Scenes On the River, 1950s
I have a batch of slides from the 1950s that features a LOT of views of Frontierland as seen from the Mark Twain. So many that I took a break, and now there are just a few remaining.
There it is! The legendary Friendly Indian Village. They can afford to be friendly when their encampment is guarded by that fierce mountain lion atop the rock to the left. Even from this distance we can see some of the bright patterns painted on the teepees, not to mention nearby meese. Through the trees to the extreme right we can see the yellow wheels of a Stagecoach. And let's not forget to mention the yellow passenger cars of the Disneyland Railroad!
As the Mark Twain approaches the dock, the frontier becomes much more civilized. Just look at the crowds right in the center of the picture! Below them, another Stagecoach prepares to cross the Great Plains. That funny tree in the distance looks like a rocket. Nature sure is funny!
9 comments:
Hey! What happened to Shiny Boy and his dog?! I guess he wasn't part of the tribe yet.
Just above the bull moose we can see Landshark slicing his way through the underbrush; gnashing his teeth and swishing his powerful tail. He seems headed for the Stagecoach! Oh, the carnage! Actually, there's two of 'em! The other Landshark is bigger and whiter than the first. He's almost to the Stagecoach and is getting ready to ram the wheel! I can't look! (But I'm gonna.)
Seeing the whole tableau like this, bordered by the Train and the Stagecoach, makes the FIV look pretty small.
That "funny tree in the distance" must be in the birch family, or possibly ash, with that gleaming white trunk. With its lack of branches, it'll make an excellent totem pole. Looks like somebody already carved their initials high up on the trunk: "TWA".
Wow! No kidding about the big crowd of people. They're everywhere! Maybe they're waiting for Fantasmic! (A loooong wait!)
Thanks for the fantastic fifties fotos, Major.
What a busy day in the land of Frontier, and a peaceful one at the village down the road....if it were me, I'd be hanging at the peaceful one, eating fish jerky and figuring out how my friend shiny boy could get into this movie. I thought, as a looked at the Frontierland Street: hmmmm...since Knotts was a stone's throw away, was this not considered when building Frontierland? This could very well be the back lot at 500 Buena Vista, with Zorro prancing around in his cape...Did we: meaning "the people" think that Beach Boulevard and Harbor Blvd could support TWO "Western" type attractions?....looks like the people voted "yes" due to the crowds, and for the "other Walt's place": wasn't it really about chicken? Is this making any sense? Was shiny boy considered TRE? There's a guy in a suit on the right pointing out an AAED to his friends. I'd ask...why is he wearing a suit?, but I suppose they all were. I definitely wear a jacket to Disneyland, but forgo the tie...maybe for next time. A white shirt however would turn my ensemble into "Waiter" or "Uber Driver" or "Doorman". Will have to re-think the tie. I have a Don Loper skinny tie...who knew he made guys things too and not just gowns for celebrities in the 50's. If you look very quickly at the village, the tops of the DLRR look like a Monorail beam. Maybe if the Monorail beam were painted go- away-green in this scene, it wouldn't be sooooo unnatural (?)...there is also a tunnel ahead that I am not remembering seeing in any other photos...it's also missing the TV satellite dishes that are now on the tee pees....(tee hee)....it seems like that log was BUILT for shiny boy and dog...maybe this is pre "SB+D"...or maybe shiny boy is in rehab (?.....) could be. Thanks for the through provoking morning Major!
Shiny Boy is AWOL, getting a quick coat of varnish at the tanning salon.
This early view with new landscaping shows how condensed this scene really is. A few years from the photo date and all these will be individual tableaux, and the tunnel will be hidden until the wookies move in.
Bu, it’s always about chicken.
Major, in a few years, they will disguise that funny tree as a cell tower to look more natural.
Thank you for the Frontier views!
JG
JB, yes, Shiny Boy was not there in the earliest years, not sure exactly when he showed up. The overturned canoe is there though. I thought Landsharks only delivered Candygrams? I have no doubt that some of those trees are birches, my mom has two in her backyard that look very much like those (even though they must be at least 50 years old). I will wait for Fantasmic! for as long as it takes, and boy won’t everyone behind me be jealous!
Bu, fish jerky, hmmm. That being said, Trader Joe’s sometimes has salmon jerky. I’m too scared to try it (plus I’m not super crazy about salmon). As for Frontierland, Davy Crockett was such a phenomenon in the 1950s, AND Disney had it’s share of western movies, that it would be almost unthinkable to not have a “western land” of some sort. I doubt they were too worried about Ghost Town, which was wonderful, but quite different in its details. Suits: back in those days you often saw men in suits, or at least sport coats. I hope I never have to wear a suit to Disneyland! I wonder what you could get away with wearing that would make you look like a CM without breaking any rules? It would be fun to give out wrong information. “The park closes at 3 PM today”. With all of the changes to Frontierland, I doubt that that particular tunnel (in photo #2) survives, at least not exactly where it was in the 1950s. As I said to JB, Shiny Boy was not there in the earliest of years, I think maybe he was added in ’57. Or so.
JG, oh I thought Shiny Boy was so glossy because of all the lotion, just like I wear. I need my skin to be “baby soft”, like in the commercials. For some reason. KBF really did spring from the need to keep the long line of guests entertained while they waited 2 to 3 hours for their chicken dinners. Seems hard to believe today.
Bu, I see what you did there. That did not go over MY head. ;o)
Look to the right of the 2nd image...looks awful, like shanty town. What are those?!
Thanks, Major.
—Sue
Sue, I saw those tents, too. Weird. Surely they aren't Adventureland's markets encroaching upon Frontierland's territory? Maybe the Boy Scouts held their Jamboree in Disneyland that year. ;-)
Sue, I guess whatever Bu did went over MY head?? The shanty town is the Zocalo marketplace.
JB, I can only assume that the Zocalo structures were supposed to evoke a humble south-of-the-border place where people could buy souvenirs, goods woven from palm leaves (purses, hats), ceramic items, blankets, maracas, and all sort of other wonders.
Major, one time I was at the MK in Florida, I was wearing an orange fedora with fox-like ears attached and a shirt and pants that resembled Nick's (the fox in the recent-at-the-time Zootopia). While standing around waiting for family members who were in a shop, people started asking me questions about where things were. It was after the third or fourth person before I realized they assumed I was a cast member. I should have started giving made-up facts like yours.
A much larger Early Californian -southwestern section of Frontierland was designed … art directed by Sam McKim …. But only 1/2 of it was built in favor of keeping the mine train loading area in the same location …. Here ZORRO was to have had his own area while Davy Crockett had the rest . One of the fountains built at WDW’s Caribbean Plaza was actually designed back in the 1950’s for Disneyland’s Mexican village ….
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