Two Beauties from August, 1963
I just scanned a group of slides from the summer of '63, and wanted to share two especially nice examples with you on this Friday!
First up is this very cool shot of the yellow Mark II Monorail as it glided along the beamway; it left the Tomorrowland station not long ago, then paralleled Harbor Boulevard, and then curved to the right, now on its way to the Disneyland Hotel (behind us). In the distance is Melodyland; I thought perhaps that it had only just opened a month or so earlier, but keep reading! I now believe it might still be under construction - it's not gleaming white the way I usually think of it.
SO! I thought I knew what was going on when I initially viewed this slide on the light table, but upon scanning it I see some interesting details. Notice that the Moonliner in the distance still has the TWA paint scheme, though it is lacking the actual "TWA" lettering (since Trans World Airlines ended their sponsorship sometime in 1961). BUT... by 1962, it had been repainted with the Douglas paint scheme. What the heck! Somebody must have kept this roll of film in a drawer for many months (hey, my mom did that sometimes). Meanwhile, notice that the people (not many of them, either) are all wearing cool-weather clothing, definitely not August attire.
14 comments:
Major-
Melodyland opened on July 2, 1963 - and judging from the image, I think the building is indeed ready for 'prime time' - right on down to the Melodyland flag flying atop the peak of the "tent".
Thanks, Major.
Wow, something about this Monorail photo makes it pretty striking! We've seen similar pics before, but this one is special. Maybe it's the clarity, or the camera angle, or the closeness of the Monorail. That red and white station wagon is also rather striking. Are you sure that's Melodyland? It looks like a huge pile of dirty snow; so common in SoCal.
Another striking photo! And again, we've been treated to this view many times before. But the clarity, the lighting, the color, the camera angle (are we standing on a bench? Top deck of the Omnibus?), everything came together just right to make this photo rise above the rest.
I'm wondering what's going on with that mom (or grandma) and kid closest to us. The kid seems to be refusing to go another step toward Tomorrowland. Maybe he's afraid of the Future. The girl in the pink pants is marching to her own drum.
These really are beauties. Thanks, Major.
Terrific shot of the Parking Lot and Monorail. Some time back a Junior Gorilla remarked that the Parking Lot was the first attraction, this picture proves it. Nice inclusion of the Power Lines too.
The “Coffee Shop” sign is perfectly framed, what restaurant would this be? Is it too far south to be Chao’s?
I’ve always recalled Melodyland as concrete gray, maybe the white paint was a later addition, or my memory is wrong? Could be both…
There’s an R2D2 forerunner trash can in photo 2, and the hat lady facing away looks like a Mandalorian character. Good eye on the Moonliner, Major! It looks ready to take off on April 1.
Thank you for these goodies!
JG
The Mark II Monorail Gold pic is wonderful. It has that feel of Disney futurism that doesn't exist today.
While Tomorrowland '67 is my favorite, the original Tomorrowland had its special charms like the original Fantasyland.
Both pics are winners today. Thanks, Major.
Nanook, but… but… these are from the same batch, and the Moonliner isn’t painted with the Douglas liverwurst yet!
JB, I think it’s the dynamic angle of the first one, with both the Monorail and those pylons coming toward us in perspective. It doesn’t hurt that the color is good, there’s nice clear sunshine, and the photos are in focus. I’m guessing that the photographer stood on a bench for that second picture, my buddy Mr. X used to do the same thing to get above the crowds (even though there are no crowds in this instance). I was also wondering what was going on with that mom and kid in the second pic, but have no clue.
JG, having a sleek Monorail glide overhead as one was walking toward the ticket booths was quite a way to whet one’s appetite (so to speak)! “Wow! What a place!”. I’m going to have to rely on somebody more knowledgeable for info about the coffee shop. In my memory, Melodyland was white, because people from out of town thought it was Space Mountain. There are definitely characters in The Mandalorian who wear coolie-related hats, so I see what you mean!
OK, I'm gonna go for it. I see a 1962 T-bird, a 57 Chevy Nomad and a 61 Chevy Belair, I think. I really should leave this to the experts.
I love a good Monorail and I'll just imagine the iconic Monorail horn and hum.
Nice ones, Major
zach
K. Martinez, I agree with you! I’m not sure why, but the Monorail now feels like a “ride” more than a futuristic transportation system. I love the early Tomorrowland versions, even if they were a bit primitive compared to the amazing 1967 example.
zach, ha ha, well you tried, which is more than I could do! If it’s not a VW bug, I am useless for IDing cars. That Monorail hum, it’s always kind of fun to be near the Matterhorn, when you suddenly hear that distinctive (but not loud) noise, and look up. There it is!
Pylons…
@ zach-
Not bad. Let's go down the row from left to right: [It appears to be] a 1963 Dodge Dart, possibly in Light Blue; that's definitely a 1961 Chevrolet, but from what I can see on the side trim, it's a Biscayne, not a Bel Air, possibly in Ermine White; that's a regular 4-door, 1957 Chevrolet station wagon, possibly in Matador Red; it could be a 1961 MG Midget barely visible; then a 1962 Ford Thunderbird, possibly in Corinthian White; and finally a 1956 Ford Country Sedan station wagon, possibly in Springmist Green & Berkshire Green -OR- Meadowmist Green & Pine Ridge Green. (I think the color 'designers' at Ford had too much time on their hands).
Yep, you caught the Moonliner in it's "awkward phase." I have said it once, and I'll say it again, the red and white paint scheme was always the best. After all, see what happened to it after they went with the blue and white scheme??? Maybe they should have put googly eyes on it...
LOL
Ohhh, nice, and somehow I missed yesterday’s spectacular set. Good stuff.
MS
Pylons! Yes!
JG
There's something about the monorail photo that seems almost like an attraction poster come to life, with the monorail zooming by on a line of pylons with perfectly cut-off shadows.
If I ever have the opportunity to design an office campus, I'll arrange the walkways and buildings like this Tomorrowland.
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