A Smattering of Snapshots, 1965
While I always prefer scans of color slides, there is something about old photo prints that I enjoy. It evokes the hours of digging through dusty boxes of family photos, I suppose.
The first two show a bunch of kids gazing over the edge of the Castle bridge into the moat, almost certainly to look at the swans below. We now know that they were taking their lives into their hands, but back then we thought that swans were harmless. However, the boy with the buzz cut has had a vision of the future, and he will never smile again.
Still on the bridge! I assume that Mom is to our right, close enough to intervene if one of the kids looks like he/she might tumble into the moat. "Tommy! Listen to your mother! Those swans will eat you in ten seconds!".
We've seen views from the Skyway Chalet in Fantasyland before, this appears to have been taken as a guest was walking down the steps after an exciting (or was it relaxing?) journey through the skies. That man at the lower edge of the image is holding an earless red balloon, but don't hate him! Pity him, as I do.
There aren't too many things better than the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship with sails unfurled. I mean, donuts are pretty darn good, but that's beside the point! At this angle it looks like the Pirate Ship has just set sail after a day or two in a tropical port, heading out to sea to take a few prizes. Arrrrr!
20 comments:
Major-
The 'Mom' by the Castle seems to be holding a current guidebook. That view of the CotS Pirate Ship is a beauty - sails all a-rufflin'-! Clearly, this condition has made little impression on the gent down front, as he has taken that moment for a "cool, refreshing cigarette break".
Thanks, Major.
In the first picture, I see grandma coming to the rescue (right edge of photo)...she’s about to swat those killer swans senseless, with her purse.
That last shot is truly a beauty...and there’s even a Skyway gondola peaking over.
Thanks, Major.
Sue
Good grief, it's December already?!
1) Poor buzzcut boy. His momentary precognitive flash of bloody body parts and sharp-fanged swans no doubt left him scarred (and scared) for life. Enjoy your visit to the Happiest Place On Earth, kid!
The other kids are 'feeding the swans' (the kids ate too many churros).
I wonder what the gaggle of people are doing on the right? There doesn't appear to be an outdoor vendor in their midst.
I think I count 3, possibly 4 trashcans.
2) Major, if the swans are especially famished, Tommy would be gone before he hit the water.
Hey! Where's the Dent? I feel cheated. I guess I can just barely see it if I use my imagination. The lighting is too flat.
3) The balloon doesn't even have a Mickey face! (Not on the side we can see anyway.) I think it's a pirated knock-off.
This is great photo! Lots of color. Lots of action.
That's an interesting pattern on the shirt of the man in the foreground. Is it a Disneyland souvenir shirt? Or maybe it's a genuine traditional shirt from wherever he's from (probably Oxnard). And why is he wearing that strange blue party hat? ;-)
Looks like only two trashcans here.
4) Wow, that IS a great action shot of the Pirate Ship! I guess it's sailing away from us, right?
Snapshot scans are generally not as sharp and crisp as 35mm slides but these look really nice. Thanks, Major.
Swans could be brought back simply...in simple "audio animatronic" form...but more like animals in the Jungle Cruise. It would be pretty to see well done Mockswans on a guide rail sailing through the moat. But no. Barbie is coming, Mattel is sponsoring the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough, and now we are spending money on paint and plastic dolls. I am glad to see the Barbies gone inside the walkthrough, but I really didn't hate on them like others. I was happy the walkthrough still existed. Now, it is very delightful and a pleasant diversion from Space Invaders thrusting at you. I know those very lovely and restful seating areas going towards the drawbridge were removed by insurance companies, plus the addition of horsey out-of-scale fencing on top...but it doesn't look like these tikes were at any risk. If your kids are so unweilding, put a leash on them, or strap them to their stroller, or just don't take them to places that have moats until they are old enough to listen. Wow. I am cantankerous this morning. I see 6 different umbrella colors. Those fringy umbrellas are so hard to find today, or they are a zillion dollars. I have two vintage ones that are swaddled away for the winter, but would love to have a bigger family of them. The pointy ones in Fantasyland are especially nice and unique. Kind of impossible to get today...but I am continuing the hunt. Custom made is possible. For a zillion dollars I have found. Magic cost money. It's nice to see unfenced expanses of grass. So very clean looking. I can understand the reasons why to fence...I had to appropraite funding to completely re-seed and rejuvenate historic land in San Francisco because "we ruined it". For another time. "We" didn't. But high heels did. I am not understanding the shirt on the guy in pic #3. I thought it was a body tattoo. It would be odd in the time that this was taken for a guy to be wearing such a shirt...usually Europeans would come to the park with things you would never see men wearing in this Country. Maybe he is a "face character"? Let's take one of the most photographed landmarks IN THE WORLD...the pirate ship....and DESTROY IT BECAUSE IT IS FILLED WITH BUGS! Welll....I didn't shed many tears for that in '82 (or was it '83?) because I was way too worried about how my hair looked. I didn't like that Skull Rock was creamed. That was unfortunate and if there was a clearer shot of it, it may have got more photo action than the ship..., and these didn't have to be erased- and both of these things could have been recreated over by Small World. Magic cost money. Those were tight times with the ECPOT sucking up all the cash....and hostile take-over types nipping at our heels....and enquiring minds would like to know why slides are so much better than photos? Are negatives better than slides? Are transparencies the holy grail?
Some interesting views here, foremost in mind is a “piece of trash” (the horror) on the ramp leading up to the drawbridge. Also shows the slope up as the masonry coursing disappears into the ramp. I want to think a Sweeper is right behind us ready to swoop it up.
A very clear shot of the Bottom of the Bucket, which may have chewing gum stuck to it, or is that a drain in the center? Rain has to escape somewhere, I suppose.
Three trash cans in P1, 2 in P3, and the merest hint of a Dent. And no security warnings from the ticket booth, all is well.
Thanks Major, Old Fantasyland was so bright and colorful without being garish.
JG
Nice white border pics. I especially like the Pirate Ship Restaurant pic.
I like in pic with the sisters wearing identical skirts, but one has her sweater bunched up around her waist while the other one has her sweater pulled down below her waist.
That trash on the moat bridge looks like a discarded ticket book. Thanks, Major.
1. Poor li'l Buzz, having another one of his flashbacks to that time animatronic swans killed one of his classmates on a field trip to the petting zoo. He should have been tossing those microchips into the water from a safe distance instead of trying to make the swanbots eat out of his hand. Is it just me, or does he bear a striking resemblance to Glenn Ford?
If I had a nickel for every time I thought I was going to watch some kid have a nasty fall at the parks while their parents weren't looking, I could probably buy my very own churro.
2. Get a load of the pseudotwins in (appropriately enough) picture #2! Those gingham dresses with the buttons down the back are adorable, especially with the color-coordinating socks and shoes. Too bad they couldn't have found matching cardigans, but you can't have everything. And matching haircuts only go so far when one sister has more of a natural wave.
3. JB, I think that's just a generic wallpaper shirt on Mr. Foreground in #3. My Dad had a closetful of them, long after they stopped being available in stores. I guess I don't get my habit of never throwing clothes away until they fall apart from any stranger.
4. They should make a cookie that's a hybrid of Fudge Stripes and Chips Ahoy, and call it Stripes Ahoy in honor of the Tuna Boat's colorful sails.
I know what you mean about snapshots, Major. I'm glad to be living in the era of digital photography, especially with my wonky peepers, but there is something about an image you can hold in your hands.
Bu, animatronic swans do seem like a no-brainer, don't they? Simple enough to be done cheaply, but fun to watch. I mean, you'd probably have to replace their feathers regularly, but that wouldn't be so hard. Or maybe since you'd only see them at a distance they could use a molded feather texture instead. I also liked the doll version of the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough more than a lot of people seem to. It was like a tiny wax museum. We sure did use up a lot of time and energy on our '80's hair, didn't we? Nowadays I just let it hang there and divert my mousse budget to food and rent.
That non-IP balloon is odd. Maybe that guy brought his own "security balloon" with him to Disneyland. Just like a blanket, only totally different.
Come to think of it, we had security balloons in Baghdad - big, tethered blimps with networked cameras on them. Same term, different concept. Imagine dragging your own blimp to Disneyland - "Hey, could you hold this while I ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? Thanks. Wait - come back! Doggoneit. Anybody have the number for LA ARTCC? This happens every time I go out..."
Sorry - running on like three hours' sleep today and my brain is running amok on the "stream of consciousness" setting. At least it's not set to "evil."
Why isn't tuna & donuts a thing?
Nanook, good eye! While I can see a stylized map of the park on the page, my knowledge of which guide is which is not good enough. Otherwise maybe it would help to nail down the year of these photos! Just thinking of a cool, refreshing cigarette break makes me want to light up.
Sue, grandma used to swat Nazis in WWII, now she’s going after killer swans!
JB, I guess Buzzcut Boy had “The Shining”. He had premonitions, or maybe he saw the ghosts of others who’d been eaten whole? And thanks to you, I’m wondering if anybody ever barfed into the moat. Yuck. You aren’t kidding, the light is so flat that the dent is not visible at all. But WE KNOW it’s there! I’d love to know why the park sold such plain uninteresting balloons, did their supplier have a problem? By then Disneyland was famous for the Mickey ear balloons. Did they charge the same high price for a plain orb? I doubt that the shirt on that man (?) is a souvenir, I can’t quite make out what the design is.
Bu, supposedly many people thought that the swans were animatronic anyway, so why not just go ahead and make them mechanical? At first I thought maybe I’d missed a story about Barbie and Disneyland, but now I realize you are joking. Thank goodness. It seems hard to believe that anybody was at any risk on the bridge over the moat, the removal of those semicircular seats is a real mystery to me. After 50+ years, NOW they are a problem? I had no idea that fringed umbrellas were rare, the park had so many of them back in the day. Fringe shortage? People will walk across grass unless there is a fence, and even THEN they will step over if they really want to. I assume that the crazy shirt is direct from Hawaii? Where loud colorful shirts are acceptable. Supposedly they wanted to move the pirate ship but it fell apart during the move, but I’m not so sure I believe that story. You know how Disney loves to tell a story. Like you, I miss Skull Rock more, but both were wonderful icons of Fantasyland. And yes, negatives and transparencies are always better than a humble photo print, you can get so much more crisp detail out of them.
JG, I always think it’s weird that anybody would be holding a piece of waste paper (say, a hotdog wrapper) and just drop it on the ground. Who does that? A lot of people, apparently. Unless the person is 3 years old, it’s unforgivable and should be punished with six years in the penitentiary. Hmm, did the buckets have a drain plug? I really don’t know! It wasn’t that long ago when there was no security check at the park. Better days.
K. Martinez, those kids seem so excited, I never had that much fun looking at the moat! Even when it had swans. And I think you are right about the ticket book on the ground, somebody used up all their tickets in a hurry! Time to go buy another, this time a “Big 15” book.
Melissa, Buzzcut Boy had to give up eating poultry, he was so traumatized. I’m not sure I see the Glenn Ford resemblance, Glenn was so craggy. In a handsome way of course. And I have seen kids fall and hurt themselves, I’ll bet it happens dozens of times a day, sadly. I think it’s kind of cute that the two girls have matching skirts, did they want to dress alike? Or was it mom’s idea? A “generic wallpaper shirt”, hmmm, you might be right. Like the kind with little antique cars or Colonial-era houses, I’m sure I’ve seen those. Your cookie idea is brilliant and I want a package of them NOW. I take so many photos that disappear into folders on my computer. My old girlfriend once went to Europe and sent me copies of her digital photos. I had them printed up and put in a photo book, and gave them to her as a surprise. She cried! While animatronic swans seem like a good idea, you know why they will never do it: MONEY.
Chuck, no outside balloons will be allowed inside Disneyland! Same with picnic lunches! Security balloons, those sort of sound like the old barrage balloons in London during WWII. I know, totally different function. Hey, how about souvenir balloons that are blimp-shaped? GENIUS! OK, what is “LA ARTCC”? I’m too dumb to figure it out. I’ve seen donuts with bacon, maybe donuts with tuna will be the next big thing.
It's funny you say that, Major - we jokingly referred to the tethered aerostats as "barrage balloons." The younger members of our team didn't get it. They also didn't understand when we referred to the overly ornate gateway to the former Saddam palace compound where we lived as "the Brandenburg Gate" or a particular part of town where US forces were extremely unwelcome as "East Berlin." Kids!
LA ARTCC - Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center. Need to let them know there's a loose blimp with some poor sap hanging from it, clutching the rope for dear life, meandering through their airspace.
”Fringe shortage?”
Those fringe benefits are always the first thing to go when there are budget cuts.
(I’ll show myself out.)
Major-
Although I wouldn't describe myself as a 'guidebook expert'; nor do I play one TV... (does that joke ever get old; or has this usage finally pushed it over the edge, once and for all-?), that 'pinkish surround' on the map appeared in the guidebooks dated: 1962; 1963 and 1964. So, could be one of those. AND... since the Disney family coat of arms and the compass points are nowhere to be seen - it's a safe bet these images pre-date 1965 - or very-early, 1965 and back to about 1962.
Sob…I loved those curved seats on the bridge (ala Pont Neuf). You would sit there and take it ALL in - you had Arrived!
They were also the perfect place to meet up with others, in the very heart of the park. Insurance companies? That figures. Did they go away with the drop chains on the drawbridge? Assumed it had to do with congestion. No one allowed to linger these days...keep spending, shuffling, I mean walking.
MS
I'm curious about the blue bag hanging from the stroller in #2. Is that an airline logo? Does it ring a bell for anybody?
KLM??
^ that was Sue
Melissa- Looks like Sue beat me to it- it appears to be KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Some of their vintage logos consisted of a crown with wings.
Major- Nice pictures today. The Pirate ship is always a favorite.
-DW
Melissa-
As has already been identified, it's a KLM Airlines bag. LOOK HERE.
Thanks for the airline ID, folks! The bag is super cute.
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