Here are two very boring photos of Storybook Land. We don't even get half a Monstro! No canal boats either. When you consider all of the things that a photographer can capture at Disneyland, it's easy to wonder why our hero decided to take these pictures.
Well, at least we see a bit of the Casey Jr. Circus Train - just barely. Otherwise it's the Storybook Land sign, and some bare earth embankments. And a glimpse into "Never Never Land" to the right (though not a very good one).
This guy just loved that sign! I give it points for getting some of the old wood and chain link fencing that used to be common all over Fantasyland. And hey, I even like the exit turnstiles; just imagine the clicky noise they made as they counted each guest as they exited! Click - click - click. So satisfying.
Whew! It feels good to get these published so that I don't have to worry about them again.
Major-
ReplyDeleteBut do we spy a trash can back there in 'Never Never Land'-?? I don't believe that style of turnstile either clicks or counts. I believe they were virtually silent. Shhhhh.....
THanks, Major.
The red sharks show up in these! Yea!
ReplyDeleteAnd, I hate to correct you, Major, but these images are not of Storybook Land...
The second one is "Story Book Land."
The first one is "OK Land."
Major, you first discovered and mentioned the red sharks in THIS POST FROM 1/26/21.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the sharks have been green or yellow, but I like the red ones the best. They really stand out.
Nanook, I clearly remember those turnstiles making a VERY loud, "WHOOOOOOOOOOSH" sound. And for every one thousandth guest that would exit through them, a loud siren would go off with an accompanying flashing red light. Those were located up high in the trees, so that is why they are not visible in the photo....you see. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSue, when Universal Studios in Orlando got rid of their "JAWS" boat ride attraction, Disney should have purchased all of the animatronic sharks, and added them to DL's Storybook Land.....just for kicks.
These must have been taken during the short-lived internal exchange program where they switched the subs and the canal boats. The intent was to foster peace and understanding between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland (things were tense due to their territorial dispute over the Matterhorn), but guests did not appreciate seeing nothing but dropped sunglasses and cameras in Story Book Land or getting drenched going under the falls in the sub lagoon, which tended to dampen their enthusiasm about seeing the catwalks of the Sub Voyage ride building. Who wants to drop an E coupon for two cold showers?
ReplyDeleteMajor, you are right, these are amazingly dull.
ReplyDeleteNo. 1 has the first sighting (for me at least) of a backstage trash can, and no. 2 looks like a facility documentary, “fence, standard type, 30 feet, silent turnstiles, 2, white paint, exposed fasteners.”
Even the sprinklers are visible and the gray ground cover needs a trim. Very odd pictures indeed.
Thanks anyway.
JG
Nanook, upon closer inspection, I see that you are right, those are not the “counter” turnstiles. So… what was the point? Crowd control? If so, why not just have a narrow gate (line with razor blades!) that would only allow one person out at a time? No need to mechanical devices.
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, I live in “OK Land” every day, maybe I should charge admission! (And a parking fee).
Lou and Sue, I honestly did not remember that I was the one who came up with the shark joke. I figured it was probably from someone else!
TokyoMagic!, they should have made a loud “whoopie-cushion” noise, don’t you think? Come on, it would be great! Now that you mention it, I wonder what really did happen to those shark animatronics when Universal Studios Orlando closed their “Jaws” ride? Maybe they sold them to Disney to use in their “Nemo” subs ride.
Chuck, I had forgotten that bit of Disneyland history, but now that you mention it, it rings a bell. That must have been around the same time that they put the pack mules on the Matterhorn?
JG, you know photos are dull when a backstage trashcan is worthy of attention. As for the two photos together, it makes me wonder, with all of the things to take pictures of at Disneyland, why was the photographer inspired to take these??
As a general note, backstage trashcans were ALWAYS filthy. They were not on stage trashcans all sparkly. I think they were cleaned "eventually", they were dumped regularly, but absolutely did not get the same attention as on stage properly scrubbed waxed et. al. trashcans. I can smell that trash can in Never Never Land through the photo. Always gooey. The faux coral is super cool. I don't know if anyone has been to Vizcaya in Miami- it is made from real coral- illegal today of course. The house is very much worth a visit if you happen to be there. It was also the set of "Airport 77"...a great Universal pic...a mix of the Poseidon Adventure and Airport. Lee Grant plays an over the top drunk. Like Vizcaya, it is also a good watch. Put real sharks in Storybook Land...or Story Book Land...or Storybookland- that will give the adrenaline rush that people need these days in every waking moment. Back to Red Vines: That tub was a pre-pandemic pandemic. I worked on large projects with up to 50 people working on them. Someone in the Operations Department would invariably bring that tub. And alllllll those sticky fingers would be reaching into the tub. Unfortunately, if one person was sick...the entire crew got sick...EXCEPT for the ones that did not eat the Red Vines. After one really bad bout of group sickness, no communal food was ever served again. Packaged food and face masks going forward. Long time before the Pandemic was even a thought. When you can't reach deadlines because of illness, it doesn't bode well when the rent starts being charged and no income is being generated. Just saying. Oh...Storybook Land. Love it. Again, I want one in the yard.
ReplyDeleteMajor, my theory is the photographer was very interested in fonts.
ReplyDeletealso, JG, the second photo is a winner because there's something about those old time fence designs and turnstiles that screems "original Disneyland"
I wonder what sort of ground cover plant they use for the Story Book Land sign? It's very dense. And it would have to love lots of direct sunlight.
ReplyDeleteHaha. GDBers are really struggling to find something nice to say about these not-so-exciting photos. So far, I think Sue has pointed out the most interesting things: the 'sharks'. The backstage trashcan gets the honorable mention award.
I'm late commenting today. We had a power outage that lasted about 12 hours yesterday evening. Someone wrapped their car around a power pole, snapping it off at the base. The pole ended up leaning over a busy street, almost touching the ground. The street was closed-off for several blocks in both directions.
The bright side is: I got a nice early-evening walk, exploring the mayhem and chatting with neighbors.
Major, thanks for the truly exciting, wonderful to behold, jaw-droppingly beautiful photos.
I LOVE the actress Lee Grant!! She’s in one of my favorite episode of COLUMBO!!! She’s also great with Walter Mathau in PLAZA SUITE. She’s still alive I understand. I just image all the women of the early 70’s being Vera Miles, Dina Merril , and Lee Grant.
ReplyDeleteDisneyland rarely uses “white” but rather a studio developed blend sone in various shade increments called DISNEYLAND TECH ( 16, 64 ) are some common shades . Most of 1967 Tomorrowland was DL TECH 64. Apparently John Hench took another studios tech white blends ( Navajo White) and customized Disney’s own versions for the Disney Studios and Disneyland .
Maybe somebody was finishing off a roll of film before loading a fresh one, rather than risk having only two exposures left when something interesting turned up.
ReplyDeleteWhen I carried a camera -- an idiot-proof Kodak that used small film cartridges and sort of fitted in a pants pocket -- I was always fretting about wasting shots, and whether I should take a second or third of a promising one as insurance. It took me years of carrying a smartphone to overcome my stinginess with snaps, and even now I immediately trash the non-savers lest I run out of pixel storage.
Still long for an old-school Kodak Picture Spot sign, with the metal silhouette of a photographer perched on top.
@LTL, you are right! There’s something both homey and calculating about those old “semicircle” fences. Easy to make, economical, decent looking, and very uncomfortable to sit or lean on, without being outright hostile. Another instance of clear thinking by the original designers. Notice how elegantly the oblique corners are managed, good design always shows in the corners.
ReplyDeleteJG
Bu, I would not be surprised if the backstage trashcans were filthy… they weren’t part of the “show” after all. What would go in them that made them so gooey? I mean, I get if the regular park cans had ice cream cups and sodas dumped in them. I’ve seen photos of that coral house, and I’m glad that people aren’t killing coral to make more mansions. Those “Airport” movies did not age well - they were never actually good, but now they are nearly unwatchable, like a slightly more dramatic “Love Boat”. Without Gopher. Your description of that tube of Red Vines makes me ill, but I would have never gotten sick, since I would have never eaten any. And yes I know that red licorice isn’t “licorice”, but hey, I didn’t give it that name.
ReplyDeleteLTL, that’s as good a theory as any! I agree with you, anything that evokes the early Disneyland is a winner in my book.
JB, I’ll have to wait for someone else to chime in about whatever that shrub is on the Story Book Land hillside. I wonder if they mention it in the “World of Flowers” book (even though it isn’t “flowers”)? Bummer about the power outage, Edison was supposed to shut off our power for 10 hours last week but didn’t. Now they have announced that they will do it later this month. ARGH.
Mike Cozart, while I know who Lee Grant is, I can’t say that I have any memories of movies where I thought, “Wow! She’s amazing!”. Maybe I’ve just seen the wrong movies. Neat that she’s still with us! I don’t think it’s unusual for “white” to not actually be pure white. In animation they often used a surprisingly dull paint that read as white onscreen.
DBenson, oh I like that theory. Although I still think that I personally would rather chance those “iffy” frames on something interesting. Maybe because I’m a cheapskate! Did you ever find a roll of film that was sitting in a drawer for so long that you didn’t know what was on it until you took it to a developer? My mom had a roll like that, it had photos from a trip to the mountains from many years earlier, it was cool to see them! I’d love a Picture Spot sign too.
JG, seeing that fencing always makes me think of old Fantasyland; I wonder how many people would have even though about sitting on the edge of one of those fences back then (if it was something less pokey)? Of course nowadays all bets are off, many people don’t know how to behave.
Maybe somebody already mentioned it, but aren’t those the kind of turnstiles that only turn one way? Once you enter...you can never go back...[ *twilight zone music* ]
ReplyDeleteHey, did anyone else notice the sloppy paint job on the fence? Unless it’s an optical illusion, the fence painter painted the chain link fence white—wherever it overlapped the white post and wood.
—Sue
You should be able to tour OK Land in a little red surrey with fringe on top.
ReplyDelete