Tomorrowland, May 1981
We all know that 1981 was only a few years ago, so where does Major Pepperidge get off, claiming that these images are "vintage"? Well, thanks to my Cray supercomputer (303 megabytes of storage! 64-bit processor!) I can tell you that these photos are 41 years old. FORTY ONE YEARS OLD, do you hear me?
And boy-howdy, Tomorrowland sure looks great in 1981, with the classic Peoplemover in its original colors, and the Rocket Jets in its original flavors (cherry, lime, lemon, grape, and tangerine). Even the man in the very tall cowboy hat is impressed, and he's from Texas - he's not impressed by much.
Tomorrowland was still a "world on the move", with more transportation modes than you could shake a stick at (unless you could shake a stick at 20 of them, in which case, forget I said anything). The Peoplemover track is way way up there, but the Skyway gondolas are heading to the Tomorrowland terminal, they seem so low that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might have been able to leap up and touch them.
24 comments:
Major-
Just what do ya' suppose 'ol Tex has hidden inside his hat-?? (Perhaps it's best it remains a mystery...)
Thanks, Major.
I count 4 trash cans in #1, and 10 buckets and 1 mail bag in #2. What do you count?
I think the bucket on the left is stuck in the trees.
Thanks, Major. I would love to step back into 1981.
In the first image, it's neat how Space Mountain looms in the background, looking like yer typical sci-fi city.
And geez, like you said, Major, why is Tex's hat so tall?!! Since Nanook has declined to guess, I'll take a stab at it: I bet he has a churro factory going on inside there. Or at the very least, he's storing a couple dozen churros in that hat. Keepin' 'em warm and crisp.
In #2, we've mentioned it before, but I really like the Autopia sign and font; so retro future.
Not sure why, but I'm feeling particularly perturbed tonight, seeing how wonderful this Tomorrowland is. And knowing that they just couldn't leave it that way. If yer gonna monkey with it, make it even MORE exciting, with more motion, and more visual appeal. Not blah and static and boring. The only thing that moves now is the Astro Orbiter. And since they chopped its legs off, it's no more exciting than the Dumbo ride. TRETRETRE!!! (I feel better now.)
Sue, I only count 4 as well; 3 on the right and 1 on the left. That girl swiped a Disneyland mail box as a souvenir, and strapped it to her back, hoping that Security would think it was just a backpack.
Thanks for the reminder of how wonderful Tomorrowland used to be, Major.
Ugh - that Space Mountain thing. I liked it better when it was backstage storage. TRE! ;-)
Sue, I count two fun pictures.
JB, in my opinion, a churro just doesn’t taste right unless it’s spent a couple of hours curing, sandwiched between a cowboy hat and a man’s noggin. It’s that extra “magical touch” that makes Disneyland’s churros so darned expensive. Oh, and my wisecrack above was not aimed at your “TRE” comment, which was spot on.
Dean Finder, if you check in today, I left a couple of links in yesterday’s comments this morning regarding the Richfield station at the Disneyland Hotel. Not exactly what you were looking for but may be a consolation of some sort.
Well, Autopia is closed and there is a ladder and other junk strewn about, in plain sight for guests to see. Bad show!
It looks as though the Rocket Jets are closed as well. The jets are all empty, plus they are all raised up to a height that would make it a little difficult for guests to climb inside.
I would love to go back in time to this Tomorrowland! And yes, TRE! (I think that is the first time that I have used the abbreviation!)
Is Tex's girlfriend picking his pocket?
I was here...somewhere....peddling something... Thanks for the reminder that it was 41 years ago. I'm feeling so young and vigorous now! It honestly feels like yesterday, and I remember this particular shade of light beaming on to these exact spots. It was immortalized in a guidebook of '77...or '78? When I started employment during the 25th anniversary, I thought that the park was sooooo ollllddd! The progress from '55 to 79-80 seems staggering. From 80-22...I'm not so sure of the "progress"...but it seems that we love pavers, killing curbs, paint, changing a magical parking lot into a tawdry seaside carnival...I could go on. It used to be peaceful...even with crowds...especially at this time of day...except by Dumbo...that was always insane...
A sighting of the rare 11-gallon hat in the wild! Also like the "Mail Bag" backpack in #2. That's an awfully small bag to keep all your chain mail in.
Melissa, now I'm imagining a suit of armor made entirely of chain letters. If you don't send it to at least five friends you will have bad luck for the next year, your cat will have mange and your bicuspids will fall out.
Well, these are great.
I'll be back later to count trash cans.
Thanks Major.
JG
Nanook, if Tex is like me, he keeps three bottle of Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink in his hat. There’s nothing like that unpleasant watery chocolate beverage! Especially after a day in a hot hat.
Lou and Sue, you see a mail bag? Like the things that postmen carry?? I guess I’m not seeing it.
JB, I do like how Space Mountain looks, but I always wish it was bigger. I’m not sure how much smaller our SM building is compared to the one in Florida, and I know that they didn’t want ours to overwhelm the whole park, but still… wouldn’t it have been cool to see that structure twice as large? I partly understand the need to update Tomorrowland, but it’s frustrating that the few post-1967 attempts have been so unsuccessful. Removing some of the best rides (Skyway, Peoplemover, Rocket Jets) was the thing that truly turned Tomorrowland into an anemic experience. It’s a real shame, and I don’t know if they’ll ever get the land up to that former glory again.
Chuck, hmm, I’ve never hat a “hat-aged” churro. I put one in my back pocket, but that didn’t turn out so well either. Maybe Disney needs to sell $25 churro cases! You’re welcome, Disney. Those will be the popcorn buckets of the future. As you pointed out to Dean Finder, the only views I have of that Richfield Station are from the Monorail Station.
TokyoMagic!, thinking about it now, I’m not sure if I’d rather see the work being done on the Autopia, or a big blank construction wall (which is what they do today). I think I’d rather see the ladders and junk! If these photos were really taken in May, perhaps they were doing some last-minute maintenance work before the summer crowds showed up.
TokyoMagic!, yes! Joke’s on her, his wallet only contained photos of Bea Arthur.
Bu, I know, I remember certain things from 1981 as if they were yesterday, it’s pretty shocking. I think about all the live concerts I was going to, and the traveling I was doing, as well as school, hobbies, etc. It seems like such a great time now. Watching a recent video of what they’ve done to Frontierland, you aren’t kidding about the pavers (as in “people who pave”), they keep removing anything that might add charm and character all in the name of “opening up” areas. It’s as if the crowds are loving the park to death.
Melissa, that man had to pay an extra $1000 for that extra gallon in his hat. But it was so worth it.
Chuck, oh those chain letters. I’d always be so annoyed when somebody I knew and respected sent one to me. “It must be a slow day!”.
And then they’d run out of the churro cases and you’d have to carry your churro around in a plastic bag like a chump. A chump!
...or in a mail bag.
^ That was me, Sue.
Am commenting from my cell, and ‘it’ won’t let me comment under Lou & Sue.
Sue, at least you can comment from your phone. I've given up trying; the comments always get eaten - even when I try posting anonymously.
Chuck, maybe Major’s trying to ‘give us the hint??’
—Sue, again
Major-
That "mail bag" is so obvious I'm afraid it's hiding in plain sight. (HINT... look for the words MAIL BAG on a red backpack). D'oh-!!
@ Chuck & Dean Finder-
I added another link to yesterday's post that has a dandy aerial view of the DL Hotel and the Richfield Gas Station.
I’ve been having trouble commenting from mobile, too, but if I click on “View web version” I’m able to post from there.
OK, I count 4 trash cans in photo 1 and 3 in photo 2.
Also what might be an ash urn in #2, or that might be the center part of a turnstile.
Tex could be the Man in the Yellow Hat, incognito, taking in the sights with his best girl. Curious George is with his babysitter over in Adventureland eating chocolate-covered bananas.
...or Tex is Blaze Glory.
(10 min. movie, watch all the way to the end to see the punch line)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HlGuEGi1Hc&ab_channel=JohnPShanahan
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403884/
Going back to yesterday's comments to see the new stuff.
Thank you Major.
JG
JG, thanks for those links. Hilarious! My first out-loud chuckle was when the bad guys left horseshoe prints in the dust. They got so many things right in that short movie. And Ted (Lurch) Cassidy as the echo-y voice of Blaze Glory! The "scalps" bit was cringe-worthy, but I guess it was meant to be.
Melissa, a chump?? Was Teddy Roosevelt a chump? Was Sir Isaac Newton a chump? I think I’ve made my point. I’m not sure what the point was, but dang it, I made it.
Anonymous, it’s “mail bag gate”. Worse than Watergate by a mile.
Sue, you can’t let your phone boss you around. Don’t watch any cute cat videos, to punish it. That will teach it.
Chuck, I just assumed everyone commented from their vast computer labs within their mansions, but my eyes have been opened.
Sue, the day I discourage people from leaving comments is the day I should hang up my blogging pants. Yes, I wear special pants.
Nanook, I was looking for a mail carrier bag, you know, like those big canvas or leather things that they used to carry. And also I always wear dark glasses so that people know how cool I am. Even though I am here all by myself.
Melissa, that is a good tip!
JG, an ash urn? From the Peaceful Valley Mortuary? What an odd thing to find in Disneyland, but hey, you never know. Yes, that hat DOES remind me of the Man in the Yellow Hat. Don’t be fooled, Curious George is sniffing ether again. All I can say about Blaze Glory is that… it is the greatest cinematic achievement since F.W. Murnau’s “Sunrise”.
JB, yes, sometimes old westerns can make a person wince, but you just have to put it all in context I guess.
@ JG-
Wow... I hadn't thought about Blaze Glory since around the early 70's. I've projected that short a few times. It's too bad the source/encoding on YouTube is so dreadful. It's really a lot of fun. Thanks.
Thanks, Chuck and Nanook, for those link to the Disneyland Hotel Richfield Station. I guess it's not surprising that there are so few photos, I can't recall ever taking a picture of a gas station myself.
Cheers JB, Major, Nanook. I can’t remember where I saw that movie first, but 10 Gallon hats have never looked the same to me since. It is a shame the YouTube version is not better, but we at least have that.
Also, many thanks to Chuck and Nanook for the Richfield station pics. When I closed the screen window on the GDB link, that same photo copied from the original link, was my screen backdrop. What are the chances…
JG
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