Tomorrowland, 1956-ish
Tomorrowland, 1950s-style. My favorite! After singing doo-wop around a trashcan, my friends and I would ride our scooters (made from scraps) over to Disneyland, combing our greasy hair the entire time. Those were the days.
There it is, right in front of us! All we must do is take a few steps forward and we will be in THE LAND OF TOMORROW. Maybe buy an ice cream bar first, they might not have ice cream in 1986. My understanding is that they'll eat a "miracle food of high energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world" (anyone? anyone?). Plankton? Give me two scoops! That boys in front of us are all bundled up, you can't tell, but this was likely December (based on other photos in the batch). The Clock of the World and the Moonliner beckon to us, but be sure to appreciate the beautiful attraction posters along the way.
Next is one that is not as crisp as I'd like, but I still enjoy the image of guests gathered in front of the Rocket to the Moon attraction. Another hint that this is an early ('55 or '56) photo is that no females are wearing pants... it seems as if, by 1957, you'd see that a lot more. Mom (to the right) is examining her ticket book, I'm assuming the girls with her are a combination of her own children and maybe some of their friends. As JG pointed out in an earlier post, the "TO THE ROCKETS" sign is awesome.
16 comments:
I wonder if that ice cream vendor ever got tired of holding up that umbrella?
Major-
Something I've never paid much attention to before, but it appears the TWA Rocket was strategically-placed to allow an unencumbered view of it from the Hub.
It's definitely a fashion day for the gals - two wearing their 'Mary Janes'; and two wearing 'sneakers'. I'm guessing Mom is holding an 8mm movie camera with lens turret, but in reality it just could be the prototype for the Veg-o-matic... seven years hence.
Thanks, Major.
You paint a vivid picture of your 'doo-wop' years with your friends... I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY BRAIN!
"miracle food of high energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world"... Hmm, It's either Logan's Run or Soylent Green. Both movies had lines similar to that.
I love how Tomorrowland is all shrouded in morning fog (or whatever it is), making the Future indistinct and difficult to see. Which is as it should be. I also love the sight of the ice cream vendor, just going about his business. The lighting really makes this photo special.
All the girls are basically dressed the same. Like Roy Neary says while messing with his mashed potatoes, "This means something". I think they're all aliens who have taken human form.
I love early, early photos of Disneyland. Thanks, Major.
The Soylent Corporation usually gets left off of lists of early Tomorrowland sponsors. Not sure why - they made good, wholesome food for, by, and of the people.
I love how the ticket booth in front of Rocket to the Moon looks like a modern guard shack. It just screams DANGER - NO ADMITTANCE TO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL, subtly heightening the excitement. Space travel - even scheduled service by an airline that is so ubiquitous that we just know it will be in business 50 years from now - is a dangerous undertaking.
The girl in the blue cardigan reminds me of the daughter in American Gothic.
Nanook, I think Walt had the Moonliner placed thusly to maximize its effect as Tomorrowland’s first visual “weenie.”
If plankton was marketed on Amazon to give me more energy, I'd buy it...with very little thought. I seem to be into "snake oil" type schemes in my continuance of aging: things like dust from the rivers of the Amazon, and kelp washed up on the shores of Ireland, and goop oozing from trees only accessible by monkeys....those monkeys have some kind of energy! They MUST know where the good stuff is! That being said: I do have to point out that the Ice Cream vendor has illegally rolled up his sleeves, and given the dress of others in the area: it is not a 90 degree plus day. As I think these people were not officially Disneyland employees, that might have something to do with this heinous act. There is also a rag hanging from the cart handle...hmmm....seems awfully sketchy. I'd glad that he is actively working, and not slouching about. "If you can lean, you can clean", and certainly it was not acceptable to be merely standing waiting for guests, when there are a variety of things to be doing with your wagon. I applaud him for wearing the hat and braces. I find it charming that these wagons did not change style for 30 or so years, other than the metal corners were brass and not the aluminum depicted here: which needed to be polished every morning. Onto Tomorrowland and the Moon's guard shack. Perhaps it was a guard shack earlier in its life? I thought I have seen a guard shack there behind the Moon ride in an early iteration of employee entrance (?) As we all know, Tomorrowland did not get too much cash at the end, so perhaps they had to improvise the ticket booth. The dress on the older guests seem to be more suited to the 40's, and I agree that those three girls seem to be quite from a horror movie or something...perhaps holding china dolls that have fangs dripping with blood. There's a Disneyland shopping bag there on the right that I've never seen before, with the stylized castle: I'm not sure if there is anything in it though: perhaps an evil china doll. Maybe this is collect things as they went along and she drew the short straw to be the one to carry everything. Could be. Thanks Major for the trip back to the future.
As Bu noted, Tomorrowland was at the back of the line for budgeting in the beginning, but the Avenue of flags and posters makes an eye-catching entrance with little expense. Is that a trash can near the Moonliner? Major, you and the homies need to rush out and sing.
And thanks for the shout-out on the signs, it would have been cool to have one saying “BAGGAGE CLAIM” or “CUSTOMS” with an arrow pointing off-stage. Prefabricated guard shacks are still available, it’s plausible this was another cost saving measure.
I wish we could read Melissa’s comments on the girls’ clothes, I’m sure there are details we are missing.
Thanks Major, I’m going to pack my bags for Mars.
JG
TokyoMagic!, the vendor considered holding up the umbrella one of the most important and honored parts of his job!
Nanook, a prototype Veg-o-matic?? I saw one of those on Antiques Roadshow and it was estimated to be worth 15 billion dollars!
JB, you should join my doo-wop group, especially if you can hit those low notes. Send me your tape! I like Soylent Green, but it often needs salt. I’d guess that Tomorrowland really is misted with a bit of fog, which probably burned off quickly to reveal a bright clear day. I did kind of wonder if all those girls went to a school with a required uniform, even with the slight differences. Or they just liked to wear matching outfits!
Chuck, the Soylent Corporation was a subsidiary of Monsanto! (On a side note, I used to love that Chris Elliott’s jerky character in “Eagle Heart” was named “Chris Monsanto”). Guard shacks obviously reached a level of design perfection that could not be improved upon; why, I’ll bet in the year 3025 they will still look basically the same. I guess that girl does have the ‘I hate my life” expression that the woman in “American Gothic” has! And yet… the girl is in Disneyland! What gives? Hey, no more talk about visual weenies!
Bu, I’ll bet Whole Foods sells plankton. Over in the “bulk item” bins, with the nuts and dried fruits. Dust from the rivers of the Amazon, what was that supposed to do? Besides make things dusty? Monkeys do have energy, how else do they fling their feces so far? Maybe back in 1956 it was OK to roll up one’s sleeves? The weird thing is that it appears to have been a cool day, not a hot summer day. I do think he might be setting up, which would include cleaning, and perhaps he was just trying to keep the sleeves from getting soiled. I can lean and not clean, I do it all the time. Polishing brass, one of my most hated chores when I was a kid. “Mom, why don’t we get solid gold items so that they never tarnish?”. I never got a good answer. The ticket booth looks like a modified telephone booth. Hmmm, now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that style of shopping bag either, and I’ve seen a bunch. That’s what’s fun about collection vintage Disneyland, it is endless. I’d like to believe that the bag contains a matted animation cel from Sleeping Beauty, just purchased at the nearby Art Corner.
JG, considering how little the Imagineers had to work with (apparently), Tomorrowland looked surprisingly enticing. I would sure be drawn to the Clock of the World and then the Moonliner. With my hands out in front of me like Frankenstein. I agree, it would be fun to have more details that would make the front of the Rocket to the Moon ride appear more like a space port from the future. I’m hoping we’ll hear from Melissa soon, I’ll have to ask a certain somebody about that possibility.
Major-
"I guess that girl does have the ‘I hate my life” expression..."
Clearly, she is related to 'root canal boy'-!
I was sure that was Box from Logan’s Run. Oh well can’t always be genius. Fun being this close to Rocket To The Moon, usually seen from a distance when at all.
MS
Bu, I think the rolled-up sleeves on that vendor is a good look for him. Makes him look more workman-like. If you wanna be idle, but don't wanna look like you're "slouching about", roll up yer sleeves! Everyone will think you're busy! (Well, to everyone except those named Bu.) ;-p
Major, "Hey, no more talk about visual weenies!" Hahaha. I actually chuckled out loud at that one. I rarely chuckle out loud; it usually happens inside my head. I have a lot of chuckles trapped in my head... I guess you could say that I'm "chuckle headed".
Nanook, Is "root canal boy" related to "kidney stone boy"?
MS, I was thinking Box as well.
@ JB-
Not exactly. 'Root Canal Kid' dates back to the GDB Tencennial... LOOK HERE. Such pain-!
Of course there's no ice cream in the future. It's all Dippin' Dots - The Ice Cream of the Future!
Nanook, Ha! Such a pleasant looking kid.
♫♪ Happy, happy, joy, joy! ♩♬
I vaguely remember that photo, mainly for the close-up of the Viewliner.
Dean, yeah but... that Ice Cream of the Future is EXPENSIVE! If you wanna pick up a half gallon of Dippin' Dots, it'll cost you your house! Your car! And your first-born male child!
I heard your *ping*, Major...
Melissa will be back on GDB as soon as she can, as she is having ongoing eye problems. I told her we miss her! She's definitely one in a million.
^ Thanks, Sue. I'm sure we're all keeping our fingers crossed. Both, for her eye problems to get better, and to have her posting here once again; even if it's just once in a while.
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