;o)
I’ll share all the nice birthday wishes and comments with my dad, later today...
Sue, deliver a big birthday hug to Lou on his 93rd birthday. May all of us live to be 93, if we want to. And continued good luck with Lou's health and well being.
I'd love to see the photo Lou is taking in that in your clandestine photo. And there's a great trashcan photobombing in the backround Sue.
Good Job.
Thanks Major for this great Monday morning treat.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOU!!!
I hope you have a great one! Thanks for all the wonderful pictures and memories!
These are wonderful pictures of The Mansion. It was a time where the presentation of the park was just as important as the attractions themselves. Even though the Mansion wouldn't open for quite some time, its very existence, looming over the river, adds so much to the scene. Oh, for imagineers with vision again. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it's a lost art.
Happy Birthday, Lou! Many Happy Returns of the Day!
Big thanks to you and Sue for your contributions here, we enjoy these pictures so much.
Major, great stuff today, great views of the old River. I do agree with Chuck about the construction timing, it is NOS under way, not the Mansion.
Thank you all again.
JG
Happy Birthday Lou! Lots of happy memories for a lot of people who visit GDB! I wish my parents were as attached to Disneyland/World as Lou and I was. To them it was too expensive, too far, need to get on a freeway to get there...on and on...and my strange obsession was suspect in their eyes. I would like the job of fishing instructor on Tom Sawyer Island please. Shorts, hat, sandals...I'm there. What an interesting "shorty wall" around the Haunted Mansion. Probably to gain some attention as it was probably low level construction that didn't involve a lot of mess/danger/etc. I see that "Hotel Disneyland" is now the Disneyland Hotel. When I went to work at the Queen Mary (for Disney) the "Hotel Queen Mary" was more "Htel Queen Mary" than not. It seems they have larger problems now. I see that old metal skiff is hanging there between the raft and Keel Boat docks. Although it wasn't very "themed" it kind of blended in...and it was (or a cousin was) around in my time too. Hanging in the dry dock..or attached to it, around it, etc.. Those water fountains seem especially shiny and new too. I'm sure water fountains are a no no now- and probably forever. Thanks for some Monday diversion as I needed some :) Happy 93 Lou!
Happy Birthday Lou!
The second "whole" image is a beauty for showing off the river activity. Thanks, Major.
Nanook, that really was a time for big changes, with some of the most exciting things Walt had ever planned coming soon. I do miss the Chicken Plantation House, but we sure got some great stuff in its place.
JB, don’t worry, I fired the elf who neglected to add Lou’s photo. That guy has screwed up too many times! He’s the one who added that watermark yesterday, BTW. The big show buildings for those rides might not look so good from the outside, but they dazzle where it counts. I love the Disneyland versions of both “Pirates” and the Haunted Mansion because they had to figure out how to get guests under the railroad tracks, which added a lot to the “show”.
Lou and Sue, sorry that my elf messed up on the photo! As folks can see, I added it at about 2:30 in the morning!
Melissa, those fun shirts are far away! But I have some slides coming up with fun shirts that are much closer. STAY TUNED!
JB, how close is the real photo to what you pictured in your mind??
TokyoMagic!, it’s so strange that these are all from the same date-stamped lot. Is it really possible that somebody had one roll of film in their camera for over three years? It’s the only explanation that makes sense.
Mike Cozart, wow, I thought that the Mansion was officially a New Orleans Square attraction!
Mike Cozart, hear hear!
Andrew, I wonder if the trees you refer to were specifically planted to block the view of the Contemporary?
Chuck, only the first photo is from Sue, the others are from my collection. And YES, I see the chimneys now, jeez. I feel like a dope. I wish I had more elves to fire, even though it was my mistake. Why should I be the one to take the blame! I have a number of photos of folks wandering through New Orleans Square in the months before “Pirates” opened, maybe Walt felt that guests would feel a sense of anticipation for the upcoming ride, and meanwhile they could appreciate the beauty of NOS.
Lou and Sue, :-)
DrGoat, think of all the history that Lou has seen! I used to think that about my grandmother, who had a horse and cart when she was a little girl in Illinois, but lived many years past the Moon landing. Hopefully you will check back in to see the photo of Lou!
Stu, thanks to Chuck, I must admit that I was in error about the Mansion. But you are right, having the exterior of the house there for years, looking ready to go, was probably not intentional, but what an amazing way to build anticipation!
Bu, just wait, there are so many more great images to come from Lou (and Sue)! It’s a real treasure trove. My family lived on the east coast several times, but we never made the journey to WDW, sadly. Believe me, I begged! My mom would just haul us over to Hersheypark. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Queen Mary is on the verge of sinking, it might be fun to spend the night there just for the experience. How often does one get to sleep in a 1930s ocean liner? Plus you don’t have to endure a cheesy floor show like on a real cruise. I wonder if you are right about water fountains? Now we can all buy a $5 bottle of water!
K. Martinez, I think the key to the beauty of NOS (or one of the keys) is all of those beautiful trees. It doesn’t look like everything was just scraped out of the raw dirt, but rather as if it has been there for a long time.
Happy birthday, Lou! And many more! I really like the Mansion photo, so much going on. Is that someone wearing one of my favorite paper cone hats waiting in line for the keelboats? Thanks Major, and thanks Lou and Sue for the pictures we’ve seen and those still to come!
Thank You Lou! Time well spent - at Disneyland, taking fun photos, recording history, and sharing with the world. 👏
Enjoy your special day. 🎂
In photo 1, we can see the "keg" buoy marking the lane for the canoes, as described by KS in earlier posts.
I think the thing just slightly closer to shore is a fake "rock".
Still loving these, Major.
JG
Happy Birthday to Lou, from a fellow Feb 28ther.
To answer the questions about water fountains, they're still installing them, at least at recent additions to WDW. Some of them even have a second spout for refillable water bottles - a nice feature in the giant Florida parks it seems impossible to stay hydrated while walking miles per day.
Happy Birthday, Dean! I hope you're relaxing and enjoying the day. My mom's birthday is/was February 28, too (though born a few years after my dad). It's a very special day!
I just noticed the burned-out globe light behind my dad's head. WDW wasn't even a year old, at that point. Maintenance was already slacking, I guess.
I just finished reading everyone's nice birthday wishes and comments to my dad, which 'made his day.' Thank you! I'll see him, again, tomorrow, and will share any late comments, if there are any.
Thank you, Major, too.
Happy birthdean!!
I was just thinking, in these days of instant news, how would that six-year gap between building the facade and the attraction go if it happened today? It almost seems like real-life mystery and suspense had a different effect on people back then.
And Kathy! it's nice to see a fellow fan of the paper hats!
@ Chuck-
I saw those chimneys, but I failed to register that first, they were chimneys, and second, they might adorn the Haunted Mansion. Thanks for the clarification. Boy, do I feel stupid.
Major-
Ahhhhh.... there's Lou-! (This is what happens when one posts too early). And Sue - not only did you sneak-in a nice glimpse of the Contemporary, but also a [for shame] moment of poor maintenance on that burned-out wall sconce attached to the column just behind Lou-!
And a Happy Birthday to Lou!!! Looking forward to so many more pictures. I was thinking that in September '72, I visited WDW. We maybe passed each other. Who knows?
JG...yep that's the buoy that the canoes had to pass on the left side around the Mill turn. Took that turn many a time. Oh what a way to enjoy a summer day...steering and seeing all the activity swirling around me!
I see others have chimed in that the show building is Pirates, not the Mansion. I recall the Mansion facade itself being complete in 1963 with signs saying it would open soon. Boy that was a long wait to 1969. However, for many years, there was no show building behind the Mansion. There was however an opening behind the berm for the show building. When riding the train, as you passed through the tunnel past the Frontierland station, you found yourself on a bridge, underneath of which would become the 'transition tunnel' for guests to walk toward their Doom Buggies. As all seats on the train faced inward, if you looked behind you, it was wide open, the "tunnel" was not enclosed until the show building was eventually constructed. KS
Sue (and Major), Yay, the photo is up! When I imagined the photo, I did picture your dad facing left, snapping away, like he is here. But I didn't expect to see the Contemporary Resort in the background. Or Lou standing in the shadows, I pictured him in bright sunlight.
Major, now I'm picturing Dobby the elf as the one responsible for all the mischief. (poor Dobby.)
Kathy!, well, it's a hat... and it's cone-shaped... but I'm not sure it's one of those paper cone hats. It seems a little too big? Maybe not.
Since I forgot, happy birthday Lou!! I am always grateful that you allow Sue to share your pictures with us. They show your wonderful memories, but they are also top-quality reference material, and I am happy to know they will be forever preserved for future generations on GDB. :-)
The Walt Disney World Railroad Main Street Station was one of the first structures in the Magic Kingdom to you completed. Also Main Street was the first part of the park to have all of its exterior lighting completely functional and was TOTALY illuminated many months before the park’s October 1st ( official opening). So that burned out bulb may have already been almost two years old and illuminated 8-12 hours a day.
...... I’m trying to make excuses for WDW.
Does everyone remember when we were first forced ( in California ) to switch to those LED light bulbs? The ones that were like spiral tubes ? They always extended to far beyond the lamp shade or were too high to fit in traction lamps with shade holding hardware .They were suppose to last like 10 years and none of them lasted even a year! In fact when mine burned out ... they really burned .... the curved part of the glass tube leading to the plastic socket part would discolor then burn .. then smoke and then “pop!”” and then go out. I was afraid to turn on lights!! I kept thinking this must have been what it was like when people feared exploding gaslight!! Also those early LED bulbs were always way too bright! ...... like you were walking into an alien spacecraft! Now the led light bulbs look more like light bulbs - or at least like ice cream cones!!
More fantastic shots! Happy Birthday to Lou! The big 9-3... Who would have thought all those amazing pictures you took over the years would be the best part of some days decades later? :)
Mike, you're thinking of those compact fluorescent spiral bulbs. They were horrible! (and expensive.) Just like you said.
Also, if you screwed those spiral bulbs in just a wee bit too much, the spiral part would break.
And yeah, I always hate how the lighting in alien spaceships is way too bright. ;-)
Kathy!, I know Lou and Sue appreciate all the good wishes! I HAVE to take a photo of my paper cone hat someday. It’s in rough shape, but you don’t see many of those on the market.
Michaeland, yes, Lou did what many of us only dreamed of doing. And he did it well!
JG, if that keg goes beneath the water, you know that the shark attached to it is BIG!
Dean Finder, I’m glad that there are still water fountains, and the spouts for refilling water bottles is genius. Not to mention a very nice convenience for guests.
Lou and Sue, another one for our lists! Wow, what are the odds that you mom and dad had the same birthday! I don’t know if maintenance was already slacking, maybe the light in that globe had only been out for a day or so. That’s what I’m going to believe! I’m so glad that you got to pass along the birthday wishes to Lou, such an amazing guy.
Melissa, unless there was some strange disaster, I can’t imagine anything like the Haunted Mansion “preview” happening again. But it really was a sort of accidental mystery that only enhanced the lore of that ride.
Melissa, I like those paper hats too!
Nanook, ha ha, we can wear our dunce caps together. It’s a look. Yeah, I don’t quite know how I managed to not insert that photo of Lou when I added the text about his birthday; it’s just one of those things I guess.
KS, I can tell you that Sue has MANY MANY more pictures from Lou! I did not know that the buoy actually served a purpose for the Canoes. Interesting! I did know that the Mansion’s exterior was finished very early, but obviously my bearings were off for that photo. I just didn’t get how one roll of film could show the same building like that. Because it DIDN’T. D’oh. I think I have one photo of the Disneyland RR while it was in Frontierland Station, and you can see open ironwork where a tunnel would eventually be. I’d link to it if I wasn’t away from home!
JB, Lou always stood in the shadows, usually with a cape! I was thinking more of a “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” elf, Dobby was so grotesque!
Andrew, yes, Lou’s stash of photos is almost too good to be true! And thanks to Sue for all of her work scanning them and sharing them with us. I just composed a post with some 1956 Frontierland pictures that are SO great.
Mike Cozart, you mean the compact fluorescent bulbs, which definitely had their issues. The LED bulbs are pretty nice, or they are NOW anyway. I bought a bunch and they look great, nice warm light, they pop on immediately (no strange warm-up period). I had some of those “swirl” fluorescent bulbs burn out too, the smell! I didn’t remember that the early LEDs were too bright, but do remember that I always wanted the highest “lumens” number, which might have been part of the problem.
Kel, it really is pretty incredible to think that somebody took photos as much as 60+ years ago, and now folks on a blog are enjoying them. And the photographer is still here to enjoy the praise!
JB, I remember stupidly buying some compact fluorescent bulbs that cost a fortune, and then they didn't fit in my lamps (as Mike talked about). I feel like they were about the size of a football!
Coming back later in the day, I noticed that Sue also managed to catch Monorail Red hiding in the background of the photo she snapped of Lou. If you look at the lower left corner of the Contemporary, you can catch a glimpse of the windows, roofs, and red stripes of a couple of Mark IV monorail cars. Not sure which track it’s on - for those of you not familiar with WDW, there are two parallel beamways there supporting trains going in opposite directions - but it’s on the right-of-way that skirts the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon between us and the Contemporary. The tracks curve away to our left before making a gradual right turn into the Contemporary.
Monorail Red was always my favorite WDW monorail, probably because it seemed to be used in a lot of early promotional material.
When Lou was originally taking photos of Disneyland, I’m sure he never dreamed that someday he would be able to share them with the world. Or did he? At any rate they have been a wonderful gift to all of us here on GDB. Thanks Lou, Sue and Major for making it all happen. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOU!
My sister and I went to Bog Lots late at night when it was announced you wouldn't be able to get to old-fashioned light bulbs anymore, and bought like a cupboard full of them. They lasted for years!
KS, by any chance do you know the dates in September 1972 that you were in WDW? I'll have to see if my dad has the exact dates of that trip listed. I believe I have at least 100 slides from that trip - plus photos (with a lot of shots of Main Street). It would be great to find you in one of them!
It's interesting what a couple of you folks said, regarding how old the images are. Though my grandmother tossed a lot of my dad's early boxes of things - including photos (ugh!), I do believe I found one of the earliest photos my dad took, probably from the early 40s (80 years ago). I'll share it sometime, here.
Thanks, again, everyone, for all your kind words.
Sue...
Oh that goes back way too far in time for me. The exact date is lost...but how cool it might have been to see myself then. I think I still look that way! LOL KS
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