Disneyland Band
I have a nice pair of scans for you, from a lot of slides that may or may not be from 1955. Early 1956 at the latest!
The sun has set, but it isn't too late for Vesey Walker and the Disneyland Band to do one last march up Main Street. Did they play gentler music at this time? I was going to suggest "Chim-Chim-Cheree", until I realized that Mary Poppins would not be released until about 10 years later. The band is followed by a Surry, and "Cole of California" (purveyor of bathing suits) can juuust be seen beyond the two men at the extreme right (it was only there until September 3, 1957).
The man with the camera almost looks like a "streetmosphere" plant, with his turned-up hat brim and goofy expression.
I wish this one was a bit sharper, but it isn't easy to take a well-focused picture while walking backwards. Vesey's smile is pretty infectious. I sure love this early, early Main Street.
13 comments:
Major-
That 'guy' is definitely "unique" - he appears to be channeling 'Crazy Guggenheim' (Frank Fontaine). His 'top coat/jacket' resembles an artist's smock, of some sort.
Thanks, Major. (feel better).
OMG!! It's Khrushchev with the camera! He made it into Disneyland after all! And he's laughing at us derisively, "Foolish Americanskis! You cannot keep Khrushchev out of Happiest Place On Earth! Bwa-ha-ha-haaaa!! And now I take care of Moose and Squirrel!". But the joke's on him. He's about to get run over by the Disneyland Band. Go get 'im, Vesey!
In the last pic, hmmm. Looks like Nikita escaped being trampled on. I thought that might be him on the right edge but it seems to be a different photographer. Wow, look at that giant stride being taken by the guy in front of Cole's.
Kind of ironic that you're showing us photos of a marching band at a time when you aren't gonna be doing much marching, Major. Take care. Little by little, it'll get better.
Streetmosphere Guy looks a tiny bit like Jerome Horwitz, but since he died in 1952, I guess it can't be him.
JB, Giant Stride Guy can also be seen in the first pic, in front of Coke Corner. He is obviously rushing to get somewhere. He's probably trying to get to Pirates of the Caribbean, before the line gets too long. ;-)
P.S. Major, wishing you a speedy recovery from your sprained ankle!
When I take you out tonight with me,
Honey, here's the way it's gonna be:
You will set behind a band of winds and brasses
In the slickest gig you'll ever see.
Horns and drums and tubas'll scurry
When I take you out in my surrey,
When I take you out in my surrey with the fringe on top.
Watch that baton cut the air like it's butter
While I tail them horn-blowin' strutters.
They'll press them keys with their fingers aflutter past the Main Street shops!
Their brass is shiny and their jackets are red;
Their shoes are black patent leather.
Their hats have a visor you can pull right down
An' a great big bright yella feather!
I also like this Main Street. Like the castle that used to look more like a castle, Main Street looked more like a Main Street.
Hope the ankle's getting better, Maj!
I agree with JB, that's obviously a delighted Soviet dictator scurrying around enjoying capitalism in his own evil way. Everyone loves Disneyland- even if you are a sworn enemy!
I had to sing Melissa's song. Twice, actually because it was just so darn fun! People here at the office think I'm nuts! They're not wrong.
Good luck with the ankle, Major! I hope it's feeling better!
Vesey's smile really was infectious. As I've mentioned before, he lived down the street from me growing up in Anaheim. He was a jolly man and smiled like that all the time. He and his wife really enjoyed visits from the neighborhood kids. Very cool people!
Nikita's disguise apparently worked. Note he's wearing an earpiece. No doubt KGB agents are stealthily in the Park, keeping an eye on the situation, feeding him security info and which rides have the shortest lines.
@ stu29573-
"I had to sing Melissa's song. Twice, actually because it was just so darn fun! People here at the office think I'm nuts!" Don't people at the office think you're nuts without any singing-? (Apologies... any excuse for sarcasm-!)
@ Melissa-
Somehow we've got to figure out a way to have your many sets of 'alternate lyrics' recorded and added to the Main Street background music play list, just to see who's paying attention - especially if someone from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization happens by. [Although Imagem Music Group now owns the rights to the R&H catalog].
Something about a marching band.
Loving the old shops that are long gone now.
Major, hope you are feeling better soon!
JG
Nanook, you’re right, that guy is Crazy Guggenheim’s doppelganger! And thank you, I actually am feeling a little bit better.
JB, Hmmm, Khrushchev, the man with too many H’s in his name. One? OK. Two? Maybe. THREE? Forget it! I kind of like “Americanskis”, it has a nice ring. Nikita’s whereabouts were unknown following the first photo, he had a way of vanishing. And you should know by now that I am the king of irony!
TokyoMagic!, er, who is Jerome Horwitz? Did you go to school with him back in the 1930s? Wow, that guy’s stride really IS big, what the heck? He probably spells his name with three H’s.
TokyoMagic!, things are looking good, I could actually hobble around without my walking stick (not a cane!!) today!
Melissa, another salute to “Oklahoma!”. I’m not complaining, I do love that musical. It’s so “American”, in the best way. Thank you for the usual amazing custom lyrics. And yes, I’m starting to feel quite a bit more positive about the healing!
stu29573, “dictator”? DICTATOR? Nikita was glorious leader who loved beets! And don’t you forget it! Supposedly the Russians were going to build their own “Disneyland”, and it was going to be even better than the original. I sure would have loved to see what they came up with! “Mr. Stalin’s Wild Ride”. The Commutopia (sponsored by Volga). Kliment Voroshilov Junior’s Circus Train.
Grant, I’d forgotten that you lived near Vesey, so nice to learn that he was a nice man. You never know, sometimes old guys can be pretty stern. I love that they enjoyed visits from the neighborhood kids! I noticed that earpiece on Nikita, you’re right, it must be telling him which lines were the shortest. Maybe your mom met him! ;-)
Nanook, if Junior Gorillas can’t poke fun at each other, what’s the point of anything? I’m sure Stu is smiling. And Melissa is using so much talent on my tiny blog, she needs to be writing parody songs for The Simpsons (or some such place)!
JG, Thank you, I am feeling better, especially after all of the kind wishes from folks like you!
I'm smiling!
Of course it's my normal crazy eyed maniac smile, but I'm smiling! ...always smiling...
"Khrushchev, the man with too many H’s in his name."
Today's Useless Trivia: In the Cyrillic alphabet that's used to write in Russian, that "shch" sound is represented by a single letter. In class, they used to have us practice it by saying "fresh chicken."
"Somehow we've got to figure out a way to have your many sets of 'alternate lyrics' recorded and added to the Main Street background music play list"
Hey, there's an opening to replace "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!"
Major, Jerome Horwitz was Curly Howard's real name.
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