Even More From Keith
Here's another great trio of images from our friend Keith Schad, from a lot of slide scans circa 1971/72 (probably late 1971). These were taken by Keith's father in-law Ed, and they are really nice!
I love this first one, it looks like it belongs in an issue of "Vacationland" or "Disney News". There's pretty Snow White peeking out behind Dopey's hat, while Grumpy glares behind her. I mean, he's always glaring, that's just his "normal".
Next is this swell picture of Sleeping Beauty Castle. The tree branches hide the famous dent, but you can't have everything.
And oh boy, I love this picture of an Omnibus waiting at the load/unload zone in the Plaza, with the entrance to the New Tomorrowland behind it. I know that I would be drawn to that futuristic land like a moth to a flame. Any idea what that "double cone" thing is, hanging from the tree branches in the upper left?
Thanks so much to Keith Schad for sharing!
19 comments:
Thanks, Keith and Major - I especially LOVE the first image! Wow!
Sue
Major-
That "double cone" thing is a Kim Lighting Wren House Hanging Landscape Light. That design dates back more than 76 years. Deservedly a classic - as is this...
Kim Lighting is also responsible for the Traditional Floral Path Light discussed on these pages several months ago - as this model was observed illuminating the floral "Storybook Land" sign). It has also been in the line for as long.
Thanks, Keith for sharing more images.
Ms. White is looking especially friendly and approachable here. I wonder if she's really a brunette under that wig? Hard to tell with the Snow White makeup. The mesh 'eye holes' in the dwarfs' hats look a lot less noticeable here than it usually does.
So, does anybody recognize the location where this photo was taken? (Yes Chuck, I know it was in Disneyland.)
"but you can't have everything." But I want everything, by golly! It's what I'm used to! I need to see the Dent! And the drawbridge!
I actually do like this photo of the Castle, framed by the different kinds of trees.
Maybe that "double cone thing" is an air-raid siren... or a hummingbird feeder... or a Christmas decoration... or a bees' nest built by some very orderly bees.
It does seem to have an electrical wire attached, so perhaps it's a loudspeaker playing music. But that doesn't make much sense, when they could have hidden the speaker in a shrub a lot easier. Oh, and we can see the 'Saturn 5' rocket of the Rocket Jets.
OK, so Nanook blew all my "double cone thing" theories out of the water. A light? Seems odd to place it up so high. It must be a very bright light!
Thank you, Keith & Ed & Major.
@ JB-
"It must be a very bright light!"
Actually, not exactly all that bright. That Wren Light is probably the 'larger' size, rated for an A-21, 150 watt incandescent light bulb - so about 2500 lumens. With the light beam concentrated straight down, that'd provide a strong beam for walkways, etc. [Just don't plan on using it while performing any open-heart surgery...]
Well, hellooo, sailors! Save me a seat on the bus, boys!
Yes, that first one does look like it is out of a Disney publication! Beautiful! And that thing on Dopey's head is the top of the Alpine Gardens sign!
https://gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/alpine-gardens-artwork.html
Thank you, Keith and Major!
I forgot to mention that there were two different locations for the Alpine Gardens sign. I'm not sure if there were actually two signs, or just one sign that was moved to a different location at some point. I don't think the location in today's post is the same as the one in that link I provided. This one looks like it's the one further into the garden area, and not the one on the edge of the gardens. I believe that open concrete area behind Snow and friends is where the House of the Future's base originally sat.
I'll always think of them as the Alpo Gardens. With lots of dogwood trees. (And their bark.)
Ok, strangely, and not so strangely...I know Snow White. She is a real brunette, but had long 70's hair, in the 70's :) So...it makes sense. Jan's mom appears in a BuPix TM post. Jan was an commercial actress/model in the day (I suppose all those face characters probably were), and introduced me to my first photographer and agent when I was an actor/model/Disneyland Employee/Waiter/-/-/. She had already left the Company when I joined, but her mother joined the company prior to her leaving, and that is how we met. Her mom had her head shot on the wall next in her cube. Later, Jan's brother, who didn't work at the park, dated a couple of TG's. I agree she is a very approachable Ms. White! Jan was very photogenic, the photo could be out of focus, and she would still look great. Alpine Gardens! Question!...so we tear down a building, leave the foundation, name it Alpine Gardens....becaussseeeee? whhhyyyyy? For "silent reflection and meditation" ? I actually would LOVE if it would return to a "quiet space" in Disneyland. A place where cell phones are not allowed, loud talking is not allowed....it kind of makes sense in the sea of chaos around you that there would be a "quiet zone" to have a cup of chamomile tea. Tour Guide Gardens does satisfy this need, and also the waiting room near the entrance doors to Lincoln theatre. I can see in these photos that trees do not have scale. How nice. The Tomorrowland tree is trimmed so perfectly, giving a lacey touch, but still revealing the facades of Tomorrowland. The Omnibus! "I always wanted to ride one of these things". If you know that line, you do. And if you don't, I invite you to do some research. I'm not sure if the line even makes sense. WHY would you always want to ride one of "these things"? because you've seen them everywhere? Are they in every city in which you performed? "These things" (?) Huh? Was the line ad-libbed? I need answers! Thanks for the morning dose Keith and Major!
Ooooh, somebody doesn't like Pixie Hollow! Pixie Hollow is the best thing that ever happened to Disneyland.....with the exception of Wookie World. And the Pooh ride. Oh, and Tarzan's Treehouse, Light Magic, Tomorrowland '98, and the closing off of the Court of Angels to the general public.
Bu, I know that line! It's spoken by the same person who says, "Ooooh, this place makes me feel creepy all over!" Best. Actress. Ever.
Splendid view of the Dwarves & Snow White. Bu, so cool that you know her.
I was going to guess a speaker hanging from the tree, but a light makes sense too.
I’ll take any view of the classic SBC. And this is a good one.
A view of the Hub without a single trash can. How can this be?
I wish there were some reliably quiet backwaters and cul-de-sacs in the Park, but they seem bent on eliminating them, which is also sad. There are a few spots on Tom Sawyer Island I think.
Thank you Keith, Dad, Ed and Major. Much appreciated today.
JG
Thank you Major and Keith, the first photo is very well timed for me. I saw "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" last week in the 1,000 seat theatre at the Academy in L.A., and was beguiled again by the film's charm, inventiveness and phenomenal detail -- there is something new revealed on every viewing. The Disney Co. supplied a 35mm print which, as the host explained, best approximated how audiences saw it in 1938. This included a few imperfections, but some flaws are to cherish.
Speaking of cherished flaws, as penance for the Dent thing I went to Daveland where there are dozens of pictures of Sleeping Beauty Castle for every year at the park since 1955, in all kinds of lighting. After close study I can say with some confidents that the Dent was not there through 1962; the Dent is there in 1964, and possibly there late in 1963. Anyway, it happened on Walt's watch. As I picture it, a trio of clumsy, knockabout workmen dropped some scaffolding on that cone. So I've dubbed it the Vernon Dent, after the actor who suffered frequently and mightily at the hands of The Three Stooges( who themselves appeared with Snow White in a less well-regarded movie).
@ Stefano-
No offense to our "good buddies" at the WDC... but I strongly-suspect the 35mm print supplied to The Academy barely resembled ... how audiences saw it in 1938. The images of that title (along with Pinocchio) have been so over-worked, quite a bit of the 'original look' - for better, or worse - has long since vanished. As 'nice' as it might have looked at the screening, it's a far cry from an original Technicolor, Dye Transfer print (complete with Key Image - look that one up).
Sue, yes, that is a beauty!
Nanook, I thought that the cone thing might be a lamp of some kind, but the placement seems kind of odd. Plus there is a ground-level streetlamp just below it (well, perspective is tricky, so maybe they are actually far apart). Still, thank you for ID-ing it!
JB, I’m guessing that the “face characters” were trained to be more approachable to people in general and kids specifically. Somewhere on this blog I have a cute photo of Snow White and she appears to be talking to a child and really paying attention. Air raid sirens… there are still places in L.A. where there are old sirens from the WWII era, you see them atop very tall poles. Interesting that they have survived for so long. I wonder if they will work? Let’s fire them up at 3 in the morning. See my comment to Nanook, I agree that the placement of that light is weird!
Melissa, they all have some scrimshaw for you! Purchased in Hong Kong.
TokyoMagic!, yes, I recognized the distinctive shape of the Alpine Gardens sign, but you win a free ostrich for mentioning it.
TokyoMagic!, I believe that there were two Alpine Gardens signs, but you might be right about it only being one sign, and that it was moved at some point. I’m not sure about that open area being the former location of the Monsanto house, but you are better at that kind of thing than I am.
Melissa, maybe they are fur trees?
Bu, wow, neat that you know Snow White! Does she bake pies for you all the time? What did Jan’s mother do at the company? Was she also a character? Maybe the Fairy Godmother? Funny about actors and head shots, one of my best friends used to give me her latest head shots. In case I might cast her in my big-budget movie? While I am not crazy about the idea of the Monsanto House of the Future being torn down, I can see how it might have seemed very dated and out of place for the new Tomorrowland. For all of its “future coolness”, it had a distinct mid-century vibe about it. I can’t really think of any quiet places in Disneyland, though there are probably a few that only regular visitors know. I wish I’d made it over to the Snow White Grotto, I passed it at night and it looked completely devoid of guests. That would have been the time to go! “I always wanted to ride one of these things”. I don’t know that line. Most people have seen Omnibuses (probably the London version) on TV or in movies, and it looks very novel to be up on the second story of a bus. I finally rode it back in November (as you know), both directions.
TokyoMagic!, is Pixie Hollow even still there? If so I have managed to walk past it without even registering its existence. Wookie World is not terrible, but I have a hard time getting over its effect on Frontierland. I know how much you loved Light Magic, and wish that you could watch it every day.
JG, yeah, my guess would have been a speaker, but as usual I am wrong. Strange about the lack of trashcans, but I guess the angle was “just so” as to miss them. You know that there must have been a bunch nearby. Last January, the only time I was truly aware of being practically by myself was when I went to Tomorrowland Station late at night. It was SO deserted and quiet! Not sure why, but it was neat.
Stefano, before the advent of home video, I went to see Snow White at the L.A. County Museum of Art. The line was so long that they had to add a later show, which is the one that I actually saw. It was pretty cool to see it on the big screen, though this was before any big restoration efforts. Interesting about the dent! This news is going to go right to the top. I thought we’d checked and saw that it was there from early-on, but I will take your word for it, since I am much too lazy to research it at the moment. Well, busy too, believe it or not.
Nanook, Disney has been criticized for over-restoring their films, losing line details and such. And “plussing” the colors to Kim Irvine levels (oooooohhhh, sick burn!). It makes me wonder if true original examples exist anymore?
Yes, the "mesh eye holes" are gone -- in old World of Color episodes you can plainly see little rectangles revealing most of the wearers' face. But the clear shape of a head and shoulders with no visible face is frankly creepy. Also, when a dwarf waggled his rubber nose I found myself wondering how that lined up with the wearer's actual anatomy.
Tokyo : there were two Alpine Gardens signs - both identical. Alpine Gardens was never developed as in 1971/72 WED had planed on placing LIBERTY SQUARE where Carnation Gardens was ( the liberty Square entry) it was to be opened before the bicentennial . Carnation Gardens space would be relocated at Alpine Gardens with a 1973 opening . In my TOMORROWLOUNGE BLOG I show the first version of the NEW “Alpine Gardens” restaurant and band stage - to be part of Tomorrowland. The design was “Walt Disney World-ed” with an updated design … but all version were cantilevered… had a restaurant… restrooms and a rising bandstand that would appear in the center of a circular waterfall … the waterfall would curtain open and the band would be revealed …. The band would disappear in the same fashion … and then become a circular waterfall in the center of the complex . Like WDW’s Plaza Pavilion it featured no walls … infact the 1974 revised design is almost the same design as the WDW Tomorrowland Plaza Terrace but Disneyland’s featured a circular center .
The gas crises stalled much of Disneyland’s 1970’s expansion plans … and America Sings and America on parade satisfied the need for a Bicentennial celebration. LIBERTY SQUARE at Disneyland also relied on some other developments … including the new corridor in fantasyland with the Fantasia attraction , relocated Dumbo .. and the Frontierland expansion with THUNDERMESA and the western river expedition , big thunder Runnaway railroad , the mining & explosive shooting gallery ( evolved into fireworks factory in discovery bay) and the new BBQ restaurant (evolved into Big Thunder BBQ) …. Both Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland had THUNDERMESA and Western River Expedition on master plans into 1982. EPCOT CENTER created lots of other attraction at Disney parks but it also KILLED way more projects too.
At TOMORROWLOUNGE BLOG you will see the 1972 model of Alpine Gardens that appears to replicate the look of the 1967 Tomorrowland Terrace … and you can see a clerestory roof oval …. That is where the waterfall rising bandstand was to be located. The final design changed it to a completely round stage and surrounding complex . Had the gas crises never occurred I think Disneyland would have greatly expanded with nice WED type attractions … and less incomplete plans for Eisner to come in and mess up with crap like toontown… Fantasmic … Videopolis.. etc
Fur trees? That's ruff!
DBenson, I never wondered about the wearer’s anatomy when a Dwarf waggled his nose, but I will from now on!
Mike Cozart, gosh, I’d never heard that they were planning on putting Liberty Square where the Carnation Gardens was. I’m trying to imagine it. I suppose it would have worked, and of course I can’t help thinking of the WDW version of Liberty Square. Would they have had a big Liberty Tree? My guess is “yes”. It doesn’t seem like they would have had enough room to do much, being wedged in between Frontierland, Fantasyland, and the Plaza. I always love the idea of a rising bandstand, and a waterfall! I also have to wonder about the public’s interest in Bicentennial-related things after 1976. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been an issue, being Disneyland. I’m intrigued by the idea of a Fantasia attraction, though I’m not sure how they would have gone about distilling that long and varied movie into a 2 minute ride. Presumably a big Chernabog would have been the grand finale, which sounds super cool! I’ve always wished they would do something more with Chernabog, but I also know that there are plenty of parents out there who don’t want a big devil figure scaring their kids and influencing them into loving rock and roll. I’ll have to go look at the Tomorrowlounge Blog to see that model of Alpine Gardens! Thanks Mike.
Wow...what a first shot! That is a keeper! Sure wish I knew who was playing Snow that day. As for me...I'm off to Montana. Bye!! KS
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