I just happened to have two scans from February, 1964 - different photographers, but they belong together, don't you agree?
This first one is a fun look at Fantasyland on a sunny late afternoon. Two ladies are amused to have discovered a REAL ELF. Will the elf grant them wishes? We can only hope. The bowsprit of the Pirate Ship can be seen, and Monstro the Grumpy Whale's starboard side looms. Let's head over to the Fan 2 Snack Bar for a hamburger.
Now we're in Tomorrowland, at the area behind Monsanto's plastic House of the Future. As if you hadn't already had your mind blown by the futuristic house, there was more to see once you exited. Kids could climb on that amorphous sculpture (I thought it was concrete, but fiberglass seems more apt), very "Henry Moore". Along that back wall, advertisements for various manufacturers who contributed to the HOTF can be read by dad. "Well, I'll be!". On the other side of the wall, you can see an upside-down 1963 souvenir guidebook - I guess they just sold those until they were gone before introducing the newest iteration.
Agreed! Thanks again Major for the daily feast. Think I'll have tuna tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDeleteThat "Elf" is as cute as a button-!
"See the synthetic fibers of the future" Oh, really-? Just how many synthetic fibers were left to "be discovered" by 1964-? Polyester had been around since the 1930's but took a backseat to Nylon until the early 50's. Fleeced Polyester seems to be the obvious choice for 'future fibers', but that was only a modification to an existing fiber.
Let's all cheer for Dyneema, Spectra and Zylon for some post-1964 'fibers of the future' - doubtful any of those appeared on the signage seen in this image...
Thanks, Major.
A lot of guests seem to be looking at us, the camera, in the first pic. Maybe Walt is taking the picture! Yeah, probably not. Could be a costumed CM though! Major, it looks like a good time to hit Fan 2 for that burger; hardly anybody is there! I suppose the 'elf' and the two ladies are together? Or maybe not. Maybe the elf is hitting them up for spare change so she can buy a pack of Lucky Strikes. (Elves can make themselves look cute and innocent to catch people off guard.) Hmm, "elves", "themselves"... there must be something clever to make of that.
ReplyDeleteThose sculptures look like alien dinosaur bones. Or maybe kaiju teeth. I like the lozenge-shaped signs overhead: "See the synthetic FIBERS of the future" (Nanook already mentioned that one), "See the easy-to-care-for plastic [something]". "Dutch Boy" doesn't exactly say 'future', does it. Oh well, I guess they'll still need paint in the future. Reminds me of one of my favorite sci-fi stories: "A Can of Paint", by A. E. van Vogt.
The picture of Walt Disney on the guidebook brought to mind the limited series on the History Channel: "How Disney Built America" that I've been watching. I'm not too keen on their choice of actor to play Walt. He doesn't look like Walt. He doesn't sound like Walt. I have the same complaint about Tom Hanks as Walt in "Saving Mr. Banks". I like Tom Hanks, but he doesn't look or sound like Walt... he looks and sounds like Tom Hanks. Bob Gurr is seen a bit as one of the 'talking heads' on the show, reminiscing about the 'old times'.
Your pics today got my mind wandering. Thanks, Major.
^ The elves themselves live mainly on the shelves." :-D
ReplyDeleteThere's that palm tree that we saw in yesterday's post. It appears to be leaning or blowing in the same direction (this time, towards us), once again.
ReplyDeleteI remember that carpeting was a common prize on game shows of the 70s, and they would mention that it was carpeting made of "Anso Nylon." I think there was also a Roman numeral in the name. As a kid, I was used to hearing the game show announcers mention that "Anso Nylon" fiber quite often, but I never knew what it was. Just like I never knew who Rula Lenska was.
Behold - the foothills of JG’s Rocks! I guess they should really be called the rumphills, because that’s what gets seated there, although I suppose one could put a foot up there to tie one’s shoes. Or perhaps to trim one’s toenails. YMMV.
ReplyDeleteThe second photo shows that even in the future, some things will never change. No matter how nice a house you live in, there will always be somebody in the neighborhood who will one-up everyone with a castle bigger than anyone else’s.
"Elf" is giving "Sue Vibes" ...just saying...at first I thought the photos were going to say "Presented by Lou and Sue"...but these smartly dressed ladies seem to be rando's. It's nice to see uncrowded and so freshly fresh...even Fan II looks good. Disneyland...or rather "Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort" has become a monster...I'm wondering if the Park opened today, in it's current state...would it continue to be a phenomenon? Something to debate on the GDB Podcast: coming soon. (rumor officially has started...) Speaking of Fan II...I am super interested how that became a well known word/designation. What was the "real" name in the guidebook? Fan II, and it's cousin Fan I were internal terms...kind of like Cast Member...where the internal term was simply "employee"...the internal/external term, was uncommonly Cast Member...and now today, anything I read from "normies" designates employees as "Cast Members" like they have some internal knowledge...it makes me crazy, like many many many other things. I'd love to have a house full of synthetic fibers but the place might smell a bit plastic-y I think. I'm all about "easy care fabrics"...but enjoy the tactile feels of things like linen, silk, cotton, wool....didn't we have enough natural fibers? We had to invent fake fibers? I wish things like cotton could grow around me, as I would certainly grow it and knit things. Sheep are around...but a bit smelly, and you need acreage to be zoned for livestock. I'm zoned for two Chickens...(for real) not four...but two. They smell a bit too, but make great fertilizer. Next to my field of cotton I'd also put the Henry Moore/Finn Juhl/et al. sculpture. I could soooo rock that sculpture in my yard. I bought some Finn Juhl planters for a project...that stuff isn't cheap...where is this sculpture now? Was that "Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland" actually Walt Disney's guide? Or was it the Marty Sklar guide? I had that guidebook once...luckily, those things now are not so hard to find in the advent of modern tech. Back in the day you had to know other collectors, go to ephemera shows, and basically hunt: which was part of the fun. Now: go online: you can find anything you want..for money....which of course is a good thing...and perhaps not so good. Thanks Major!
ReplyDeleteBu, the names of the Fan I and Fan II food locations were listed in the guidebooks as, "Character Food Stands." (The employee term "Fan," was short for "Fantasyland.")
ReplyDeletehttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRRfrDKM4F4J0e8aysPUGtwDD3JzbawDq0SwU3QjGKojNkAjAND27N9SauMlZHeXvC54aPkCiJZHjoj8shxSnDzS6TH_XHICkNFBHsM3ZltkOyIhB8gNMpkxqKXcLy1vTGBU1haIvaFk/s1586/Spring+%252775+%252810%2529.jpg
The Fantasyland pic does it for me. It evokes wany warm memories.
ReplyDeleteI used to get the usual hamburger, fries and Coke at "Character Foods" by Alice in Wonderland. The food items were usually named after the current Disney animated characters of the day with burgers named "Robin Hood" and "Friar Truck" from Walt Disney's "Robin Hood". Kind of like how Tomorrowland Terrace had the burgers named "Space Burger" and "Moon Burger"
The pictorial souvenir booklets were my favorite items to buy when at Disneyland. I have every single pictorial booklet released from pre-opening of Disneyland to current. That includes all the inserts and the "special" 1967 booklet. Again, it my favorite souvenir from Disneyland. They don't really do those anymore.
Thanks, Major.
What a cute elf. I wonder if all those folks belong together. I kind of think not, the older lady has that same reaction we are all having, “oh how cute!” Which she might not have if they were together.
ReplyDeleteChuck, thank you for noticing the rocks. Your noticing them has been noticed.
Tokyo, the Anso IV product is what you are thinking of, popular carpet fabric. Ansos I-III never made it to market. Pro tip, polyolefin fiber is cheaper but wears faster than solution-dyed nylon, always get nylon carpet.
I always thought Henry Moore was overrated, but the sculptures have “some” utility.
Ken, now that you mention it, I do recall those food names, but I don’t think we ever ordered there. Thank you!
Thanks Major, a good start to the day!
JG
walterworld, hopefully you will make a genuine Chicken of the Sea tuna burger!
ReplyDeleteNanook, I do like fleeced polyester, admittedly. It’s funny, polyester used to be a bad word, but they have improved it so that now all I wear is polyester suits. Dyneema, Spectra, and Zylon, my three daughters!
JB, it really does seem like everyone is looking at the photographer in that first photo, what gives? I want some photos OF Walt, but I’m not sure I care about photos BY Walt. Elves can smoke cigarettes with no ill effects, one of the many advantages of being an elf. I like the way those sculptures are so “modern”, no standard monkey bars in the future! Maybe the Dutch Boy is wearing all silver lamé in the future? I am not aware of the series “How Disney Built America”; but I often do not like historical reenactments. They should have gotten Arnold Schwartzenegger to play Walt Disney! Bob Gurr, bless the man, he will show up anywhere you need him!
JB, BRILLIANT.
TokyoMagic!, that darn leaning palm tree should be fired. It gets paid to stand straight up! Oh man “Anso Nylon”, that is a blast from the past! It’s just like regular nylon, only it has a golden drop of Retsin.
Chuck, I’m just glad you didn’t say “butthills”, because it gives me an opportunity to do so. I’ll bet more than a few people stood on those “natural” rock benches, so “foothills” would be apropos. I want to be the jerk who builds the bigger castle, especially if it blocks everyone else’s view!
Bu, I agree, there’s something about the elf photo that reminds me of li’l Sue. Both cute little girls, I guess! The park really does look especially spotless in that picture, not so much as a piece of popcorn on the vast expanse of slurry. Funny, I have also wondered how Disneyland would do if it opened today. I also wonder how I would feel about it if I hadn’t gone as a child, and only started going when I was older and more cynical? “Fan I” and “Fan II” do appear on souvenir wall maps with those names, so it must have been somewhat official, even if the general public wasn’t aware. The park has been pushing “cast member” as the correct term for decades, though I have known a number of people who worked there who use both “cast member” and “employee” interchangeably. I guess it’s like “ride” and “attraction”, despite what they say, the word “ride” was used plenty in official park literature. Artificial fibers have their advantages, don’t worry, the natural ones aren’t going away. I don’t wear a lot of silk, linen, or wool, at least in California. Too fancy for me, or too itchy! Chickens… somebody near my mom has a rooster, that thing starts crowing at about 5:30 in the morning. And it crows ALL DAY. You can also hear it going, “buck buck buck BAGAW!”. I’m sure Marty Sklar wrote those guides, Walt had better things to do. He might have had to approve it anyway. “Less curse words, Marty”. I sure spent a lot of time and money going to collectibles shows around SoCal in the pre-eBay days!
TokyoMagic!, “Character Food Stands”, hmmm. Did the characters caper around those eateries?
K. Martinez, I sort of like the idea of changing the names of the food items depending on what was in theaters. “Friar Tuck” should have been fried chicken! I agree, those souvenir guidebooks were so great, they must have sold a jillion of them. Even old ones are not rare, I could have scores (maybe hundreds) of 1955 books if I was willing to pay for them.
JG, I can only assume that at least one of those ladies was “Grandma”, or maybe the little girl was lucky enough to have both of her grandmas with her that day. I only buy carpet made from the fur of endangered animals, it is so luxurious! Henry Moore’s stuff is not for everyone, but I sometimes find the organic shapes to be appealing, and the monumental stuff always impresses.
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteThanks for chiming-in with Character Food Stands. (I wonder if they were operated by UPT Concessions in the 50's & [at least] the early 60's-?) I know UPT Concessions operated the Space Bar and (probably) the Yacht Bar along with all the Popcorn wagons.
UPT Concessions, you might remember, was a part of the result of the 1948 Paramount Consent Decree..."United Paramount Theatres, Inc. (UPT) was incorporated on November 15, 1949, as a spin-off of Paramount Pictures' movie theater operations pursuant to the Supreme Court anti-trust ruling in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc...
"American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc. (AB-PT) became the name of United Paramount Theatres, Inc. on February 9, 1953, to reflect its post merger status as the parent company of the merged companies, American Broadcasting Company and United Paramount Theatres".
AND THEN... "In 1954, AB-PT made a deal with Walt Disney to provide capital for his proposed Disneyland project in Anaheim, California. For $500,000 in cash and a guarantee of $4.5 million in bank loans, AB-PT acquired a 34.48% interest in Disneyland, Inc. and secured an agreement with Walt Disney Productions to provide programs for the ABC-TV network. AB-PT's subsidiary, UPT Concessions, Inc. was enlisted to operate Tomorrowland's Space Bar (original name Stratosnak) and other concession establishments within Disneyland".
AND FINALLY... "In June 1960, Walt Disney Productions completed the purchase of AB-PT's share of the company for nearly $7.5 million and its TV contract, and the theme park became a fully owned subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions".
And then Disney & ABC become intertwined again - the final results of which history has yet to write. But it looks rather bleak at the moment... (How's about a Friar Tuck Sandwich at the Stratosnak-??)
K MARTINEZ beat me to it … but yes he’s correct that From the late 60’s on the food items at character foods “specials” were all named after current animated films and the main menu related generic themed names to the film. K MARTINEZ mentions Robin Hood - a perfect example.
ReplyDelete1973:
ROBIN HOOD SPECIAL: choice ground beef melted cheese on toasted bun : served French fries with tangy coleslaw choice of beverage $1.30
Nottingham Burger .60
Sherwood Frank .45
Jousters choice ( chili & beans) .50
Northampton Spuds ( French fries) .25
Prices include sales tax to the nearest mill
Those were just highlights to the Disney Robin Hood themed 1973 menu … but looks like it stayed Robin Hood fir several years .
In the first image, I see the Matterhorn hiding in plain sight.
ReplyDeleteAm enjoying today's pictures and comments . . . especially Major's rooster imitation.
Tokyo, the Anso IV product is what you are thinking of, popular carpet fabric. Ansos I-III never made it to market.
ReplyDeleteJG, thanks! I thought it was Anso IV! That name was sort of burned into my memory, from hearing it so many times on TV. But when I tried look it up to see if I was remembering it correctly, the only thing that seemed to come up in searches was Anso VI, and that just didn't sound right to me. Thanks for confirming what I had originally thought!
TokyoMagic!, “Character Food Stands”, hmmm. Did the characters caper around those eateries?
Major, no....but employees handed out free Dixie cups full of capers, to all of the children who dined at those eateries. Mmmmmm! Kids just love capers! ;-)
@ TM!-
Thanks for chiming-in with Character Food Stands. (I wonder if they were operated by UPT Concessions in the 50's & [at least] the early 60's-?) I know UPT Concessions operated the Space Bar and (probably) the Yacht Bar along with all the Popcorn wagons.
Nanook, that was some good information about UPT...thanks! And yes, they were run by UPT. According to my December 1981 issue of CastleView magazine, Fan I and Fan II were....."Originally lessees of United Paramount Theater (UPT) concessions, "Character Foods" opened in 1955, serving much the same fare as it does now. Staples, such as Nottingham Burgers, Canterbury Burgers, and Sherwood Franks have remained on the menu, while other items, such as pizza and fish, are no longer sold."
TM, you are welcome. Maybe Ansos V-VI were later innovations.
ReplyDeleteJG
TM, re Anso…
ReplyDeletehttps://spectrabase.com/spectrum/78ZLtw0PADI
JG