New Orleans Square, October 1981
It's time for Lou and Sue pix! Photos taken by Lou Perry and scanned/shared with us by his daughter Sue B. We're in New Orleans Square, with three images taken from almost the same spot.
First up, Frontierland Station would be behind us (over our right shoulder and up a flight up steps). But Lou only had eyes for this little corner of the fence outside of the Haunted Mansion. Perhaps he was impressed with the beauty of the brickwork and wrought iron, and the lush greenery that make the Mansion such an inviting place to visit.
Pivoting to his right, we see a lovely patch of yellow flowers, and the back of that sign announcing that you were at Frontierland Station. Beyond the trees and plants, we can see a bit of construction (or a ladder at any rate) - I wonder what that was for? Out of frame to our right would be the French Market.
And as long as we're talking about Frontierland Station... here it is! A full trainload of guests appears looks like it is about to head through Bear Country (it wouldn't become "Critter Country" until 1989), Frontierland, Fantasyland, and beyond.
Thank you so much, Lou and Sue!
17 comments:
Major-
"Out of frame to our right would be the French Market".
'Out of frame to the right' is the railroad. That IS the French Market - they're just getting a really long head start on converting it into Tiana's Palace Restaurant-! [Sigh]
Once again, Lou has beautifully captured the beauty that is (was) New Orleans Square.
Thanks to Lou and Sue.
Hooray for more Lou and Sue pics!
Major, in the second pic, that is the French Market straight ahead. The dining patio is void of tables and chairs. The ladder must mean that the place is being rehabbed. We can even see the Mint Julep window, to the right of that man who's about to ascend the stairs to the train station. I believe we can also see two of the posted menus for the French Market, on either side of that man.
If I had to guess, someone in the design department was hoping to ruin the French Market during this particular rehab, but fortunately, they had to wait 42 years to achieve that goal. They finally got their way now, and I hope they are very happy with themselves. But I'm not bitter, or anything.
Thank you Lou, Sue, and Major, too!
Major, I agree. I think Lou Perry wanted to capture all the things you listed. And whether he knew it or not, he also captured a smidgen of the Columbia (on the right).
In addition to the ladder, there is all kinds of construction stuff strewn about on the ground under the ladder and about 20 ft. to the left. Cans, five-gallon buckets..... STUFF!
I like the little old lady with her sweater draped over her shoulders. She, and her friend/sister might be enjoying the large patch of yellow flowers. I thought they might be marigolds, but now, looking more closely, I don't think they are.... or maybe they are... I can't tell. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight.
Somehow, it looks odd seeing the trainful of guests sitting sideways, gazing out like a theater audience, waiting to be entertained. I feel like we should all burst into song, or perform a scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The tree branches look really nice hanging down in the foreground.
Thank you, Lou. And thank you, Sue and Major.
These pictures were taken just months before the A - E “coupons” would be retired. EPCOT CENTER was designed and built with the expectations of using similar tickets but it opened after WDP decided to do away with it …mainly because the Theme park industry was trending in that direction . Tokyo Disneyland used the A - E coupons till 1993. In fact the very last NEW Disney attraction that opened using tickets was Tokyo Disneyland’s SPLASH MOUNTAIN … a “E” Coupon. Imagine there been E Tickets for SPACESHIP EARTH and THE AMERICAN ADVENTURE. THE ASTUTER COMPUTER REVUE - presented by Sperry-Univac would have undoubtedly been a complimentary attraction.
In 1981 Disneyland was still promoting the coming of DISCOVERY BAY and a NEW FANTASYLAND …. And while it hadn’t been greenlit like the first two , DUMBO CIRCUS was also still being considered …. One of the lady Disneyland project imagineer Rolly crump was art directing. And not announced but being worked on was a 1980’s NEW TOMORROWLAND …. With a “simulator journey “ … that evolved to Star Tours.
These pictures are the twilight of the WED - Walt Disney productions Disneyland … before the arrival of the GRAND MOFF EISNER.
What lovely peaceful photos to view this morning, thanks Lou. I could only hope that I could grow a field of marigolds like that. The deer hate them, but it seems some other plant predator wants to eat them when planted in a "gaggle". I am wondering what a grouping of the same flower would be called, so I am using "gaggle". Yes, the French Market is messy in this photo. Paint dept. I saw it more than a few times in rehab being the same type of mess. As I remember, the French Market rehab was never too long- just a paint job where needed...and a slight sprucing, and during the off season, as this was a major restaurant and closing for any length of time meant losing revenue. The trees and the hedges are a sea of different textures and green over in these parts. Also nice to see how they have layered them so specifically. This is still a very nice part of the park, with it's little garden....not everything needs to be packed with a cart selling plush and bubble makers. I can hear the train in my head, and the steam release, and the water being refilled here....very specific noises....along with the Mark Twain whistle...all very "This is Disneyland". I'm sure Tiana will make a nice neighbor, it's more her architects that I question. Hopefully, there won't be a line to board the Mark Twain where Tiana's smokestacks are located. Guests are not particularly intuitive- they just may think it's a boat ride. (yes, really) In 1981 I was still peddling ice cream and popcorn. At the time I was all about 100% passports, although later in Guest Relations it became an issue of "it's too expensive now" ($12 by the way) or "I just want to shop!" or "I only have a couple of hours, why is it the same price!?" The line situation was another issue, but wasn't too "911"....as now all the E ticket rides could be now be experienced in multiples, and there was no passive "meter" to spread out everyone. In the end, and generally, the E ticket rides were always rode first...so the same lines, were the same lines. I'm all for bringing tickets "back", and quite frankly, it would be easy enough: it would just cost labor. "Just". I'm not bitter about spending $150 for a couple of hours in the Park. That is usually all my schedule would allow, or is more "all I can take". as my emotional memory settles in. I would pay for a midnight stroll with absolutely nothing open except a few food locations. Bring back the "Enchanted Evenings"...those were lovely and so very low key. I'm not sure that this new team of Disney opportunists can see the forest through the trees. There is a way to make money and have wonderful experiences. Walt figured that one out. I agree with Mike, these photos were the twilight. I was lucky to experience it all first hand. Thanks Lou, Sue and Major for a memorable morning!
Thank you Lou and Sue and Major, these photos are an attraction. Walkways and railings and landscaping are so well art-directed, and the variety of lamps on view...
I covet the engineer's lamp atop the sign in the second pic, with its giant squid orbs. The sleepy-eyed engineer in the original Mr. Toad's Wild Ride swung one just like that, but we riders didn't heed him and went right to hell, and back.
Frontierland: Elevation 144 feet; hey, that's just 3 feet less than the Matterhorn!
Lou had a knack for documenting the beautiful details without seeming to focus on any one particular set-piece item. Almost the opposite of the Kodak Picture Spots, or rather, finding Picture Spots almost everywhere.
Thanks, Lou, Sue, and Major…
JG
This is, or was, the beauty of the Park in the off-season. And also the time when maintenance resumed. It's about as close as a non-CM could experience as if the Park was closed. Congenial guests as a result of the non-crowded atmosphere, an easy commute for me up from Costa Mesa to the employee lot. We'd use the term 'skate assignment' as it was, well, like a day in the Park for us too. Thanks for taking me back Lou (and Sue)! KS
Nanook, huh. I thought the French Market was to the right, but beyond the yellow flowers. But I stand corrected, and am so humiliated that I will never be able to show my face in school again.
TokyoMagic!, well, I guess I’m the goat! (Daffy Duck quote). I didn’t know that they made a window out of Mint Juleps, and am amazed that the Imagineers could think of such a thing (har de har). I had all sorts of ideas for ruining the French Market (NASCAR Market!), but nobody at Disney would listen to me.
JB, now that smidgens are extinct, it is quite something that Lou caught a picture of one (even if it is only partial). I think those flowers are ranunculus. Well, OK, I don’t really, but it’s a flower that I know. And that’s half the battle. As for the sideways seating, I learned that there were “scenic railways” that had seating like that, so it isn’t unique to Disneyland - though still unusual out in the real world.
Mike Cozart, I do sort of miss the ticket book experience, but I also like having the freedom to do whatever ride I feel like (or whatever ride has a reasonable line). I still have an envelope of scores of “A” and “B” coupons that my mom saved, now I regret that we didn’t use those to try some attractions that I never did. I’m imagining riding the Main Street Vehicles with my dad, it would have been fun! But believe it or not, I only finally rode some of those roughly a year ago. “The Astuter Computer Revue”?? I have never heard of that! Was it ever actually built?
Bu, I can’t recall if that little embankment is still covered in flowers or not. In that second photo, it sure adds a bit of natural beauty to that area that’s pretty packed full of architecture. I forget that there are parts of the world that have to worry about deer eating the garden flora. Just keep a few pet mountain lions. So easy. I’m hoping that Tiana’s restaurant is covered in LED lights that cycle through the colors of the rainbow, because that is always the classiest thing. I wonder how younger folks feel about the railroad? I’m sure they like it - they get to see the dinosaurs. But do they appreciate the actual mode of transportation? Do they even look at the locomotives? Even when I was a kid I was thrilled when a train pulled into the station, bell ringing, looking like something out of a movie. And getting the wonderful views of the park could not be beat. I’ve never heard of “Enchanted Evenings” events, those sound pretty neat. Maybe they were only available to cast members?
Stefano, I believe that that lamp was there from early-on, and I agree, I covet it too! “Giant squid orbs”, ha ha. I’m assuming that cool RR paraphernalia like that goes for a fortune these days. If Frontierland Station is the same elevation as the Matterhorn, let’s take the train to the top!
JG, the Picture Spots were a fun idea for folks without much “picture sense”, but they sure resulted in a lot of “same old same old” photos. When Sue first contacted me about her dad’s photos, she said, “He took pictures of EVERYTHING”, and she wasn’t wrong.
KS, I sure miss those days when things were pleasant and relaxed - folks on the Internet say that you can still find days like that, but it might just be dumb luck if you happen to be there. Otherwise it’s “big crowds, long lines”.
Until I zoomed in on the second picture, I thought that sign was a Halloween themed scarecrow, with big empty skull eyes. I wonder what The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit was doing in the park that day? Ran out of beans to count?
JB, when we did A Midsummer Night's Dream in high school, the kids who didn't get speaking parts played enchanted trees, lowering or raising their branches to cover or reveal the sleeping lovers as the story dictated.
In a way, E-tickets are back but in the form of Fast Pass or whatever they're calling it today. I expect that Disney will figure out how to sell more Fast Passes to people who are willing to spend to get on more rides in a day.
Mike, I guess my opinion of Eisner has softened over the years. Although I don't like the change of the company, he probably kept Disney from being dismembered. I can't imagine what the parks would be like if they sold off in the 1980s. Plus, he seemed to care about the idea of Disney being different from other entertainment conglomerates. I can't imagine Iger cares if he's head of Disney, NBC or Sony.
Major, yes the Astuter Computer Revue was real. It was a way to make computers seem less intimidating and more helpful & friendly to an apprehensive public at the time. It was replaced by another show called Backstage Magic a few years later that showed specifically how computers ran EPCOT attractions
That's me "anonymous" above
Melissa, ha ha, now I can see the spooky figure! It IS kind of weirdly skeletal. I would have been the best damn enchanted tree ever. Even better than the shepherd that I played in the church Christmas pageant.
Dean Finder, I guess that “Lightning Lane” passes are related, but they are fundamentally different in that guests have to pay extra (A LOT MORE) for them (as you know). Instead of the good old E tickets that were in every ticket book (though of course those weren’t FREE). I’ve mentioned this before, but on my last trip to the park, I waited in line for Big Thunder. Hundreds of Lightning Lane guests got to march past us while we stood without moving forward for a LONG time. I was not the only one getting exasperated either, there was grumbling all around. It really felt insulting after a while. And I don’t have negative feelings towards Eisner, even if he did do some stuff I don’t agree with. He also did a lot of good things. Thanks for the link to the Astuter Computer Revue. That little dancing man, my hero. The wobbly camera moves made me seasick, but it was still interesting. I’m not sure how often I’d want to watch that show. Thank you for the link to Backstage Magic too!
MAJOR: yes the Astuter Computer Revue was a real
Attraction sponsored by SPERRY -UNIVAC … later it was listed as “SPERRY” . It even featured its own character host abd thehe song . The setting was the real Epcot Computer central rooms … and guest got a view of the actual “brain “ of the park … but the peppers ghost effects and the musical - show “cast” computers were all props . “And that’s why I’m a rooter for me computer - everybody needs a friend!”
The show was a 1982 version. Of a show developed for Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland … “THE RCA COMPUTER SHOW” guests would have also been ushered into the VACATION KINGDOM COMPUTER CENTRAL and see all the machines running and monitoring everything . Large screens would show sone pre recorded scenes and some live scenes from around the resort … and then at that same point highlight the computer that were controlling that scene …
For example … the “curtains opening up to The Hall of Presidents … then the system controlling that would be highlighted and explained … RCA was excited at first ….. but then kinda lost interest and wanted a ICON ride-attraction : and we all know that became SPACE MOUNTAIN, the preshow windows to space and the exit show The RCA Home of Future Living .
Disneyland contemplated bringing back ticket books during the park’s 40th anniversary….and to reintroduce them … you woyjd need a special preview ticket to be the first to ride The Indiana Jones Adventure …. Eventually a E ticket would be sufficient… and the fun retro tickets would remain after the 40th anniversary promotion. Eventually disneyland opted not to do this .
I forgot to thank Lou, Sue and major for sharing these images .
Major, if those nice Baptists who cast me as the archangel in the Christmas pageant had known they were turning me into a theater kid, I'd have been understudying the back half of the donkey.
And yes, thanks to L&S&TMT!
Anon...yes, it was indeed Eisner who, along with white knight investors, lead by Roy E Disney, who saved Disney from being sold off in a hostile takeover. The relationship soured over the years but the 80s were a renaissance for the company. So at the start, Eisner was a positive influence. KS
Addendum re: "Enchanted Evenings". These were private parties, but instead of getting the entire park, you would get one "land". New Orleans Square of course was the most popular, and basically it was like actually having a party in Disneyland with no other guests around. The only attractions opened were "select" ones in the land of choice. Main Street was also a choice, with the street cars, train, etc. The normal "companies" hosted these parties that would host a regular VIP Party. Regular guests were not mixed in, and it was truly private with a nice stroll down Main Street, through Adventureland and into New Orleans Square, with musicians/food/drinks/etc. It was a nice idea, and I'm not sure it lasted too terribly long. Liz Taylor's 60th birthday "Enchanted Evening" turned into quite the spectacle, and morphed into an "Enchanted Evening +++" Also, Re: Fast Pass. My best buddy at the time invented it (systematically). It wasn't supposed to be "get there quicker"...it was intended to be "waiting in a virtual line"....so...virtually, you put yourself in a line, and wait as long as everyone else....you can just do other things while "waiting in line"....Seems like all that morphed into "special people club" of sorts....still with the same "intent" of virtual line waiting, but with a price attached to it (read: "tickets"). Still an E ticket in todays prices would be about 3.50 now. Not $20.00 for Droid Town.
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