Deserted Disneyland, October 1967
Today we can play "Last Person on Earth" and pretend that we are the lone survivor of an alien invasion, or maybe we were the only one left after the Rapture. Or something. Sure, life would be hard, but now you finally have a chance to explore Disneyland at your leisure! Find that silver lining, yo.
The Indian Village was usually bustling with guests, and the Dance Circle's stadium-style seating held crowds of people, while Native America dancers performed around the fire. But now that we are the past people on Urf, it's kind of spooky. Maybe there are monsters in the dark shadows. Zombies and such. Perhaps a Dracula or two.
The normally-cheerful jungle launches are now quiet and still. Soon the jungle will take back what belongs to it. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like to take a boat down the river, with the jungle now even more overgrown and wild than usual. Mechanical animals, now silent, rust away on shore. WAIT! DID ONE OF THEM JUST MOVE?
25 comments:
Major-
Spooky-!
Thanks.
Read somewhere that Walt vetoed a television bit that would have him talking while walking around after hours. While he did in fact love to prowl around before opening, he didn't want Disneyland to ever be shown empty.
Major, think how starved that "Dracula or two" would be with no other people to quench his thirst but you, or me, or whoever the one person is that's left on Urf. Maybe the two of you could work out a deal that would keep you both alive (or undead, in Dracula's case). No blood sucking on days that end in "y"... oh wait.
So strange to see the park with no people. These must have been taken by a CM before opening, or on a day when the park was closed. Did our friend KS take this picture of the Congo Queen, perhaps? I guess not if this was in 1967. Oh well, it's fun to speculate. Maybe some other CM?
Thanks for today's eerie images, Major.
DBenson, looks like you posted about 3 seconds before me! I think it was wise of Walt not to want to show the park empty and lifeless. Of course, people like us GDBers would treasure every second of it and scan every frame for small details. But that's just us.
The dancers are all inside of that teepee. They are just waiting for someone to manually move the hands of the clock, to the time of the next show. If Kurt Russell is in the park, he'll do it. That is, unless he's on stage at the Plaza Gardens, singing "Sugar, Sugar."
I remember seeing some photos of Nara Dreamland's "Jungle Cruise," closed and abandoned. The water was thick with green growth and the boats were kind of half-sunk. It did look really creepy. Still, I would have loved to walk around in the park with it empty, and decaying like that. Of course, I would have also liked to have seen it open and fully operational. But I was stupid, and did not go visit the park during any of my visits to Japan. Now it's gone. :-(
I've heard the story of Walt not wanting any filming of an empty park...however, there is lots of footage that exists, so perhaps he wasn't too hardcore. These photos are very employee camera-esque...but not sure as employees liked to take photos of other employees doing kind of insane things. For instance, Jungle Cruise guys frolicking in the river next to the boats- but today: "don't ruin the magic"....that IS the magic! I digress...the "this many minutes until the next show" that is shown in the EJ Peaker Osmondostravaganza show is pretty clear there in the Indian circle. Perhaps if the Osmond boys were Osmond girls they would be bonneted? I am still fascinated by the Prairie People, the Red Riding Hood people I did look up...I knew there was a screenplay there somewhere waiting to be written. The Jungle Cruise boats are so much better with the stripe awnings!! The Jungle Cruise is supposed to be tongue in cheek...making boats "authentic" makes no sense. Speaking of the backside of water, I did troll around the backside of the Partridge House in Burbank, which is next to the back side of Gidgets House, and Jeannies House, Samantha's House...etc etc. You can park on the street and look through the chain link...at least you used to be able to. I'm going to Burbank in a couple of weeks, maybe I will check it out. Everything goes back to the Partridges.
I love "empty park" pictures. :-)
TokyoMagic!, you can still ride the Nara Dreamland Adventure Jungle Cruise in this POV with the late David Mumford.
I’d love a walk through an empty Disneyland. I don’t even need the rides running.
Thanks Major.
JG
I watched the first Twilight Zone episode last night about a man who finds himself in a small town that looks normal except there are no people anywhere. Of course he slowly breaks down.
Let's change the plot to finding yourself in Disneyland with no other people. Now THAT sounds a lot better :)
Nanook, I hope you don’t have bad dreams.
DBenson, I understand Walt’s thinking, but wouldn’t you love to see that “Walt walks around an empty Disneyland” footage today?
JB, Draculas are always thirsty, but they can drink a “Monster” energy drink to keep them going. For a while anyway. “Developed BY Monsters, FOR Monsters”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the photos were just taken on a very slow day - they did have those years ago! But it does seem amazing that there wouldn’t be at least one person in the photos.
JB, like I said to DBenson, Walt was probably right, but there’s still part of me that would like it if that footage existed.
TokyoMagic!, I’ll let those dancers out! Then I will be a hero and everyone will love me. Did Kurt Russell ever sing? I’ve seen lots of photos of Nara Dreamland in decay, they are always fascinating. If I lived near there, I’d want to break in and look around. It’s so strange that everything was just abandoned. The Scooby Gang needs to investigate! I wish you’d gone too, at least we’d have some more pictures.
Bu, Is there lots of footage of the empty park? I guess I’ve missed it. It was always a dream of mine growing up: I’d sneak over the fence when the park was closed, and I’d walk around. I’d wear a hard hat and a vest so nobody would question me (“I guess that 12 year old with the hard hat and vest must work here”). Photos of employees frolicking, kissing the Matterhorn yeti, goofing around on “Pirates” and the Haunted Mansion (etcetera) have popped up on places like Facebook. Marie Osmond never wore a bonnet that I am aware of, though she would have looked great. I had a crush on her when I was a kid! I agree, the JC boats are so much better with the striped awnings. Others disagree though. They are wrong. What backlot had all those houses? The Warner Bros. lot?
Andrew, I love them too, but they are scarce! Thanks for the link to that Nara Dreamland video, fascinating! I would go there in a heartbeat if it was open and I happened to be in Japan.
JG, ME TOO!
@ JG & Grant-
Although it was at WDW's Magic Kingdom, I did just that - in either the Fall of 1981 or 1982. Thanks to a former CM friend, I was able to walk a 'grand circle tour', starting and ending in Town Square. It was shortly after the Park closed for the day - at that time around 7 PM - as I recall; so after dark. The experience wasn't quite as strange as it might seem - but definitely unique and unforgettable. Yes, kinda like a Twilight Zone episode, but in full color. As I recall, all the retail shop doors, etc., were closed, all the Park lighting was on, all the music, and the water features fully-operational. And I'm not exaggerating when I say I didn't see more than 2 or 3-tops, CM's during the entire journey.
And no, I had no camera with me - but the idea was to be relatively incognito - which also meant sticking to 'guest areas', and avoiding the temptation of "exploring" backstage areas.
Thanks to 'knowing the right people, at the right time', this is one of several very unique Disney experiences I obviously remember and treasure.
JB...This was 3 years before I arrived on the JC scene, but the view was little changed...probably more foliage...and nothing more than that. While everything has been 'plussed' with the new boats, I still look back at the original version as the standard. I wonder how many times I piloted the Congo and how many guests I took during my tenure. Happy Days! KS
In 1990 my wife and I went to The Magic Kingdom in March. We arrived 1st thing in the morning and there was NO ONE around. I vividly remember the very weird feeling of wandering around alone. I actually didn't like it as much as when guests are there. Of course the park slowly filled up and all was good.
Now, of course, there are no days like that at all, and I find it sad. Not "eating the last Gummy Bear" sad, but close.
Thanks for slightly related memories, Major!
Andrew, thanks for the link to that ersatz Jungle Cruise video. In some ways (dare I say?) it was slightly better than the Disney version(!!!) In that, the animals seemed to be closer to the boats. Of course, the bad news is that the animals weren't quite ready for Prime Time. A little too smooth. A little too shiny. And the animation was a little too crude and repetitive. (I liked the leopard walking down the fallen log, though.). Add it all up, and the animals just don't look real enough to suspend one's disbelief. Still a nice ride, though.
Andrew, thanks for that link! Not bad. Not bad at all. I do wish I had been able to see it in person.
Major, the only singing that I have seen Kurt Russell do, was on that Osmonds/E.J. Peaker episode of "The Wonderful World of Disney." I thought he did a decent job!
I may have posted this before, but it's footage of an almost empty Main St., at Disneyland. We had been inside the Disney Gallery talking to the cast members for a while after the park closed, so as we walked out of the park, it was almost void of guests:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDRCPOWzWHo
@ TM!-
That's sort of the way WDW's Magic Kingdom felt, completely devoid of any humans. Merely atmosphere, in all its forms.
Thanks for sharing this.
Sorry I’m late to respond: I’m learning to play the ukulele so I had to pick up some new Ping-Pong paddles.
It’s much more difficult these days , but one can easily wait and get shots of the park without any guests .... also on days on inclement weather can make this easy. Even recently I’ve been able to do this. I know the old advertising tag line of the 60’s Disneyland was made for people!” But Sometimes you just want a clean simple view focusing on just the architecture , atmosphere or areas and not 6 people leaning on a trash can all on their Cel phones with two strollers ...one of them the size of a hospital gurney! And often the guests are not very pretty looking .. lol. Sometimes I will wait quite awhile to get a sweeping view and that moment of GUEST-LESSNESS. Often the photos appear like there isn’t a sole in the park ... but in reality, just outta view we’re many. Then there are times you take pictures and when you see it it’s oddly devoid of guests ... One Of our fellow Junior Gorillas and I used to often go to the park on “shooting safaris” and mostly focus on one subject like “ Disneyland Hotel water falls and grottos” or “Frontierland Lighting Fixtures” ..... Building exteriors of Adventureland .... etc etc ....
And usually taken without people in them if possible . One time I was doing a all-Disneyland Railroad day and waited and was taking pictures of each of the trains running that day pulling out into the Bear County trestle.... then I went up to Hungry Bear to take similar pictures with closer views of the trains ... and later I noticed ( I didn’t see it when I was taking the photos) but on the trains there are no guests at all !??? And down below on the ground ... no guests walking around critter country!??! It was like they all vanished! You can see the shadow of a locomotive engineer in one of the them and his arm waving at me. I’m assuming these two trains had been sent to the roundhouse to be put away .... but it was in the middle of a busy day.
When we were frequently changing displays at The DCA BLUE SKY PREVIEW CELLAR, we would get there many many hours in the morning and often would park our own cars right inside the park ... moving them one hour before opening. I have a small collection of my ( at the time Ford Taurus and later Ford Escape ) Parked around DCA .....looking almost like a car add!! ..... and totally peopleless.
I know I’ve mention this before but I’ve had guests make comments to me when they see I’m taking a picture of a structure .... trash can Etc .
..... “ if there’s no people in the picture ... but a post card ...” and one time a me and friend went around photographing every variation of trash cans we could find. We were over at Tomorrowland Terrace and there were chairs everywhere and a group was blocking a rare pre-1998 Tomorrowland can style ... so we started moving the chairs away so we could single out the trash can and a helpful custodial castmember came over and said “ oh , here let me get that out the way for you !!” ...... and he moved the can away..... Debbie and I both quietly looked at each other .. and then we had to embarrassingly explain that it was the trash can we were photographing !! He looked at us like we were totally wacko!!
@ MIKE-
"He looked at us like we were totally wacko!!" Join the club-!
As they say: Why be normal-?
Mike, hahaha! I'm thinking of taking up the harmonica. Gotta go buy a Snickers bar.
When I was a kid I used to have nightmares about being in an amusement park all alone. Sometimes it was the Magic Kingdom or our local park, but others it was just a generic park. As an adult I rarely remember my dreams but when I do they're incredibly banal.
I had to give up my oboe lessons because zucchini are out of season.
Nanook, believe me, if somebody offered me the opportunity to tour Disneyland (or WDW) when it was closed to the public, I would do it in a heartbeat! I think that as a Disney park fan, we understand that the place is meant to be seen when it is teeming with guests and the air is full of music and the smell of popcorn. But the chance to see it would be sort of like visiting a movie set when the cast and crew is away. Not full of life, but still fascinating because one would have the time to really look at everything, and maybe notice details that would otherwise be overlooked.
KS, it really IS amazing to think of the thousands of miles you probably logged during your time as a Jungle Cruise skipper! Too bad we can’t calculate the actual number, but I’m sure it is impressive.
stu29573, wow, it seems so hard to believe that as recently as 1990, someone could go to The Magic Kingdom and see that park so empty. What a lucky thing for you and your wife! I don’t know if I would be sad, because I would know that during most hours, the place would be packed.
TokyoMagic!, ME TOO. I didn’t remember that Kurt Russell sang on that special! It’s been a while. I’m sure it’s on YouTube, maybe I need to watch it again. I mostly remember that guy who kept pointing at his watch, ha ha. Thanks for the link to that footage! I’m surprised that the cast members you were talking to didn’t tell you it was time to go.
Nanook, I would love it!
Mike Cozart, I look forward to your ping pong ukulele concert soon! Gosh, I’m thinking of the last few visits to the park (a while ago now), and can’t imagine getting a good shot of anything significant without at least a few people in the photo. However, there are photographers on the Internet who specialize in beautiful photos of the parks, and they almost always get incredibly gorgeous shots with not a soul in sight. I suspect that a lot of them were taken just as the park was closing, but maybe not. The only time I had an experience that was even SORT of like that is when I went, and it rained in the morning. There were people there, but they were all hiding! It sounds like you might have a lot of nice pictures from your “shooting safaris”?? Let’s see those! If not on GDB, share them on one of your blogs! I always envied the people who were able to go to the park regularly back in those days, since I generally lived too far away. Or else I guess I was too lazy to make the drive very often. But I know people who would go on weekends just to enjoy a breakfast, ride the train, and go home. They had passes of course, which I never did. I love your trash can story, but you’d think that the custodian would have seen it all by that point.
Nanook, EXACTLY. Long ago I knew I had to own my nerd-ness.
JB, don’t forget, a pocket comb works good too, and doesn’t melt! Unless your comb is made of chocolate too.
Melissa, of course, an empty amusement park could definitely be a creepy place! Especially if you could walk through the dark rides with only a flashlight. The stuff of nightmares!
I did the "Magic Behind our Steam Trains" tour at WDW a few years ago. We had to get there 2 hours before park open, and got to tour a deserted Town Square before we boarded a train to the roundhouse to steam up another train.
Andrew, thanks for sharing that Nara Dreamland Jungle Cruise link. I noticed they even had ruckus ducks there, too. I would LOVE a translation of the lady skipper's spiel, and wonder if it was humorous. I noticed there was lots of room for all of us Jr. Gorillas, on that boat.
TM! Your Main Street video sure makes us Disneyland fans happy. The most beautiful time to be walking down Main Street.
Fun info and laughs today, thanks everyone!
Nanook, Major, and Sue.....I'm glad that you enjoyed the video. I just wish it was a little sharper. I guess we are spoiled today, with digital video. Major, my friends knew a couple of the people who worked in the Disney Gallery, so they told us that we didn't have to leave right away. On one occasion, they let us go into "Walt's bathroom" (I know he passed away before he could actually stay in the apartment, but I'm still going to call it Walt's bathroom). I shot video of that, too, but haven't uploaded it to YouTube yet. The bathroom had been completed, but it was being used as a stockroom. I believe it was been completely gutted for that "Dream Suite" garbage.
One of the wonderful memories of the Park was walking though it before it opening in the morning or after it closed for the evening...that was truly magical for the CMs. KS
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