Town Square, May 1984 - Plus a Mystery
GDB friend Sue B. shared more photos taken by her dad, Lou Perry - these are from 1984, Lou seems to have taken a lot of Disneyland photos that year. All of these feature Town Square - except for one! Wow, what a tease, I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat.
A few folks are waiting for their turn to board the Horse Drawn Streetcar - a good ride when you have two little tykes. The "clip clop" of hooves will send the kids to dreamland. The horse is sticking its tongue out at us!
Some of these look a bit gloomy, I wonder if Lou was at the park for more than one day? Crowds were very light, how awesome would it be to see Town Square so lightly-populated? Maybe I'll pop into the Emporium and see if there are any good souvenirs.
Signs for Donald Duck's 50th birthday can be seen on all of the lamp posts. I'd love it if they acknowledged some of the Disney characters that are not as well-remembered today. Horace Horsecollar? Elmer the Elephant? I guess the kids these days don't care, which is why they should get haircuts.
Oh no, Emporium, I'm not spending another $700 on plush dolls! I've learned my lesson!
That guy looks suspiciously official, with his clip board (or whatever that thing is). He's keeping his head down and making no eye contact, because he doesn't want the paparazzi to pester him. But Lou is just an ordinary guy (even though he sold this photo to the National Enquirer for $10,000).
City Hall: I love to go in and complain. And then I get in line again and get a birthday button even though it's not my birthday. Then I get in line again and try to get a refund. Will I get in line a fourth time? I'll never tell.
And finally, the MYSTERY IMAGE. I have NO idea where this is, though it could be somewhere on the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel. Notice the folks in their bathing suits in the distance to the left (along with a surfboard and at least one tiki). I know at least one of you out there will recognize this scene!
MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!
19 comments:
Major, you are correct. The last one was taken at the DL Hotel. There was a little beach on the west side of the property. We can even see a bit on the power lines (and a smidgen of a tower) that continue on and go over the DL parking lot.
Thank you Lou, Sue and Major, for the 40 year-old park (and Hotel) views!
Maybe Bu will recognize that gentleman in the 5th picture??
TM! I’m glad you identified that mystery photo—thank you!
Thank you, Major.
Here's an aerial photo from Don Ballard's F.B. page, showing the location of the beach. We can also see the walkway that the people in Lou's photo are standing on, as well as that wooden boardwalk, which is on the far left of Lou's photo. In Don's photo, it appears that there was some kind of food or merchandise cart (in the shape of a trolley?) parked about where that little kid is in Lou's pic:
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/209158148_4265068743554853_5661498343482763377_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=muJ_EEy57KYQ7kNvgFaLUnd&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&oh=00_AYBCBqwNR5Elo8sMnK1z1Hve2JQ_e5lDGrk8Q77jnhxYiw&oe=66A66BEC
1) Seeing Grandma getting off the Streetcar makes me wonder if the vehicle has brakes. It would be disastrous if the horse suddenly stepped forward a few inches, as horses do, causing the Streetcar to lurch a bit just as Granny (or anybody else) was stepping off.
The driver seems to have his vest buttoned(?). Bu will be pleased. My theory for the horse sticking his tongue out is: the horse just accidently swallowed a fly and is going, "Blehhh!". Happy birthday, Donald!
2) Even with the gloominess, the Emporium still looks grand and impressive. I wonder if that's a Mickey t-shirt that guy is wearing; white with red ribbing. His back is to us.
3) The lady on the right with the quilted blue jacket is wearing a pair of uber-rare "84" gold lamé sneakers! The guy behind her is about to trip over a big "F". And the gal to the right of him has a huge "5" patch on her jeans; designer jeans were all the rage in 1984. This is actually a really good photo of the Station steps, planters, etc.
4) What is the guy (in the hat) in front of the Emporium doing? Checking his watch? "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!" Or maybe he's checking his pulse... to see if he still has one. You never know when it's your time to 'go'. Aw, c'mon Major, what's another $700? You just gotta complete your collection!
5) I think the "official" guy is carrying a binder of some sort. He's probably going all around the Park checking to see if the "84", the "F", and the "5" are where they're supposed to be.
6) Major P. at City Hall, "I just saw a light bulb that was half red and half white! Imagine my shock at seeing such a thing! I want a refund!"
7) Wherever this is, the time stamp says "84 B 5" instead of "84 F 5" like the others. Maybe someone will recognize that "Caution" sign on the right? [Edit: Mystery solved! By Tokyo!]
Thank you, Lou and Sue and Major.
The guy with the folder is Guest Relations Supervisor Larry: who took over for Disney Legend /Main St. Window Cicely two years prior. Larry was the one who hired me as I came into GR basically weeks after he came over from Parking Lot/Main St. Merch (?) I forget: but Larry had worked in the park in many capacities before coming over to Guest Relations, and then having a long career (26 years) after that in many departments. I felt for the guy, as he was taking over this extremely politically "hot" department with 80 very smart and passionate women and 5 guys: all very devoted to Cicely who started the department decades prior: and the office was literally in the operations epicenter (read: "under the microscope")of the park: City Hall. Downstairs was the VP: upstairs all the Main St. offices: with more "director types". I went to a few parties with Larry: back in the day where you could do such things: I think he taught me to play the beer game "pong". It was some drinking game...we had a lot of "outings" and sports things: softball, Over the Line...etc. He was a fun guy who knew everyone. Larry's kids and grandkids also ended up working at the park: there was an article in the OC register about it... He also trained me in Parking Lot: and drove one of those scooters like a MANIAC...we all held on for dear life sailing through the large expanses headed out to the toll gate, etc. I really liked working the parking lot: and the costume fit great: which was important to me at the time. I was NOT great catching cones...as Larry would collect them: he would be driving with one hand, and flipping the cones with the other: so they would spin in the air back to you at the back of the scooter where you would catch them and place one on top of the other: it was quite an art...but like all things in Disneyland: you soon became an expert as after about 1000 times doing it: it was second nature. Unfortunately: I never became an expert, but was happy to work the Toll Gate. "Welcome to Disneyland, 50 cents for parking please." or was it a dollar in 1984 (?) Someone knows. What a wonderfully quiet day in the park: with vests buttoned at all: and the "new" trees freshly planted on Main Street. This was an important and tumultuous year in Disney and Disneyland History. Now I feel like singing "American Pie". Thanks Major.
And thanks to Lou and Sue for the lovely trip back to '84 this morning!
Those glowing letters and numbers were Eisner's among worst "improvements" for Disneyland in 1984.
JB, I do believe the horse cars had brakes--I will have to consult the book on the horse cars by David Leaphart. Everything, and I do mean everything, you ever wanted to know about the horsecars:
https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Railroads-Street-Horse-Drawn-Streetcar/dp/1500757616/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3KZUNHWCADFD8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uYoYwz-NU2TRX3FsmYlAAw.-D7c1Z0g7-Z_LJwfE6-zKFPXdDB1e_S7zKkLeWNfHh0&dib_tag=se&keywords=horse+cars+david+leaphart&qid=1721833212&s=books&sprefix=horse+cars+ddavid+leaphart%2Cstripbooks%2C80&sr=1-1
Love the sunny yellow Emporium!
The early afternoon light shows off the fancy shingles on the Train Station. Attention to detail is a Disneyland trait.
Cool that we now know all about Mr. Clipboard. Thank you, Bu!
Plenty of fancy trash cans and even an old white pedestal drinking fountain.
The Disneyland Hotel didn’t have the same level of concern for trash cans though, see that black plastic one by the beach. Mom is giving little Buford some what-for, he’d better listen!
Thanks Lou, Sue and Major!
JG
The fun part for us ex-CMs is to see someone we worked with or still know to this day in one of these random shots going abut their daily activities. Thanks Lou and Sue! KS
@ TM-
Thanks for ID'ing that last image. I figured that's where it was, but wasn't entirely certain. You can [almost] make out the details of the Jacaranda tree in your image.
Thanks to Lou and Sue (and The Major).
TokyoMagic!, thank you! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of this particular area before on the Hotel grounds, so that’s interesting.
Lou and Sue, only Bu will be able to say!
TokyoMagic!, ah, thank you for the link to that photo. That beach area was unknown to me!
JB, I can’t tell you if the streetcars had brakes, somebody with a lot more knowledge (KS?) might be able to tell us. I don’t see any shirts in photo #2 that make me think of Mickey Mouse, but I could be wrong. Ha ha, I thought about trying to clone out the superimposed numbers, but thought, “Aaaa, nobody’s even going to notice them”. Shows you what I know. It does look like that person is checking his (?) watch, maybe he is meeting somebody. For a big drug deal! Funny about that famous red/white lightbulb, I’ve heard people say that the whole story is completely fabricated and wasn’t invented until decades after the park was open. It wouldn’t surprise me, somehow. People love that lightbulb!
Bu, oh yeah, I remember Larry from the big TG photo where you called out all of the people you recognized. He sounds like he was a good guy. And a good boss! I hope the 80 smart and passionate women (and 5 guys) were not too rough on him. Seems strange that a TG would work the parking lot, or maybe you were doing whatever needed to be done at that point. The Olympics should have a cone-catching event in Paris. Glad you enjoyed these, as you said, thanks to Lou and Sue.
Dean Finder, at that point Eisner was jittery and irritable, you couldn’t tell him what to do!
Steve DeGaetano, aha, a whole book about the Horse Drawn Streetcars! Amazing! Thank you Steve.
JG, I wonder if the station still has all of those fancy shingles? They could save big money by using the same shape. I’ll have to look at current-day images. It makes sense that a hotel might not have as many trashcans around as the amusement park, it wasn’t nearly as crowded and didn’t have as many people strolling and eating.
KS, that definitely would be fun!
Nanook, like you, I had a hunch, but it’s nice to get confirmation from the experts.
That curved brass handle at the Streetcar Conductor’s right hand is the hand brake to the vehicle. They were sometimes called a “jolly Jack” when streetcar lines first appeared in the 1850’s. Supposedly the name “Jolly Jack” has a nautical origin … in the 19th Century lots of craftsmen switched to newer industries… carriage painters became railroad locomotive & coach painters and sailing ship wood carvers had less and less figureheads to carve and switched to cigar store Indians …. So possibly a Jolly Jack was a similar tool on a ship before street railways.
When you ride the Main Street Horse Cars at Disneyland, WDW, and Disneyland Paris : you can hear the brake being release when departing and stopping … and if the conductor wishes to slow the car down going into a curve or “switch”.
The last revenue producing horse drawn ( passenger) streetcar line in the United States lasted till 1922 - by then already very obsolete. Some smaller electric streetcar and Trolly lines continued to use horse drawn maintenance carts into the 1930’s .
Mike, thanks for the Streetcar info. It IS after all, just 'horse sense' to have a brake on those vehicles.
It’s funny to think when Disneyland opened there would have been guests with memories of operating horse drawn streetcar lines …. The way there are guests today with memories of Phantom Boats , Pack Mules , Singing Bears and Flying Saucers …. Disneyland turns 70 in slightly less than a year!
BTW - the Emporium block was the first group of Main Street buildings to start the updated color schemes …. Thus started in 1983 ….some were just slightly revised colors ( like the bright yellow Emporium ) and others were totally new colors . These would be eventually revised throughout the end of the 1980’s and into the mid 1990’s more exaggerated candy like colors ( Ala Irvine ) were implemented.
Thanks Lou for your fine work and Sue & Major for sharing them.
Update: Larry mentioned to me today that he retired after 45 YEARS...not 26 as indicated earlier. He is still such a very nice guy. Again I'll say, how lucky I am (and the other ex-employees) to see things like this that take me back so specifically in time. 45 years: the mind boggles. Thats a lot of name tags, statues, and awards. Congrats to Larry. Come to think about it, I worked for another Larry at the end of my career who was just as nice. RIP Larry Nunez. I'm sure who is rowing a canoe somewhere "up there."
TM! Thank you for the link! Perfect picture to show me/us where that last picture was taken.
JB, I see that shirt you're referring to, in the 2nd pic. On my laptop, when I blow it up (the picture), I see Mickey and Goofy looking to the right. There's a palm tree behind them (or is that a marijuana leaf??).
Bu, I love all your info about Larry - glad you know him! I hope he's reading GDB and adds comments, we'd LOVE to hear from him!
Dean Finder, those "glowing letters and numbers" are a bit annoying to me, and they are on soooo many of my dad's images. But I'm very glad you Jr. Gorillas can make me laugh about them. :o)
Thank you, all, for the many nice comments and laughs and links! I'll share them with my dad.
BU...If you read this, I think Larry Nunez is planning a Custer's Last Stand Party for next year as well. What a great guy and such a loss. KS
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