It's a Small World, April 1973
Happy Memorial Day! Please take a moment to think about the sacrifices that so many men and women have made for us.
People sure loved to take photos of "It's a Small World", especially the outside (the inside was trickier because it was dark). Some say that if you took all of the pictures of IASW world and laid them end-to-end, they would wrap all the way from Los Angeles to Oxnard. Unbelievable!
There it is, in a possibly POSTCARD WORTHY™ photo (I could see this on a postcard, can't you? Or maybe as a two-page spread in a souvenir guidebook). I can see the Leaning Tower, and a Shinto shrine, and an onion dome from someplace in Russia. And a windmill from Windmillvania. Let's all put on our floppiest sun hats and enjoy this picture together. But don't snap your gum!
Our photographer was interested in those funny little side structures, which (I suppose) extended the façade even further, and also gave the people aboard the Disneyland Railroad something to look at, since the bulk of the attraction would have been behind them. Notice the joy and excitement on the guests' faces in the lower left!
It's not too busy today, we can ride IASW over and over, belting out the song at the top of our lungs, as we usually do (I do my Sinatra impression). That one boat only has two passengers, which seems borderline illegal to me. You know, local ordinances and such. I've always been kind of fascinated by those raised platforms where the folks who control the boats are born, live their lives, and die (the circle of life). I would have built them to be hundreds of feet in the air just because it would be funny.
Either they had a visitor from The Netherlands, or that woman is a cast member. I didn't think that they still had the women dress is approximations of foreign costumes in 1973, but clearly I am mistaken. I've never been mistaken before, what a funny feeling! Notice the plaid skirt and red stockings of a tour guide, mostly hidden behind that observation platform.
18 comments:
Major-
I love the lady in images 3 & 4 with the mini bouffant hairdo and lovely shades. Also - your idea about the 'round platforms'/dispatch stations. I think they should just randomly begin reaching for the heavens as the lines increase; and then just as suddenly disappear below ground level for no apparent reason. That would keep guests on their toes-!
Thank you to all the service men and women - and you too, Major.
Major, thank goodness you gave us an Oxnard joke! It's been at least a day or two since the last one and I was getting withdrawal symptoms.
Photo 1- Yes indeed, I can see it as a 2-page spread in a souvenir guidebook.
In addition to the landmarks you named, there is also monsieur Eiffel's tower; another onion dome to the left, which might be from St. Basil's cathedral. And on the extreme left, another cathedral-type dome. Actually, now that I look more closely, there are several onion domes. What was Walt's fixation with onion domes? Was he secretly a Russian sympathizer? How ironic.
To the right of center, there are two guests wearing those red, white, and blue souvenir hats that we've seen before. Too early for the Bicentennial, I think. Maybe they're British Union Jack hats?
Photo 2- So nice to see such happy, smiling faces! (yeesh) Are they beginning their voyage on the "happiest cruise that ever sailed"? Or just finishing? Either way, they look like a tough crowd to please.
Photos 3 & 4- It looks like all the numbers are present on the clockface today. A while back, we saw a photo where at least one of the numerals was missing.
It's not often that one sees half a tour guide. Did her flock of guests get the tour for half price? Or maybe they just got half of the tour. She has no arms to hold her riding crop; how are her guests supposed to see her in a crowd?
Thanks for the Small World pics, Major.
The clothes in today's pics really exhibit the fullest flowering of the early '70s. All those colours really set off IASM's original monochromatic facade nicely. Amid the profusion of reds and lilacs, I'm especially taken with the bright green floral shirt on the man with the cane in the first photo. Thanks for brightening up a grey Monday morning, Major!
The onion domes were actually intended to represent the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. It’s only a weird cosmic coincidence that they have them in Russia as well.
If I were in charge, the “bucket” of the control stands would be equipped with rockets able to take off and fly around, searching for troublesome guests like in the beginning credits of Jonny Quest. This is probably one of the reasons why I’m not in charge.
Note that only one side of the attraction is open, and the shadows indicate it was already afternoon. That and the departing barge with only two passengers underscores just how light the crowds were that day.
Mrs. Chuck was at Disneyland once by herself while I was on a deployment. It was a light-crowd day in early November, 1994, and the line was short for it’s a small world. She boarded a boat, and a group of Japanese tourists standing in line behind her started to pile into the same row. She said they looked mystified when the loading cast member stopped them and directed them to the next row. It’s interesting to note how different cultures have different ideas of what constitutes acceptable personal space. I personally prefer others to keep at least a 100 meter distance from me. My wife and kids actually live next door.
The white and gold facade, an abstract of Earth translated to Heaven, the only place where everyone will love everyone else, and elephants will balance on their fore legs.
It’s as weird as it can be and I love it. I’m a sap, I confess, I love everything about IASW, Especially the music. I always stand up in the front of the boat and sing like it’s the Titanic.
Only one trash can today, the bullet type, under a queue cover that I don’t remember at all.
Major, I was going to ask about the young lady in Dutch attire, is she a CM? I know the men wore Venetian gondolier costumes for a while, but I thought that was part of the general nautical theme and not so much specifically Italian.
Thanks for the holiday pics and remembrance of our honored dead. We should not mourn their loss, but instead be grateful that such people lived.
JG
Nanook, is that a “mini” bouffant? It looks pretty poofy! You know plenty of Aqua Net was used that morning. I like your idea about the round platforms, and will give you 100 million dollars to make it a reality!
JB, I knew that an Oxnard joke was just what everyone needed today. It’s my version of “Anaheim, Azusa, and Cucamonga”. The Eiffel Tower? Never heard of it. Why is it so famous? It was probably torn down and replaced with a Jamba Juice. Onion domes are known to funny cosmic energy into whatever is beneath them, and cosmic energy will keep your razor blades sharp. See? A logical explanation. I wonder if “Bicentennial fever” had already begun by 1973? It was a big deal when I was growing up. I still have it now, but it is more of a mild cold. We will need a tour guide to chime in to answer all of your questions (well OK, one question) about how a half guide worked.
Pegleg Pete, even though I like the early, more dressy and elegant look of guests in the 1950s, it is pretty interesting to see how fashions evolved, with more relaxed styles and brighter colors as the 1960s rolled on. And I’m always very happy to see guests in their ‘70s outfits! There’s something especially fun about that look. That bright green floral shirt is pretty awesome. Glad you enjoyed these!
Chuck, why didn’t I think of the Corn Palace? You might recall that I shared photos of the Corn Palace HERE. Did you ever see that amazing stop-motion recreation of the Jonny Quest opening credits? My clickable link doesn’t seem to be working for YouTube, so please copy/paste this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZpZjK2Nco . You’ll be glad you did. Light crowds on a beautiful April day, it sounds like heaven. Funny about the Japanese tourists just assuming that it was important to get as many people on each vehicle as possible. Your wife and kids living next door: THE DREAM.
JG, “an abstract of Earth translated to Heaven”, so poetic! You’re classing this blog up like crazy, man. I always think of the classic IASW album narrated by WInston Hibler, which I played over and over on my little portable record player (with a black and white “mod” pattern on the outside). You are right about the gondolier costumes, but I can’t imagine that the woman with the Dutch attire is a guest! Anything is possible though.
It's a small world. The only letter capitalized is the "I". Everything is on purpose. Perhaps they wanted really small letters...Although not my favorite ride, I can appreciate it very much from an artistic point of view. It very much characterized the best of the Imagineers involved, a tribute to the Mary Blairs and the Rolly Crumps of the world. I would say that the faces of the children and many of the characters inside have a hint of Marc Davis as well. I have a new found appreciation for topiary and boxwood trimming. I trimmed over 150 yesterday and STILL have some to go. You want them a wee fluffy and not soooo strict. I like a slightly more naturalistic approach rather than "gumballs." Super tight hedges are super hard to maintain...well, not hard, but need a grounds keeper. In any case...I have a few stories about It's a small world. I've told the one where we got stuck in the finale due to some rather reubenesque guests. I knew we had a problem when we started scraping bottom at different points in the ride. The boat finally gave up in a more shallow area, and then we started taking on water and it was all over. 45 minutes in the finale, with ALLLLLL the other boats behind us backing up to Harbor Blvd. I think. There's another story about the "green meany". Green meany (she wore a green polyester pant suit) hated everything, complained about everything, and had something to say about everything. She was part of a group "Tauck Tours"...which we hosted regularly. They had bus tours all over the US, and we were another stop. They took some managing as most of these folks were from the meccas of the North East and generally were people of a certain age. Green meany was exceptional. Let's just say that during one of her tirades to the rest of her group she was lamenting to them, not paying attention to where she was walking. She was very vocal about the amount of time the tour was taking and this was the last stop, so I guess she had to give everyone a mouth full. Well....I think she thought the boat was there. It wasn't. She was so involved and consumed in her rant she just stepped into the water. It could have been worse, and ultimately there was only wet clothes and shoes. I suppose some people DO need the little gates. I see that the female ride operators have the most elaborate of Dutch costumes, while the guys...."NASA". I mentioned this is a prior post but Jim Cora mentions this in his book and helped lead the change from NASA to...other things. I don't think Balloon Pinocchios though. That particular look did not need any "amendments". Thoughts go to those that have served today, and those that serve every day.
It’s interesting that by 1973 Tom Peirce’s red-blue-white gondolier cast member costume was already being used at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World for several years already. Yet you see no cast members wearing the attraction‘s costume. In fact the person in the dispatch tower ( they are called “crows nests “ on blueprints ) is wearing a managers shirt and tie. ???? There’s evidence of a general tour guide costume …. Then the lady with the scarf hat looks like she has a name badge …. But she looks like she’s wearing the 1966 IASM hostess costume ??? Or is that one of the guest relations summer VIP hostess costumes ? There were so many version of the VIP hostess costumes and they were updated almost every year . I wonder if the attraction had been down for sone reason and had just recently re-opened and the man in the crow’s nest is not a cast member but someone from maintainence operations?
The ITS A SMALL WORLD red-blue-white Gondolier cast costumes were some of the first costumes designed by the new costume design team formed in 1968 to start the costume designs for Florida . While the costume was introduced at Disneyland in 1969 it technically was created for Walt Disney World. In fact the first versions of the costume sketch art is tagged “WORLD CARNIVAL - DisneyWorld” WORLD CARNIVAL was going to be the new name for the Florida version of ITS A SMALL WORLD in early planning similar to how attractions like Enchanted Tiki Room were given new names like Tropical Serenade . Until just recently Tokyo Disneyland was still using a version of the Red-Blue-White Gondolier costume DL & WDW used during the 70’s and into the early 90’s.
@ JB-
Those 'sullen-looking' folks in the 2nd image have just finished ... the happiest cruise that ever sailed, so their lack of 'good cheer' is striking; especially when considering this quote from Rolly Crump, in The "E" Ticket magazine, from Fall 2002... "I used to sit outside the ride and watch people come out of Small World. They'd be smiling, and they'd be laughing, and there really wasn't another attraction where people came out and were happy like that". Apparently that group failed to receive the memo-!
@ JG-
The music of IaSW is often a source of scorn. For those who really despise it, they're in bad company, as it is argued this song is 'the single most performed and most widely translated song on earth'. Undoubtedly lacking a copyright - per a request from UNICEF - has a great deal to do with it. The song is a round, after all, so it's bound to seem a bit repetitious. (I suppose Disney could've chosen Bingo instead of opting for an original tune...)
Also of note - in the 3rd image - both, in the extreme upper left-hand corner, and way in the background on the left, we can spy a pair of Kodak Picture Spot signs.
Pegleg Pete, "colours"? I know that you're in the UK but you started out here in 'Merica, right?. Are you going 'native'? ;-)
Chuck, the uppity-ups at Disney are fools for not putting you in charge of things.
JG, you're straying into 'poetic dreamer' territory. Melissa will be jealous (maybe).
Major, that Jonny Quest re-creation was spot-on. Every nuance was captured! Pretty amazing.
Bu, I think most of us have come across a "green meany" at some point in our lives. I suppose the best thing to do is try to placate them and get them on their way... and out of our lives, as quickly as possible. I'm wondering how the other members of the tour group responded to Green Meany stepping into the water... Laughter? Applause? Polite grins?
Nanook, Ha! Just finishing the cruise, and there is no joy in Mudville. Maybe Mike is correct about the ride having been stopped for some technical reason, and these guests were trapped on the ride for an hour or so. That could explain the lack of smiles.
JB, I've been in the UK thirty years now and, while my accent remains mostly southern USA, at some point some of my spellings modulated to the UK forms, especially as I need to keep my keyboards set to UK English for work purposes.
Bu, I know that “It’s a small world” is technically correct, but I’m probably going to continue to capitalize the other words out of habit. I’m sorry if it drives you nuts! My mom has a simple topiary in her front yard, and I occasionally have to be the person to tidy it up. It’s harder than people might think! It’s a task I never look forward to. The Green Meany sounds like a piece of work, there are probably YouTube videos of her yelling at flight attendants or convenience store clerks. You know, classy, reasonable, the best type of person. I love that she stepped into the water, it’s like something out of a movie.
Mike Cozart, while I can’t say for sure, it feels as if the fact that the CMs no longer had to wear those specially-designed costumes is a case of not caring about the details anymore. Maybe that’s an unkind assessment. I’m sure it’s also a budgetary concern? Those costumes were probably not cheap, and they had to have a whole bunch of them, ready to fit a variety of sizes of people, and then have others being laundered and maintained. I really do wonder how many of a particular costume had to be made! Being April, it might have actually just been a slow period at the park. After Spring Break? Or maybe just before? “World Carnival”, wow, I’ve never heard that before. It’s not a bad name. I wonder if there were other changes to the ride that would have made it more “carnival-like”?
Nanook, those people were just yelled at by the Green Meanie! I know that sometimes the “return” boats can back up and guests have to wait a while to unload, so maybe they were in that weird limbo? I wonder how they know that the IASW song is “the single most performed and most widely translated song on earth”? What about “Ballroom Blitz”?? Come on! Good eye on the Kodak Picture Spot sign.
JB, hey, anybody who lives in a country long enough is going to start acting more and more like the locals! Why just last week, Pegleg Pete started wearing a monocle, as all men in the UK do. I saw it on the TV. In the upcoming election, I will be voting for Chuck to run Disneyland. That’s on the ballot, right? Maybe I’ll need to do a write-in. Glad you enjoyed the Jonny Quest thing, somewhere online is at least one video that shows how the creators made the models and animated them, it’s also worth a watch. Hey, I’ve been to Mudville, it’s a lovely place.
Pegleg Pete, do people in the UK comment on your American (or Californian) accent? And if it’s not too nosy to ask, how did you wind up living there? No need to answer if you don’t want to, of course!
"Pegleg Pete, do people in the UK comment on your American (or Californian) accent?"
Major, people in Illinois comment about Californian's accent. And vice versa. 'Car' being one of the words. It's not pronounced "cahhhh." ;o)
Bu, I'm sure you heard the It's a small world song more times than you'd care to admit. BTW, on what rides/attractions did you regularly take your tour groups? And, lastly, are you planting yellow and purple flowers, again, this year?
Love these pictures. Thanks, Major.
Once as a kid on POTC the sound went off and the lights came on. Then the boats backed up. This may have ruined the ride for some but for me...a dream come true! A chance to really study the ride environment and animatronics. And then the best part, unloaded right in the middle of the ride near the mayor dunking scene and the ability to see the characters up close and the back stage of the ride sets!
Sue: Yellow and purple flowers always...but it is early in the season...they will "emerge" when the time is right :) Tour was altered VERY slightly through the years, but in order: Train, WD Story/Lincoln, Pirates, Bears, America Sings, Small world. We went from 5 attractions to 6 when the price went from $4 to $7 (I think) I have seen all of these attractions literally HUNDREDS of times. Each time you were seeing it for the "first time." for your guests, in all types of weather, situations, etc. Summers and Christmas were tough. You had to tough through it with a big smile with your little ducklings behind you. People are overall very sweet. Green meany was a rare exception, but those Tauck Tours people had to be corralled and managed. They were the only tour group you had to get on the bus and give an "instructional pre-amble" through the bus drivers microphone. It was a good way to set up expectations, and guidelines. They liked to do their own thing and wander off "I was just getting some popcorn!!"...meanwhile, there are probably 45 of them with a couple of us to wrangle. If one got popcorn...they ALLLLLL wanted popcorn, and then you have anarchy! ha! This is why we had to specifically state..."there will be a break mid point through the tour where you can grab a snack and drink. The break is not a lunch break. It will be 15 minutes in length, and will happen after we visit the Country Bear Jamboree. The other attractions we will be seeing in order are....." You had to be super specific and directive, or they were off doing their own thing...It was the only tour company that got such special service, and special spiel. Most people went with the flow, and were most pleasant to take around Disneyland. When we added in the Walt Disney Story, Dave Smith came down from the studio and we got to go inside Walts offices. He was the one who had to document what went where and how...right down the paperclips in the desk. We were given free reign to go through his drawers and not "rifle" through things, but very much take a look. We held Oscars, and sat in his chair, etc. etc. I HIGHLY doubt that anyone is allowed to go through that desk drawer where the paperclips and erasers are now. Walt was an organized man in his office. Dave told us that everything was EXACTLY as it was the day he died. How papers were positioned on his desk, etc. I know they set up the office at the Studio, but I'm not sure if they went to the level Dave Smith did...or maybe Dave did it? Someone here knows. I wish at the time I was paying more attention to things and taking notes. Also, we were doing this WHILE the attraction was open! So guests were watching and looking...and it was all very "fishbowl"...being in the space was a bit surreal as it had a specific smell. The same one as the apartment, however the apartment was uber-surreal. Especially when his clothes were still in the closet. For another time.
Major, I'm from Nashville and New Orleans originally. I moved to the UK for post-graduate studies and just ended up staying here. British people are always confused that I still have an American accent as I've been here so long, but if you move somewhere as an adult (I was in my early twenties) you never really lose your accent unless you go out of your way to get rid of it. My family are all still in the US and my partner is Canadian, so I still have strong ties to North America and travel there at least a couple of times a year.
Lou and Sue, it’s funny, I don’t think of Californians as having an accent, though of course there is the famous “Valley speak”, and maybe variations of that. When I was a kid and we moved to Pennsylvania, I thought they sounded funny, and they though I sounded funny!
Sunday Night, I have never been on a ride that stopped and had the lights come on. I’m so jealous of the people who get to experience that! Like you, I would have been in heaven.
Bu, I thought that maybe the tour guides could just wait at the queue while their wards went through the rides, I didn’t know that you had to go with them. I suppose being with them at all times makes you feel more like “one of the group”. I can only imagine what it must have been like to get a bunch of people with their own agendas to actually follow you, listen, and not wander off to do their own thing (like getting popcorn, or running to the restroom). I would have loved to go through Walt’s office! “Hey, there are so many paper clips, surely I can have just ONE?”. And I would pick up an Oscar and say, “Hey, this thing is heavy!”, like everyone does. I can imagine somebody taking photos of every detail of the office, like a crime scene photographer, so that anything moved or missing would be noticed.
Pegleg Pete, it must have been pretty exciting to go from Nashville and New Orleans to the UK! And deciding to stay there sounds pretty cool too. I went to Paris on a student trip (two months in France), and one of the girls in our group decided to stay. We lost touch, but the last time we spoke she was still there. It helped that she was super smart (Harvard) and already spoke fluent French, of course. Thanks for sharing your story!
That stop motion Jonny Quest credits was awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment