New York World's Fair, October 1964
I scanned a batch of slides from the 1964 New York World's Fair, and found that many of them were too dark to use. But a few were salvageable!
This nice lady is posing next to a fierce grizzly bear in front of the Alaska pavilion (which resembled a giant igloo). Yes, I know the little sign says "brown bear", but those are called "grizzlies" in North America. It is impressive that this bear could stand still for so long!
Next is this "last sunlight" photo taken in front of the Pepsi pavilion, you can just see a part of the "it's a small world" sign in the upper right. And because Walt Disney was so instrumental in the design of this pavilion, he allowed some of his characters to meet 'n greet Fair guests. In this case, it's Alice and her friend, the White Rabbit. Notice that the lady to the left has her Chrysler Pavilion "VIP" badge.
While it is hard to see, the little kid in the lower right is so excited to meet the White Rabbit!
Over by the New York State pavilion, our friend poses in front of large beds of flowers. Tulips and... I'll just call them "purples". In the distance, the huge General Motors "Futurama" building can be partially seen.
Hey, love birds, get a room!
A World's Fair post without a photo of the Unisphere is like a day without sunshine, so here is a pretty shot of more flowers as seen along the Court of Nations. Flags aplenty for you vexillologists (and I know you're out there)!
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the 1964 World's Fair.
20 comments:
Major-
The Alaska pavilions at both Century 21 and the NY World's Fair bear a strong resemblance to one another (being 'igloo-shaped', and all). Also of note, the architectural firm of Mandeville and Burge who are credited with the Seattle design, are also listed among the group of arcitects responsible for the pavilion in New York.
The Unisphere - Court of Nations is a lovely shot.
Thanks, Major.
Hmm, I wonder if that grizzly bear could be a Kodiak bear? I think Alaskans have a Kodiak bear on their license plates. And Kodiaks can only be found in parts of Alaska. Actually, we're both wrong. It's a stuffed bear. You can tell he's a friendly bear 'cuz he's waving at us.
That's an awfully big shopping bag the nice lady is clutching. And like the bear, it's stuffed.
Alice looks nice here. Maybe a little too old for the part? And a little too worldly; too modern. Where's our dear sweet innocent Alice? But she does look nice.
I imagine that people on the East Coast, at this time, would be more enamoured with the 'real life' Disney characters than West Coasters since Disneyland was 3,000 miles away. Not many would make that long trip to California, and there was no WDW yet.
Major, the "purples" appear to be pansies. Nun spotting at approximately nine o'clock! And she's a rather large example of the species as well. She'll look good mounted on a wall... (sorry). She seems to be on her own; don't they travel in packs?
World's Fair pictures (any World's Fair) are always a treat. Thanks, Major.
Walt Disney had his eye on the East coast long before the New York World’s …. WDI has a feasibility document from 1958 called DISNEYLAND EAST.
That kid in the red hoodie is probably asking the White Rabbit why he is so much taller than Alice, when in the film, he was much shorter than her.
JB, as for your comments on the Sister, we will have nun of that! ;-)
Thanks for the trip to the World's Fair, Major!
Yay! Photos of one of my favorite 17 North American World’s Fairs!
That ursine doesn’t have a stitch of clothing on. He is absolutely bear naked.
I wonder if Disney used local hires for its costumed characters at the Fair or if they were imported from Disneyland?
The last one is gorgeous. The photographer timed that shot perfectly with the finale of the daily Cetacean Show, just as the trained whales all spouted in unison. SPECTACULAR!
You guys and your nun jokes! I want to join in, but I probably shouldn’t. I don’t want to pick up the habit.
Gorgeous shot of the Unisphere and Court of Nations. Postcard perfect!
In the Don Hahn book "Yesterday's Tomorrow: Disney's Magical Mid-Century" there is mention of Joan Crawford and Pepsi's involvement in the New York World's Fair exhibit "it's a small world". A fun book about my favorite era of Walt Disney Productions.
While I love the golden age of animation, it's Disney's mid-century era that I grew up on.
Nice pics, Major!
Lots of ursine in the photos today, Ursus, Nuns, Pansies....a panoply of Flos Fauna Humano magnaursa! Thanks Chuck for passing today's torch of "Latin for Beginners". Of all the languages to learn today, that actually does hit the charts for it's large and varied audience. Does Siri know Latin? She knows everything, especially how to send me down dirt paths that are apparently supposed to be roads...that being said: "World's Fair"! Always a treat to see. I've seen that Alice before...in another photo, at Disneyland so I'm not sure if they hired locals. White Rabbit looks very neat and tidy: must be a new costume. He has his big rapper chain, but I'm not seeing a clock (?) Maybe it didn't make the jet trip. I need to plan a trip to Palm Springs to see that plane...my assistant Danielle will add it to my list of "to do's". Unfortunately, there is no real Danielle, but I can dream can't I? Are the open hours to "its a small world" (lower case) really 9am to 12pm? Isn't 12pm Noon? Enquiring minds want to know. The graphics in the window are Crump-Tastic, and I need one of those on the wall of my office. Actually, I need the entire mobile contraption on my property, including the boat ride (sans dollies.) I don't need fancy dollies, just fancy doilies...because nobody can have enough doilies. "Doily" from a London Shopkeeper who sold such napkins, from the Norman/French "D'Ouilly, Anglicized to Doiley from Doily. Who knew Doiley or Doily could be spelled so many ways. Now....What was I doing? Today, I will pass by the the World's Fair site, and it's always kind of "Matterhorn" to see the big globe from afar, and provokes similar emotions. If the planes make a "good turn" from LGA it's always a good view of the architecture of the fair: which still is basically intact. Thanks Major!
Good idea to make a day trip to the NYWF before then end of the summer. I haven't been out there for a few years since Maker Faire stopped holding an event in the former Transportation area.
Like Bu, I was confused by the 9-12 hours for tours. Maybe it was a "backstage tour" that they could only handle early before the crowds arrived.
JB, I’m not sure that’s a Kodiak bear, didn’t GAF have the film franchise for a while?
Ditto on the purples being pansies, beautiful flower bed.
You be nice to the lady in Holy Orders, she will block your you way, “Nun Shall Pass!”
The last picture is a postcard shot for sure.
Thanks Major!
JG
TM! & JG (& me), I quote Mrs. Chuck, channeling the Bard: “Get thee to a punnery!”
Thanks Major!
Dennis, Levittown NY
@ Bu-
Yes, 12PM IS Noon; but as "All exhibits close at 10 P.M.; some night club shows and restaurants close at 2 A.M.", suspect that 12PM is also correct. Now, why is that-? Enquiring minds do want to know...
Nanook, I guess the folks in charge of Alaska pavilions only had one idea. “What is the thing that most represents our beautiful state?”. “Igloos!”. “Er…”. I like Mandeville, but hate Burge. He still owes me eight dollars! Looking at some of the photos on the blog, I over-lightened them a bit (the darks are weird), but oh well.
JB, As a world-famous bear expert, I can definitely say that the bear in that photo is brown. Watch my “Animal Planet” program for more exciting facts! I dunno, I think Alice is pretty cute, but maybe my standards are low. I’ve read that the very positive reaction to Disney characters from “jaded” New Yorkers was just one more sign that an East Coast park was feasible. I do like seeing nuns at the Fair, and am ashamed that I failed to point that one out. And yes, you frequently see them at least in pairs. Maybe the other one is off getting a Belgian waffle?
Mike Cozart, I’ve heard about several possible “other Disneylands”, including the well-known St. Louis concept. But I wonder if Florida was always the front-runner for locations?
TokyoMagic!, I can just hear the White Rabbit explaining (in a muffled New York accented voice), “Hey kid, I grew since the movie came out, capiche? Now get outta here or I’ll murdalize ya!”.
Chuck, I thought that everyone’s favorite North American fair was the Oxnard World’s Fair (“It’s Better Than Nothing” was there slogan). It is mostly remembered for the building that looked like a giant head of broccoli. My guess is that Disney used local talent to play the characters at the Fair. And now I wish there really was a Cetacean Show.
K. Martinez, I actually have that Don Hahn book, it has been sitting on a shelf nearby ever since I got it, and I don’t think I’ve even flipped through it yet. Maybe today’s the day!
Bu, I do kind of wonder why nuns seemed to be such a fixture of the 1964 Fair? Maybe they all wanted to go to the Vatican pavilion to see the Pieta. I noticed that in Brad Bird’s movie “Tomorrowland”, they had a nun walk past in one of the (rather astonishing) scenes in which the Fair was recreated. Siri might know Latin if you tell her that you are using Latin. I can tell you that her ancient Greek is pretty rusty. I think we’ve seen the White Rabbit with a clock on that chain (“I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”), so we can credit him with pioneering some hip-hop fashion. I noticed the “12:00 PM” thing too - somebody should be flogged. Nicely flogged, but still. I’ve always thought that Disney should make a super-accurate repro of the Tower of the Four winds, with all of the whirligigs and stuff so that they actually move. Sure, it would be expensive, but Disney fans have endless money. Like you, I get a kick out of seeing the Unisphere as I head into Manhattan from JFK, “That thing is really real!”.
Dean Finder, I’ve never actually walked around the former Fairgrounds, though I would like to. Visits to New York are always over-scheduled. Who has time to go all the way out to Queens??
JG, I started writing my comments earlier this morning and made a “Kodiak/Kodak” joke, but thanks to you I cried for an hour and then had to remove it so that it didn’t look like I was stealing from you. I’m not sure I’ll ever recover. I do like that last picture, but I overdid the lightening-up.
Chuck, OY VEY.
Dennis, there you are!
Yay! (Or maybe "Yeeesh!") It's just another manic punday here on GDB.
Major, Alice IS cute; that's the problem (well, not really a "problem"). She's cute in a flirty, modern sort of way, not in a young innocent Victorian child sort of way. Anyway, 'tis a silly point to belabor.
I wonder why they chose Alice and the White Rabbit to represent Disney at the Fair? Come to think of it, we've seen many of the Disney characters at the NYWF. I guess they rotated them in shifts.
Man, I wish I'd seen the Oxnard World's Fair. "It's Better Than Nothing": With a catchy slogan like that, I bet they drew in crowds from several blocks in every direction!
Old enough to remember the World's Fair episode when it aired on "World of Color", and of course revisited on the Treasures DVD. It gave the impression the characters were all there for the grand opening of Disney's exhibits.
Footnote: Ford and GM both had rides. GM's "Futurama 2" was a take on their famous 1939 exhibit, where moving seats took you past models of THE FUTURE. Judging from YouTube footage, it was a bit like the old Supermarionation shows without the puppets, but impressive for the sheer amount of stuff. "Magic Skyway" replaces the moving seats with real cars, focuses on full-sized moving humans and dinosaurs instead of vehicles, but likewise closes with the city of THE FUTURE. Did either company know what the other was planning? You can make a case that either ride was a direct response to the other.
Nanook, I am ashamed to admit that I still don’t know how to tell time. Or tie my shoes.
JB, perhaps only a limited number of women with long-ish blond hair applied to play Disney characters? Besides Alice and the White Rabbit, I’ve seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goofy, Mickey, and…. not sure of others. So New York got a pretty good selection. As for the Oxnard World’s Fair, some people drove from as far away as Camarillo!
DBenson, I’m sure Walt pulled out all the stops for the grand opening of IASW. I wonder if they showed up for the Lincoln exhibit or the Magic Skyway? Both the Magic Skyway and Futurama 2 look like incredible attractions; I believe that General Motors managed to out-draw the Disney exhibits, but not by a lot. Still, that’s a pretty impressive achievement. If I had that time machine working (I need a vacuum tube for one part), I’d definitely want to experience both of those rides.
I got good “Tomorrowland” vibes from the lovely Unisphere shot too.
Funny thing is that in the eyes of Rolly Crump, even NY64/65WF failed to get a ‘super accurate repro of the Tower of the Four Winds’…he hated how it was built. His model was far more light and delicate. Teamsters insisted on engineering it to death and over built it to ‘withstand NY winters. Them wimps from California don’t know from real weather.’
Pansies
MS
MS, I've heard about Rolly's dislike of the Fair's "Tower of the Four Winds", for the reasons that you stated. However, Rolly was an artist, and not an engineer - his "light and delicate" concept might have not been realistic when it was 120 feet tall and subjected to wind stresses and such. Imagine if it had collapsed! I appreciate the nod to safety, and hey, it still looked great to me.
DBENSON : I don’t know if you are aware of the story regarding the FORD pavilion … but all the BIG sponsors kept their plans HUSH … industries spying in the theme industry is a thing. Anyway WED came up with a massive ride thru fir guests in the new FORD convertible… WED spent a great deal of time and energy for the concept and presentation to FORD. Disney imagineers came up with FORD’s SYMPHONY OF AMERICA!!! Guests traveled America Thru the Grand Canyon … the Florida Everglades … across the Golden Gate Bridge … thru the Red Wood Forest thru The French Quarter during Mardi Gras …… WED was very pleased and excited !! Then came the presentation to FORD.. they were quiet and said nothing for awhile … John Hench and Marty Sklar were dumbstruck… then one of the FORD executives said :
“Everyone knows you see the USA in a Chevrolet!!” …. We need something BIGGER!!”
WED had very little time to come up and have build time to come up with a BIGGER concept so they came up with the “history of the world” and the dawn of mankind … so while focus was on bigger props like dinosaurs , mammoths , volcanoes … they couldn’t get fussy with small details like the FUTURE WORLD ( titled space city) so that’s why you saw it as plexiglass silhouettes and moving lights to imply city skylines and fast-moving transportation systems. This exact same prop technique was used for the animated city of the future at the end of the world of motion for Epcot center in the 80s.
This also makes clear why the lower level of the Ford Rotunda was the International gardens models with FORD products from those countries … then the upper level was suppose to be “ symphony of America” ride Thru ….
But they built “ international gardens and dinosaurs “
Almost-matching kids AND a snow-white babushka!
I remember once I asked my aunt why nuns were called nuns, and she said, "Because they've got none brains."
"...large beds of flowers. Tulips and... I'll just call them 'purples.'"
Makes me think of Gertrude's monologue from Hamlet:
"There with fantastic garlands did she come
Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men’s fingers call them."
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