It's time for the third installment of "Walt Disney's Disneyland", with thanks to our pal JG for scanning his copy of this classic book.
How's that for a pretty picture? The water in front of us appears to almost be a small lake, though we know that it was really just a fairly narrow stream. The photographer was pretty cagey with his angles!
The text continues with a brief history of the development of the concept of Main Street, USA. I loved that they used actual vintage gas lamps and other architectural details. I don't think I ever knew that some of the park benches were from San Francisco. Why not go to "Benches 'R Us"?
Marty Sklar also gets into Fantasyland, the most "Disney" of all the lands.
Oh boy, the Fantasyland that I loved so much. Yes, the 1983 version is nice, but this is Walt's original, even if it was the result of a limited budget. Beautiful.
City Hall at night, also very lovely.
I hope you always have your half-moon reading glasses on a chain around your neck so that you can absorb all of this information!
The development of Adventureland is a fascinating story, and back in the early days, it really only consisted of a single attraction (not counting the shooting gallery, of course). But WHICH attraction? Nobody knows. Meanwhile, have you ever heard of the "Bushman's Poison" plant mentioned here? I thought they got their poison from those colorful frogs. Or from ACE Hardware.
The skipper is not shooting at a hippo, he's shooting at the malaria-bearing mosquito that landed on the hippo. The man is not a monster! I'm surprised that nobody in the photo has their hands over their ears.
We get a few examples of some of those Jungle Cruise zingers, including a classic mother-in-law gag. Those old battle axes! For some reason I always imagine that Wally Boag was the bringer of all mother-in-law jokes. Based on nothing. Say, I wonder what the skinny is on Frontierland?
Just imagine some person flipping through the pages of this book, sitting in their Wisconsin living room, while it is 15 below zero and hip-deep in snow outside? I'd see that beautiful steamboat, that lovely blue sky, and the "big river", and would want to make plans to go to California as soon as possible.
That's it for part three! Check in next Tuesday for part four! Thank you, JG.
By golly, I think I can see The Dent! Unless that's just a mark on the page?? I'll be back later to read all of the posted pages and all the comments...
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDelete"the drawbridge acquired a new meaning: it became the world's most unusual "welcome mat"." I'm beginning to understand why I have so many issues with friends complaining about my "welcome mat". (I thought everyone took their cue from the SBC when choosing a welcome mat-! I did).
Thanks again, to JG & The Major.
There's a Dent sighting in the first pic (Sue beat me to it!), although it's nothing to write home about. We've seen better.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right, Major, that body of water looks gigantic! Big enough for the Mark Twain, the Columbia, Nessie, and Ogopogo!
Truly a beautiful photo; they should put it in a book. ;-)
So much color and movement in the Fantasyland photo! And I can see one of DrGoat's Alley Oop dinosaurs smiling at us to the right of the upper waterfall. Is that a skull glaring at us just below and to the left of the dinosaur? I don't remember seeing that before. Actually, I think that flag pole is creating the skull's two eyes. Dang. Thought I found somethin' new.
So who are all these people lounging in the chairs on City Hall's front porch? Maybe they're auditioning for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Someone should tell them they're sitting in front of the wrong building.
You're right about the colorful frogs, Major. I've never heard of a type of arrow poison coming from a plant; but maybe so.
Is that Eddie Munster behind the JC Skipper?
Thanks, Major and JG, for another episode of "Walt Disney's Disneyland".
I absolutely love the layout of the first two Adventureland pages. Having the skipper shooting at the hippo across a column of text on the next page is pure genius. Our mind instantly puts the two parts of the image together to tell the story. It’s a bit more effective when you see the layout in the book, but you get the idea here.
ReplyDeleteTraditional societies got their poison wherever they could find it in their local environment. Poison dart frogs are native to Central and South America, while Bushman’s poison plants are native to Africa. And no, I’d never heard of Bushman’s poison plants until I read this book, either. My dream of opening a chain of Discount Poison City superstores, dashed to pieces on the Rocks of Reality.
Thanks again, JG!
I'm loving these photos. Especially the Fantasyland one. It's possibly the most vibrant Disneyland photo I've seen. Looking forward to the next batch.
ReplyDeleteThanks JG and Major!!
(Excuse this brief hijack folks)
* Stu, going back to the Family Band I ID'd the bass. It's a Mosrite Guitars, Semie Moseley design created for the Ventures. (For those who don't know, the Ventures were the seminal Surf Music band famous for their innovative sound and style.) So Bass Girl is playing a VERY nice ax as opposed to a budget import.
https://www.vintageandrare.com/uploads/products/70908/4335084/original.jpg
(Now back to our regularly scheduled program.) :D
Major and GDB Team, you are all most welcome.
ReplyDeleteLike Sue, I will come back later to find out what everyone has spotted in todays pics.
Maybe this was the dart poison? Plant-based, so it’s vegan poison.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curare
I used to get mine at Poison Shack.
JG
Thanks JG! Will read every word later. We are inundated with work, which is good, but darn stuff fills up the day.
ReplyDeleteThanks Major, can't go wrong with this material to work with.
Lou and Sue, it’s funny, of all the things that get you excited, it’s the dent! ;-)
ReplyDeleteNanook, the complaints from your friends is not so much about the drawbridge as it is about the fact that your moat is filled with masses of poisonous snakes.
JB, I kind of wish they’d used coated stock on these books, but of course that is more expensive. But we’d get better-quality photos with more detail. I wonder if anybody could get a shot of the castle like that today? Or has everything been so changed that the moat isn’t like that anymore? I don’t really know. I don’t see the Alley Oop dinosaur, but I do see the skull. And I think you’re right about the flagpole creating the “eyes”. It’s funny how folks liked to relax on the porch of City Hall, I guess it was just a good place to take in the view. I would probably like it too. I thought that instead of Eddie Muster, that it was Eddie from “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”.
Chuck, I agree, that Jungle Cruise page layout is pretty creative. Bushman’s Poison Plants. “Buy Bushman’s when you want the very best!”. “Bushman’s: America’s poison”. They had Bob Denver as their spokesman (naturally he was wearing his “Gilligan” outfit).
Grant, many guidebooks and other Disneyland books had similar shots of Fantasyland, and they always look great. I’m not sure how they could increase color saturation back in the pre-Photoshop days, but I have always suspected that it was done. Somehow. Thanks for the info about the Mosrite bass guitar, very cool! I’ll bet that thing was pricey in its day.
JG, I guess I’m old fashioned, but I like to get my poison from colorful frogs. It was good enough for my pappy, and darn it, it’s good enough for me. No fancy hippie plant poisons are allowed in MY house! That being said, curare is pretty famous, I shoulda thought of it.
DrGoat, I’m glad you have work to keep you busy and out of the speakeasies! Check in later if you can!
Major-
ReplyDeleteThat was supposed to be “our” little secret….
Major, the dinosaur is showing us his left profile (that's his most photogenic side!). He has a big friendly grin/smile. His eye is sticking up above his snout, like a crocodile, which is what gives him that Alley Oop look.
ReplyDeleteHmm, well the JC kid doesn't look like Eddie Haskell, that's for sure. (Any other Eddies? Rickenbacker?)
I'm sure that if Bob Denver were still with us he'd be hawking Medicare plans on TV, like Jimmie "Dynomite" Walker. And yes, he'd be wearing his Gilligan outfit.
"Why not go to "Benches 'R Us"?"
ReplyDeleteOr have them designed by Robert Benchley.
I'm with Chuck on those Jungle Cruise photos - that layout is brilliant.
Nanook, I have to let the public know the truth!
ReplyDeleteJB, Er, I think I see him? Not sure to be perfectly honest. Now I’m seeing dinosaurs everywhere. As for Eddies, I think I once heard of a kid called Eddie Spaghetti. Did Bob Denver have a closet full of red shirts and floppy white hats?
Melissa, why not Peter Benchley?
Or Johnny Bench?
ReplyDeleteNow you’ve got me wondering - how the heck did Bob Denver manage to survive three seasons of Gilligan’s Island wearing a red shirt?
JG, thanks for reminding me about Curare. That’s probably my favorite Dean Martin song.
I definitely see all of "Alley Oop" or whatever we're calling him. (DrGoat, if you're reading this, you can name him whatever you want, as you're the one who discovered him and the other "googly-eyed" dino - that isn't visible in today's post.)
ReplyDeletePeter Benchley can design the benches near where Monstro eats all those boats.
ReplyDeleteMajor, yes, I love seeing The Dent because I find it fascinating that it went "unnoticed" all these years. Maybe others knew about it, but I didn't.
ReplyDeleteNow that I went back and read the posted book pages, today's comments make sense. Poison and benches and all.
In the book, it stated, regarding the Matterhorn:
"Climax of a trip down the mountain is a splash into a pool of water at the base...."
I don't know about anyone else, but that was not the highlight of the Matterhorn ride.
Thanks, JG and Major!
MAJOR : in regards to the other days comment regarding LITTLE RED AND THE ROCKING HOODS being a “discount King Family “ two different episodes of The Musters make reference to the fact that Herman hopes at the eddies school talent contests , the Munster’s could potentially be the next KING FAMILY. And just as Herman is the president of the local Mocking Bird Heights DORIS DAY FAN CLUB he is also the president of a KING FAMILY FAN CLUB!!
ReplyDeleteChuck : there is no longer any poison in the Jungle Cruise not are their any Bushman or natives . No skulls , no tribal shields or masks. Only monkeys . Everything in Jungle Cruise is being replaced with monkeys. Even cast members refer to The Jungle Cruise as The Monkey Cruise.
The Enchanted Tiki Room is next.
They’re replacing the birds with monkeys?!?!
ReplyDeleteTIKIs, shields , masks drummers totems. not birds. They will probably over run the place with birds .
ReplyDeleteYou mean they're taking out the chanting, animatronic Wall Tikis? That was the best part! TRE!
ReplyDeleteWhat JB said!!!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, thanks for yesterday's late link to that old-time aeroplane photo-op. I think Knott's covered wagon set-up beats the airplane, as far as looking like the people are actually in the scene. What makes these types of set-ups better than just poking your head through a hole, is that foreground panel (the oxen, or the airplane wheels). It adds so much depth.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think many/most GDBers check the previous day's post for late comments. I know I do. And Sue, also. :-)
I'm late to the party, but will point out a note regarding lighting...as it is "everything". Note the greenish/bluish tinge on upstairs at City Hall. These were offices, with office lighting- harsh cruel florescent bulbs. This always disturbed me as a weird 18 year old. It still disturbed me 10+ years later. ...there were drapes...but nothing to completely mask out anything. And always bad bulbs. Wonder if that was changed now. Or perhaps that's been changed to Monkeys too (?)
ReplyDeleteBu, I don't know if you'll see this late late comment, but I agree with you about that lighting. My husband and I refer to that as "dentist office" lighting. My teeth start to hurt, just looking at it.
ReplyDeleteYep, JB, I check back for a couple days, as folks are always adding some great comments and I don't want to miss any.