The Last Scans from Keith Schad
Today I am sharing the final four scans from Keith Schad; you can go back and look at the many blog posts with photos from 1958 (taken by his wife's Great Grandfather) and another batch from late 1971 (taken by Keith's father in-law). All four of these are from the 1971 batch.
We'll start with this nice photo of two yellow Mark VII Autopia cars, next to gas pumps that do not advertise Richfield at all. One car has a big dent in the side, in solidarity with the Castle. I like seeing the criss-crossing tracks to the left.
Next is this shot looking up at the pilot house of the Mark Twain; the pilot himself is almost lost in the darkness, but it appears that he is looking right back at us. He probably flashed the 1880s version of a peace sign, whatever that might be.
The big energy crisis of the 1970s was still a few years away, so the Burning Settler's Cabin displayed an impressive blaze. The poor settler doesn't look so good, but I'm hoping his injury is just a flesh wound.
And finally, here's a look at a side wing of the Plaza Inn, with the flowers (in alternating stripes of yellow and purple) in the foreground. Very artsy! You don't see the Plaza Inn from this angle very often.
MANY THANKS to Keith Schad for sharing all of his wonderful family photos! He told me he might have some other non-Disneyland images worth looking at, so stay tuned.
17 comments:
Major-
That rally is a nice view of the Plaza Inn, especially with the carpet of yellow and purple pansies laid out in front.
Many thanks to Keith.
Don't those yellow and purple pansies also feature at the entrance to Tomorrowland? I seem to remember that pattern from Alpine Gardens to Plaza Inn in the pictorial souvenir booklet of that era.
I really love the Autopia pic as it shows the terrain and foliage of the Autopia area.
Great pics, Keith! Thanks.
I think those are torch lilies behind the gas pumps. And now that we have TWO dents in the Park, it makes me wonder if there aren't even more! Maybe they're like Hidden Mickeys, all we have to do is look for them!
An interesting shot of the Mark Twain with the sun just barely eclipsed behind the pilot house. I'm sure that's what Keith's father-in-law was going after.
That's a nice n' clear pic of the burning cabin scene. ("nice n' clear" is BOTH, a floor wax and a photo finish!) The deer on the slope above the cabin doesn't seem to mind the conflagration.
Purple and yellow are opposites on the color wheel. Who woulda thought that a flower bed with those colors would look so nice? But they DO!
Thank you, Keith for sharing your family photos with us! And yes, I'm sure we'd like to see any other pics you have; we're not picky... well, we are, but we're polite about it! Thank you, Major.
Oh, boy, that Autopia dent must have a good story. Let’s hope it wasn’t caused by Tinkerbell, too. I can’t help but think of DrGoat when we see or discuss The Dent on the castle. He was positive that Tinkerbell had slammed into that turret, causing it to cave in. I’m sure he was right.
I always LOVE seeing the purple and yellow flowers together. That combination is striking.
Thank you, Keith, for sharing your family’s Disneyland pictures—these are great! I’m looking forward to seeing the others you have.
Thank you, Major.
The poor settler doesn't look so good, but I'm hoping his injury is just a flesh wound.
Major, I think he is just being overly dramatic, by contorting his body that way.
How does an Autopia car get a dent....on the side of the vehicle?
Thank you, Keith and Major!
As I nod to Tomorrowland...and my time there...my Spring garden is full of Yellow and Purple: it's a popular combination from the bulb company I use: however they don't call it "Tomorrowland Entrance Mix". I think they should: but I'm not sure anyone would "get it". There is also Autopia Yellow and Blue: both of which are very specific colors: with or without a dent. I'm curious how this dent was made: seems like a backstage thing. I remember those nondescript gas pumps: but never saw them actually being used. Please note that the wheelhouse employee on the Mark Twain is wearing his costume correctly with vest buttoned. I looked because we should all "inspect what we expect." (and that statement I've been using since 1980: in fact: I used it yesterday....some things just don't get old.). The burning settlers cabin was always a giant mystery to me: unlike the burning house at Universal...I always thought: what if those flames jumped to the trees and burnt all of Disneyland down? It's not supervised! When I burn a candle in the house, I always put it on a fireproof surface with at least 3 feet in all directions so that the tiny flame could not jump from it's little wick and burn the joint down. Call me a wee paranoid: but better safe than sorry. It seems that the peoples on the Plaza terrace are enjoying an umbrella-free experience. Where were all the umbrellas stored when this happened? PI is a BIG facility: as it serves as a "main kitchen" of sorts: but I've never seen the "umbrella storage garage". Of course, this was the time of the yellow umbrellas and the "Golden Girl". I tried bringing up Plaza Inn Golden Girl on the inter webs, but only hundreds of photos of Bea Arthur come up...maybe another time. There's the GAF photo spot: GAF: From "Standard Paint" to RUBEROID and Timberline roofing shingles...to film, and Viewmasters...and Disneyland..quite the diverse company. General Analine Works....(huh?) OK....still making roofing I see. Thanks Major and Keith for the few bunny holes this morning!
How did I never notice before that the Settler is a redshirt? It all makes sense now!
Big thanks to Keith and the Major! End of an era. (As opposed to the end of an arrow, which is what the Settler got.)
Looking closely at the small print at the gas pump I think I see something about not using your cell phone.
Hey! The yellow and purple flowers match my motorcycle jacket!
Thanks Major and Keith for these superb images.
Zach
Love that final picture of the Plaza Inn. One thing we don't mention much is the amount of work involved in updating and maintaining the grounds. I never gave it a thought how many times a year the display was replaced or refreshed. It's like painting the Golden Gate bridge. When you finish, you just restart at the other end again. I get weary buying 5 or 6 flats of pansies at Costco and getting them in the planters around the house. Then I hope the deer don't eat them. KS
Wow, these are all unusual views of our favorite things. Thank you Keith and Major!
Those certainly are torch lilies planted by the gas pumps, good thing there’s a fire extinguisher nearby.
The captain is fretting over his fretwork. Just a busy gingerbread design and I love it.
I’ve never noticed the deer behind the cabin before, always something new to see. I think Joe is doing yoga, looks like bridge pose from here. Guess he got the point. (must resist Arrow shirt joke)
What a great view of the Plaza Inn, blending the two lands seamlessly. Mom always loved the striped flowers, purple and yellow pansies seemed most common, but I remember a fall/winter combo of different celosia (cockscombs) in red and orange too.
Thanks again, Keith and Major!
JG
Nanook, I guess if you can’t have burnt-orange shag carpet, then a carpet of purple and yellow pansies will have to do!
K. Martinez, yes, I believe that that photo was taken right at the entrance to Tomorrowland - didn’t the flowerbeds extend a bit out into the Plaza area? It was sort of like a colorful “welcome mat” for Tomorrowland. I love the Autopia pic too!
JB, “torch lillies”, now I know what those are called, I see them all the time in people’s yards! My guess is that there are many dents, we need to catalog them. Hidden Mickeys are so 1990! I thought “nice n’ clear” was an acne medication? And huh, I didn’t even notice that deer, I wonder if he’s always been there, hidden in the shadows? I think I remember reading that the purple and yellow flower design was from Rolly Crump, I wonder if he picked those colors randomly, or if it was all a part of his plan?
Lou and Sue, I really do wonder how that Autopia car got a dent in the side, it doesn’t seem possible. If it was Tinker Bell, she needs to seek counseling. Aw, DrGoat, even now it’s weird to think that he is not with us.
TokyoMagic!, some people contort themselves when they have an Owie, I don’t judge. Maybe a Mr. Toad vehicle slammed into the side of that Autopia car?
TokyoMagic!, you are welcome.
Bu, luckily there are lots of yellow and purple flowers out there, I’ve noticed that most wildflowers in the hills of SoCal tend to be either yellow or purple. Sure, there’s some orange or pink in there occasionally, but you can’t ignore the obvious! Hm, maybe that Autopia dent DID happen backstage. Cast member hijinks! Looking at that Mark Twain cast member, I can’t wait until you see one particular photo from the Mysterious Benefactor, I just wrote the blog post and immediately wanted to know “what Bu would think”. Sadly it won’t publish until September 2nd. Yes, that’s how far in advance I am. I too have wondered about the flames and the nearby trees, there have been photo where it seems almost impossible that the trees would not catch fire. And yet, as far as I know, it never happened. Funny about you and candles, if the power goes out at my mom’s house, we always put pillar candles on dinner plates so that there is plenty of room around them. Whenever I see those GAF photo spots, I get angry, like the Incredible Hulk - GAF film has aged so poorly that photos almost always look horrible today.
Melissa, ha ha, I never thought about it, but the Settler must have been a former Mine Train CM! Hilarious.
zach, yes, those big gas-powered cell phones of the early 1970s always had to be turned off when pumping fuel. You have a yellow and purple motorcycle jacket? FAR OUT!
KS, one of my last visits to the park (early this year), I waited at rope drop, and watched as landscape crews walked around, carefully snipping off thin branches from the trees nearby. They worked up until just moments before they let guests in, and then they vanished! Aren’t there varieties of flowers that deer avoid? You should plant those!
JG, another vote for “torch lillies” - I’ve always liked those weird flowers, they look like they would grow on Venus. A good steamboat captain always frets. Unless he plays a fretless banjo. Yes, I never noticed that deer before, maybe he wasn’t added until the very late 1960s? I’ll have to look for him (her) from now on. Oh, red and orange flowers sounds pretty striking too, not sure if I’ve seen photos of that color combo.
Thank you everyone so much for your kind comments and added insights on these family slides! It's been fun seeing them published and reading all your comments!
"Wow, these are all unusual views of our favorite things."
Yellow on pansies and purple on posies,
Filigreed fretwork and gas pumps with hosies,
Bright burning cabins and autos with dings,
These are some views of our favorite things.
Watching a recently made Park video this morning and I realized that the big flower beds in todays photos have been eliminated and the pedestrian traffic is now right up on the patio of the Plaza Inn, where before, the traffic was kept further away, allowing for quieter dining.
TRE
Melissa, LOL
JG
Major, "nice n' clear" is so versatile it can be used for MANY things! In addition to floor wax, photo finishes and acne, it can also be used as a pasta sauce and flat-tire repair kit!
Melissa, perfect! Just perfect!
Keith Schad, it’s always so much fun to share scans from a reader’s personal collection!
Melissa, rhyming “posies” with “hosies”, A+.
JG, those flowerbeds would still be there if there had been a way to monetize them.
JB, nice n’ clear sounds almost as versatile as Shimmer!
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