Tomorrowland, May 1981
May, 1981... somehow that was forty years ago. I'd say that means that these photos qualify as "vintage"!
There's Tomorrowland, of course, still looking great at this point. I feel like the Disneyland version of Space Mountain has only appeared on GDB a handful of times (though it has probably been more than that), it was only four years old in '81. The Peoplemover was still painted in its original colors (the BEST colors!), and the Rocket Jets still impressed, even if you were just looking at the attraction from afar.
Next is a view taken from across the Submarine lagoon, though the submarines have all activated the cloaking devices. The warm light of the late afternoon and the spots of bright color all help to make this a very pleasant scene indeed.
19 comments:
Tomorrowland looks great here. Anything Disneyland from 1955 to 1984 is classic/vintage to me (pre-Eisner). Post 1984, meh.
#1: Space Mountain looks spectacular here. With the atmosphere bleaching it out somewhat, it looks like some structure you'd see off in the distance under the blazing suns of Tatooine.
And in the left, there's that rare multi-trunked palm tree that I can never remember the name of.
#2: I guess the photographer was standing at, or near, the Photo Spot in between the Sub Lagoon and the Matterhorn? The colorful Skyway gondolas really 'plus' this photo. They also act as eye-stoppers to keep our attention from wandering off the top of the frame. And of course, Space Mountain makes the image that much better as well.
Thanks for the inspiring Tomorrowland photos, Major.
I just remembered that the palm tree is from Senegal (I think).
These are nice, Major! I would've guessed Mr. X took these, but you didn't say he did.
Bu, you could be in one of these, right? What would you have been doing, at this time?
"And in the left, there's that rare multi-trunked palm tree that I can never remember the name of."
Eduardo
Sue, you sure it wasn't Pedro? I seem to remember it was Pedro.
In that first image you also get - at no extra charge - Rolly Crump’s elevator stage in Futuristic Planter mode and, at the extreme right end of the image, one of the Goodyear dioramas. Which is appropriate - despite the fact that I was mired in 6th and 7th grade awkwardness, 1981 was a good year. 1981 was the last good year for Goodyear sponsorship.
Ken, amen! Preach it, brother!
JB, the plant type you were trying to remember is the Senegal date palm. Sue is right - his name is Eduardo. Pedro is just to the right of the Crump Creation. They are good friends, though.
So glad that Skyway is there to act as an eye-stopper to keep my attention from wandering off the top of the frame. The last thing I want to do is look at the kitchen clock to tell me how far behind schedule I am.
Senegal date palm...know Eduardo very well. His other brother Cecil is to the left of the Space Mountain entrance. Apparently this palm came from Cecil B Demilles yard: https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/wetrt/article/1986aug18.pdf An interesting article. Where was I Sue?...hmmm...1981....I could have been in that exact location of the view of the subs, which looks more to be like the location of (I think) "Ice Cream 10". That was a rather out of the way location and had great views. I could have also been at Coke Terrace- it was rare, but is possible during the off season when there may have not been shifts in Vending...I also "did my time" at the snack bar beneath the Rocket Jets and PeopleMover. (The name of that location) escapes me at the moment. The "Space Place" was open seasonally...but also did a shift there. I'm not sure if guests could ever find that place... which was basically another Coke Terrace. What I was MOST probably doing this day was being overly concerned about my hair and my costume. Which makes sense for an 18 year old...or was I 17?...This was a very perfect Tomorrowland. I could have done without the noise and smell of Autopia, but I've gone down that street on here before. I'd rather have Carousel of Progress than America Screams- but I felt good about it not being completely TRE'd...although I did not find it necessary to change the theme song even though is was written by the Shermans. That song was also used in the Bicentennial Disneystravaganza at the LA Coleseum in 1976..which I happily performed in- I've gone down that street on here before too. May of '81 was gearing up for Summer...I don't think we had picked Summer shifts yet, but it was looming. In about five weeks from this photo the crowds would be dominating- this was the proverbial calm before the storm.
In 1981 Frontierland & New Orleans Square were my favorite lands - mainly because of the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain, but I think Tomorrowland had one of the biggest impacts on me me - especially the PeopleMover ….. it really was the “heartbeat” of the land. I loved seeing the animated “Go, Go, Goodyear!” Animated pods. (3 pods can be seen in image one to the far right - at the PeopleMover down ramp. There were 10 pods / 5 on each side . Some faced guests riding up or down the Speedramps …. But a few faced the planter benches around the PeopleMover . I can still hear the sound of these mechanical flats - they were behind glass but you could here the vignettes do their cycle along with motors of the Speedramps. These animated pod vignettes all featured comical animated scenes showcasing the many Goodyear Rubber products -some with popular Goodyear advertising slogans of the time like “Winners Go!,Go! Goodyear!!” And “Move everything Imaginable on Goodyear Conveyor Belts” , “Sitting Pretty on Goodyear Foam Rubber” ,”Goodyear doesn’t trust people who don’t drink!” ( ok I made the last one up!) these scenes were designed by animator/imagineer T. Hee. Why didn’t I ever take pictures of these!!??? I don’t think many people ever did as much as guests loved them!
The Best Tomorrowland, hands down. Has everything still in working order.
I loved those palm trees, but never knew their names.
First pic has six trash cans visible, second one has five, but no ash receptacles.
What are the odd dark items at the base of the gantry tower behind the lady in red in the first photo? They almost look like Atomobiles?
I wish some had photos of those little Goodyear scenes, did they come from the same designer as the ones in ATIS?
JG
A ten year old's question at Disneyland: "What are rocket ships doing in Tomorrowland?"
Forty years ago this was an observation in the LA Reader, a free Los Angeles newspaper which had a pre-internet community page where readers could comment or sound off on any topic they wished.
Well kid ( who is now age fifty), this Tomorrowland manages to look more futuristic than anything that has come after, especially as a Tomorrow one can look forward to optimistically.
If the Senegalese Palm had a role in "Flowers and Trees", it would be as the many-headed villain Hydrazon.
K. Martinez, but I thought you LIKED the Paul Pressler era!
JB, it’s funny how well Space Mountain fits in, especially to my brain, which is so used to it not being there. The multi-trunked palm tree’s name was “Nathan”. I’m sure you’re right about photo #2 being near a Picture Spot. Do they still have anything like Picture Spots? I’ve always liked the way both the Peoplemover and the Skyway had vehicles with bright colors that were wonderful accents, somehow they were just perfect, and helped to keep Tomorrowland from being sterile and cold.
JB, yes, Nathan, from Senegal!
Lou and Sue, I see what you mean, they do seem a bit like Mr. X’s photos. Speaking of which, he just gave me some more negatives to scan! These are from the 1990s, but they’re still very nice. I see you and I were on the same wavelength for the Senegal palm!
JB, do they use Hispanic names in Senegal??
Chuck, “Futuristic Planter mode”, oh the shame of it all. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I sure wish there were some great photos of all of the Goodyear dioramas. I feel like I might be imagining it, but didn’t one diorama show a runway with Jet tires constantly rolling? I was going to make another Oxnard joke regarding the palm tree, but figured that I should save it for another time. Now that the Skyway is gone, Disneyland visitors find themselves looking up, and up, and up, until they are bent over in a backwards “U” staring at the ground. IT’S TRUE.
Bu, well that’s a new bit of into. Cecil B. DeMille’s yard, eh? For some reason that reminds me of my mom’s neighbor who swears she owns things that belonged to Marilyn Monroe. There is no proof or provenance, and the items look very boring and “everyday”. I forget the story of how the neighbor supposedly got these things. “Ice Cream 10”, the new action thriller starring Tom Cruise, who did his own stunts. Did vendors in less-populated locations get docked for not having good sales numbers? I’d think that a “slow” location would be much desired, since you wouldn’t have to work as hard. Smelling that Autopia exhaust all day would get old, but it toughened up your lungs. I guess. They had a Bicentennial extravaganza at the Coliseum?
Mike Cozart, I agree with you, in my heart Tomorrowland was always my favorite, as much as I loved the other lands. I was so taken by the positivity of it all, I think. I admit that it’s hard to choose, because as soon as I start thinking about New Orleans Square, or Frontierland, or Fantasyland (etc), I remember so many wonderful details. I didn’t know there were as many as 10 Goodyear “pods”, were those designed by Goodyear? Maybe with Disney’s involvement? When you see stuff like that from World’s Fairs, I could easily see the pods being designed by some other creative team. I’m amazed that (as far as I am aware) there are no Disneyland brochures sponsored by Goodyear (in the way that there are at least a few from Richfield, or Crane, or Kaiser Aluminum). I think people didn’t take photos of the pods because of film - every frame was so precious.
JG, your assignment: to create an aerial map of Disneyland, with the location of each and every trash can clearly marked out! Plus a guide so that we know what kind of trash can it was. Please have this ready for us by tomorrow. Could those “odd dark items” just be umbrellas to provide shade for folks eating there? I admit that they don’t really look like umbrellas, but I don’t have a better idea! The ATIS “pods” didn’t have any movement, but who knows, maybe they really were designed by the same people.
Stefano, I remember the L.A. Reader! A nice freebie that I would pick up at Moby Disc or some other record store. Seems odd to think that a 10 year old would wonder about the logic of rocket ships in Tomorrowland, but I suppose it could happen. Look at all the news about rockets in the last few years, they are definitely a part of “tomorrow”! They should have made a plush toy version of the Senegalese Palm. Also, today marks the record for the word “Senegalese”.
At first glance, Space Mountain and the Rocket Jets gave me a very Trylon-and-Perisphere feeling. I doubt it was intentional on the part of the Imagineers, but it's still what I saw.
I didn't get to see this particular Tomorrowland, but 1980's Tomorrowland on the East Coast was truly special, so I can't imagine Disneyland's as being anything less. As I've said so many times before, I miss the old future.
I graduated high school in '81, so Bu it sounds like we're about the same age.
That was the first time I went to WDW, so instead of this Tomorrowland, I remember that one. Still, they're both very nice!
I'm pretty sure the subs aren't cloaked, they just "dove."
What kind of trees tell the future? Palm trees! (Named Eduardo)
MAJOR: the Goodyear and the Monsanto (first version) animated pods were both designed by WED for those companies. And yes both attractions were animated. The Goodyear ones featured some with basic back and forth or spinning movement while others featured a alternating “scene A and B” gag. The Monsanto animation pods were also alternating “A and B” gags -. The Goodyear and the Monsanto animated pods were designed by long time Disney animator and Imagineer T. Hee. ( that’s his real name)
There are two issues of Goodyear dealer magazines from 1967 that have articles on the PeopleMover and one shows the “welcome Goodyear blimp “ vignette pod - color ( I show it on my TOMORROWLOUNGE BLOG) . But sadly I’m am unaware of any publications featuring the others .
A 1967 issue of the short lived magazine THE DISNEY WORLD shows WED designer T. Hee and Natsume working on a full-size mock up of the “racecar - winners Go Go Goodyear “ PeopleMover pod - in black & white.
At least two of the pod vignettes from the PeopleMover’s opening were altered or updated in the mid 1970’s. The beach surfers and the woody wagon scene “swingers Go! Go! Goodyear!” Featured a woody station wagon whose car windows roll down and it’s passengers arms raise up while surf boards sticking vertically in the sand “flip over” ( really just sliding to the side of a cut out opening now reveling the tag line on the back of the surfboards . This scene was the same gag but the surfboards have been replaced with cactus …. And the beach jalopy is now a desert sport jeep . I think the tag line is changed to “Adventurer’s Go!Go! Goodyear!” Another 1967 pod “when there’s no man around - Goodyear double tred tires are!” Showed a lady in a sports car with a flat tire - then the flat automatically fixes…… I guess I don’t need to tell you what changed on THAT pod!!
Major : there was a Jet Liner scene featuring a pilot and passengers in a jet plane flying and a bird flying next to it - then the wheels and landing gear of the jet plane lower, at the same time the bird has the same type of landing gear ( and wheels!!!) lowering Simultaneously.
“GDB READERS GO! GO! GOODYEAR!!”
Major, "do they use Hispanic names in Senegal??" Probably not, I wondered about that as well. I was just playing off of Sue's "Eduardo".
With the Skyway gone now, we're so lucky to have these photos on GDB because I'm sure I would end up in the hospital if I tried to bend over backwards in a "U" shape now.
Melissa, I see what you mean! Love that Trylon and Perisphere, another one of my time machine destinations. I am not surprised that the WDW Tomorrowland was also great in 1980, I won’t go so far as to say “They Ruin Everything”, but… you know.
Stu29573, greatest moment on the subs: “Dive! Dive!” (followed by many tiny bubbles). I’d be happy to just go through bubbles for five minutes, to be honest.
Mike Cozart, wow, I did not know that the ATIS pods moved at all. Oh wait, I was thinking of the ones that you saw from the queue as you waited to board, but now I remember that there were others that you could see at the end of the ride, when the display showed the wonders of Monsanto’s products, that’s probably what you meant. Makes sense. I am aware of T. Hee, quite a legend. I almost bought something that once belonged to him, and regret that I didn’t. Gosh, I wish I had those copies of “Goodyear Dealer” magazine, or at least a good PDF of the articles. I wonder why “The Disney World” magazine was so short-lived? It was a quality magazine, beautifully put together. Maybe it cost too much. I have a coupe of issues, but the collector in me wants the complete set of course. Thanks for the descriptions of those two vignettes, I can picture them (probably inaccurately). I didn’t remember the bird in the third scene you described, but otherwise that sounds pretty much how I recall it!
JB, I was joking with you, but that’s OK! Remember when we were little and could do backwards-bends and cartwheels without even thinking about it?
Major, those end of ride vignettes are in this ATIS recreation, but only a few of them are featured
Dean, THANK YOU for sharing that ATIS video. I LOVED IT! I just went back in time to 1967 Disneyland - which is still clearly in my memory. (But don't ask me what I did yesterday.)
Thanks for always sharing so much interesting info, Bu and Mike, and everyone.
I'm looking forward to Mr. X's pictures, Major. Thank you.
Good night, Eduardo, Pedro, Cecil and Nathan.
Dean Finder, you'd think I would have remembered those vignettes from the ATIS creation, I've watched that 20 times at least (I even bought a DVD of it from the guy who made it).
Lou and Sue, there's one part of that video that seems to have about 30 seconds of darkness, I can't help wondering what was actually there. But it's still an incredible recreation.
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