Cute in Tomorrowland, March 1962
It's time to visit Ginny again, with only one photo this time - there she is, at a Kodak Picture Spot with the Sub Lagoon behind her. She's actually wearing her hat, so it was possible! Did her hairdo survive? Who knows!
She is holding two items in her hands - a 1962 souvenir guidebook, and a rather neat "Coming Attractions" brochure that is one of my favorite pieces of Disneyland ephemera.
I truly thought that I'd already shared scans of this item on GDB, but apparently it was all a dream (I also didn't study for the big test!). So here we go:
This brochure is laid out in an unusual way - it's really only two pieces of paper, but staggered in a way that... well, it's easier to just show you.
Here it is in its unopened state, with a Marc Davis drawing of pachyderms in the Sacred Elephant Pool. Each colored strip (and text) indicates another page and hints about what's featured.
Say, did you know that Disneyland will never be completed? Walt was spending $7 million dollars to "plus" his park, including the aforementioned Elephant Bathing Pool, and the "Stouffer's In Disneyland" restaurants, which included what would become the Enchanted Tiki Room. I love the attempt at making the construction a feature and not a bug! Be a "sidewalk superintendent". Do I get a badge and a gun?
Let's flip the page to learn about "A Brand New Adventureland Area", that included the Swiss Family Treehouse, the Tahitian Terrace, the new "Safari Shooting Gallery", and the fabulous "Bird Room" - still a restaurant ("by reservation only") at that point.
And finally - "1963 New Orleans Square and the Haunted Mansion". The text mentions the "Blue Bayou Mart" (apparently NOT a restaurant at this point?), and the "Thieves Market", which would of course eventually evolved into "Pirates of the Caribbean". So exciting, I can't wait to visit the Haunted Mansion in 1963! I wonder if this was the first time the public saw the now-iconic Sam McKim artwork (on the left) - based on a Ken Anderson sketch?
I hope Ginny saved her brochure, maybe I own the very one she was holding!
27 comments:
Major-
It's nice to see 'Ginny' looking so perky, as she poses in front of the Submarine lagoon. Long ago I traded that "brochure" for a DL Hotel attraction poster, which now adorns one wall above the landing on my steps to the upstairs.
Thanks, Major.
Ginny is looking especially pert and saucy here. Oh dear, I just noticed the lady standing to the right of her. Compare and contrast.
Hmm, "Be a Sidewalk Superintendent". Are they asking us to sign up to be a Main Street Sweeper? I'd do it... for a while anyway. "Do I get a badge and a gun?" Yes, Major. And a stick horse with a yarn mane to gallop around on. People would stare with admiration... well anyway, I'm sure they'd stare.
"For 1963- ... the Haunted Mansion". Ohhh, so close. Missed it by that much! Actually, I guess Disney did finish the exterior sometime in '63.
Thanks for more Ginny and the 'Coming Attractions' brochure, Major.
I wonder if that hat left Ginny with major "hat hair," when she took it off?
Does anyone know if that brochure was available at the main gate, or was it a supplement to the pictorial souvenir guidebooks, like the one she is holding?
Here's an aerial photo of the park, which shows that a good portion of Adventureland was dug up, in 1962.....as well as Frontierland:
https://live.staticflickr.com/1694/24664774782_96c7889bff_b.jpg
Thanks for scanning and sharing that entire brochure, Major!
There is no way on Gods green earth that Ginny would EVER be seen with hat hair...OF COURSE she traveled with her personal stylist...which is why we have seen Ginny in so many iterations of fashion styling. I always kind of "inside giggled" when I saw people taking pictures OF the Kodak/GAF/et al Picture Spot SIGNS. Even these with humans in them. People: ...the picture spot is a suggestion to take photos of the surrounding areas...however, I do like seeing the graphics of the marketing around the picture spot sign in this one. It looks like this particular iteration has all sorts of choices, with instructions how to focus, which aperture to use on your camera, etc. Very clever indeed. I am having a man crush on the piece of phem. If I had this in my collecting days it would be something that I would only handle with little white gloves on. I would probably study every minute detail, and it's definitely a keeper, and possibly I will even print it out on fancy paper to stare at for hours. If I owned it however, I'd probably give it away to a more deserving soul than I. The Capuchin Monk next to Gin is wearing a wig today. Perhaps bald was a "no no" to enter Disneyland in '62. That is another thing you don't see today wandering around Disneyland: Monks. In my day, there was always a gaggle or two of Orange dressed Monks to compliment the sailors, nuns, boy scouts and brownies. Thank TM for the overhead shot link...that's a keeper too. No wonder they had to make a collectable phem piece...looks like the entire West side is a big ball of mud and dust. Genius making those lemons into lemonade and seems like a very Walt thing to do: "get them excited! Let them see!" Instead of "the French Market is closed because we don't respect history or art and just want to squeeze out another dime from our dusty collection of IP" I ran the numbers on Princess and the Frog last night. It does make sense (economically) to exploit the film further given the current BO status: 271M WW. I'm just not a fan of destroying masterpieces for more cash. My Mary Poppins ride was killed because of "Dead IP"....well, that changed...and then changed again...hopefully it will be resurrected. Thanks Major!
The fabulous “Bird Room,” where every guest is number one (think about that for a minute - you’ll eventually finger it out).
Awesome phem today, and Ms. Ginny is a plus! Thank you!
I was nearly pushed off a bridge into the gorge once by a group of Buddhist monks who weren't looking where they were going.
Major, this is a brilliant combination today, pairing the young lady with the brochure.
I especially like the thought that you have the very one in the picture.
Sounds like Marketing hadn’t really geared up on all the excitement to come, “bird room”? Sounds slightly more thrilling than “chicken coop” or “hen party”. Surprised they went to print with that.
Chuck, it accounts for the speckled floor.
Lots of good info in the ad copy too.
Notice Ginny is leaning on the original Sub fence, a portion of which survives beyond the Three Fences intersection between Autopia and the Lagoon, no longer accessible to guests.
JG
One should always wait for a Monorail from that Kodak Picture Spot. It's the law!
Thanks, Major.
Zach
Nanook, I’d say you did pretty well to trade that item for an actual attraction poster. Of course there was a time when the brochures (pamphlets? flyers?) could go for well over $100, but even so.
JB, we can’t all be as glamorous as Ginny. The lady to the right is trying to stay warm, but Ginny is hot blooded. By now we’ve seen so much about what the original plans for the Haunted Mansion were (the walk-through version), and while I love what we got, it is intriguing to imagine what it would have been like to have that “spook house” version.
TokyoMagic!, yes, Ginny’s hair looked just like the guy in Kid ’n Play when she took off that hat. I’ve always assumed that the brochure was handed out when guests purchased their tickets, but I don’t know if anybody has any real idea. I love that photo of the park from 1962, just amazing.
Bu, sometimes hat hair just happens. I used to hate to wear a hat when I would go hiking, but eventually I got over it. But I always have a serious case of hat hair afterwards. I agree with you, it’s odd that people take photos of the actual Picture Spot signs, but I’m sort of glad they did it, looking at them all these years later. This particular brochure used to be extremely rare and desirable, back in the days when you had to go to a Disneyana show to have any chance of finding one. Now, with eBay, they pop up once in a while, sometimes for a surprisingly reasonable price. I think of items I paid over $100 for pre-eBay that I would probably not get $30 for today. Oh well. I used to see the orange-robed monks at the airport, but never at Disneyland. I understand that the park needs (?) to move away from “Song of the South”, but I just can’t get excited about anything “Princess and the Frog” related. It’s a very “just OK” movie. Looks great, and Tiana is charming, but it has a lot of flaws. Art by committee I guess. Given how proud Walt was of “Mary Poppins”, it does seem surprising that they never did an MP ride.
Chuck, if the tikis have to go away in The Enchanted Tiki Room, I wonder if it will revert to the original “Bird Room” concept?
Melissa, what gorge? Were you in the Himalayas? I hope you opened up a can of whoopass on those monks.
JG, I was happy to see that Ginny has not folded her brochure in half. I only want my paper items to be as minty as possible (though sometimes I do have to compromise my standards for very rare items). You’re right, “Bird Room” is not very intriguing, it seems like even they weren’t really sure what it would be just yet. But it’ll definitely have birds! I wonder when the tiki concept was added? I did notice the fence!
zach, I have to admit it would have been pretty great to have a Monorail (maybe the red one on this gloomy day) in the background!
Melissa, your comment has me envisioning 768 monks crossing the Royal Gorge Bridge (“no fishing from bridge” - actual sign on the bridge) and one of them rudely shoving you - hard - as they passed. Fortunately, you are always prepared for emergency BASE jumping, you got a good ‘chute, made a perfect PLF, and have now spent the last 30 years waking the Earth, searching for the One-Armed Monk to exact your revenge, which will consist of giving him a noogie and forcing him to watch the “Pooh Polka” sequence from the 1978 TV special The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World without blinders or hearing protection.
JG, that segment of original Sub fence is still accessible to guests…just not to ones who have no wish to be ejected from the Park with a lifetime trespass ban that goes on their PERMANENT RECORD.
...I think there might be more "ejectable" incidents and documentation in my employee file than the absolutely horrific and completely unacceptable: "looked at fence". When they start matching that 1981 stuff up, I be changing my name to Glass. Yes....George Glass. (looking up Pooh Polka now...)
Ginny is that ray of sunshine no matter what she is wearing, nor if the sun is even shining. It all looks good on her. March '62. Interesting how plans changed from what they were portrayed to be...and in short order too. I suppose they would have handed out newspaper hats for guests to wear in the "Bird Room" for that 'authentic' feature that only Disney could provide. Yeah...I was an 12 year old kid who believed the Mansion would be ready by '63. It was the world's longest pregnancy. It never dawned on me at the time that I would ride it on a break in '69, as did all CMs, before its opening to the public. The Hills Brothers employees actually held an offsite Mansion-themed party. Of course at that age (19) ANY excuse was a good one for a party. KS
Chuck, I’m sure there’s a logical reason why you imagined 768 monks shoving Melissa and not 767, maybe it’s a numerology thing. Meanwhile I want to see a 10-part Netflix series based on the story you cooked up for Melissa. I was going to do a Pooh Polka spicy food joke but I am way to classy to ever do such a thing. Remember, you can easily walk backstage if you wear a hardhat, a bright yellow vest, and carry a clipboard!
Bu, I guess it’s more the trespassing to get right up close to the fence, not so much the looking. I always forget to look for the “three fences” when I’m there, I guess it’s far enough that the average Joe can’t scratch his name into the paint.
KS, I can’t recall if Walt ever thought about having a restaurant with real birds. I mean, he was a farm boy, he knew what animals had to do. Maybe they could have put little diapers on the birds? Adorable! Job application: Bird Diaperer. Must have at least five years experience. Hey, do you personally remember the Hatbox Ghost?? It must have been there when you did your early ride!
Major: I remember the days of getting to the Disneyanna shows at opening … because the best stuff was gone in the first 30 minutes … and how “Holly grail” items in the 80’s and 90’s are now still very desirable but not exactly rare because of EBAY. And I too have sone things I paid so much for in the early days that I could probably purchase now for about a quarter of the price. But in the early days it was also more exciting I think …. Do you remember the early days of EBAY where you couldn’t search specific items but only what the item was listed under Disney …. Disneyland …. So you’d have to look through hundreds of listings of anything under “Disneyland” and most were without an image or picture …
In the mid 90’s when I got accepted in the WDI Imagineering workshop .. before an internship , my portfolio had a concept in it for a CHERRY TREE LANE …. To skirt behind Main Street connecting the plaza to town square … there was an Admiral Boom’s fish & chips … a high end Uncle Alberts Tea Room ( where you sat up in the ceiling of a book & print shop “library” and a attraction “Mary Poppins Jolly Holiday…. The WDI portfolio review people seemed impressed with it .. not with the concept but that i understood the relationship of creating a Themed “land” etc. it was later I learned WED and WDI have created hundreds of concepts for a Mary Poppins based attraction … even dating back to the time of the film … there just wasn’t a perfect time and plan that was viable then. And later I learned of Tony Baxter having had a “Mary Poppins jolly Holiday” ( what else are you gonna call it?? Mary Poppins meddling in family affairs ??) attraction in his portfolio from the early 70’s .
On a side note: today you cannot have ANYTHING in your WDI portfolio review that features anything with a Disney property ..a person will now first go thru and make sure anything like that is removed prior to being given to the actual portfolio review person or group - this is now for legal reason . 20 years ago it wasn’t so stringent. WDI doesn’t want to see “ideas” they want to know you can be creative or understand the design process. I remember people who were having portfolio reviews for show writing at WDI back then would be told “ do not include ANY script concepts for SEINFIELD episodes “ that WDI didn’t want to read any more SEINFIELD scripts!!! Lol.
Quite peeved that the photographer didn't get the whole picture spot sign in frame. Where were his priorities?
Sudden childhood memory of Disneyland bubblegum cards, back when a nickel bought you five cards and a rectangle of pink material (like cardboard, but it broke instead of folding). I only saw once in a drugstore, and recall the pack I bought had a card showing guests gawking at the "soon to open" mansion facade.
Note that they're positioning the Jungle Cruise as newly Fun. Hadn't joking skippers already taken root by then? I remember the veldt being promoted and narrated as a somber demonstration of Survival of the Fittest. On last visit it too had a comic narration, a purposely unbelievable insistence the lions were being nice to a sleeping zebra.
Major, re your comment about a hard hat, yellow vest and clipboard as the key to any place off limits, this is an off-topic comment but illustrative of our respect for professional-appearing authorities.
I read a case study of a architectural security consulting firm studying access security for a "secure" industrial site that had experienced thefts and unauthorized entrances. The consultants wore plain white hard hats, white lab coats and clipboards with official-looking forms. They walked up to "secure" doors with card-swipe locks which turned out opened to any kind of card with a magnetic stripe, that is, the card locks were not programmed to any kind of security protocol, they would open to a gasoline credit card, ATM card, or any kind of magnetic stripe card, even a bus pass or gym membership card.
Once inside, the consulting investigators basically had the run of the secure site, no one inside questioned them, presumably due to their clothing, and all the interior doors opened just like the outside doors. No keyhole locks, can't be picked, all card-swipes, yet opening to a bus pass. They took pictures of all kinds of secure stuff to put in their reports and exited out the way they came.
After submitting their report, the facility management found them on the security camera footage and the report photos verified their penetration of the most secure parts of the facility using a gymnasium membership card.
After review of the secure hardware card-swipes, they discovered the hardware vendor had properly programmed the swipes to open to the secure key-cards issued to staff, but had not programmed the locks to refuse entry to a non-secure card.
I always have a hard hat, yellow vest, and clipboard in the car, just in case.
JG
@ JG-
"... they discovered the hardware vendor had properly programmed the swipes to open to the secure key-cards issued to staff, but had not programmed the locks to refuse entry to a non-secure card".
So... how were they able to access everything-??
Mike Cozart, I only heard stories about those Disneyana shows of the 80s and 90s… my buddy Mr. X used to go for the “room hopping”, that’s where he got his most amazing treasures - including some items that I have still never seen for sale on eBay. I have plenty of items that have gone down in value over the years, but I also have a lot of stuff that has gone way up in value (the attraction posters especially). So I guess there’s always give and take. I don’t have a vivid memory of the early days of eBay, in fact I’m not even sure when I became aware of eBay. I love the idea of Cherry Tree Lane, a way to immerse oneself into Edwardian London. I’d love to know what sort of concepts were considered for Mary Poppins attractions - I’m sure a lot of them involved the Jolly Holiday trip into the animated world, but in a way I personally would have liked it more if they’d somehow included the NON animated parts into a ride. Maybe that wasn’t feasible. Very interesting about how they don’t want Disney IP in a prospective hire’s portfolio, but I get it. Seinfeld scripts?? How funny!
DBenson, I know what you mean! Oh man, that awful gum that came with the collector cards. It really was the worst stuff. I wonder if they HAD to make it so cardboardy so that it didn’t stick to the actual cards? I’ve never heard of a bubblegum card featuring guests looking at the “soon to open” Haunted Mansion facade! I did notice the part about the “newly fun” Jungle Cruise, so now we know roughly when the ride switched over from a “True Life Adventure” style ride to the jokefest that it is today.
JG, in the old days it might not have hurt to talk into a walkie talkie too! I totally believe that people will accept anybody who looks official, especially if they look like they belong. Comfortable, in charge, etc. As for the card swipe locks, that sounds a bit sophisticated - how can I get one? ;-) I can only imagine the amount of mischief a person could get into if they had free access to “secure” areas. What if people got into the Disney Archives and walked off with Moochie’s helmet? Nooooooo! Not Moochie! Think of the children and such. As for security cameras, I would wear an eyepatch and a false beard. Nobody would suspect a thing!
Nanook, JG forgot to mention that they also knew the “magic word”.
I travel with a hard hat and yellow vest. I don't use my metal contractor box anymore because it was super clunky. Without fail I always get "SIR....CAN I HELP YOU?!!?" I guess I look suspicious. When I was much younger and shenninganying really hard, we would take furniture out of hotel lobbies and put them on the front lawns. No one said a a word. We did it super serious and were deliberate with our actions. Such confident strong young lads....I can't imaging that happening today, but I'm sure we weren't "unique" or original.
@nanook, basically the card readers came from the factory set to default to open to any magnetic strip.
This factory setting is to be overwritten when custom codes are assigned, but it takes a positive programming action to do that.
All the employees cards had custom codes, but the card readers' factory settings were never changed by the vendor. The employee cards would have opened the doors without a custom setting, but no one knew that. They just assumed that since custom codes were assigned, the doors were secure.
The consultants just tried a random card with a stripe and it opened the doors.
It's like all those internet routers out there with the factory-set password of "123456". If you don't change the default, it stays the default.
JG
@Tokyo, I have seen that aerial picture but did not know the date.
It looks like the Jungle Rivers were really torn up, look at all the moved trees over near the hotel. I've seen closer up views of that area, looks like many trees were in boxes.
Thanks for posting it with a verified date.
JG
Finally looked at the photo TM! posted the link to. I think that “tree farm” across from the Hotel is on the site of the Holidayland tent and ball diamonds. That’s a lot of portable trees!
"I truly thought that I'd already shared scans of this item on GDB, but apparently it was all a dream (I also didn't study for the big test!)."
Major, I bet you forgot your schedule AND your locker combination. Maybe even missed your bus, too.
"No wonder they had to make a collectable phem piece...looks like the entire West side is a big ball of mud and dust. Genius making those lemons into lemonade and seems like a very Walt thing to do: "get them excited! Let them see!"
Bu, I remember the anticipation of waiting for the HM to open and, when it finally did, my cousin Stu (who you've met here on GDB) was the first one in our family to see it and tell us about it. He loved it--and we couldn't wait to see it on our next trip to DL.
"I ran the numbers on Princess and the Frog last night. It does make sense (economically) to exploit the film further given the current BO status: 271M WW. I'm just not a fan of destroying masterpieces for more cash."
BUT PLEASE DON'T PUT A TIARA ON A WDW WATER TOWER! Looks like a cheap carnival, IMO!
Chuck, I caught that!!!
Ginny is the name of a collector-doll - especially popular back then. So naming her Ginny - is perfect. She IS a doll!
I love the brochure - never saw it before. Thanks for sharing, Major.
Love today's stories, too.
Major, in addition to the calamities Sue lists, I’ll bet you suddenly discovered your weren’t wearing any pants, either. Happens to me all the time. Sometimes even when I’m dreaming.
Sue, ;-). And I envy the fact that you got five years of anticipation before finally getting to see the HM. It must have been amazing when they finally opened the gates and you got to meet Jack Skellington.
@ Sue-
"Ginny is the name of a collector-doll - especially popular back then. So naming her Ginny - is perfect. She IS a doll!"
I'm glad you approve. Thank you.
Major...In answer to your question that was back in 1969. It's amazing that I remember anything from that time! There was a lot to take in on the HM, but apparently a lot has fallen through. LOL KS
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