Randos
I have a pair of "randos", or maybe Leftuggies™ would be more apt. But I think you're gonna like them!
Let's start with this look at the Tomorrowland Autopia, taken as the scene was bathed in warm, orangey light of the setting sun. I could perhaps wish for a little bit less of that fence, but then again, it's the old style of fence, so maybe it's not that obtrusive. The little Mark 1 (or Mark II or Mark III, they are visually identical as far as I am aware) vehicles look so great, especially those two-tone babies up on the overpass. Telephone poles that lined Harbor Boulevard can easily be seen in the background.
Next is a scan of a 1969 slide that was damaged, so I cropped it to eliminate the bad bits. A Saxophone Quartet (of Keystone Cops!) is playing, always a fun sight to see. Since Main Street was supposed to represent a turn-of-the-century era in America, I am wondering if saxophone quartets were much of a thing 100+ years ago?
I noticed a "go away green" construction wall, and zoomed in to discover that the bridge that crossed the moat was closed to guests, I wonder what was being done?
24 comments:
Major-
Just looking at that "warm, orangey light of the setting sun" makes me feel 'tingly all-over'. It's the very pick-me-up I needed.
Thanks, Major.
Hey JB, isn’t that last picture a shot from that 1969 AES accident??
Sue
The two 2-toned cars are both the same. I wonder if red & white was the only 2-toned combo they had? I just realized that half of those cars on the overpass are going one way, and the other half, the other way. I don't think there are too many places where there are two lanes going in opposite directions, like a real highway. Beautiful lighting.
The guy going under the overpass is on his cellphone, or maybe he's eating a churro-from-the-future.
Clearly, the moat bridge was closed because they were fumigating the area to reduce the number of killer swans. The swans had dispatched quite a few guests in 1969 and people were getting suspicious; so something had to be done.
This is really a nice photo. Maybe souvenir pictorial book worthy (if not for the construction wall). The misty Castle in the background; the saxophone action in the foreground; the dark costumes/uniforms of the musicians, and the streetlamps all make a nice tableau.
Sue, AES? Animatronic Exploding Swans? I didn't know the swans were animatronic! This changes everything!!
Major, I would say these qualify as Leftuggies. Randos seem to imply photos of places other than Disneyland. So, thanks for the Leftuggies.
JB, the guy driving under the overpass could have been eating the Zinger from his $50 Disneyland Snack Tray®-from-the-future. ;-)
In the second pic, repairs are being made to the damaged concrete in front of the Castle. You see, The Dent and The Stain had a huge fight. It wasn't pretty.
Wow. I get to be the first to mention the telephone poles in the first image? I feel special
And no garbage cans anywhere today
Well darn. The major mentioned the telephone poles in the post. My brain just completely skipped that.
Sorry!
Wow!! I knew there had been a color change on many of the mark I AUTOPIA’s but I’ve NEVER seen two-tone options for guests!! I suspect it may have been a test and didn’t last long as two colors take twice as long over at the cycle shop during Autopia rehabs!!
Got the same feeling as Nanook. That first photo warms the cockles of my heart. Make a nice desktop back round.
Like the guy smoking a pipe in the second pic. Nice moment in time.
Thanks Major.
The Autopia pic has wonderful color, no trash cans, but the fire extinguisher is clamped to the light pole, and it or it’s successor are still there today.
It’s a proper castle, no sparkly stuff, only a pale pink. Quite right.
I wonder if there was paving work, or replacing ropes on the drawbridge?
Thanks Major, a good start to the day.
JG
Randuggies!
Vroom vroom!
Honk honk!
Yes Sue, the swans were animitronic too- but not all of them. You see, they developed the AESs to combat the killer swans. they were supposed to nuzzle up to a real swan and KA-BLOOOOOIE!!! Unfortunately, the AESs became sentient (same old story) and fell in love with the killer swans and then took over most of the Northern Hemisphere. They just don't teach this stuff in schools any more....
Oh...and nice pics, Major!
Nanook, I’m glad you liked that first one, but TMI on the tingles! ;-)
Sue, um er… what is “AES”?
JB, I think they had blue and white 2-toned cars as well. And the famous cop car too. That man is either talking on his cell phone or picking his nose. “Nobody will see me as I go through this underpass”. Killer swans can’t be eliminated through fumigating, they have grown resistant through the decades. Only a silver bullet or a stake through the heart will kill them. I’m wondering if they were putting in the compass rose in the second photo? I don’t know when that was added to the forecourt of the Castle. I’m glad you enjoyed these Leftuggies™!
TokyoMagic!, he’s eating a zinger alright. That’s what he calls his boogers. Yay, I love being gross, and nobody can stop me because it’s my blog! I’m sorry the Dent and the Stain had a fight, maybe after all that they realized that they were in love.
Budblade, well I hate to break it to you…!
Budblade, yes for once I noticed something and didn’t leave it to the Junior Gorillas. No need to apologize.
Mike Cozart, I thought that they always had a small number of two-toned cars for guests, but you would know better than I would. Maybe Walt wanted them for his friends and relatives.
DrGoat, the man with the pipe is thinking, “This is so much better than those long-haired Beatles, or even worse, the Rolling Stones! That music is just noise”. He doesn’t even realize that he is puffing in time to the music.
JG, seeing that fire extinguisher makes me wonder if any Autopia cars ever burst into flames? Now that would be something to see. I’m liking my theory about the compass rose (see my comment to JB), but can find no info online about when that was added. Hmmmm…..
Melissa, honking your horn is not polite. I prefer “flipping the bird”.
Stu29573, OK based on your comment “AES” has something to do with the swans, but I don’t remember what. “Animatronic Ethiopian Swans”? Sure, swans are mean, but let’s not forget Canada Geese, a group of them has started hanging out in the park where I take my mom for a walk, and we give them a wide berth.
Major-
The compass rose was there for the Tencennial - don’t know the exact timeline.
The best place to find e-Swans is, of course, the Swan-E River.
(I’ll show myself out.)
((honk honk))
I found a lot of interesting newspaper articles regarding saxophones and saxophone bands back in the 1890-1910 range.
Nanook, after reading your comment about the tencennial, I watched part of the 10th Anniversary Special on YouTube - there’s a scene with a dancing birthday cake, and I don’t see any compass rose there. Of course it could have been added after that special was filmed.
Melissa, I never thought about it, but you are right!
Debbie V., interesting, so I guess saxophone bands (trios, quartets, etc) really were a thing back then!
Oh! And Disneyland had a all keystone cops band that played all saxophones!!! I cannot think of their name off have ( keystone sax??…… Sax Six?? ….. with Six you get Keystone??)
Major, I thought of the compass rose too, but no idea when it was done
JG
Animatronic Exploding Swan discourse always makes me think of the Silver Swan automaton.
Mike Cozart, interesting that the Magic Kingdom version of a saxophone band was more of a 1920s style, I wonder what the thinking was. I don’t think of the Florida Main Street as being of a later architectural style, but really don’t know. “The Spiffy Saxes”, I love it. “Spiffy” is the best word.
Mike Cozart, well, isn’t the Keystone Cops saxophone band just what we see in photo #2?? I think that the album “The Official Album of Disneyland/Walt Disney World” just refers to them as “The Saxophone Quartet”. Although now that I think about it I do believe that I’ve seen the group with five members.
JG, I still can find no info about the compass rose!
Melissa, the swan is cool, but I love the fish in the water!
Maybe there were strolling bands of saxophone players in the turn-of-the-century era as the new high-tech instrument. Much like the bands of key-tar players that thronged cities in the 1980s.
Melissa, thank you for that link! I had never heard of the Silver Swan before (Silver Swan would be a great pub name... maybe it already is?) Like Major noted, aside from the swan, the fish are also astonishing; as is the 'water'. So real! When the swan started moving I thought it was stop-motion animation; but NO! Amazing!
Fun comments and info today. I'm glad I stopped back. Never disappointed.
I'm surprised Walt didn't have ALL the Autopia cars painted white. That way no one would fight over which color they wanted.
Major, Canada Geese are hard-headed, to say the least. When a group of them is blocking the road, no amount of car-honking will get them to waddle faster. They all just keep crossing the road in front of you, at a nice easy pace. Lucky for them, I don't want to injure any.
Melissa, thank you for sharing that link to the Silver Swan. Fascinating!
And what's truly unbelievable is that they add explosives to them. ;o)
Thank you, Major.
Seven Silver Swans Swam Silently Seaward. Brady Bunch. Cindy. Nothing to do with The Magic Kingdom. Swans do however, and it is sad they are gone. Figure it out people. The castle is missing the big obelisk things ...and perhaps that was part of the rehab. The obelisks are still there but painted the most strange colors with strange pixelation. In fact, it's all strange, and I pray that someone will wake up out of their cheap Saturday morning cartoon phase of color. I like the Keystone cops, but don't think ANYONE would know what a Keystone Cop is or was. The Mack Sennet Studio I think is STILL around down in Silver Lake...in segments anyway. Silverlake/Echo Park was very silent-movie-ee back in that day. I do like the musical Mack and Mabel, but again, I'm not sure people would know who these people are/were. I did study early American film...not early American...but early film in America...to be clear. So, I have some emotional connection to those things. My grandfather was part of the early days of cinema in the UK and brought "talkies" to England. OK...now where was I? Right...Disneyland...please bring back the old one. It was better.
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