Fantasyland in the Fifties
Today's slides were strangely faded, but Photoshop was able to bring them back to life. They both feature views of Fantasyland, from "sometime in the 1950s".
This first one is kind of an unusual view, looking across the pre-1960 "swimming pool" ocean that held the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship (striped sails visible to the right). I'm guessing that the photographer was in some sort of dining area, though I don't recall seeing stands of bamboo in that general vicinity before. Across the way is the Mickey Mouse Club Theatre, and a little bit closer to water's edge, guests rest their feet beneath the shade of umbrellas.
Nearby, a canal boat loads up with a fresh serving of guests for Monstro. "Why are you sprinkling salt on us?", the girl asks the Cast Member. "Oh, you know, for your safety. Or something". Monstro loves salty snacks! I like the hats on the CMs - not sure what style that is - a trilby? I looked online and saw something similar that was just referred to as a fedora, a variation I guess.
15 comments:
Major-
I don't know about "stands of bamboo", but there are many images [online] showing a number of bamboo plants - you can even spy some in the 2nd image.
Thanks, Major.
Hmm, I would guess this was taken from where Skull Rock would eventually be. There must have been some version of the pirate-themed dining area located next to Skully, before he was built? We can see a bit of an umbrella on the left. It looks like it was made from a toddler's pajamas. Lots of ladies wearing pretty, light-colored summer dresses.
Ha! It looks like Monstro can't wait for the boatload of "salty snacks" to come his way, so he's taking matters into his own hands/fins, and is swallowing the whole group before they even get into the boat. Those hats look Alpine to me. As Nanook said, we can see some of that bamboo and umbrellas from the previous picture, to the left of Monstro. Sooo, they actually had male CMs guiding and narrating the Canal Boats back in the fifties?
No sign of fading in the second image. Photoshop did its thing! Thanks, Major.
The "high waters" on the cast members are an interesting choice in costume design. And I see one of them is wearing tennis shoes and the other is wearing sandals. Were there ever cast members who just got to wear their own shoes?
Thanks for applying your Photoshop skills for us, Major!
The costumes are interesting: besides the shoes: or "mandles" vs "Keds"....the shirts tend to be vastly different as well: with different collars, etc. They do look befitting of Fantasyland in an odd Frankenstinian kind of way, but I do enjoy the jaunty hats and could probably rock one of those myself. It's nice to see themed costumes in early Fantasyland as most photos I've seen is either an Alice in Wonderland type operating a ride, and for 95% of the time, A NASA guy in a white shirt and blue trousers. I've often thought of the huge task of hiring people for this place called "Disneyland" when it was a rather obscure entertainment possibility: and in rural Orange County, that probably added to the overall dilemma. I hope someone has captured some opening day, opening month experiences from "Club 55" members: from how their costumes were issued...to punching in...etc. etc. The HR machine of a Disney property is just as gigantic as the guest experience, and I suppose that by my time in the early 80's it was more militaristic in style: I remember talking to a ticket seller who was hired before opening day, and she basically said "we didn't know what we were doing...we just did it" and basically alluded to the comparison that they took cash and transacted in a cigar box. She was rather a grumpy sort, so I forgot where the conversation went from there. It's hard to believe that in 1980 only 25 years had passed, and when I think back to 1999 it was like yesterday. So: to that ticket seller: did it also feel like "yesterday" as she sat out there in those little sweat boxes at the Main Gate? "deep thoughts". In closing: that swimming pool around the pirate ship is in need of a fence...how the laws and the insurance companies have changed.....Thanks Major!
The castmember hats are called a “Innsbruck Trachten” …. Is Bavarian …. But very “jaunty” . In the early years of Storybook Canal ONLY males worked the attraction. The reason was the first generation engines on the boats constantly stalled and the fellas had a great deal of tugging and towing to do . Similarly how only males worked the SKYWAY attraction at Disneyland ( Florida had Female Skyway ticket takers )
There was always plans for Skull Rock Grotto by time and money delayed its construction. The bamboo makes me think of old areas of the San Diego Zoo - now mostly replaced with nicer landscaping.
Actually those bamboo stands were mounted on radio controlled skateboards and they travelled the park as roaming characters! It was all due to someone misreading the title of that little deer movie they did. Oops!
I was eaten by Monstro earlier this year. They sprinkled us with Tony's. Apparently Monstro likes spicey now...
I love how there's no guardrails or queue stanchions or ropes or anything between unsuspecting park guests and the briny depths of Monstro's moat. Could it be that people were just more situationally aware back then? It definitely made for a cleaner look.
Also - LOVE the unusual angle of the first shot peeking out through the bamboo culms. Glad the photographer had us in mind, 70 some odd years in the future.
Monstro’s diet includes plenty of calcium, see those shiny teeth.
Major, does he ask for garlic salt as a change of pace? Or perhaps Taijin?
I love the Story Bookland photos, thank you!
JG
Nanook, I see what you are saying, and I agree, it’s a conspiracy! A bamboo conspiracy, the worst kind.
JB, yes, I think this was from roughly where Skull Rock would be in a few years - it appears that there were tables (we can see an umbrella), so I guess it was a dining area of some sort. But I don’t know how themed it was. Monstro can eat salty snacks, but I hope he thinks about the trans-fats that he is consuming. I want him to be able to terrorize people for years to come! Because I care. We see mostly male (or all male?) cast members early on for the Canal Boats, as crazy as that seems nowadays. I like a young lady narrating the ride, but I might be biased.
TokyoMagic!, those cast members are wearing Capri pants! Very fashionable at that time, thanks to people like Audrey Hepburn. It IS odd to see the different footwear - no idea about whether people could wear their own shoes, but my guess is “yes”.
Bu, it took me a second to figure out what a “mandle” was. But now I get it! I’m curious about what happened when a cast member showed up in the morning. Did they pick a costume off a rack that was already put together, with all of the necessary pieces? Or was there somebody there to supervise what they needed depending on the day? Good point about the themed costumes in the early days, it does seem like there were plenty of men with white shirts and skinny ties. Perhaps a balloon vendor dressed in Pinocchio-type garb, or the ice cream vendors… though now that I think about it, I’m not sure what they would have worn in Fantasyland. I mostly think of them in their Main Street costumes. Oh funny, as I’m reading your comment you asked some of the same questions that I posed! It’s possible that the book “The ‘55ers” might answer some of the mysteries, it is divided up by employees in various divisions, and I’m sure there were costume people. I’ll have to find my copy and check!
Mike Cozart, huh, I would have certainly never guessed “Innsbruck Trachten”. And I’ve been to Innsbruck! I wore a hat that said “Honk if you love Snoopy”, and I could tell by all the looks I got that I was admired by everyone. Even now, the Canal Boats do require some finesse, they have to make sure the boat is somewhat balanced, and they tell the guests when to stand, etc. Interesting about Skull Rock, I did not know that it was in the plans from the early days. I guess I just assumed that Walt looked at the “swimming pool” that the Pirate Ship was in and thought, “We can improve on that!”.
Stu29573, Walt loved technology, so I am thrilled to learn all about the remote-controlled bamboo. Just like the astronauts used for their bamboo! “They sprinkled us with Tony’s”, I don’t know what that means!
Tom, it might be that people were more situationally aware, or it might be (probably is) that people today are just not as respectful of places they shouldn’t be!
JG, I do like garlic salt, or Lowery’s seasonin. What’s Taijin??
Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning!
Maybe it's a reginal thing, but we put it on EVERYTHING around here! (Except stuff we don't eat).
Major-
Looking thru The 55ers book, there was very little mentioned about the day-to-day operations of Costuming. However, I did find these tidbits about Canal Boats of the World and Storybook Land... "I started out at the Canal Ride", said earl Pugh. "The only problem was it wasn't finished yet, so you had to explain to people what would be there later"... "We wore a kind of a Dutchman's outfit, with no set spiel... we couldn't talk over the roar of the outboards" [motors].
Those first gasoline engines were not only deafeningly loud, they frequently overheated. The crewman would have to jump into the canal and pull the boat back to the dock." Talk about your "HARD FACTS"-!
"In 1956, the ride received the Storybook Land makeover, with little fairy tale vignettes and a set spiel. Hank Filtz remembered... "Storybook Land once consisted of all men. Some were big guys. One was a high school football coach. At one time, a big labor pool for the park was the El Toro Marine Base, so it was kind of funny to see these big rough-and-tumble Marines giving the Storybook Land spiel".
"In 1957, the ride finally received a much-needed influx of female operators. Still, a handful of males stayed on as foremen. The Storybook spiel really was for a woman," explained John Catone, but as foreman I'd give breaks. Even in 1956, you'd be surprised how many times I got asked for dates -- by men".
Hubba, hubba-!
Oh some artsy shots today. Nice. All men working on SBLCB, four employees in this one view (and not the grandfatherly guide we know from videos)…that couldn’t last long. I imagine that Nanook wears this hat daily.
MS
BTW, the (delightful) new book from Bob Weis already has a great story about being a cast member, costumes, and particularly Balloons.
Stu29573, I haven’t heard of Tony’s seasoning, but I’m sure it’s delicious!
Nanook, ha ha, you did the work so I don’t have to! I couldn’t remember if there really was a section from costuming, but figured there had to be. Very interesting memories from Earl Pugh and Hank Filtz. I guess those were the days before they had any sort of quiet outboard motors for the boats, I can’t imagine trying to hear somebody (or speak) over that noise. Thanks Nanook!
MS, I feel like I should know the name Bob Weis, and yet… if I did, I’ve forgotten it. I’ll have to take a look on Amazon and see what his new book is like!
Major, Taijin is a kind of red chili pepper salt, it’s a Mexican flavoring. It’s good, a little heat but not killer.
JG
JG, I'm not allowed to leave the house, so I don't know these things! ;-)
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