A Pair From November 1957
I have two beauties for you today, circa November 1957. Oh boy, the entrance to Tomorrowland, my favorite. We should probably buy and ice cream bar before we step into the future, we'll need that sugar. The entrance (and subsequent courtyard surrounding the Clock of the World) is lined with flags of all 48 States. As usual, I won't mention the posters, because it's against everything I stand for. What a beautiful November day it was!
We've seen this family before, including dad with an dagger through his head. Little spots of bright color from balloons, and the kinetic sculpture at the Skyway Terminal help to draw us into the land.
And here's a view of the ol' Pirate Ship... nothing terribly unusual, but it's a beautiful sight to see, just the same. The ship seems to always look glossy and new in photos, they must have polished it with tuna oil. I've noticed that lanterns are almost always lit, even in the brightest daylight. Maybe it was easier to just switch them on in the morning so that nobody would forget?
13 comments:
Major-
Evidently the photographer of the first image failed to read any of the "How To" booklets on image composition, otherwise the subjects wouldn't be sooooo far away. On the other hand, that one gent is perfectly positioned so the flagpole is coming directly out of his head - so all is not lost.
"Maybe it was easier to just switch them on in the morning so that nobody would forget?"
Actually, they discovered it was easier to just eliminate all the switches. See - problem solved.
Thanks, Major.
Red dress: check. Red dress: check. Red shirt: check... Hmm, Dad must not have gotten the memo. The least they could've done was give Dad a red balloon to carry around all day, to complete the red theme. I see that these are the regular round balloons (with Mickey's face, I assume). I guess mouse-ear balloons weren't a thing yet?
Lots of deep, saturated colors here; I like it!
Evidently we get only one trashcan for all of Tomorrowland. Wow, Walt really was strapped for cash in the early days!
Major, I think the tuna oil polishing of the Pirate Ship was an accidental side effect. When they gave Paco the parrot free run of the ship he invariably got into the empty tuna cans stored onboard, as parrots do. He would flick the empty cans out of the trash bins, not unlike Walt flicking chili beans out the window, getting the tuna oil all over the place.
Even though we can't see all of the Pirate Ship, I like this photo a lot; the clarity, the colors of the ship, the rigging going in all directions, and the blue sky with clouds.
Nice colorful, vintage photos today, Major.
JB, ha ha! As soon as I saw the word "flick" in your comment, I thought of Walt flicking chili from the window of his Firehouse apartment. And then you "went there!"
Regardless of how the tuna oil got onto the ship, the feral cats of Disneyland must have loved licking all of it's surfaces! And of course, if lead paint had been used on the ship, then kids would have loved licking the ship, too.
“Dad, if you don’t wear anything red, how will anyone know this was 1957?” “Oh, they’ll know, Junior — they’ll know.”
What a beautiful, clear day! You can see all the way to the Santa Ana Foothills in the distance in the first photo.
The Tuna Tug looks spectacular here. The cannon barrels were just glued to blanked-out gun ports, weren’t they? Didn’t bother me as a kid. It doesn’t really bother me now.
Fun start to a Fantastic Friday. Thanks, Major!
The Tomorrowland "World of 1986" image reminds me of several Disneyland nickel postcards from that era. Quite nice!
The dad with a dagger through his head is an Omen. Quick! Call Gregory Peck to warn this father. Of course, his family is dressed in "devil" red for the special occasion.
Thanks, Major.
JB, The Red Balloon couldn't make it for the photo op. It was busy spending the day in Ménilmontant, Paris where it met its end.
Major, did Agatha Christie provide these images?? One with a dagger through the head, one with a flagpole through the head...the suspense builds...who will be next?
Sue
MOONLINER!!!!!!!!
Ok, I feel better now.
They tried polishing the ship with tuna oil, but the stray cats ate it down to the studs. They rebuilt it several times but finally gave up with the last Fantasyland upgrade...
I saw that plain green trash can and immediately thought “1957”.
I love the dagger pic, don’t remember it at all.
Those folks up on deck should use some tuna oil to polish those cannons.
I had a tuna sandwich for lunch yesterday from deep sadness over the latest Park developments. Made me think of the loss of the old Tuna Clipper.
Thanks Major, excellent views on Friday!
JG
Nanook, I guess it’s tough when you can’t decide whether you are more interested in the overall scene (Tomorrowland in all its glory) or the family. At least there are other close-up portraits of the folks in this batch.And it’s hard to avoid flagpoles when there are 49 (including the US flag?) right there!
JB, yes, this was prime “red dress/red coat/red underwear” time. Dad = red underwear. I love Kodachrome slides from this era, the colors really are dazzling on a bright sunshiny day. Maybe trashcans were not seen as “futuristic”? In 1986, trash will be a thing of the past! I used to feel sorry for Paco the Parrot, but he sounds like kind of a jerk. Keep him in his tiny cage, I say! No more flicking of any foodstuffs!
TokyoMagic!, I hope someday a biography of Walt comes out with stories of how he loved to flick chili from the window of the Firehouse. That would make me so happy. I sure miss the rich flavor of lead-based paint, I would eat it all day long. So crispy!
Chuck, I love that 1957 is now known as “the year of the red clothing”. All thanks to GDB and the brain trust! I love photos with blue skies and some wispy clouds for visual interest, it reminds me of vintage postcards where they added skies like that after the fact. The cannon barrels were glued in as you suspected, and they used that brown, gloppy mucilage.
K. Martinez, postcards?! See my comment to Chuck! Great minds think alike. I wonder if Steve Martin ever considered having a dagger through his head rather than an arrow? Maybe he thought the arrow was funnier. Or more visible from far away. “The Red Balloon”, I remember that movie was shown when I was in grade school, for several years in a row, and I always liked it. I assume it is on YouTube, I should look for it!
Sue, GDB is now rated “R” for mature audiences!
Stu29573, at least now you won’t suddenly yell “MOONLINER!” while you are in line at McDonalds. Cats eating full-sized ships has happened since the earliest days of sailing, there are songs about it.
JG, trashcan painting technology took a big leap after 1957, probably due to the space program. Tuna oil has 1,001 uses, I comb it into my hair on windy days. And yes, I am sad about the latest announcements (regarding New Orleans Square), so stupid and pointless.But there will be a new shop, that's all that matters.
Major, I forgot to mention, those yellow bulbs in the ship's lanterns were the same "bug repellent" bulbs we had in our back porch lights.
The yellow color was supposed to be invisible to bugs, or had some kind of repulsion so they wouldn't gather around the light. Another one of my glimpses into "Disneyland was in the same universe as the real world".
I remember at some point after a burglary, my Dad put up a electric eye mercury vapor light on a pole to light the equipment yard and the area around the house. Bugs LOVED that light, and the toads loved the bugs. The toads would come and gather on the driveway under the light and feast. It must have been like a smorgasbord for them. Oddly, I can't recall if the yellow lights worked or not...
JG
JG, I didn’t remember that they used yellow bulbs on the pirate ship - was it for the warm glow? Or was it to reduce the amount of moths and other bugs?Or both? My grandma and grandpa used to use a “bug light” on their back porch, I always hated the way it looked. The thought of all those toads at your Dad’s house getting fat on bugs makes me happy!
Tokyo!, Yeah, I can't see the word "flick" now, and not think of Walt flicking chili beans. And there's just something about kids and lead paint; inseparable. What'cha gonna do? Just like, I can't see a duck at our local pond and not think its an AED. I consider myself lucky that I haven't been "blowed up real good" yet.
Chuck, like I said, Dad didn't get the memo. Anyone who shoves knives through their head is gonna lose a few brain cells now and then.
J. Nartubez, poor red balloon, stoned to death.
Stu,... Ah. The truth about the demise of the Pirate Ship is finally revealed. THE CATS DID IT! That ties in nicely with Sue's Agatha Christie reference.
Major, "red underwear"... didn't think of that one. I guess it takes a special kind of brain to think of things like that. Things like: "gorillas don't blog". Who knew!
Ah, you were a lead paint eater as a kid... that explains sooo much.
JG, wonderful story about the yard light, bugs, and toads. The universe is so interconnected!
The 1957 Red theory is unbeaten.
Maybe those lights weren't electric, but tuna oil lamps. Since there was a constant supply, the lights never ran out.
I heard about the changes to the HM. Sounds like they really just wanted to expand the seating for Tiana's cartoon intrusion on NOS, but they tried to sugar coat it with some queue additions (assuming they're not gimmicky like in WDW) and a gift shop (Memento Mori is one of the better themed shops in WDW) It does sound like they're trying to graft the literal story from WDW's HM onto Disneyland's version, though.
I expect that this is going to be another project that they build in anticipation of huge demand, which then tapers of severely after an initial few months. (Yes, Wookie World, I'm looking at you)
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