Here's a nice pair of scans from March of 1962, although they are from two different slide batches.
Let's start with this odd view, seemingly of "not much". Sure, there's a trash can in the foreground, and we can all get excited about that, but we get some railings, and a bunch of empty space before you get to a crowd of people in the distance.
Aha! Now it all become clear. Alice is taking a vacation from Wonderland (she had to get away from those annoying Tweedles), and she brought along her BFF, the White Rabbit! For now the little girl in red has the WR all to herself, but other guests can sense that something is going on (the way sharks can smell a drop of blood from a mile away).
It's amazing how different in color this next picture looks compared to the first; granted, this day is clear while the other was overcast, but still, the whole scene has a warm, inviting feel. Cool weather means that you might want to bring a jacket, sweater, or sealskin suit.
The horse pulling the streetcar is talking to the conductor. "Are we going to stand here all day?".
"...but other guests can sense that something is going on (the way sharks can smell a drop of blood from a mile away)."
ReplyDeleteMajor, I shudder at the carnage that's about to happen. Alice and the White Rabbit are totally unaware. Even the killer swans are in hiding; the blood and gore and torn pinafores and tunics and ruffles are just too much for them to take.
I bet the conductor's name is Willlburrr. The cropped version of photo #2 is almost postcard-worthy. But too much trashcan. Speaking of which, there's only one trashcan visible in each of these two photos. Outrageous! But they are prominently displayed, so I guess that makes up for their scarcity.
Thanks, Major.
Major-
ReplyDeleteThis time the AP's on the Bekins building are: Nature's Wonderland; the Matterhorn; and the Submarine Voyage.
Thanks, Major.
Blogger keeps eating my comment. This is a test.
ReplyDeleteOdd - it will allow the short comment above but not a longer one, even after I remove hyperlinks.
ReplyDeleteOh, well - no more time to troubleshoot. Loved the pictures. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteThere are some really cute kids’ clothes going on in #1. The Storybook Land lighthouse is always jaunty and cheerful, and it goes with all the flashes of red clothing in the crowd. The funeral director in the switchback could do with a spot of color, but maybe he has a red carnation on his lapel.
ReplyDeleteBoth photos could be examples of “alternate postcards”. Views that showcase the under-appreciated aspects of the Park.
ReplyDeletePhoto 1 looks purposely framed to show off “Push” and that fine example of pipe fitting queue rails, while Photo 2 focuses on street furniture, trees and yet another trash can’s plaintive lament “Push”.
The Alice characters and old Dobbin are almost afterthoughts. Maybe these were taken with one of those cameras where the viewfinder wasn’t aligned with the lens.
There’s a country song in there somewhere.
Thanks Major, these are fun today.
JG
Great photos Major.
ReplyDeleteIn the last pic the man standing on the sidewalk is holding a microphone and interviewing the street car conductor.
"What do you think of these new fangled electric streetcars we read about?"
"Electricity?!? Just a fad. That stuff is dangerous. Give me a horse any day."
JB, nobody realized that Disneyland had to be hosed off each night just to deal with the bloodstains. Sure, they’d write cute articles about how they had to scrape up GUM, but nobody wanted to tell about the carnage. “Too Much Trashcan”, the title of my new autobiography.
ReplyDeleteNanook, yes, the Magical Sewer ride had closed by this time. Sad.
Chuck, since comments are emailed to me, I hope you don’t mind if I cut/paste your comment?
Chuck, I am so sorry, I wish I knew why Blogger did this. It’s annoying to say the least.
Chuck, call your boss, tell him you have a blogging emergency!
Melissa, the little girl with the red coat looks like she could be out of a Manet painting. Little Miss Green Pants works at the North Pole when she’s not at Disneyland. The Funeral Director has great dark circles under his eyes, and hollow cheeks. “Velcome!”.
JG, hey, I like the idea of “alternate postcards”! If only Disneyland had a set of those! I don’t believe that there has ever been a postcard that featured the trashcans, but that’s because they were not as forward-thinking as you. You might be right about the cameras, at least we didn’t get photos with 2/3 empty pavement at the bottom.
Grant, I’ll bet the conductor was not too happy about being near that electric microphone! ;-) I would have interviewed the horse.
FROM CHUCK (via email): While it wouldn’t make a great photographic composition, I wouldn’t mind being at Disneyland on a day where there`s a bunch of empty space before you get to a crowd of people in the distance…particularly if that situation is repeated all day throughout the Park. That would be an absolute dream. Unless you walked all day and never seemed to get to anything. That would be a nightmare.
That reminds me - Mrs. Chuck had another dream about Disneyland of the Damned the night before last. It was dark, dim, and “scary,” with “scary-looking people everywhere.” We (I was apparently with her) waited in several long, long lines that snaked through long, boring queues that eventually deposited you at the exit, without actually letting you on an attraction. There was also a boat ride where the boat that arrived for us was half full of water. She refused to get in the boat, and they refused to bring us a dry one, so we were escorted off the ride. She said she was glad I woke her up so she didn’t have to spend any more time there.
”Cool weather means that you might want to bring a jacket, sweater, or sealskin suit.”. I prefer a snowsuit, and of course our Nanook has his trusty N-3B parka. Either are perfect for a March day in Anaheim.
I'm not understanding the StorybookLand queue...it strangely dead ends...no wonder no one is in that line...someone help. Looks like one of Farrah Fawcetts early jobs was Alice...the hair is unmistakeable and has the signature Alberto VO5 volume to it...the little girl looks like she is playing the part of Sleeping Beauty, rehearsing for the moment she needs to reach for the spindle. Don't all the guests look quite spic n' span. Black Hair, pasty skin, blue cardigan looks great standing next to "Push". Push needs a wee paint touch up. Is this a Walt spinning in his grave moment? Weren't we just talking about delapitated cars careening about Main St. yesterday? Susanne Pleshette is having a rollicking time on the Trolley. She is fresh off the set of "The Ugly Dachshund". Looks like her publicist is there on the right negotiating camera shots with the other conductor while a guest also over to the right is trying to say "excuse me...aren't you Ms. Pleshette?" I reference the Ugly Dahshund frequently in life as most people do. When you have cats and dogs...and you leave the house...invariably, you come home sometimes to a house that looks like it's been robbed and a shambles. This is where I say to others: "OMG...It was like one of those Disney movies where Suzanne Pleshette and Dean Jones go out to dinner and the pets trash the house!!" One of my dogs actually pulled a carpet across the floor...which doesn't sound amazing...the amazing thing is the carpet had a sofa on it...and a coffee table...and he pulled it across the room. The draperies were also pulled off the wall. I thought we were robbed. Much to our chagrin, it was our fault for leaving the "Animal Channel" on as a "babysitter". That, mixed with "Mailman" "UPS guy" and "people with strollers wearing funny hats strolling on sidewalk" was a big recipe for disaster. Final notes...OK...I got it people...you want to sit on those spots in front of City Hall. There are probably over 200 places to sit in Town Square...after all...it's a park. And that's where you are going to sit? Nothing changed from '62 to '82. If anything, it just looks uncomfortable. Nowadays, you have to wait in line to get into City Hall, which I don't understand. I'm waiting in line to ask "can I have a map please?"...or "What time is the 3:00 parade?". Can't you just talk to a sweeper? You need a Tour Guide for that? I am confused. Thanks for the 60 year reminder Major!
ReplyDeleteChuck, every once in a while I have seen YouTube videos from people who just (by some miracle) went to Disneyland on an uncrowded day. I’ve never quite figured out WHY those days were not just as busy as the others… it’s “just one of those things”. I’m sorry Mrs. Chuck is having those bad dreams, that’s no fun, even if they are about Disneyland. Amusement parks are classic nightmare locations, I hope it doesn’t mean that she will never go back!
ReplyDeleteBu, I can’t really figure out the queue either, but I just have to put my trust in whoever laid it out so many years ago. That “Alice” is from quite a few years before Farrah’s hairdo became the thing that all high school girls wanted, but you are right, she has quite the ‘do. Curlers were involved. Maybe she had to sit with one of those heating things on her head (what are they called, anyway?). For all of Disneyland’s legendary orderliness, we have definitely seen Walt-era photos with paint wear and other “sins” that need touching up. I’ve never seen “The Ugly Dachshund”, the title is enough to put me off, although I do like young Susanne Pleshette. I’m glad she got some success later with Bob Newhart. Sounds like you have some big old dogs. My cousin raises Bernese Mountain Dogs, and while they are mostly gentle and nice, there is the occasional hell-raiser. My cousin actually got into quite a bit of hot water when one dog suddenly flipped out and attacked a woman. Scary. Iguanas just sit there and don’t attack anyone, she should raise those instead. Not long ago (!), a friend and I wanted to find a place to sit near the Plaza, and the only bench we could find was the one with full sun blasting on it. All the others were taken. At certain times of the day, a lot of people just want to take a break!
The horse is likely thinking it's time for an alfalfa break and wantss an ER. KS
ReplyDeleteCage-free flowerbeds, not trampled … it really was a gentler time.
ReplyDeleteWhile all the costume characters evolve over time, they usually strive to be on model. The White Rabbit was a frequent exception. In the film he's short and plump with a silly, nervous face and pince-nez glasses. Here, as in many other images, he looks like a generic Easter Bunny in the White Rabbit's costume. Did someone decide the real White Rabbit was unappealing, or did they just go with a design intended for Thumper?
ReplyDeleteNanook, how on Oith were you able to discern those APs? Do you have X-Ray vision? At least the Bekins truck is there today.
ReplyDeleteChuck, I also have discovered that short comments will (usually) post when Blogger eats my normal/longer comments.
Major, I hear they relocated the Magical Sewer ride to Oxnard. Disney's loss, Oxnard's gain.
Thanks for posting Chuck's comment.
Chuck, I enjoy these episodes of Mrs. Chuck's Disneyland of the Damned dreams. Make sure she eats something disagreeable before bedtime to stimulate more episodes. ;-p
Bu, you're right. I manage to work "The Ugly Dachshund" into my conversation at least 4 or 5 times a day.
Chuck, I’ve had dreams about a Haunted Magic Kingdom on and off since my first visit in the 1980s. A recurring motif is the Carrousel spinning off its moorings and wandering around Fantasyland.
ReplyDeleteAlice’s hair looks a little more like Brigitte Bardot than Farrah to me, but the two hairstyles have a lot in common.
I only have trouble with Blogger on mobile, but switching to the web version seems to help.
KS, it is always time for an alfalfa break, if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteAnon, it looks so wonderful!
DBenson, funny, I thought that the White Rabbit looked pretty good! I guess I have low standards, ha ha. But you’re right, he does not look as neurotic as he did in the film. Maybe they just wanted him to look friendlier? I guess he DOES look a bit like Thumper’s big brother.
JB, I don’t want to say that Nanook is using witchcraft, but he does wear a pointy hat now and then. When I want to post longer comments, Blogger forces me to post them in batches, no more than 1,400 characters or something. I haven’t been on the Magic Sewer Ride since it has been in Oxnard, but I think I have detected its distinctive aroma. Aw, I don’t want Mrs. Chuck to have more bad dreams, though I admit that they make for interesting reading. I hope her next dreams are cozy and nice.
Melissa, you can’t have enough “haunted” attractions as far as I am concerned. Make the Haunted Mansion scarier! “Mr. Toad” needs more C.H.U.D.s! While some will complain that a scary ride made their child cry, all the cool people (like me of course) will be as happy as can be.
Major, years back in college, I knew some people from the Lompoc area. they referred to that locality as "Where the Sewer Meets the Sea, Under the Fog Bank".
ReplyDeleteMaybe the ride was moved north at some point?
Gotta run, have to pick up my sealskin suit from the cleaners.
JG
Am laughing at today’s comments...thanks, everyone!
ReplyDelete—Sue