Soggy Tomorrowland, March 1973
Both of today's photos show a Disneyland that's been drenched with rain - which might seem gloomy to some. But living in mostly-parched Southern California has me pining for rainy days, gray clouds, puddles on the street, and my favorite - the sound of rain.
Here's a nice exterior of the Flight to the Moon attraction. The Moonliner was gone, but the ride was new and improved. Two larger theaters were built, but apparently there was no need for the distinctive domes that used to be a feature of the old attraction. There was a fancy new pre-show with a Mission Control populated by AA figures, including Tom Morrow. I was only recently made aware that passers-by could see part of the pre-show scene through the large windows in front.
Now we're out in the Plaza looking back toward Tomorrowland... the Peoplemover is empty, but that might just be due to the inclement weather (those seats could be wet). Or the ride wasn't running at all, I'm not sure if water would affect the necessary friction that drove the trains. In the distance, America the Beautiful looks very closed. Hopefully Adventure Thru Inner Space was operating, or I'll make a scene!
24 comments:
Major-
"...today's photos show a Disneyland that's been drenched with rain..."
Please make that liquid sunshine, Major-!
Thanks.
Also, the smell of rain, which is hard to describe, but nice.
It's actually nice to see Disneyland all wet and soggy for a change; totally different vibe.
OMG! That kid on the left is about to trip over that piece of trash! It looks like a smashed drink cup(?) Or it could just be a speck of dirt on the slide.
Speaking of trash, only two measly trashcans here; possibly three. That might be one just inside the entrance to Flight To The Moon. And a yellow PeopleMover train is trying to hide behind those palm trees.
Somehow it makes me kinda sad to see the PeopleMover trains with no one in them. Like walking past an amusement park that's closed, and seeing all the rides just sitting there, empty and unmoving.
I don't think it's raining at the moment, here. I don't see any umbrellas, ponchos, hats, or babushkas. Well, maybe one or two, but that's normal.
It's good to see Disneyland this way from time to time. Thanks, Major.
Major: I’m not sure the vignette of the “ SPACELINER” fueling was part of the 1967 Flight To The Moon. It appears that an illuminated “departing” flight board was in that location. In 1975 for Mission To Mars a maintenance room and cast break room were modified to open up a vignette area to showcase a section of a mocked up DC-88 SPACELINER ( MARSLINER) the DC-88 name was used on Mission to Mars only. The window opening showed a glimpse of one of the fuel barrels and the hydrogen fuel hoses …. Mission to Mars plans have full blueprints for this scene and doesn’t appear in plan sets for Flight To The Moon. But it’s possible it could have been added after the 1967 opening . The DC-88 MARSLINER shown in the Mars lobby and in Mission Control was actually a McDonnell Douglas “Rhombus” spacecraft …. Developed for the military to transport large quantities of troops around 1966. It was an experimental spacecraft but Disney used a commercial transport proposal of the craft to be the fictional DC-88 MARSLINER. The craft was basically a central “tank” of layered passenger space surrounded by a series of massive hydrogen fuel tanks.
Dramatic skies in that first picture! And so many lines and curves in the second that my eyes don't know where to go first.
The Flight to the Moon building may not have had a dome on top, but the souvenir Park maps still showed the top of the building as having two circular “doors” on top, presumably so the rockets could blast off and land safely (see this 1968 map for reference). It fooled me. In fact, on my second visit, when I was six, I managed to convince myself that we never saw a launch or a landing because we just happened to be inside when they happened.
”Hopefully Adventure Thru Inner Space was operating, or I'll make a scene!” “You ruined my vacation!”
We could use some rain here. I know that doesn’t elicit any sympathy from Southern Californians or Arizonans, but it’s been a month or more. Corn and soybeans need water to grow. And it would be nice to have these particulates from the Canadian wildfires knocked out of the air for a few days.
Mike, I remember that fueling vignette from Mission to Mars. Was there also one at WDW? Been too many years since their demise and I have slept since then.
At WDW you can't get wet with Disney water.
I never minded being at Disneyland when it was a little drizzly. It usually meant the crowds were much lighter.
I was only recently made aware that passers-by could see part of the pre-show scene through the large windows in front.
Major, you are talking about the pre-show/waiting area before Mission Control, right? I remember that first room had a very long upholstered bench seat (with an upholstered back, too), that ran the entire length of those windows. Rude people used to lie down on them. They used to do the same thing with the large upholstered square seats in the pre-show area of America The Beautiful.
Mike, I remember the window display you are talking about. Wasn't it located on the wall, between the two "theaters"?
In that second pic, it looks like the Kodak "picture spots" had been replaced by the GAF "photo trail."
Thank you for the visit to a soggy 1973 Tomorrowland, Major!
I like soggy because it means less humans. Humans apparently melt in water, like the Wicked Witch of the West. I RARELY carry an umbrella...it's water, it dries eventually. I never have had a plastic bag on myself as a raincoat, even if it was a branded trash bag. Umbrellas in NY just get in peoples way, so...everyone gets wet, and if it starts to pour, you step into a doorway, or under scaffolding. The PeopleMover was closed when it rained. I do think it had to do with the friction to make it work. When it dried up, it opened again. Mission to the Moon/Mars was a bit sad as it ended it's life, with just a few people in the theaters. We called it the "Stimulator", due to the mini-massage you would get in those seats. The best part of the ride was Mr. Johnson interacting with the employee...and I liked seeing all the other AA humans with their limited animations in the control room. As a guest I would just hang out in the lobby studying the land behind the glass. It's nice to see some bits and pieces of the Tomorrowland Stage: the awnings and lighting and such...and there is a group of guys with their approved cardigan sweaters looking at something.....they look very WED, and not very DL. The WED people kind of stood out as their attire would be a bit more casual than the more regimented Disneyland Management Team. There's another Senegal Date Palm there...didn't know there was more than "the" one...maybe it was moved around: I don't think it's there today. There's the central ticket booth: looking very cohesive in it's 1967 world. I think what makes this Tomorrowland great is that it is cohesive in it's overall design ethos. Seems like today's world tends to "Frankenstein" things for the sake of money. A poor decision overall, and in the end...the people will wonder why they don't "like it" or "feel comfortable", not understanding that it is just not harmonious design. I suppose they still come in droves so what do I know....thanks for the wet world Major.
Nothing says Tomorrowland better than purple and yellow flowers. I love ‘em.
Sue
I like photo 1, good memories of both attractions. I can’t recall the pre-shows clearly but I listened to the soundtracks a couple of years ago. It was exciting to think that soon there would be regular space flights just as airliners were doing. Who would have expected it would take a real life D. D. Harriman to create commercial space travel.
Two of the 1967 model trash cans. I think these were entirely new models from the originals, the rivets and joints were less prominent and the door flaps were molded blue plastic with futuristic shapes like louvers or something. There are three in photo 2, perhaps the “hot-dog-munch” metric got shorter over time.
Photo 2 is brilliant, I wouldn’t mind getting wet in the PeopleMover, or even getting stuck on the track for a short while as long as it wasn’t in one of the dark tunnels. All that ride capacity going to waste that could be used to admire the promised future. And back then we couldn’t imagine what a mess the future “imagineers” would make of that promised future.
Thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, Disneyland is drenched in orange juice??
JB, while we had a lot of unusual rain this year, I don’t think of Disneyland as “affected by rain” very often. Of course it happens, I’ve mentioned one of the best trips I ever took, a rainy day that kept the crowds down. I wonder how long a piece of trash (like that cup) would sit there before a sweeper would come along? Five minutes? The thought of someone dropping trash on the ground is odd, who would do that? I agree, it looks like the rain has passed, for now at least.
Mike Cozart, I saw a photo online, maybe it was a Photoshop job and I was too dim to realize it, but it showed people walking into… shoot, was it “Flight to the Moon”, or “Mission to Mars”? I don’t remember! But I was surprised that it appeared as if you could actually see Tom Morrow and “Mission Control” through the window. I wish I could find that image! I don’t remember the DC-88 Spaceliner (or Marsliner), but I sure would love to see pictures of it.
Melissa, straight lines are so “yesterday”!
Chuck, those park maps were not necessarily super accurate, if I had time I’d see if I could find an aerial photo from about that time to see if those “doors” were actually atop the Flight to the Moon building. They may very well have been, but I’ve learned to not trust the maps (even though I love them). I’m sorry you guys are needing rain, I’m sure we’ll be there again all too soon. My mom runs the water full blast for everything, she’s under the impression that we don’t ever need to conserve again.
Anonymous, it’s a miracle!
TokyoMagic!, how am I supposed to know what I mean? If I see a padded bench, I’m going to lay down on it. I might even take off my pants. A guy has to be comfortable! See my comment to Mike, a photo that I saw online made it appear that you could see Tom Morrow and Mission Control from the outside of either “Flight to the Moon” or probably “Mission to Mars”. Good eye on the “Picture Trail”!
Bu, I don’t mind a bit of rain, within reason. I was a bit surprised when I went to Seattle years ago - it rained frequently, no surprise, but hardly any of the natives carried umbrellas. They had raincoats sometimes, but not always. I guess when you live with rain all the time, it’s not as much of an event as it is for folks who live in a desert. I’m sure that Mission to Mars had become quite dated and creaky by the time they finally closed it. It would have been nice if they could have replaced it with something interesting, but… no such luck. I didn’t really notice the group of men in cardigans, if they are Disney employees, I wonder what they were doing? Could be anything of course. “In a half hour we can reopen the Peoplemover. Who wants a Space Mist?”. Senegal palms, I wonder if they were generally popular with landscapers at about that time?
Sue, I love them too!
JG, I think one of the Disney TV specials showed some of the Tom Morrow pre-show, I seem to recall the hilarious way Tom turns toward the audience, as if he is mounted on a pole. Which he probably was. I know nothing about D.D. Harriman, but what about Deedee Ramone? The trashcans were more streamlined to better deal with supersonic speeds! I agree, at this point I would happily ride the Peoplemover in a downpour, in fact it sound kind of romantic if you are with the right partner. Just sayin’.
@ Bu-
"I RARELY carry an umbrella...it's water, it dries eventually. I never have had a plastic bag on myself as a raincoat, even if it was a branded trash bag. Umbrellas in NY just get in peoples way, so...everyone gets wet, and if it starts to pour, you step into a doorway, or under scaffolding".
YES, please-! As a Seattle resident I can testify that far too many "natives" carry AND USE umbrellas when it rains - and are far too oblivious to 'others in their path'-! (It ain't like it used to be). Sorry, Major, the times have changed.
Still don't understand the umbrella's appeal in the Puget Sound. Maybe it has something to do with my mom always chastising those umbrella-users [in Los Angeles] by referring to them as 'Sugar Babies'... "What - do you think you're going to melt if a drop of rain strikes your skin-??!!" (If only...)
No Moonliner?????
It's ok, because this was the Tomorrowland that I saw as a kid. It wasn't raining, though. We went in June, so it was probably pretty sunny.
Thanks, Major!
TOKYO, MAJOR … all interested ;
As guest’s “Tomorrowland Flight 295 to Mars “ was called after viewing Mission Control Flight Operations guests continued to their left …. A curved wall featured an opening that revealed what was suppose to be outside on the launch deck and a DC-88 MARSLINER being fueled … you only saw a small section of the ship and and about 3 of its exterior fuel tanks. This space with the prop set pieces of the Marsliner would be closer to the theatre on the left ( next to America Sings)
For Flight to the Moon this wall featured an illuminated sign of various flights and scheduled mission with “ SPACELINER 295 NOW BOARDING “ FLASHING . Once down the hallway guests entered one off two twin theaters to the left or right . For MISSION TO MARS , a illuminated octagon like sign was at the end of the hallway with arrows pointing to left and right “TO ALL MARS FLIGHTS” at the end wall was also a cast exit door that went to a small vestibule then outside.
The only time Mr. Johnson or Mr. Morrow were ever shown in front of the spacecraft was on one of the Mission Control monitors …. You could see a still ( I’m sure a illustration ) of a McDonnel Douglass RHOMBUS rocket ( for both 1967 MOON and 1975 MARS ) this was what was called a DC-88 MARSLINER in Mission to Mars .
My TOMORROWLOUNGE BLOG has an old 3 part MISSION TO MARS mega post and much of this stuff is shown and explained .
If at any time the ship fueling scene physical prop was ever in 1967 FLIGHT TO THE MOON .. it had to be added well after the 1967 opening ….as it appears it was built and added NEW for Mission to Mars March of 1975 opening.
The FLIGHT TO THE MOON and MISSION TO MARS entry holding pen changed several times over the years . In 1967 a mural of stylized smoke swirls with silver stop sign like shaped panels of differt sized protruded from the wall …. Some featured illuminated photo panels of modern Douglass aircraft and spacecraft …. Some panels had information about what might be seen on your MOON flight.
For MISSION TO MARS these protruding signs were converted to display cases with models of McDonnel Douglas aircraft history leading up to the fictional DC-88 SPACELINER. After their sponsorship ended , the protruding panels were removed and a full wall mural of a DC-88 MARSLINER heading to the “mysterious red planet” was added to the entry space.
Towards the end of MARS only one theater was ever used … ( the one closest to the carousel theater) for a time the entrance lobby was used as a Magic Kingdom Club reception center for members ( please show your membership card!!) the hallway leading to the mars theater were used for entertainment storage as the upper level of the carousel theater was being vacated. When the plaza inn lost its fake grill with all the game hens , roasts and meats rotating on gliding coals … the fiberglass annimated prop
Was stored right in front of the Mission Control windows … sad .
Nanook, I won’t melt if a drop of rain strikes my skin, but I sure don’t like getting drenched either. During our heavy winter rains this year, I would have been soaked to the skin without an umbrella. Also, as a person who wears glasses, rain is problematic.
Stu29573, I don’t ever recall seeing the Moonliner when I was a kid, though I have a photo of myself wearing mouse ears at about 3 years old, so it would have been there. The photo also backs up my brother’s recollection of seeing the 20,000 Leagues walk-thru!
Mike Cozart, thank you for the detailed description of the pre-show areas; it’s frustrating for me to have nearly no recollection of the “Flight to the Moon”/“Mission to Mars” attractions, but then again, I don’t remember doing them much. Maybe once or twice. At that age, we did what my parents wanted to do! To this day I’m surprised at how many classic rides we never did, including the Monorail, which I did not ride until perhaps 10 years ago. Funny how the “spaceport” idea for Flight to the Moon is similar to Star Tours’ idea. I’ll go back and look at your Tomorrowlounge posts, I can’t wait to see what’s there! I have no doubt I saw them back when you originally posted them. But it’s been a while. I have to wonder if the spacecraft models in the attraction were built by McDonnell Douglas, and if they packed them up and took them with them when their sponsorship ended? I sure hope they weren’t crushed and put in a landfill. Thanks again, Mike!
The Florida version of Mission to Mars was the first Disney attraction I ever experienced. The memory will always be bright.
This McDonnel Douglas models were from McDonnel Douglas …. Their world headquarters was in Long Beach. After sponsorship I’m sure they went back to Douglass . After McDonnel Douglas closed I believe their archives went to Oregon or Washington state - at the Boeing headquarters. The DC-88 MARS LINER is in private hands …. It may be part of the upcoming Van Eaton Disneyland auction this July.
While I have a pretty good visual memory of Disneyland I too feel like there were lots of things we didn’t do or see as often as I would have expected …. And therefore don’t have specific memories off. Sometimes friends will show me photos or details from the parks that I have no recollection off at all and am seeing them for the first time .
My memory of Flight to the Moon was probably from "World of Color", when the side screens featured a guy in a colorful spacesuit and somewhat hokey reduced gravity. I do remember going on Mission to Mars, where Mars was scientifically accurate and a bit boring. The seat effects were the highlight.
On the "Disneyland" episode "Man and the Moon", they dramatize a manned flight around the dark side of the moon, and it appears to use moon surface footage created for the attraction. Ward Kimball was reportedly ticked, because it included radioactive ruins on the moon's surface -- showmanship for park visitors, but too fictional for Kimball's "science factual" show.
The “ancient ruins” on the dark side of the moon was also a feature of the first version of TWA ROCKET TO THE MOON…. It wasn’t mentioned in the narration … but only shown as flares are fired to illuminate the excavation and scientific outposts . This was later delated after many groups - mostly religious gave Disney a hard time about this detail … original WED and Walt said “ well nobody has ever seen the dark side of the moon so we really don’t know either way” . Eventually the “ancient ruins” were replaced with just a plain crater ridden surface and a narration saying “ just as scientists predicted … the dark side of the moon was pretty much identical to the other side” another detail addd was findings that the craters on the moon were mostly from exterior forces … some show signs of a past volcanic history. ROCKET TO TGE MOON had about 3 slight variations before being completely redone in 1967.
The early years of MISSION TO MARS featured a segment later deleted to shorten the attraction’s cycle time .. called THE MAD MARS MYTH. This featured segments from MARS AND BEYOND using much of Ward Kimballs comic past speculation of life on MARS …. But then also went into the fact that most scientists and astronomers do believe that sone kind of life exists maybe not on Mars … but in galaxies beyond our own. ( and now in reality astronomers have identified more than 10,000 exoplanets beyond our solar system ! EXCITING!!!)
MISSION TO MARS was one of the last attractions to maintain the science fact of Tomorrowland. The focus of EPCOT CENTER diverted that kind of attraction to EPCOT’s FUTURE WORLD … and Tomorrowland at all three parks became more sci-fi and fantasy based . It’s degraded now to a childish shell.
Here hear for the sound of rain! So enchanting, that I stole some ideas from ancient original Universal Studios, where water was always running off of a tin roof into a lake (ala the Joan Crawford movie Rain?) and built my own version as a fountain in my yard. It’s running (raining) right now, especially welcome on hot days.
Yes, as I recall* it… and I always rode it (as my grandpa work at Mcdonnall Douglas)…Mission To Mars had that huge plate glass window looking into the lobby, and mission control was just across the carpet from that long bench, so you could see the blinking panels and spinning Mr. Morrow (a real name / WED employee) from the outside. There were screens and things (albatross alert!) and a hallway or two, but I believe you could see all this from outside. *but it’s a long time ago.
MS
…and yes JB, the wonderful smell of rain has something to do with ions.
MS
Major, D. D. Harriman is a character from a book, an immensely rich old man with a burning desire to go to the Moon. He financed a commercial space launch company and eventually passed away on the Moon, gazing at the earth. If the story wasn’t 70 + years old, he would be taken as a sketch of Elon Musk’s passion for Mars. His name and character were modeled after Rockefeller.
MS, yes, the Mission Control room with desks and consoles was visible from the queue, and in turn, somewhat visible from the outdoors, through 2 windows. I think the Tom Morrow scene was further in and not visible from outdoors. Yes! Albatross Alert!
I don’t recall the padded bench, but one would be welcome certainly. I love your raining roof idea! I’ve toyed with doing mist sprayers as seen in phoenix and other desert cities, but it isn’t hot long enough here to make worth while.
The smell of rain is called petrichor, not sure why.
JG
Flight to the moon and mission to Mars Mission control center was never visible from the outside. A accordion type door made from aluminum and vinyl would open automatically to let guests in from the holding pen entry area of the mission to Mars building. This is where that large long bench seat was. Even if the automatic doors were left open, it would be impossible to see the Mission Control display since a wall which is on the opposite side of an emergency exit door would be visible - you could not have outside lighting shine on the Mission Control display which was behind glass because you would have massive reflection at night and day, making it impossible to even see the audio animatronic figures and control room . Once guests were ushered from the holding pen and into a three level terraced viewing area , the accordion doors would be closed before the Mission Control show would begin. Also mission controll room was recessed and sunken so even if you removed the dividing wall
… you could not possible see anything behind three rows of elevated safety railings . These three levels - the same in Florida , would then all line back up to a single level corridor that lead guests to the boarding “ Concorse” . Almost everything I. Mission controls screens were mirrored projected reflections from below mission to mars … they were not real video screens or tv monitors … also like all AA shows they require strict lighting control … so agin it would be impossible to have seen any of Mission Control from Tomorrowland or even from the entry holding pen. Another thing about flight to the moon and Mission to Mars people probably don’t remember is that the spaceship theaters had a higher capacity than what was in the preshow Mission Control : Another thing about flight to the moon and Mission to Mars people probably don’t remember is that the spaceship theaters had a higher capacity than what was in the preshow Mission to mars : the same way, Walt Disney World‘s Mickey Mouse review theater was always so empty because the preshow held about 1/3 the amount of guests that the theater could hold and you couldn’t go into the theater without going into the preshow first, so Mickey Mouse review, and MISSION TO MARS attraction poster always appeared to have very low capacity, but it was because the way the preshow was set up. It’s just the way Imagineering works.
JG, thanks for "petrichor". I never knew it had a name.
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