Lunch Breaks, 1950s
I find most photos of Disneyland from the 1950s to contain a secret blend of herbs and spices that makes them especially tasty (to be honest, the blend is 50% salt). FOR INSTANCE! Here's a nice family, enjoying lunch (at the Fan 2 Snack Bar). No big deal, right? And yet... I love the 50s-ness of it. Younger sis rehydrates with healthful Pepsi (sugar gives you all the energy you need!) in her persimmon red/orange dress. Gramps is mighty amused, in his day he enjoyed Moxie (which one gentleman described to me as tasting like "old socks"). Big sis is looking very put-together in her outfit, I like the bold mid-century print on her skirt.
The guy to the extreme right bonked his head. I'm sorry, buddy, I've been there. Hopefully it won't leave a mark.
This next photo might be near the first photo’s location, though it appears that the Junior Autopia is in the distance... would we be able to see that from Fan 2? Looking at an aerial photo from 1958, it is definitely possible. Pee-paw and Mee-maw are clutching hamburgers - the most delicious hamburgers ever made! Some faces are lost in the shadows, but that just lets us imagine famous movie star visages. The man to the left? A John Barrymore twin! The woman to the right? Myrna Loy's doppelgänger.
12 comments:
Major-
"... which one gentleman described to me as tasting like "old socks"". Hmmm... I thought that description was reserved for durian - to which I can attest.
I'm not so certain 'younger sis' is imbibing some Pepsi-Cola. I'm thinking she's partaking of some Donald Duck Orange Juice - as we can see an image of Donald on the side of the large, round see-thru drink dispenser on the counter of Fan 2. (Or maybe 'lil sis has chosen Coca-Cola, as both colas were disbursed at Fan 1 & Fan 2). Big sis' dress is really a stand-out.
Thanks, Major.
It looks like there is just a random tripod sitting over there on the grass, in the second photo. Who was using it, and just what were they filming or taking pictures of?
@ TM!-
I also saw that tripod. I was wondering if it belonged to the Park and was being used for a temporary mount for a loudspeaker...
Nanook, or these are from opening day and the tripod had been used to film Robert Cummings. ;-)
I agree, Major, this photo is oozing with fifties charm. A couple of the ladies are wearing... [gulp!] PANTS! Including the one behind, and to the right of, older sis. The lady in question has a cast on her left forearm. Looks like she's taking a hand gun out of her small purse. I suppose it could be a wallet, but it's a gun. The guy who bumped his head must have run into some of that diaphanous, gauziferous substance that can be seen in parts of this slide. In fact, there's a big splotch of the ectoplasmic goo in between him and the lady with the cast! It's hovering around the tops of those empty stools. There's more of the stuff on top of Dad's head and his right (our left) ear. Very eerie! The photo is infested with ghosts! On the left, (as Nanook pointed out) we can also see the orange juice being pumped and circulated in one of those bubble-thingys; it has Donald's face on it. The grape juice pumper is behind it. Oh, and a white-clad CM is bussing that table behind Gramps.
"the most delicious hamburgers ever made!" Also, the happiest! There are two (very '50s looking) identical souvenir hats in this photo. The lady behind John Barrymore's twin is wearing one. The other hat belongs to the lady's friend and is on the table behind them.
Tokyo!, that's one of the Martian Tripods from War of the Worlds! Albeit, this one is a wee bit small; must be a young'un.
Fun fifties fotos, Major. Thanks.
These photos are proof that no Disneyland scene, however mundane, is too dull to enjoy.
Standing out for me is the “hip roof” trash can in photo 1 (made up of a fancy metal roof fitted over the plain green factory models used elsewhere). These fancy cans have only been spotted (by me at least) in Fantasyland around the dark rides and the carousel.
And in photo 2, the odd concrete picnic tables are mixed in with the white metal ones. The concrete type look too short to fit one’s legs under, somewhat awkward, and definitely too heavy to move around.
Happy people having fun at the Park, great photos! Thanks Major.
JG
'Fancy cans', what all trash cans aspire to be. I hope Big Sis saved that skirt for the next DL Throwback Day! Grandpa's jaunty hat matches his grin.
Fun 50s goodness, Major. Thanks!
Zach
Nanook, I have tried durian, I didn’t hate it. My first impression was “fried onions”, and then it morphed into something else. Re: Pepsi - you can’t take my dumb commentary too literally!
TokyoMagic!, I saw that tripod, imagine lugging that around the park all day. Although the person probably got some great photos or home movie footage.
Nanook, a mount for a loudspeaker… I admi that this never occurred to me as a possibility.
TokyoMagic!, Art Linkletter was always forgetting his tripods.
JB, it’s funny, if you see a photo of Disneyland from the 1950s and you spot a few women wearing pants, it is generally from 1957 or later. Yes, you see them in ’56, but rarely. And essentially never in 1955. Kind of amazing how fast that fashion change occurred. I tried to figure out what the lady at that back table was working on, but couldn’t place it. A camera? Ectoplasmic goo… yeah, many of these slides had mysterious drops of… something. Kind of gross I suppose, but hey, don’t blame me. It looks like Gramps might have had a paper bowl of chili (or soup?), something I would not have expected from Fan 2. Donald Duck orange juice was a thing for years, in fact it might still be today. I always love a good souvenir hat sighting.
JG, I assume those fancy trashcans were not unique to Disneyland, and yet I don’t ever recall seeing that type anywhere else. The Paint Shop did a swell job of decorating them. I always thought those concrete things were benches, in fact in the second photo somebody is sitting on a blue one; but it also has an umbrellas sticking out of it, which says “table” to me. Hmmm. Meanwhile, don’t put your butts on tables where people eat, folks! Don’t change your baby’s diaper on them either (something I’ve seen at Disneyland).
zach, Walt knew that throwing your waste paper into a fancy trashcan was one of many little extras that Disneyland could provide. That skirt would definitely be suitable for any kind of “50s Day”!
Umbrellas with copious amounts of fringe! That screams 1950s to me.
Major-
Depending on how durian is used, it provides many different flavor experiences. The durian ice cream I once had was rather tasty - and in a good way.
At one time the San Diego Zoo had those same concrete benches with the shade umbrella in the center (at least what appeared to be the same benches ) the SD ZOO has been remodeled so many times very little survives of the pre-80’s . I suspect they were used all over Southern California at some point as they are not something Disney designed themselves.
Steve DeGaetano, I prefer fringe to be on my clothing.
Nanook, I’ve seen durian ice cream for sale at a local Asian market, but have yet to buy any!
Mike Cozart, there’s something about the organic shapes of those concrete benches that is very appealing, and also very 50s somehow. I’m not surprised that they were acquired from an outside vendor, but it would be fun to see them elsewhere.
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