More Instamatics, January 1977
Kodak Instamatic photos; they're square! I like less image in my photos, frankly. So I'm grateful that I don't have to manually crop these photos. These are the last three from a batch dated "January, 1977".
A performance is going on next to "It's a Small World" - I assume this is the Kids of the Kingdom, they'd been evicted from their other stage because Space Mountain was being built there. But that won't get them down! They still have messages about positivity and good nutrition (probably). Gramps was so excited that he couldn't stay in his seat! Some say he even tapped his feet.
Well, our photographer did it - he got a shot of the Matterhorn. I can hardly believe it.
The massive plaza in front of its a small world is chockablock with hu-mans, each one walking in tiny circles. You'd think they would go on the ride at least, but they all have the whim-whams, so we just have to let them get it out of their systems.
16 comments:
Major-
It would appear there's a JBL 2310 'lens' protruding thru the white sound "cabinet", between the two "X's". It's probably attached to a JBL H5039 horn - and then some sort of (high frequency) driver, such as a JBL 375.
That's a really nice shot of the Matterhorn.
Thanks, Major.
The "Kids" costooms are shur eye-catchingly cullerful. (I eight a peece uv straynj kandee.) Also very seventies. Contrast that with Gramps's ecru and brown ensemble.
The Matterhorn looks like a real mountain here, amongst those trees. An extra 2 points for the deep blue sky!
That's a nice picture of "Small World", all aglow in the sunlight while the foreground is in shadow. It looks like Heaven!... Or maybe the mall.
Thanks for the last of the '77 Instamatics, Major.
I'm finding it hard to believe that no one is pointing out Bea Arthur's Maude stunt double in pic #3. She is in "Beebe Pink": a color coined by Sherwood Schwartz and Ruth Brooks Flippen. Look it up. The crochet poncho and the multiple layers of other fashion speak to a groovy time in fashion. I still say groovy despite the looks I get. The Small World stage looks like it was put up in about a second...and the Kids of the Kingdom also look very groovy in their colorful costumes. This is classic Disneyland. Guy in synthetic fiber sport coat standing is taking a picture with one of those flat cameras with the teeny tiny negatives....later there was even a teenier and tinier negative camera: one with a wheel....with "more shots" on it...someone knows these cameras..I only pined to have such luxurious things, but was very very happy with my instamatic that I bought with birthday money (5 Pounds...I think the camera was 2 pounds 35....so I had some extra for sweets.) I LOVED that camera and kept it for a long time. The Matterhorn looks pretty groovy too: but I see ET over on the right...not a whale or the other thing we are supposed to see...was it a kitty cat? Thanks for the REAL and OG INSTAgram photos Major!
There’s that little temporary stage! I visited the Park twice in 1977 and still don’t remember this. Look at all the folding chairs!
My Dad had a similar beige polyester jacket and brown trousers, and I had that little flat 110 camera. Terrible photos, but easy to lug around.
What are the “antennae” on the left slope of the Matterhorn? I don’t remember those either?
Good to see that the IASW signs have been improved, that original sign blocked so much of the facade. Glad they changed that. Looks like the souvenir stand is doing a test run for the Spumoni color scheme soon to come.
Thanks Major, hoping your blog repair efforts are going smoothly.
JG
Nanook, I’ve never heard the term “lens” used in relation to audio speakers, but I guess that’s a thing?
JB, yes, those outfits are very groovy and colorful. And some of them are dabbing! Way ahead of their time. “It looks like Heaven!… Or maybe the mall”. I miss the days when going to the mall was kind of a fun social event, and there were lots of stores that I liked to explore.
Bu, I wanted to respect Bea’s privacy; TV stars hardly get a moment’s peace. I was “Cousin Oliver” on “The Brady Bunch”, and let me tell you, my life was hell. “Groovy” is a great word, if used properly. “Gnarly”, not so much. The Small World Stage is certainly no architectural masterpiece, but I get the feeling nobody expected it to be there for long. I wonder if that guy’s camera used those disks? Not sure what to call them. MAN, they took terrible photos. I mean the worst. Kodak should have been ashamed. At some point I bought an expensive Nikon 35mm camera, but digital photos came along soon after, and it has been gathering dust in my closet for decades. Such a shame.
JG, yeah, I don’t remember that stage at all, and by this time we’d moved back to California from the east coast. I think there was a long pause before I managed to get back to Disneyland, though. Ha “terrible photos”, see my comment to Bu! Oh, interesting, I did not notice those antenna (what else could they be?), they must have been for more inter-park communication. I guess. I didn’t mind that big IASW sign, even though you are right about it blocking so much of the view. I guess it just reminded me of the old days. Not much is going on re: the repairs so far, I am trying to figure out a lot of stuff!
One of those January/Rose Bowl days which convince hordes to move to Southern California.
Unfortunately they just missed the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, now closed forever.
The temporary stage is compatible with IASW, it looks like Tower Bridge in the ride.
JG, I noticed those antennae on a visit in 1990, standing at the same spot as the photographer. The Matterhorn was down for rehab then, as it may be here --with the January the slowest month, that's the time to close the only coaster.
Funny how I visited Disneyland quite often in the mid 1970's and yet have absolutely no recollection of the Small World stage. Those are great colors on the performers' costumes though. Of course I thought that by now all of humanity would be walking around in brightly colored robes, like in Logan's Run.
The Matterhorn is certainly a keeper for one's 1977 photo album! Just peel back the acetate and stick it down with the other pics!! I always thought that the antennas located around Disneyland were to read to minds of guests so anything they wished for (such as a churro) could be instantly created for them - but then I might be confusing that with an old TV episode.
The Small World plaza has always seemed to be absolutely mobbed with people! I agree that those signs block a lot less of the facade than the original Bank Of America sponsored sign. Adding the architectural elements of the facade to the tops of the kiosks is distracting. It would have been more fun to have each kiosk to have a unique character from someplace in the world.
Thanks Major for all these great posts you have shared over the years. I hope you can "migrate" (an official IT term) your photos to a new place (such as your mountain fortress) and keep everything intact!
Wow!! I’ve seen the Small World Stage called out on guide maps and some entertainment flyers , and with a few exceptions of a small clip or the row of folding chairs , I’ve NEVER seen a image of the actual stage!! Good thing it wasn’t permanent: it’s mostly ugly giving the Small World facade a tumor like design appendage. Tokyo Disneyland prevented this architectural lopsided look with its Small World “Four Corners” restaurant by keeping the restaurant’s entry within the balance of the main facade.
Chuck, now I’m wondering how long that little stage was there! Not that I expect you to do the homework, ha ha. I’ll try to figure it out. If those spikes are supposed to keep birds away, they don’t work.
Stefano, I remember watching the Rose Parade on TV when I lived on the east coast; it would be snowy and miserable, and Pasadena was beautiful and sunny. No wonder people wanted to live there!
Omnispace, unless a performance had been going on, I probably would not have noticed the stage, since it was off to the right of the very busy and interesting IASW facade. I feel like that Matterhorn photo isn’t very inspiring - it’s fine, but I have much nicer examples! And thanks for your kind words, I’m still figuring stuff out, but I have all the jpegs, so perhaps some smart people can help me out.
Mike Cozart, I believe we’ve seen the Small World stage on GDB before, but (as dumb as it sounds) I sometimes forget if photos were mine, or if I saw them on another blog (such as Daveland). The stage wasn’t beautiful, I guess once it was gone they didn’t really replace it until Videopolis was built?
As JG noted, while looking for Bu's ET on the Matterhorn (How a guy can see ET and not see Fudgie the Whale is beyond me! ;-p) I too, noticed those spiny things sticking up on the Matterhorn's left face, above the treeline. Que es?
I'm looking with squinty-eyed suspicion at Chuck's explanation for the 'antennae'.
Major-
The sound diffraction "lens" was mostly used by JBL. (I wish to revise the model number as it's more-likely a 2395).
@ Bu/Major-
110 film was introduced in 1972 - and was likely what was used in the camera "Gramps" was holding. Kodak Disc Film was introduced in 1982 - "later there was even a teenier and tinier negative camera: one with a wheel.....' The individual images from the disc were merely 10mm x 8mm. Comparing it to 100 film - with a negative size of 17mm x 13mm (Instamatic film is 26.5mm x 26.5mm); OR 135 "35mm film", which is 36mm x 24mm - the end results are obvious merely by comparing these numbers.
Not to mention this... "The film (Disc) was intended to be printed with special six-element lenses from Kodak, but many labs simply printed discs with standard three-element lenses used for larger negative formats. The resulting prints often disappointed the consumer. Few labs made the investment required to get the best out of the small negative size. A problem with labs of the time was the manual nature of processing the color negative film. This was essentially a manual process, unlike spool-based films, whose chemical processing could be fully automated". Grain city, for sure.
The Small World Stage was gone long before Hideopolis was erected, I mean Videopolis...like the parking lot: I liked it better when it (that area) was grass...the grass was so pretty...I have a photo of the same type of grass in Northern California...I actually stopped my car and got out to take a photo of the "Small World Meadow Grass".....it's a lovely variety that looks like a green and lush choppy seas....
In the early late 70’s and early 1980’s there was an area about where the western end of TOONTOWN is now … Disneyland planners were working on called “flexLand” ( a in house working name) that was going to be a flexible event and entertainment arena …. This started out under the art direction of Rolly Crump and was part of the 7 year master plan than included discovery bay , fantasyland improvements, and Frontierland expansion . The first “event” planned for the unbuilt arena was a “ Mardi Gras” some of the props and sets built for this were used for the Disneyland Party Grais . The arena featured a water area so things like rolling river revue cities be performed …. The placing of Fantasmic in New Orleans square , and a combination of Videolpolis - fantasyland theater and toon town and Festival of foods in Frontierland disolved the plans for a flexible event space away from areas intended for park attractions .
Nanook is correct. I've seen prints from Kodak Disc cameras done with the correct equipment and they were better than the 110 prints from my family's camera at the time. Too bad that they didn't require processors to use the correct equipment, People were shortchanged by those processors.
Bu, I do see ET! His mouth is open, and he's looking our way.
If you look at the top of the Matterhorn, in the darker portion, you can see {Muppet] Sam Eagle's face, also looking our way. If you aren't sure what Sam Eagle looks like, SEE HERE.
Thanks, Major.
JB, I may be wrong, but I was being serious (for once). We have spikes all over the horizontal details on the building I work in for that very reason - to keep the pigeons from roosting and pooping all over the side of the building.
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