6,028 posts!
WELCOME, welcome, to GDB's 6,028th post! 6,028 is an unusual number, and you might expect that I would have celebrated back on the 6,000th post, but that was going to be so close to Christmas (or the first day of Hanukkah) that I didn't want to have it lost amongst all of the other merriment. So here we are!
Back in 2006 I never dreamed that I would exceed 6,000 posts. The plan was to hit the milestone of 1,000, and then peace out. That was back in 2009! But things kept rolling along, and I continued to acquire slides, and a cool community of nice people developed. I didn't always respond to everyone's comments, but at some point it dawned on me that I should (though I do have to give myself a break from my computer after a certain point in the evening), and this was crucial in making the reader (that's you!) an important part of the equation. So thank you to everyone out there who has stuck with GDB, and to everyone who has helped to contribute to making this blog a fun space for fans of vintage Disneyland pictures (a small but vocal demographic).
I have some special images for you today. Check out this first one, a beautiful photo (POSTCARD WORTHY™) showing guests walking into 1958 Tomorrowland. The United Nations logo is suspended overhead - June 13th was "United Nations Day", so I assume that the photo was taken on that date. I just love the color and composition of this photo, and there's some choice people-watching too.
Next is this wonderful scan from an oversized, glass-mounted slide, featuring a group of kids onstage in the Golden Horseshoe. I've never heard of children from the audience being brought up to sing for everyone, but there's the proof.
What could they be singing? The "Davy Crockett" theme? The "Mickey Mouse Club March"? The kids are all so cute, particularly Little Miss Pigtails.
Here's another beauty (undated), with a mom and her two kids checking out their ticket books, trying to decide on what ride to do next. This photo would have worked in that famous 1963 issue of "National Geographic", it's so nice.
Mom is holding a souvenir guidebook; 1956 and 1957 had guidebooks with the same cover, but I think I can see a tiny "1957" (added on the second edition of the '57 book) on the corner just below mom's left sleeve, so that helps to date this one.
Yet another undated slide, but it's a rare and wonderful view of the Kaiser Aluminum Telescope. "Look at your aluminum future!". Don't mind if I do. The telescope is an impressive piece of set dressing. The D23 website says the attraction was sponsored by Kaiser Aluminum in Tomorrowland at Disneyland from 1955 until July 1960. (It) told the history of the metal and the men who developed the processes for its mass production, and described the methods used. A major icon was a huge aluminum pig. A pig you say?!
And finally, here's a scarce view, taken from the porch of the Red Wagon Inn; diners relax as the sun sets; it all looks surprisingly elegant. The Disneyland Band is marching in the distance.
I love the red glass goblets (for ice water, presumably), they sure beat waxed paper cups! I'm sure the restaurant used real china plates and actual metal flatware. And cloth napkins. So civilized.
That does it for my historic 6,028th blog post! I hope you liked the photos. Once again, many thanks to all of the people out there who have been SO incredibly supportive for so many years.
42 comments:
Major-
ALL of these images are beauties-! The United Nations/Tomorrowland image is a 'real honey'. But I have to save my special shout-out to those two lads at the Golden Horseshoe who left their manners at home thus embarrassing their families by having the unmitigated gall to stand on-stage with their hands in their pockets-!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Major, for 6,028 posts-!, and thus creating this fine 'community' of like-minded "citizens". Who would'a thunk it-?
Major, June 13 is my birthday! Obviously, the wonderful folks at Disney got wind of that fact and went all out to celebrate my 5th birthday. I mean, what else could it be?
Terrific color and exposure in the first pic. And crisp! Like a freshly picked head of iceberg lettuce. I have to laugh at the little girl in the puffy blue dress. Yeah, it looks cute but, c'mon. Two of the ladies are wearing woven hats with red scarves. Are they souvenir hats?
Kids on-stage) My guess is the Mickey Mouse Club March. At first I thought these kids were all together, a grade school class, and that they had rehearsed for this occasion. But now I don't think so. The expressions on their faces seem to indicate that this was an impromptu request for all the kids in the audience to come up onto the stage.
There are a few saddle shoes and cowboy boots on display here.
Mom and her kids) We have that guidebook as well. Sis looks like she's wearing a stereotypical artists smock. There is a flock of blue Mouse ear balloons (with black ears) on the right edge; why are they all blue? And wow, the lady in white (above Sis) is stylin' with her bare-shoulders and mink stole.
Aluminum telescope) One can't help comparing this telescope with the Mighty Microscope. Was this in the same location as the future ATIS attraction?
Major, you seem to be as baffled by the huge aluminum pig as I am. So I won't even ask.
Red Wagon Inn) Are those upside-down red glasses on the empty tables? At first I assumed they were glass lampshades, but I can see that they have stems and bottoms pointing upward. Very elegant setting.
Looking forward to the 7,019th post! Thanks, Major.
That first pic is stunning, and yes....very postcard worthy!
JB, for some reason those shoes and boots stood out to me, too. I don't know if I have seen brown and white saddle shoes before. And the kids with the shorts and cowboy boots are just too much. Isn't that a cowboy fashion faux pas? I guess it's forgivable, when you are a kid.
In the Fantasyland pic, the mink stole lady stands out, even though she is in the background. What kind of purse is that? Or is she carrying a white money sack? All it needs is a "$" sign on it!
In that same pic, I think sister has a silver crown on her upper right central incisor. It's a little shinier than her other teeth. Okay, it's a lot shinier.
These are fantastic pics today, Major! A very happy 6,028th to you! And as always, thank you so much for all that you do!
I just noticed that both of the Tinkerbell Toy Shop signs are blank. Had Tinkerbell not moved in yet?
When I saw "6028" in the subject line I originally thought it was just an error and you were 3,000 off. "3028" would have matched the address of Walt's Kansas City address - and also the title of one of the Disney Podcasts to which I listen, "The 3028."
Thanks for our daily dose of goodness, Major. I look forward to your post everyday. I don’t always comment, but this is sometimes the best part of my day.
Conratulations on reaching the 6028 post milestone, Major! Great pics as always. Just look at how empty the park appears in that Red Wagon photo – those days are well and truly over!
Yay for 6,000+ posts! Major, instead of worrying about a unique title for each post, it would be a lot easier if you just named them "post 6029," "post 6030," and so on.
Kaiser Aluminum Telescope looks like a sleeper hit, but my favorite shot is the Red Wagon porch. I had a "is that Disneyland?" moment for a second before I recognized Coke Corner. Now I'm wondering about the glass lamps that hang above the Coke Corner doors today. If they're not originals from 1955, I wonder how old they are.
It's United Nations Day! No, it's Blue Dress Day! No, it's Cute Kids Day! No, it's Professor Jimmy Clark Day! No, it's Consult Your Ticket Book Day! No, it's Woven Purse D ay! No, it's Confused Grandpa Day! No, it's Pink Bombshell in he Background Day, which occasionally falls on Blank Round Sign Day! Wait, I thought it was Aluminum Pig Day? No, dummy, it's Red Goblet Day! Would you all stop arguing so I can wish the Major and all the Junior Gorillas a 6,028th Post Day?!?
Major, Thanks for the many years of being part of my life and daily routine. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your efforts. Bringing life to a past era which always has been part of my growing up and being the person I am today.
Doesn't get any better. I could go on but I'll just say thank you so much.
(The "Happy" goes without saying.)
By the way, great pics today. Made my morning.
And I think this may be the fist time I've seen interior shots of the Kaiser Aluminum pavilion. All's I know about Kaiser Aluminum is that they were the sponsors of Maverick.
Congratulations Major, this is a “Major” milestone and no mistake. I’ve been reading since 2008, and hope to continue another 15 years if I last that long.
Thank you for sticking with the blog, the good memories arising from the familiar scenes have a definite therapeutic effect on me, and the friendship of the community here is a pearl beyond price.
All the best.
JG
Happy 6028th!
Dennis, Levittown, NY
Congrats on another milestone Major, and amazing photos as always! Your site is the only page online I visit religiously every day, and I am always amazed at what you uncover. Everyone always says you'll remember your 6,028thth!
@ TM!-
Originally the Tinker Bell Toy Shop was known as the Fantasy of Disneyland Shop. It 'changed hands' some time in 1956, so...
Nanook, I guess I can forgive little boys having their hands in their pockets; I’ll bet a few adults would have too if they’d been up there. Maybe one of them would have been me! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments and contributions to GDB.
JB, I think it’s so cool that Disney designed that cool globe logo for your birthday. Quite an honor. The girl in the puffy skirt had to dress the way mama insisted, she had no choice. I believe that the hats with the red scarves are souvenir hats, the lady with the red dress makes hers look good. I figured kids would likely know the lyrics to both “Davy Crockett” and the MMC march, and being in Frontierland, I thought there was a chance that they would play Davy’s theme. Hard to say though. The balloons are all blue because they have not had time to ripen yet. A few hours later they would be all sorts of colors. From what I understand, the telescope and the Mighty Microscope were in the same location, but it’s hard to know if that’s 100% true. Yes, those are red goblets, I mentioned them in my text!
TokyoMagic!, I guess I have never paid enough attention to saddle shoes. I mean, why NOT brown and white? I feel like I’ve even seen red and white, though maybe I’m thinking of bowling shoes. Shorts and cowboy boots, it’s the latest from Milan. Yeah, that lady with the mink stole pulled out all the stops, she’s really going for it. If she got her money sack from Europe, it would not have the “$” on it. I can’t tell if the light just caught sis’s tooth a certain way, or if she is like “Jaws” from the James Bond films (aw, so mean, I’m sorry little girl).
TokyoMagic!, that must have been after it had been called the “Fantasy of Disneyland” shop but before it was “Tinkerbell Toy Shop”.
Mike, um, yes… of course I was doing a tribute to the address of Walt’s Kansas City offices. Yes. That’s what I was doing. Ahem. “The 3028”, I will need to check that one out.
Budblade, no need to comment every day, I’m glad you check in!
Pegleg Pete, it’s nice to know that GDB is being viewed halfway around the world! The calm, uncrowded park in some older photos really makes me wish I’d been able to see it back then.
Andrew, as I’m sure you have noticed, I get pretty lazy with my blog post titles. ‘Nice Tomorrowland” is a typical example. But… I only have so much energy! Good question about the glass lamps at the Coke Corner, I might be able to ask someone who could possibly know the answer!
Melissa, what can I say? I love a good argument. I also get into a lot of fist fights, usually over parking spaces. I’m a scrapper! But only when the other person is smaller than me. I will accept a day dedicated to this historic post!
DrGoat, it makes me feel good knowing that GDB helps to brighten days for people, a noble thing for such a silly blog. But those of us who love vintage Disneyland are genuine about it! Thanks for your nice comment.
Melissa, but you said it! Thanks!
DrGoat, I saved these just for today.
Melissa, did Bret Maverick ever stop and say something like, “Aw heck, I sure wish I had some aluminum foil for these leftover beans”, as a nod to the sponsor?
JG, I see what you did there! 2008?? Where were you for those first two years? Unforgivable! ;-) I need to get to work, I’m falling behind on my “coming blog posts”. Tomorrow for sure.
dennis, thank you!
Brad Abbot, thank you! And thanks for checking in every day. I will definitely remember my 6,028th!
Nanook, see my comment to TM! Though you even researched the date (or did you just know it?).
Major, congrats on this milestone, and also a (belated) Best Wishes on your 5,164th post. Thanks for the blog.
Wow! Just...Wow!
Thank you, Major, for all the blood sweat and tears over the years! You inspired my lessor blogs, and I'm sure others too!
The community that has built up here is incredible too! I consider them, and you friends. Thank you for making that happen!
Congrats, Major! So many great posts over the years. First pic: What is the man to the right, near the striped shirt fellow, holding so daintily between his fingers? Kids on stage: one cowboy boot boy is wearing a ring, maybe a fun promo one like those in the Box o’ Stuff. And his shirt seems to have little western motifs like hats and ropes and boots. Having family who worked in the Kaiser Steel industry, I know a steel or aluminum pig is a piece of metal to do with production and isn’t really pig-shaped, sorry folks. Here’s to 10,000 more posts!
Major, THANK YOU for all your [THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF] hours dedicated to Gorillas Don't Blog, and for all your heart and soul you pour into it and the Jr. Gorillas. I've met some of the nicest, and funniest, people here. Friends I hope to keep forever.
LTL, LOL(!) re the belated.
@ Sue... [smiley face]
in all seriousness, huge props again to Major for this accomplishment, and this body of work!
Congrats!!!
Mumblemumble years on this planet, and I never thought to question the etymology of "pig iron."
@ Major-
I didn't 'exactly' know the date - but I have seen the 1956 date bandied-about. The exact date is very elusive, as the first specific mention in any guidebook of the Tinker Bell Toy Shop isn't until 1958; and Fantasy of Disneyland isn't mentioned anywhere. (I presume guidebook references to: 'Fantasy Shop' (1956) and 'Toy Shop' (1957) are the same 'storefront' as the Tinker Bell Toy Shop), but as we all know from other ID challenges - that may be mere fantasy.
Major-
Trying to estimate the dimensions/decipher the amount of copy on the reverse of the ticket books as seen in the well-dressed young gentleman's hand (complete with ring-!) - I'm going to speculate those ticket books are the 1957-1958 'edition' - which then throws into total disarray the 1956 date for the Tinker Bell Toy Shop. Oh well... (Perhaps 1957 was the date of its debut, but).
Major... I think of that number of posts and just wonder how you do it! Thanks so much for making this community of Jr. Gorillas come together. I seem to be one of the last to comment with my schedule but I always check GDB daily. All the other Gorillas must be on East Coast time!
The Red Wagon Inn was a special treat for our family...as was Disneyland itself. Even then we thought of the experience as a luxury expense. And while living close by in Costa Mesa, only went a couple times a year. My have times changed. KS
6028! That is a milestone! Even if it was only 3 photos a day, that would be 18084 photos. If 5 people commented, that would be 30140 comments on comments. Those are low end numbers. I feel rounding up to 20000 is safe for photos, and 35000 on comments on comments. If you took only 10 minutes per photo to photoshop/post/paste/write a story...that would be 180840 minutes. This is JUST to get them on the interspace. Time for a song: "One hundred eighty thousand eight hundred forty minutes. One hundred eighty thousand eight hundred forty moments so dear. How do you measure, measure these years? On Main St, in Pirates, on the Omn'-bus...(always wanted to ride that thiiii-ingggg)...in dents, in fudgie, even in TRE-EY. How do you measure these years in our lives? In stories that we shar-ed, in memories e-voked, in crazy bridges that were buil-ilt...and nonsensical paint! To cel-e-brate, re-mem-ber the lives of Gu-rill-uzzz...." Lots of "seasons of love." here at GDB. Apologizes to Mr. Larson for butchering the words, but I don't think he would mind. Blogs are a labor of love, and we must remember some words that I won't change from 1939: that "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but how much you are loved by others".
Major Pepperidge!!
Without you we Junior Gorillas would be lost. Aimlessly searching for vintage Disneyland photos. Whether we comment or not we all come here daily for the great photos and humor. And our lives are richer for it. You are definitely Da Man!!
Thank you for all you put into this wonderful corner of the net.
LTL, Thanks!
Stu29573, ha ha, not a lot of blood or sweat, but a few tears! I love to whine. I’m so glad that you are part of the GDB family!
Kathy!, thank you. Hmmm, I can’t quite tell what that thing is in that man’s hand. It doesn’t look like a camera of any kind. I honestly don’t even have a guess. I’ll bet you’re right about that ring being some sort of premium, probably from cereal. But it’s impossible to tell at this resolution. There are definitely cowboy hats and lariats and maybe some chaps? He loves his westerns. It is true that steel or aluminum pigs are usually not pig-shaped, but the Kaiser Aluminum Hall of Fame had an actual aluminum pig! You can see in the background here: https://gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/kaiser-hall-of-aluminum-fame-and-post_25.html
Lou and Sue, I hate to admit that it probably really HAS been thousands and thousands of hours. Good thing I’m an introvert. Thank you for contributions and friendship!
Lou and Sue, it took me a second…
LTL, as long as people seem to enjoy GDB, I’ll try to keep going.
dis220, (a new commenter??), thank you!
Melissa, I like capybaras, so I wish it was called capybara iron.
Nanook, I’d say your detective work seems pretty solid, and I feel pretty safe in saying that this is from the pre-1958 date that you mentioned. The 1957 guidebook in the woman’s hand could have easily been sold into 1958, as you know.
Nanook, I even have a ticket book or two (complete!) from around that date, I’ll see if I can find my box of ticket books and do a little comparison.
KS, The only way I can post every day is to have a backlog of posts ready to go. At one point I had 5 months of posts ready! Sadly I have let things slip and am down to about 3 months. But it enables me to take time off, and still have something publish every day. Even though we lived in Huntington Beach for a while, my family did not go to the park nearly as often as I would have liked!
Bu, I generally post 2 photos a day, with many exceptions of course. And they’re not all Disneyland, as you know - there’s Knott’s Berry Farm, World’s Fairs, and all sorts of other random stuff in the mix. As for comments, I couldn’t even hazard a guess. It varies so much from day to day. “Gu-rill-uzzz”, if only I had spelled “Gorillas” that way originally! But then nobody else would know how to spell it I guess. Thanks for the kind words!
Whatever else the day may bring, one can always find a smile and chuckle or two, perhaps even learn something over at GDB. Thanks to you Major Pep. Here’s rocketship in your eye!
MS
Melissa, nice one! Reminds me of the Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd argument: "It's duck season!" "Wabbit season!" "Duck season!"...
Kathy!, I don't think it's a coffee mug. Perhaps he is carrying his wife's mini-purse for her?
Major, looks like you have more than 12 daily readers (which you sometimes reference). Judging by today's response, I bet there's at least 15!
And yes, I saw where you mentioned the red goblets, but I thought you were referring to the goblets currently in use. Which, in my mind, were different that the red things on the empty tables. I'll write a three volume treatise on it and send it to you. I'm joking of course; it probably won't be more than one volume. ;-p
"'3028' would have matched the address of Walt's Kansas City address"
Ev'rythin's up to date in Kansas City
They've gone about as fur as they c'n go!
They went and built a buildin' that's three thousand twenty-eight,
About as high as a address orta grow.
Major- Thanks for all that you do & congratulations on the milestone. Posting later in the day, pretty much everything I was going to mention about the photos has already been said (so I will agree with the previous comments).
I believe that the gentleman in the photo that Kathy pointed out, is not actually carrying anything in his right hand & that it is a purse being carried by the woman in black walking the opposite direction (it's just that things line up to create the illusion).
-DW
@ Kathy!, Major, et. al.-
I agree with DW and say that 'delicately-held' mystery item doesn't belong to that gentleman at all, but is in reality a purse being held by that lady wearing the black outfit, walking away from us - and his [apparent] clutching fingers are merely 'clutching at the air' around him.
Major-
Last Thursday you commented how the guidebook being carried by the gent on the TSI Suspension Bridge hadn't been rolled/folded -YET-, but the guy accompanying the gal [possibly] clutching that mystery item (a purse-?) has bore the sin of rolling-up a 1958-? guidebook and placing it in his back pocket. [It's worse than placing your hands in your pockets-!]
Grant, aw shucks! I’m sorry I missed my chance to meet you in person a few months ago, but it will happen eventually! Thanks for the nice words.
MS, there is no nobler goal than to lift people’s spirits a little. Well, maybe giving them a lot of money is a good goal too, but I can’t do that. Did you learn anything today?? ;-)
JB, I think some of these comments are from Russian ‘bots! They are trying to steal America’s blogging technology. If they can combine beets and blogging, they will truly rule the world! I am anxious to read your treatise on red goblets, and hope to get a signed first edition.
Melissa, three stars for the use of “orta”.
DW, many thanks! I understand about everyone saying the stuff that needed to be said, but hey, there’s always something! Oh funny, I think you’re right about the purse, though it really does look like the man has it in his hand!!
Nanook, hey, if the man IS holding that purse, I don’t want to shame him. Who among us hasn’t had to hold a lady’s purse for one reason or another? Good eye on the mangled guide book, unforgivable, the man should serve three months in a federal prison. That’ll teach him!
Major, congrats on the 6028 posts. This is every bit as momentous as The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular.
Very nice pics today. That picture of the Red Wagon inn captures how Walt built an idealized turn-of-the century town to spend time in.
A pig of iron or aluminum is just a rough block about the size of an adult pig. It was a convenient size based on the technology early in mass production of metal, but Kaiser seems to have made a clever play on the term.
In pipelines, there's also a term "pig" used to refer to a barrel-like object put into the pipeline to separate products sent in sequence, or clear out stuff collecting in the pipe. Though I think the term comes from the squealing noise it makes traveling through the pipe rather than the size
Dean Finder, thank you. I don’t recall the Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular, but it sounds like a case of “great minds think alike”. The Red Wagon Inn looks so relaxing and like a “real” restaurant, not the theme park experience that we are all used to today. Thank you for the info about “pigs” - I never even considered the squealing noise! It makes sense. And thanks for your kind comments.
Congratulations Major on your “6028” blogaversarry!! You can do a whole marketing campaign to celebrate your 6029 post and say “LOOKS LIKE WE STARTED SOMETHING!! - GDB!!” Like Disneyland did in 1986 to continue its 1985 anniversary !!
The Kaiser Aluminum Pig character at Disneyland was named CAP. Aluminum is the “Brightest Star in the universe of metals!!” In fact you’ll need to view that “star” using a giant aluminum telescope!! …. But first you’ll need to sign in the register book with a aluminum pen ! ( WOW!! It really is the FUTURE” ….. you’ll find he guest book sitting over on the aluminum desk . You are wearing aluminum shoes right? You need aluminum shoes to enter the Kaiser Aluminum exhibit ….. I’m sorry but it’s the law of the future ….. future…. Future …..
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