Monday, August 29, 2022

Main Street USA, June 1970

I have two slides from different lots, but both are from June, 1970. Let's go!

Beneath the east tunnel that goes beneath the railroad tracks and leads to Town Square, you might find a certain hunny-lovin' bear lurking there. His ability to balance a full jar of bee goop (and one bee) is impressive, though some cranks theorize that Pooh is using double-stick tape. Never! Balloon Boy just got some financial advice from Pooh ("You can't go wrong with real estate!"), so he's a satisfied customer. The ladies to our right want to know the five best uses for vinegar. 

The glimpse into Town Square is enticing, do you think those seated people are gathering for a parade?


While organizing my jpegs, I found this previous-posted photo of Pooh, also from June of 1970!


What do you call a Horse Drawn Streetcar if the horse refuses to "draw" it? "I'm not moving until somebody gives me an apple or a sugar cube!". This is what happens when you get horses from Hollywood, they are temperamental. "Listen, Dobbin, I don't have any apples or sugar cubes, but I can get you an autograph from Ruth Buzzi". "Ruth Buzzi?! You've got a deal!".

24 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
What makes you think those "seated people" are merely 'waiting for a parade'-?? That "lady" chatting with "Junior" is actually Ma Barker, and she's giving out orders to her gang: A bank robbery is about to go down, right there in Town Square-!! (One can't assume anything...)

Thanks, Major.

MIKE COZART said...

What do you call a Horse Drawn Streetcar if the horse refuses to "draw" it?

ANSWER: a row of park benches.

Interesting to see that the attraction poster tunnels are still using the track rail frame supports in 1970. You can see a IT’S A SMALL WORLD 1966, DISNEYLAND 1961 ALWEG MONORAIL ( an out-of-date Moonliner version) , MARK TWAIN 1956, JUNGLE RIVER 1956. There were many print runs of the posters so even though a poster might use artwork from say… 1956….. it’s doubtful any of the 50’s attraction posters were actually printed in the 1950’s …

It’s fascinating to think that in 1970 the Disneyland sign shop, decorating and marketing still has stacks and cabinets filled with hundreds of current and obsolete attraction posters!! ( then called “gate” and “tunnel” posters by the sign shop and decorating)

JB said...

Balloon Boy's balloon is kind of mottled looking. I wonder if it really was that way or if it's just some sort of speckles from the 35mm slide.
The blonde lady on the right looks like a caricature with that overly elaborate hairdo and those black-rimmed glasses... She looks startled to see Pooh.
I never noticed Pooh's name on his shirt before. Is that how it is in the cartoons? Or just in the Park? Seems kinda unnecessary.

In the last pic, I think Dobbin heard you, Major. He's looking right at us! The people in Dobbin's Streetcar don't look very happy, considering they're in the Happiest Place on Earth.
Only one trashcan today, I think. There's probably one behind the yellow horseless carriage, but I can't see it.

Thanks for Pooh and Dobbin, Major.

MIKE COZART said...

Regarding those fiberglass bees on Pooh’s honey pot hat ; one Christmas at the Disneyland WDI party nite there was a charity auction for Choc Hospital ( I think) there was also a fundraising area in what we wound today call a “blind box” …. I think they were calling them Surprise Grab Boxes . Anyway , there were piles of boxes in $5.00 sizes , $25.00 sizes , $50.00 sizes …… and there may have been higher priced boxes as well . Anyway …… most people bought boxes and took them away so I have no idea what was in them …. But a friend of mine bought a $50.00 box and opened it up right away! ….. it was filled with two submarine voyage fish and a handful of attraction Star fish , shells and seahorses !!!!! Well … I went over and bought a 50.00 box too and was hoping mine was filled with sub voyage fish too …. But it was filled with four of those Pooh Honey Pot costume bees !!! Some were missing one of there plastic wings with blue screen printed details. Well after that it was ON!!! People began buying up the boxes …… a small box was filled with an assorted of old Disneyland costume patches …. Another was filled with old Disneyland Fan cards ….. someone got a box with old Disneyland tip trays …… a box had a stack of unused Carnation Ice Cream parlor waiter tabs …. Someone got Skyway “do not swing cabin” signs…. A friend of mine from WDI professional staffing got a real( very worn ) baby tiki from tiki room!!! ….. someone got sets of old nautical flags from Columbia or Sub voyage …. Maybe motor boats… there were LOTS of treasures in those boxes!! I don’t know of Disneyland doing that again…..

DBenson said...

Long long ago, the San Francisco public television station KQED would have a huge annual on-air auction. If my little gray cells recall accurately, one year one of the items was that same Winnie the Pooh walk around (or one of its clones), presumably donated by Disneyland itself. In later years Disney did donate travel packages.

Now pre-adolescent memory may be playing me wrong, as it's hard to imagine the company ever letting an official costume out of its reach. But presupposing this actually happened, I wonder what it went for and what became of it. And whether any Disney managers lost sleep fretting whether that Pooh costume would make the news in a grossly inappropriate context. This was before furries, but San Francisco had a reputation for hippies, porn, and general eccentricity.

Anonymous said...

OF COURSE you have some of those adorable bees, Mike! ;o). You have EVERYTHING I like.
(Hey, do you still have them?)

Fun comments, so far. I’m looking forward to the rest of the day...will check back.

—Sue

MIKE COZART said...

sue: I don’t have them anymore. I gave one away and the others I sold on eBay many years ago …. For almost nothing compared to what some have recently sold for at auction ( I almost think the recent auctioned ones may have been the ones I had….) I have some Sub Voyage fish still my friend got that night!!

DBENSON: there’s a current tv show on METV called COLLECTORS CALL hosted by actress Lisa Welchel ( Former 1977 Mouseketeer and Blair from TV’s FACTS OF LIFE) each episode features a collector with very extensive and often outstanding collections . There is a expert on the collection’s subject that joins Lisa on a tour of the collection. The collector shows off some highlights from the collection and unusual stories about how sone of the items were obtained or found. The expert gives a running total of the featured items and then includes that with a over-all appraisal value of the collection. At the end , the expert brings something along the collector is looking fit or may be interested in …. But the collector must TRADE an item from his/hers collection the expert may be interested in. About 75% of the time the collector is unwilling to trade ….. but sometimes they do and it’s the “COLLECTOR’s CALL” . It’s impressive what the experts have been able to bring to the bargaining table.

Anyway one episode the collector had a massive Winnie The POOH collection and they had a full complete 1970’s POOH walk-around character ( she also had a Eyore 1970’s costume too but it wasn’t in display) she said it was a Walt Disney World used Pooh costume …. And I think she said she paid $5,000.00 for it and had to do the transaction in a parking lot. It was already vintage when she bought it but I can’t recall how it “got out”. But I know people with things in their collections I cannot fathom that they have in their possession.

Sometimes there’s frustrating stories too …. Like very rare props that were destroyed recently because the owners didn’t know what they had …. Or stories like how one collector has the ORIGINAL 1966 STAR TREK captain’s chair ….. but ANOTHER collector has all the functions electronics and control buttons that go to the captain’s chair …….. and never the Twain shall meet!! Lol!

The collections featured on this show would be right up GDB’s alley .. Disneyland ….. Flintstones … James Bond…. 1960’s tv show costumes …. the Munsters …. Andy Griffith Show …. the Brady Bunch … Coney Island …. New York Worlds Fair … Lost In Space …. Movie props …. Lunch boxes …. Vacuum cleaners …. I Love Lucy….hot wheels …. McDonalds …. There was even a special episode featuring Charlotte Rae/ Facts of Life memorabilia saved by actress Charlotte Rae’s son. It’s really a fun show.

Anonymous said...

I think it's weird how the CM had to look out the Bee's eyes to see...

Mike, now I have to see that show! It sounds right up my alley (as I'm going through dust bins looking for "treasure"). Thanks for the info!

Melissa said...

Whole lot of fashion going on in that streetcar! One shiny, colorful babushka and the Two-Tone Twins! (I guess they have four tones between them, but the alliteration is more important.)

Chuck said...

Based on the shadows, the folks waiting along the curb may have been watching the flag retreat ceremony. Or possibly watching a knock-down, drag-out fist fight between several members of the same family. Some Disneyland traditions are eternal.

DrGoat said...

Neat stories, Mike. Must have been fun time, with benefits.
Pooh looks good against that totally empty parking lot. Nice early morning shadows.
In the last photo, that girl on the left found the most eye catching Peter Pan hat in flaming red.
Thanks Major.

JG said...

I wonder if it’s the same CM in the Pooh suit in both pics? What are the odds?

I love the Parking Lot shot, pure asphalt-y goodness.

I think the Flag Retreat theory makes sense, although “something” is cordoned off to the right with those movable bollards.

Pooh has his name on all his stuff so it doesn’t get stolen in the locker room. Where are the eyeholes in that suit? Can it be the letters “Hunny”?

I bet that horse would draw just fine if you gave him a pencil, or maybe India ink with a watercolor wash. Modern pack animals use Photoshop or MacPaint.

JG

Melissa said...

Mike. I miss MeTV! Especially their Sci-Fi Saturday Nights. They should make a cable TV bundle with just MeTV and Turner Classic Movies.

"a jar of bee goop (and one bee)" makes me think of Emily Dickinson's poem about "one clover, and a bee."

Sue, I guess Pooh invented the beehive hairdo!

Melissa said...

OK, I guess Blogger is TELLING me it's finicky about HTML while still publishing the comment it told me it couldn't publish because of the HTML. Oh, that Blogger! What hijinks will it think of next?

Anonymous said...

Melissa, you are right! Pooh did invent the first beehive hairdo. And I notice that he uses honey to keep it in place—not Aqua Net. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

—Sue

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I guess I forgot about Ma Barker’s raid on the B of A in Town Square. I hope they threw in a complimentary brochure!

Mike Cozart, good point! I couldn’t tell if that was the updated Monorail poster or not, it’s awfully grainy. I know that some of the more “common” posters were printed in multiple runs, which of course makes the early ones that got fewer runs so desirable (Space Station X-1, Flying Saucers, etc).

Sue, I love the bee too!

JB, yeah, they sold those mottled (marbled?) balloons for a while, you used to see those everywhere. I wonder how they achieve that multicolored look without the colors all combining into gray? That lady must have spent some serious time on her ‘do, she must have been proud of her hair. No, Pooh doesn’t have his name on his shirt in the cartoons! All of my shirts have “Major P” in gothic font so that people think I’m in a motorcycle gang.

Mike Cozart, wow, what a story! $50 was probably a lot of money back then, but MAN, what treasures! I wonder what could have been in the the $100 boxes (assuming they existed)?? i would have been happy to get ANY of the items you mentioned; I know a guy who has some Submarine Voyage fish in his bathroom (along with some kelp). Maybe somebody could have received a miniature Atomobile or something like that! A baby tiki, my dream. You were lucky to have been there!

DBenson, you mean they gave away one of those Pooh costumes?? That’s pretty weird! I’d think that the Disney folks would worry that somebody would do something bad while wearing it, and it would look bad for the company. But you definitely hear stories (from Mike Cozart, for instance) about just how little they valued some of this old stuff, so I believe that it could be possible!

Sue, I was wondering the same thing!

Major Pepperidge said...

Mike Cozart, oh shoot. I was going to offer you $20 for one. CASH. How could you refuse? There was one in a Van Eaton Galleries auction, I coveted it. Wish I could remember what it sold for. I never heard of “Collector’s Call”, but there used to be a show about an auction house that sold movie props, they had some incredible stuff. I miss that show. I love the thought of somebody meeting another person in a parking lot and paying $5,000 for a Pooh costume. I’ve spoken to a well-known Imagineer who talked about other well-known people basically stealing items, it rang true to me. I need that Star Trek captain’s chair while I blog, it will make me feel important. But no blinky lights? What?? Gee, I wonder if “Collector’s Call” episodes are floating around out there, maybe on YouTube?

Stu29573, it was weird, but it worked better than when the CM had to look out of the ears. And yes, that show that Mike mentioned sounds pretty awesome.

Melissa, somehow I’m not seeing the shiny babushka. I always think of the clear plastic one that my grandma had in her purse at all times.

Chuck, that’s a good thought, you’re right, it looks to be about the right time of day for the flag retrieval. I hope to someday see a big fight between two obnoxious families at Disneyland, it’s on the bucket list.

DrGoat, I’ve heard MANY stories from former CMs telling of how they had opportunities to acquire Disneyland props for a pittance - or even for free. I’ve mentioned before that one guy pulled a mini-Atomobile out of a dumpster. How many others were in that dumpster?!

JG, hard to say, and of course they’d have to get someone of a certain size who could fit into the costume. One CM could be identified because he always used rude gestures. Not sure what would have been roped off to the right. I’m pretty sure the Pooh CM could see out the hunny pot.

Melissa, doesn’t MeTV still exist? I think my brother watches endless westerns on it. And Perry Mason. I really wish I got Turner Classic Movies! I was going to sign up for a service called Filmstruck, from the Warner Bros. library, but it went under just as I was considering it. D’oh.

Melissa, it’s OK, I deleted the duplicate!

Sue, there used to be commercials for a shampoo with honey as an ingredient, maybe you remember. I always thought it was weird, wouldn’t honey be sticky?

Melissa said...

MeTV still exists; I just can't get it where I live without a cable package I can't afford. Thanks for cleaning up the duplicate comment!

On second look the babushka isn't particularly shiny, but it looks like a silky/satiny fabric. It's on the lady in the front row of the streetcar, next to the gent with the camera strap around his neck.

MIKE COZART said...

Yes; COLLECTOR’S CALL is on Sundays at 6:30. On METV ( Memorable Entertainment Television) it’s mostly all vintage shows in great quality and they show the series in its original order. COLLECTORS CALL is a current show and has been on for about 3 years?

Melissa : I hear you. I’m lucky I get Collectors Call …. I have the basic cable tv package and my COX CABLE “bundle” includes the basic tv package - high speed internet ( do we still need to say high speed internet ? Like Color Tv) and yes I still also keep a house phone. With mist of my family in San Diego and my widowed mom at her age I like knowing I can reach them if something goes wrong with my Cel service. Anyway - I have the basic groupings and my Cox bill is INSANELY HIGH!! I’m also the last person I think you has to pay for a long distance call on my house phone. I get plenty of tv Channels…. And way more than I can watch Luke sports … Mexican and Asian language channels …..

Major: That show was called HOLLYWOOD TREASURES …. And featured a auction house here in LA . I believe Hollywood treasures eventually closed down and Van Eaton had began to handle Disney and animated related items before that . But they did feature sone impressive collections but focused only on Hollywood props. I’m still stunned that the 1968 LAW GIVER statue from Planet of the Apes was still in someone’s backyard …. And at that point the current house owners didn’t know what it was …. But kept it - as kinda creepy as it was - in their yard!!??!

I’ve never seen a physical fight at Disneyland or Walt Disney World….. but around 1982 ( new fantasyland was still under construction) I was with a friend walking alone the It’s A Small World Promenade towards Alice … and a couple they had two kids were arguing …. But the dad was holding the two kids by the hand and was SCREAMING - YELLING at the ( I assume) Mom! She just stood there and she had tears poring down her face . When the man was done yelling he turned and walked away with the two kids and she just stood there crying …. It was really disturbing . Other guests watch or at least witnessed it …. And I think ( I hope) some guests walked up to her to see if she needed help. It was awful to think someone went thru that while at Disneyland.


Nanook said...

@ MIKE; Major-
Unless there is a duplicate chair (other than a copy made by MoPOP's insanely-talented exhibits crew) designed for photo ops, the original Captain Kirk's Command Chair is part of the Paul Allen Collection (since 2009), and has been on-display at MoPOP in the past.

@ Melissa-
Alliteration is always of utmost importance - just ask any Madison Avenue copywriter from the 1930's thru the 1950's-!!

MIKE COZART said...

NANOOK: yeah this was a recent episode of COLLECTOR’S CALL …. Just a few weeks ago. the chair was on display somewhere - the collector on the show msy have been the one with all the original 1966 electronics and buttons etc ….. but the 1966 chair was without any of the arm rest controls and electronics. Why they had been separated wasn’t discussed . And neither collector seems willing to sell their item to reunite the captains chair.

I was surprised to learn how many original series Star Trek costumes survived - lots!! They were quickly made and inexpensively so when a costume was damaged because of something being filmed or just worn …. They rarely repaired the costumes and just issued a new one…..

JB said...

Mike, thanks for giving us the name of that collectors show. I was going insane trying to remember the name. I also used to watch that show (Hollywood Treasures). My favorite part was when the group did their sleuthing to determine if an object was indeed what it claimed to be. Sometimes going through a movie, frame by frame, to find a clear image to compare it to.

Dean Finder said...

Melissa, there's a service available on streaming devices (Roku and the like) called Pluto TV that has a lot of retro TV on it. It's no MeTV, but does fill some of the gaps.

Anonymous said...

Boy this takes me back...June 1970. Could have been working Hills Bros evening/night shift that day. 5-1:30AM. Gave me time to enjoy the beach in the morning, stop at McDonald's on way home to shower. Big Mac, small fries and small coke...95 cents with tax. I'd always have $2 in my wallet just in case. When I see the Parking Lot shot, I can smell the air to this day. KS