It's always a bit of a bummer to scan vintage slides, only to find that they are flawed in ways that were not apparent when I just held them up to the light. Usually the problem is that they are out of focus, like the following shot. Imagine if that one had been nice and sharp! It's certainly an unusual angle showing the little Rainbow Caverns Mine Train passing through the dangerous tumbling rocks of the Painted Desert. I wonder where the photographer was? On a Pack Mule, perhaps?
This next one would have been nice, but it has that darn light leak. It was perhaps the first photo on the roll of film, or maybe the last, but it would have been a very nice view of the Moonliner.
Just for fun I thought I'd try to restore the image, and it looks OK. Not perfect, I realize. Still, it's nice to not have that blown-out section at the top!
Major-
ReplyDeleteAll the ladies are so nicely-attired; with perhaps only one of them in something other than a dress.
Thanks, Major.
In the blurry pic, in the background, we can see the masts of the Tuna Boat, a Skyway bucket or two, the Skyway tower, and the pointy roof of either Fan 1 or Fan 2 or the Carousel.
ReplyDeleteI think the photographer's pack mule was near-sighted.
In the light-streaked photo, we are witnessing the destruction of the Moonliner by a Martian Deathray! (Cue the electric guitar thrum and a high tension cable being hit with a hammer.)
Excellent restoration, Major. The Martian Deathray has been completely eradicated!
The lady on the left edge of the photo, the one who is barfing into her son's bag of candy, is wearing highly unsensible shoes. Three-inch spikey heels. Then again, it didn't take long to see everything in Disneyland in those early days. So maybe she didn't mind walking on her tippy-toes for a few hours.
Thanks for the not-too-bad photos, Major. ;-) I actually kept the restored Moonliner photo. I like the misty/dreamy atmosphere.
The first picture may have been shot from that short-lived attraction, the Jet Pack Mules. That would explain the blur.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with the restoration on the Moonliner photo.
Just had a nice discussion last night at game group with a former member I’d never met who appraises airplanes and aeronautical artifacts for a living. He was showing me pictures of one of the recent appraisals he’s done, Columbine II, a VC-121 Constellation that was the first aircraft to use the “Air Force One” call sign and is currently undergoing restoration to flying condition. That led to discussion about the Constellation that’s on display at the Airline History Museum in Kansas City, which then led to the Moonliner replica that once stood on top of TWA’s Kansas City headquarters that’s now in that museum. Everything comes back to Disneyland if you work hard enough at steering the conversation…
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Chuck.”
“Did you know that Disneyland used to have a Bathroom of Tomorrow?”
“Uh, on second thought, I just remembered I’m teleworking the rest of the week. All next week, too. And, well, pretty much any day you’re planning on being in the office…”
I was struck by that lady's high heels, too! Well, not literally; if she struck you with one of those heels she'd put your eye out.
ReplyDeleteThat one Astro Jet (or Rocket Jet; I can't remember when what was called what) looks like it's flying solo, with the rest of the ride out of frame.
These pictures prove the rule; there’s something worth seeing almost every old Disneyland picture.
ReplyDeletePhoto 2 proves the other rule, Major P is a photoshop wizard.
I like both of these, and maybe the desert scene best. Having the wagons as part of the ride means not having to hide the access roads.
The Moonliner shot is pretty sweet, though. Stylish wardrobes, Astro jets ( I think) and the perennial June Gloom.
JB, I’m looking for my Wayne Newton albums.
JG
And a connection between the two pics, the Stagecoach and Natures Wonderland Attraction Poster in front of the Moon ride.
ReplyDeleteJG
I don't have much today...other than the red in Ron Dominquez's shirt on the mine train...could be (?) Is that the tippy top of the Swiss Chalet? Moonliner is always cool...instead of that Star Wars business, I would have rather rode a moonliner simulator, with stewardesses in TWA space gear...kind of like a "trip to hell"...but it all ends well with a safe landing at the fictional Disneyland Airport. Or pehaps you land on Harbor Blvd? Ideas...I have a million of them. God bless the woman in heels. I know a lot of woman that kill themselves for 12 hour days of working in heels. I do appreciate all of the appropriately dressed people in this photograph. Disneyland is a "thing" like air travel....SHOW UP FOR IT...there is plenty of time for jammies and sweats at home. Which speaking of...holiday weekend and time to get dirty in the garden. I tried the heels...they get stuck in the mulch. ....maybe a kilt...
ReplyDelete”Is that the tippy top of the Swiss Chalet?”
ReplyDeleteThere’s a chain of rotisserie-chicken restaurants called Swiss Chalet, mainly in Ontario but with a few locations in other Canadian provinces and Western New York. We used to go there every once in a while, and to this day whenever I hear the phrase “Swiss Chalet” in any context I can taste their distinctive signature dipping sauce. You can get it through Amazon, but only in large quantities. It’s still tempting.
(Patrick Macnee, John Steed from The Avengers and the narrator of the original Battlestar Galactica, used to be in their TV commercials.)
@ Melissa-
ReplyDeleteMake that Astro-Jets. In August, 1964 it was re-named the Tomrrowland Jets. And finally in July, 1967 it became the Rocket Jets. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The green MT colors...the blurriness adds to the patina of its age. Could it be Ron in the picture? Wouldn't that have been something. Fortunately, before Ron's passing, he was specially honored by the Order of the Red Handkerchief in receiving the #1 challenge coin issued. Ron was one of the founding members of the Order. A couple years earlier he was the main 'guest' speaker at the annual meeting. It was an honor to have worked under (way under) him. KS
ReplyDeleteI can’t remember how it started , but while doing various iterations of models for a New - New Fantasyland , the FANTASYLAND SKYWAY CHALET became known as “THE NONCHALANT -CHALET” at WDI…..of course now there’s nothing left to refer to anymore.
ReplyDeleteChuck, Jet Pack Mules. Ha! I can see why that attraction didn't last long; the mules would have a hard time manipulating the controls, what with their hooves and all. They also had trouble staying above Disneyland airspace, flying off to parts unknown, never to be seen again. Their riders had to somehow make their way back to the Park. A wonderful concept, but wasn't thought through enough.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, good eye on the solo Astro/Rocket Jet (I can never remember which is which, either). In Disneyland's "early days" the Astro Jets were free flying, self propelled gizmos. They suffered from some of the same shortcomings as Chuck's Jet Pack Mules (see above). After the free-flying Astro Jets and the Jet Pack Mules, Walt gave up on the idea of free-flying attractions at Disneyland. That's how we got the more grounded Flying Saucers ride.
Bu, you need to use the shoe heels like a pick axe. Pound the hard, wintered dirt into fine loam, like a rototiller.
Nanook, thanks for clearing the Astro/Rocket thing up once and for all. Unfortunately, I'm sure I will forget it again, shortly. I don't think I've ever heard them called the Tomorrowland Jets before. Something new!
@JB-
ReplyDeleteYes - I'd like to know who remembers the short-lived name of "Tomorrowland Jets", myself.
When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way,
ReplyDeleteThough the names that you get seem to change every day
Melissa, I'm visualizing gang members walking menacingly down the street, snapping their fingers and reciting that rhyme.
ReplyDeleteHi guys, sorry for my absence today, I was at my mom’s and couldn’t seem to leave a comment on my own dang blog. Now I’m home.
ReplyDeleteNanook, the lady with the pants is carrying a switchblade!
JB, when I held photo #1 up to the light, I thought, “Man, this is going to be a good one!”, so I was very disappointed to discover that it was not in focus. It’s not a total loss, but still… kind of a bummer. A Martian deathray, cool! How can I get one of those babies? I love how nicely dressed everyone is in photo #2, it must have been a Sunday. Glad you liked these!
Chuck, the Jet Pack Mules were Jet Puff’d as well, which made them extra light and delicious. Your new acquaintance sounds like an interesting guy, but I admit that bringing up the Bathroom of Tomorrow is fairly advanced. See how he reacts to the Kaiser Aluminum Hall of Fame. If he replies, “ALUMINUM?!?!”, you’ll know you’ve got him.
Melissa, yes, I have never been struck with a high heel, and hope I never will be. The Astro Jets were an off-the-shelf ride, which I normally would dislike, but it’s so cute and awesome.
JG, believe it or not, I actually DO skip some of my photos. It seems like I share them all, regardless of quality, but occasionally there are a few that are just too whack (as the kids say) for GDB. I was tempted to crop the Moonliner shot to a “landscape” format and crop off the top, because the people are really the best part of that photo.
JG, oh believe me, I noticed those posters!
Bu, I always kind of wished I’d been able to meet Ron Dominguez, though I don’t know what I would have said to him that would have been halfway intelligent. I’m not sure I”m seeing the Skyway Chalet at all, but we are seeing one of the “Fan” food service tents. Simulator rides might be plentiful in our future, but a trip to Universal Studios pretty much wrung all the joy out of those. The “Harry Potter” ride is pretty cool though. Enjoy your weekend in the garden!
Melissa, when I think of rotisserie chicken, I think of Switzerland? Sure I do. Their distinctive dipping sauce was highly flammable, but I’m sure it was fine for human consumption. If they had Patrick Macnee as their spokesman, it can’t have been too bad.
Nanook, I love putting the word “Astro” in front of anything, it automatically makes it futuristic. That reminds me of a Simpsons episode (maybe from a “Treehouse of Terror”) that took place in the future. You could tell because Lisa had to do her “astro chores”.
KS, I’m glad to hear that Ron Dominguez was specially honored, I’ll bet he was as pleased as can be. From all I’ve read, he seems like he was a nice man, and it’s great that he had a wonderful career at the park.
Mike Cozart, that chalet wasn’t nonchalant. In fact is was very “chalant”!
JB, mules are surprisingly good at flying, though you wouldn’t think so just by looking at them. Trouble is, the people underneath them weren’t so happy. Bomb’s away! I want to ride in one of those free-flying Astro Jets, though I think I heard that they crashed often (don’t worry, the guests were safely ejected) and had to be replaced almost weekly. My mom had shoes that had metal spikes on the bottom (they were more like flip flops), you were supposed to walk on your lawn and aerate it. I think she used them once and then they went to the nearest thrift shop.
Nanook, Clyde B. Terwilliger of Patterson, New Jersey remembers the Tomorrowland Jets. Let’s get him on the horn.
Melissa, I tried to be a Jet, but I couldn’t snap my fingers very well, and they rejected me.
JB, I hope there won’t be a rumble in Frontierland.