A Magic Kingdom Selection
It's time for some random Magic Kingdom slide scans, all date-stamped "January 1973", so these are from the early days of that park.
We'll start with this photo of a band of mariachis performing somewhere in Frontierland. Does the Magic Kingdom have much live music anymore? I hope so. I'd love to stroll through and hear the sounds of mariachi music wafting through the air. Notice to the right, in the distance, there is a sign. What does it say?
Here's what I came up with, though it's not super clear:
TO ALL YOU WHAT’S CONCERNED - - -
WHAT’S BEIN’ BUILT OVER ON YONDER ISLAND
AIN’T NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!
SO EVEN IF’N YOU IS WILD OVER SUSPENSHUN
BRIDGES, SLIDES, SECRET CAVES AND OLD
MINE SHAFTS - YOU BEST STAND CLEAR TILL
WE COMPLEAT THIS HERE NEXT SUMMER.
BESIDES, THIS HERE ISLAND IS HAUNTED
SOMETHIN’ TERRIBLE!
X
The old "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" attraction is still one of my favorite subjects to see in old slides. Such a crime that it was removed. Just look at those amazing Nautilus-style subs! Not to mention the "volcanic" rock work (the lagoon is in the caldera of a volcano), and the palm trees that appear to be whipped by strong winds. Monsoon season!
Lastly, and possibly leastly (?) here's a view of the grand Main Street Station, with the Mickey flower portrait. The crowds look light! I wonder how long that planter with the two trees survived? I assume that it is long-gone.
Just for yucks, I thought I'd try a simulated "tilt-shift" effect, so that the train station might look like a little model. I'd say that it was only partially successful, but... better than nothing!
I have LOTS MORE Walt Disney World slides to share with you!
16 comments:
That’s THE DURANGO FIVE ….. playing in front of the original PECOS BILL CAFE ( where the photographer is standing) ….. it was sponsored by Pepsi and Frito Lay …. In fact they sponsored everything along that block of Frontierland from GRIZZLY HALL ( home of The Country Bear Jamboree ) …. The Mile Long Bar ….terminating at the Pecos Bill Cafe . 1973 was a BIG YEAR for Walt Disney World … the opening of Tom Sawyer Island …The Richard Irvine Riverboat …. Caribbean Plaza and the Pirates of the Caribbean …. The Walt Disney Story on Main Street … and the first South Seas Revue over at the Polynesian Village.
When this picture of THE DURANGO FIVE was taken … the Frontierland train depot had recently been completed and ground work and trail construction was well underway leading to the soon to be constructed THUNDER MESA & THE WESTERN RIVER EXPEDITION …. Announced for a 1976 opening……
WED imagineers carefully planed LIBERTY SQUARE and FRONTIERLAND’s architecture and timeline to parallel that of the real United States westward expansion ….from the earliest Dutch settlement…. Thru Virginia … St. Louis …, the Colorado plateau and the gold rush and the southwest….
Then in 1990 Michael Eisner insisted on planting a giant cartoon “Georgia mountain” like a wart in the middle of yer hand between the PECOS BILL CAFE and BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD .
Hmm, I guess those white rocks are WDW's version of the little white wire fencing we see in early photos of the "other park".
"Not to eat, just to hug. " How sweet! Pythons are such caring creatures. They just want to cuddle people, ♫ "Trust in meeee" ♫.
Now that I think about it, the Nautilus Subs resemble angler fish... sort of. Except that most angler fish are only about six inches long.
Such a perfect concept for the Subs, also a perfect use of Disney IP, without it seeming out of place or tacked on.
So who do we have to blame for the removal of the 20,000 Leagues ride?
That's a nice establishing shot of the Main Street Station, including the foreground. They managed to get the whole thing in frame. The photo was taken from an elevated position; I wonder where?
Thanks for the Magic Kingdom photos, Major.
The last pic looks like it's in 'N' scale, nice work Major
Wow. Who knew that Mickey Mouse was such a rotten speller?
We can see the Frontierland totem poles behind that sign.
Did the WDW Jungle Cruise python ever have the water buffalo surrounding it, or was that just the DL version?
And did the Nautilus vehicles always follow so closely behind one another? There are three of them visible in that photo, and they appear to be lined up pretty close together.
Thanks for the trip to WDW, Major.
Note that the exit waterfall of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (man, that is a big sports organization!) is turned off.
JB, that last shot was probably taken from the monorail.
These are fun, Major. Thanks!
I loved the 20,000 Leagues ride! I was sad when I took my young daughter to WDW in 1995 and it was closed. I was sadder when I took her in 2000 and it was gone!
I wanted to send friendly pythons to all the execs thst were involved, but I couldn't find enough long skinny boxes. Alas.
Wow, these are postcardworthy. POSTCARDWORTHY! I don't recall seeing any live music performed in recent visits to the MK. I loved the fife and drum corps that used to play in Liberty Square.
"Who knew that Mickey Mouse was such a rotten speller?"
Maybe that's why the Mouseketeers used to have to spell his name out for him every day.
I'll always regret not riding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea when I had the chance.
Yes I'm with Chuck, that last shot was almost certainly from the monorail and Mike's memory for 50-year-old WDW trivia is better than mine. I could have sworn the river was drained for that TSI construction when we were there in Jan of '73 but it definitely looks fluid in those pictures.
TokyoMagic: in Mickey's defense, he was just copying what Tom wrote down.
Major vintage MK photos are even better than Parking Lot Pics in my opinion!
Also, I have vivid memories of that snake moving the first time I saw it as a kid, but now I'm pretty sure it was just my imagination.
If they can go 20,000 leagues in a hour, I’ll bet those subs could make the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.
Stu(numbers) I totally agree, the 20K subs were a brilliant notion and my urge to visit WDW markedly diminished after their removal.
Those mariachi guys are doing serious work. I love that music, it’s like summer. Live music in the Parks is a necessity and it’s sad not to have it.
Thanks Major!
JG
Major-
Now... if they only put The Durango Five and The Gonzales Trio on the same bill-! "Ah, who am I kidding? There will never be another Woodstock".
Thanks, Major.
Taking out 20K was bad...very bad...if anything...it was super good worldwide press. As a Walt Disney World wanna be when the place first opened, I saw the footage of Nautilus(s) in the opening sequence of The Wonderful World of Disney...and I wanted to GO! Badly! I did see it later...I had to have...but I have zero recollection. I took hundreds of photos during that visit in '82. All gone: left behind in some move...hope someone is either enjoying them, or has sold them. The train station is so perfect it looks like a model: especially pic #2. I don't have the emotional connection to Walt Disney World as I have for Disneyland for some obvious reasons. I would say the #2 or #3 question I got asked as a TG was about "tunnels". I did go down to the utilidors during an employee trip. I don't have much recollection other than I think it was smelly...kind of concrete + locker room + plastic fabric smell (like an old Newberry's Dept. Store). Apparently, they don't have cross-park employee backstage tours anymore...which is kind of a shame if this is correct. It certainly at the time gave me a much better perspective of the giant company I worked for when Disneyland still was so charmingly "mom and pop" feeling. Always love a mariachi band. I think every time I was at Olvera St. in LA, there was always one playing...with the ladies and their dresses. I haven't been to Olvera St. in decades...hope it hasn't been too TRE'd. It was generally the "digestion walk" after roast beef sandwiches and cheesecake at nearby Phillipes. I really must go back despite some mixed reviews I've seen of late. Nothing like a French Dip, with mustard so hot it blows your hair back. Thanks Major to the trip to Florida!
Mike Cozart, thank you for the info about The Durango Five, and for all of the other context for WDW circa January, 1973! Much like the early years of Disneyland, these early years for WDW had so much going on, it was pretty exciting. Except that as a Disneyland fan, I felt like we were forgotten! I know that isn’t true, but it felt that way. So I gather that you are not a fan of Splash Mountain? I actually quite liked that attraction (I’ve only been on the Anaheim version of course), and am glad I got to ride it before it closed forever. I understand the issues with the ride, but… what can I say, I enjoyed it.
JB, those rocks are high tech “astro rocks”! If you’ll remember, the Nautilus was often mistaken for a “sea monster” in the original book, so I’m sure that Harper Goff purposely gave the Nautilus design a “face”. Also: anglerfish are cool and weird! I have no idea where the photographer was standing for that last photo, maybe on the back of an alligator?
walterworld, if it looks like a model RR station, then the “tilt shift” was a success!’
TokyoMagic!, Mickey Mouse is a very good speller, just not when he is drunk. Give him a break, TM! I have heard that one of the issues with the submarine rides was their relatively low capacity, so I’m sure they were trying to cram as many guests on the attraction as possible, though it does look like a submarine traffic jam.
Chuck, good eye on the turned-off waterfall. What gives? I want my money back. And I want other people’s money back too. I am also very sad that I never saw the 20K ride, it looks like it was pretty amazing - like Anaheim’s subs, only “plussed”.
Melissa, from what I have heard, there is not as much live music performed at the Magic Kingdom. Not sure why… is it because the park is so much larger? I mean, that’s not a very good excuse. And now that I’m thinking of it, did Jimmy Dodd write the Mickey Mouse March theme song? If only there was someplace where I could look things up!
Scott Lane, that’s a pretty nice clear photo if it was taken from the Monorail. Unless the Monorail was stopped? But I believe you! It is very possible that the river was drained for a while, I would assume it wouldn’t take very long to refill in Florida. Whoa, better than parking lot pics?? Strong words!
Melissa, I think the Disneyland version moved, so I assume that the WDW version did too.
JG, who is Kessel? And why is he always running? The removal of the 20K ride was almost impossible to believe. Well, at least it was then. Now… I’d believe almost anything! I wonder if there are any videos of The Durango Five?
Nanook, I admit that I would watch The Durango Five and The Gonzalez Trio. I’d especially love it if I could wallow in mud and take lots of drugs!
Bu, for me the 20K subs was always one of the coolest rides at the Magic Kingdom; whenever I saw it on TV or in photos, I wished that the Anaheim subs looked that cool. I wonder if there was ever any consideration to move the Nautilus subs to California? I realize that we did not have the Jules Verne theme, but it sure seems like a shame that most of the subs rotted backstage for years. Oh man, I saw your sentence about “hundreds of photos” and got all excited, it kills me that you left them behind! Maybe I own some, ha ha. Obviously I have no emotional attachment to WDW, but I am very interested in the first five or ten years of its development and operation. And yes, everyone loves hearing about the Utilidors, it’s a very cool idea. When I build my third mansion, I will have utilidors between various buildings. I like mariachi bands, just not in a restaurant. All conversation stops dead, and for me half the fun of being at a restaurant with friends is talking to them. I last went to Olvera Street about five years ago, and while it hasn’t been TRE’d, it seemed a bit deserted. And I hoped to buy a nice Mexican blanket, but there were none to be found that day. Lots of ceramic skulls, but no blankets. I went to Phillipes once, and it was fine, I guess I don’t really care for the soggy bread thing. But I would like to try it again someday.
The WDW 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA attraction was the result of “lots learned at Disneyland “ . I’m not sure about the capacity , but the Florida subs loaded very quickly … guests entered parallel sets of slopped stairs from a rear hatch … the exit end featured the spiral steps and they were wider than the Disneyland counterparts. Because of this efficient change, you could literally load new passengers while the previous load was dis embarking…. As oppposed to the slow …Disneyland sub voyage load/unload format. These Submarines were BEAUTIFUL!!! And so iconic to Walt Disney World.. one massive problem however were that the exterior “nautilus” element were fiberglass …. And in the water and under the Florida sun … the fiberglass quickly cracked and became brittle …. Causing……. LEAKS …. And the attraction’s nickname “20,000 LEAKS Under The Sea”. The maintenance was triple of the Disneyland counterpart …. And the attraction began to have rehabs scheduled closer and closer together … and attraction down times became frequent because of the leaky submarine fleet. WDW management did to 20k attraction exactly what DL management did to the PeopleMover /Rocket rods … they kept postponing fixes and updates or replacements until it was just too far gone to save ( within the bean counters scope)
When it was decided to remove the attraction there was plans for a Nautalus walk thru line the one in DL PARIS …. Eisner thought maybe such a walk Thru would be better at his DISBEY - MGM STUDIO TOUR … and a location was studied for it over there … then there was plans of combing the nautilus walk Thru with the “Journey to the center of the earth” tram tour addition to create a “Vulcania theme land” ….. and the idea was was so popular it was built at Tokyo Disneyland. And Florida got muppets instead .
Had Disneyland gotten EACAPE FROM ATLANTIS in its Tomorrowland, the submarines were going to to altered to have a Tech-Steampunk look to them …. Eisner canceled ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS because the cartoon ATANTIS bombed despite ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS the attraction had absolutely nothing do to with the film …
Major: I LOVE SPLASH MOUNTAIN …. But not in Frontierland and not next to The Haunted Mansion.
On a side note : most guests can sing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah …. But most guests can’t even NAME a song or character from
The Frog Prince …… except “Frog”
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