Welcome to Disneyland, 1973
I am very excited to share both of today's beautiful photos with you, taken by Mr. X when he was a mere lad, but WOW are they nice. I believe that he had just bought his first 35mm camera; he is modest about these, but after looking at thousands and thousands of Disneyland images, I think it's safe to say that these are way way above average in terms of quality. They were taken from the old parking lot, and really give a great sense of what a guest might typically see as they walked from their car toward the ticket booths.
We don't have a more exact date other than the year, but I'd bet that these were taken during the Summer, the lines for tickets are pretty long. I love the service vehicle to our right, and the two attraction posters affixed to the Monorail beam supports ("Carousel of Progress" and "It's a Small World"). The kid to the left is thinking about stealing that tram.
Oh man, I like everything about this photo. You get the fabulous Mark III Monorail Gold (bubble dome!) swooshing by - I hope the pilot tooted the air horn. Hwaaa-hwaaa! We also get a cheerful yellow and blue tram that has presumably just dropped a load of guests off to buy tickets. Not that anyone else necessarily cares, but the posters that are visible are for the Peoplemover, Frontierland (Mark Twain, Keelboats, Canoes), "Adventure Thru Inner Space", "Flight to the Moon", and "America the Beautiful".
Thanks to Mr. X for generously giving me these negatives!
26 comments:
Major-
In the first image, we can also spy an AP for America the Beautiful. That's a DL Hotel tram dropping folks off at the Main Gate.
These are indeed nice images. Thanks, Mr. X-!
First one- I like the way those orange-shirted workers are standing around the service vehicle. It's like they're trying to figure out how to start the darned thing, "Hey Ed, mebbe if we try turnin' thet there key thingy she'll start... What's the Operator's Manual say about it, Bob?"
Bob (on the right, looking at the Manual), "Dunno yet. I'm only on page two and alls it's talkin' about is 'do not operate while drowsy or while taking medication'... We're gonna be here awhile."
Second one- You do a remarkably accurate rendition of a Disney Monorail horn, Major. I can hear it in my head.
It's neat how the Monorail is headed one way, while the tram is headed the other way.
Major, these photos have extra crisp focus and deep colors. Looks like Mr. X knew what he was doing even as a lad. Thanks to both of you.
Wow!!! These are great!! Very much the Disneyland I fell in love with!! Great view of a Mark III Monorail. Those parking lot tram costumes were new for 1973. The monorail pylon attraction posters are New Tomorrowland heavy : PEOPLEMOVER/MARK TWAIN …ADVENTURE THRU INNER SPACE/FLIGHT TO THE MOON ….AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL’67/ UNIDENTIFIABLE…CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS… ITS A SMALL WORLD . Beautiful!
The parking lot trams in these images were introduced in 1968 …. To accommodate the every increasing crowds coming to see The Pirates of the Caribbean and the New Tomorrowland.
Yes, these are both great pics! I love all of the colorful flags on top of the ticket booths.
What's up with all the men in dark slacks and short sleeved white shirts? They are on the far left of the first pic, but can also be seen in the second pic. Maybe they are all managers, just standing around and pretending to be busy.
Thank you, Mr. X and Major!
Both images today are exceptional and the Mark III Monorail Gold gliding by with the yellow and blue trams passing through below is pure Disneyland magic with the anticipation of passing through the turnstile to explore Disneyland. I remember that feeling well as a youngster.
1973 was peak Disneyland for me. Most everything was intact, and we still had Carousel of Progress, the Mine Train Ride and Pack Mules.
A big thanks to Mr. X. And thank you too, Major.
Beautiful shots today. The second one is so crisp I picked out a new detail I had never noticed before - the vent holes along the bottom of the stainless steel fluting on the sides of the Monorail. I’m going to surmise they helped keep the tires a bit cooler and preserved their useful service life. I wonder what the normal replacement interval was?
Mr. X rocks.
I can almost hear Jack Wagner saying "There are several ways to visit Disneyland..." amidst the sounds of "Me Old Bamboo"...not a Disney song, but a very close cousin. Why they didn't use Step in Time, and probably had to pay for Me Old Bamboo is another mystery that I'm sure is Google-able. These are really awesome and mind altering shots! This "feeling" will never be had again, but it is so sensorial to "hear" the very specific sound of the parking lot trams (and smell)..there was a peacefulness to it...and then the clinking of the chains in the queues of ticket booths, Jack Wagner talking about Guided Tours and ticket books, future tripping whilst looking at attraction posters, the smell of car exhaust...imagine parking that close these days (it was like parking in the driveway of the White House)...I can say that in 1980 this scene was almost identical. The parking lot costume was same (don't remember the hats...think we wore solid Navy)...there was also the faint smell of Coppertone in the air, from mothers slathering their children with it. I think you can see a Mickey Mouse balloon in the nose cone of the Monorail- that would indicate some sort of time later in the day, but there is far too much activity here to be afternoon time. The dark pants/white shirt guys are security. That was another security costume for those guys. You can see the bank of eucalyptus trees above the Monorail- which also added to the perfume of the air. Those particular trees were mucho-messy backstage if I recall. Lots to talk about in these photos- I could go on. Thanks Mr. X.
Ah, this is the Disneyland that I saw. By doing incredible detective work, I figured out that we were there somewhere between June 15-30, 1973. I looked for my family, as I always do with 1973 pics, but still no luck. Sigh... Still, it's fun looking!
These are exceptional photos, they have the saturated hues of IB Technicolor films of the '50s and '60s.
The breezy flags, the posters, the monorail -- the showmanship is wonderful, the sense of anticipation vivid. Plus the people at far right in the second photo can hear Jungle Cruise elephants, if they're open eared.
K. Martinez, this is the peak, Santa Fe is still sponsoring the Disneyland railroad; ALL ABOARRRD!
Wow, wow, wow! I love these!
What. Everybody. Said.
Major, photo 2 is Postcard Worthy, except Disney probably wouldn’t promote the trams on a postcard, so maybe Guide Book Worthy. Still, brilliant work.
Thanks Bu for the stream-of-consciousness memory dump, spot-on. Please go on, if you have time later.
Thanks Major & Mr. X. I wish Thufer could have seen these.
JG
Nanook, I was going to ask how you could tell that it was a Hotel tram, until I saw the sign…!
JB, those parking lot workers are going to do one of those pranks, where they park all of the yellow cars together, and then all of the white cars, etc. They have to do stuff like that to keep from going crazy. Or maybe they already are crazy. Thank you for the compliment on my Monorail horn impression, I practiced it for hours in church when I was a kid.
Mike Cozart, yes, I was so thrilled to see these photos - since they are from negatives, I couldn’t tell how nice they were until I scanned them, but I still “had a feeling”. Of course I love seeing the original silkscreened posters on display, it wouldn’t be long until those would go away. I never thought about it, but the posters were removed from the fence by the Mickey floral portrait because they put them on the Monorail pylons out front. Those trams are awesome, so functional, but “friendly”, I miss them.
TokyoMagic!, those guys are huddled, talking about all the changes they want to make to the park. “Let’s add a Star Wars land!”. “What’s ‘Star Wars’, Bill?”. “It’s a movie that will come out in a few years!”.
K.Martinez, I didn’t say that photo #2 was “postcard worthy”, but on reflection, it definitely IS. Looks like Mr. X picked a great day to be there. Imagine being able to walk through the gates and do those attractions that you listed!
Chuck, hey, I never noticed those vents either. But… tires? I thought that the Monorails floated on a cushion of tachyons. You know, with the polarity reversed.
Bu, did they really use “Me Old Bamboo”? How odd. It was written by the Sherman Brothers, but still… not Disney. Maybe they knew that there would be a bamboo craze? You know kids, they like anything. I love your descriptions of all the sounds, and the smells. Yes, even car exhaust, yum. The smell of Coppertone just says “Summer” to me, that was the era when I lived in Huntington Beach and went to the shore all the time. I still remember noticing girls in bikinis (I mean really noticing) at about that time! Thanks for the ID on those security guys, I still wonder why they are all gathered like that.
Stu29573, how did you narrow down the dates that you might have been to the park? I don’t think I could do that with any of my family trips from that era. I’m sorry you didn’t see your family, but… someday!
Stefano, yes, I just love these photos. I actually scanned them about 10 years ago, and have to wonder if I could have done a better job if they’d been done more recently. But I’m still happy with them. Funny how much I miss the Santa Fe tie-in at Disneyland.
JG, ha ha, see my comment to K. Martinez! Disney did produce at least one nice tram postcard, but it might have been for the Hotel and not the park. I wish Thufer could have seen these too, along with some of our other departed Junior Gorillas (Patrick Devlin, CoxPilot, etc).
Definitely a sight for sore eyes. As everyone has said, there's a lot to take in, but that second photo is indeed a beaut.
Chuck, I would like to see a cross-section of a monorail car. Vents have to be what you surmised. Constantly running most of the day, I would think tires got changed every few months or so.
We describe eucalyptus trees as "self pruning". Something always falling off them all the time. Trees as tall as the ones behind the monorail are probably Southern Blue gum or a tall variety of Red Gum. We had two in our front yard at home that were very messy, but stately and nice to be around when the wind was blowing. If the wind got over 25 or 30 MPH, best not to stand underneath. They also create an environment underneath them where not much will grow other than some shrubs and cactus immune to their gummy no grow zone.
Beautiful pics Major. Thanks!
PS It's a bit unusual to see those discarded cups and trash on the pavement. Back then they were very good at keeping the grounds uncluttered and looking clean. Guess you can't always keep up with orcs that litter where ever they go.
Major, well, yes - but it's the tires that reverse the polarity. It's all very complicated and really more than I can get into on an unclassified network.
DrGoat, I was actually asking how often the vents were replaced, but changing tires every few months or so makes sense. Reversing tachyon polarity can really put a lot of wear on a set of steel belted radials.
While not "Disney official" (I actually pulled it off the website of a competing mass transit concept), here's a basic cross-section view of a Disney-type monorail from the front. Unfortunately, it doesn't show us anything about the vents in question. Looking closely at pictures, the Mark IIIs seem to have been the only ones with this venting.
+15 for the orc reference, and another +10 just for being you.
Major, I was able to narrow it down because we saw The Brady Kids at Knott's. They were there June 17-22, 1973. I just padded around those dates. Easy!
Boy...take me back to those days. The fun those Parking Lot folks on those Cushman vehicles. I'll deny every story! KS
Major-
The signage helped - but I'm also psychic-!
"... that was the era when I lived in Huntington Beach and went to the shore all the time". Huh... the shore-?? The 'shore' is for east-coasters. Here on the west side of things, it's called the 'beach'. Next thing you know, you'll be ragaling me with stories about those magic days you spent down at the Jersey Shore-!
DrGoat, I do wonder how long those tires lasted. As you said, they operated all day, and on nice hot SoCal days. My grandpa called eucalyptus trees “widowmakers”, always dropping large branches. At the Disney studio there are some old eucalyptus, but they have put cables and bolts into any branches that might be likely to fall. I love eucalyptus trees, in spite of their many flaws… their aroma reminds me of days at my grandparent’s home in the summer.
DrGoat, yes, I’m sure that trash could accumulate faster than even the most enthusiastic sweeper could deal with.
Chuck, the vents were eventually upgraded to electric varieties. That cross section is interesting, but as you noted, it makes no mention of vents. It’s a coverup!
Stu29573, wow, you can have those dumb Beatles, you saw the Brady Kids! It’s a Sunshine Day.
KS, there is a dossier on you that is five inches thick!
Nanook, I was trying to not be redundant, as in “…when I lived in Huntington Beach, I went to the beach”. It sounded lame. I realize that “the shore” is an east coast thing, but hey, I did live on the east coast several times, so I get that privilege.
Our neighbors by the farm had a windbreak of eucalyptus trees on the fence line. There were a pair of hawks with a big nest that returned year after year. They would follow me through the field as I drove equipment and swoop on the mice etc. that would run out.
The trees were almost a quarter mile from our house, but the scent carried and the smell of those trees in the hot summer evening is still a big part of my farm memories.
Now up here, there are some vineyards with similar windbreaks, and the eucalyptus scent makes it way into some of the wines. It's like rosemary or a similar herb, wonderful with lamb.
JG
Lovely pictures full of the promise of a morning at the park.
Apparently eucalyptus trees were planted in large numbers along potential railroad routes. Since trees and lumber were scare in parts of california , the developers of the Central Pacific were aware the eucalyptus tree gross quickly and it was hoped the trees could be used for railroad ties. Unfortunately the wood is sappy and wet and difficult to process after being chopped down. By the 1870’s farmers and ranchers saw the “railroad tie” tree groves grew to make perfect windbreaks!
Originally the Central Pacific was planed to connect to Omaha via the Union Pacific not by way of Sacramento , but San Diego
- the route had few mountains as big as the Sierra’s and they felt the transcontinental railroad could be built faster and cheaper . And it was felt San Diego had a better port. But when Abraham Lincoln signed the transcontinental railroad he stipulated that the railroad to the Pacific could not pass through any slave states. And because Arizona Territory sided with slavery , the route to San Diego had to be re assessed - San Francisco was to far so Sacramento was selected. That’s why the were so many eucalyptus trees being planted in Southern California in the 1860’s!!
Chuck, you ruined my image of the Monorail gliding over the beam. I never really thought about tires - ugly tires - making it move.
Major, it's interesting you mentioned Star Wars to TokyoMagic! Did you see his blog post today?
KS, please share stories.
Thanks, Major and Mr. X, for pictures from some of the very best Disneyland years. Maybe a bunch of us were in the Park that day.
JG, it’s really amazing how a particular aroma can evoke so many vivid memories from our past. I love your story about the hawks that would follow you, knowing that they would probably get a good meal! More hawks, less mice, that’s what I say to everyone I meet. I always think of an area behind my grandparent’s home, beyond their fence; we could hop it, and walk along a green “gully” (that’s what we called it, anyway) until we got to another home; those people had a horse in their backyard, and we would bring it apples and carrots to eat. And because there were so many eucalyptus trees everywhere, I always think of that gully when I smell those trees.
Melissa, it really does feel like we are all about to have the most amazing day!
Mike Cozart, I am sure that you are right about the trees being planted for use by the railroad, it makes sense (given how important the railroads were to the west). Up in San Luis Obispo, there are large forest of eucalyptus that (I was told) were planted in the hopes that they would grow straight and tall for use as ship’s masts and such. But they were deemed to be unsuitable for that purpose. You’d think somebody would have done the research! Still, it’s nice to see those big areas full of eucalyptus trees. The monarch butterflies like to use them as places to rest, sometimes in large bunches. Interesting about Lincoln not allowing the railroad to the Pacific to go through slave states. Good for him. Screw those guys (sorry, folks with sensitive eyes).
Lou and Sue, don’t imagine ugly tires, imagine beautiful tires! With sparkles! I have not seen TokyoMagic’s blog post yet, I’ll go take a look. Glad you enjoyed today’s pix!
….. and yes that monorail rides on GOODYEAR TIRES! And the next time you take a trip across town or across the country , rely on the tires AMERICA relys on : The tires ALL of Disneyland relys on, …. GO! GO! GOODYEAR!!!!
PeopleMover Narration 1967
Ah yes stories...but are they printable? LOL KS
I work in the parking lot custodial with Pepe Munoz for about 8 years cleaning those trails and the main gate picking the trash up around the fence lines inside and out of the parking lot and in and around the old power poles I'm out on harbor up to the 5 freeway off ramp I'm back around to the Marquee it's good times I had a lot of good people out there in the parking lot.
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