Main Street, August 1971
Kids of a certain age must be so dazzled when they have a chance to meet one of their cartoon heroes in person. Like these kids! They can't believe Goofy is really here (in front of the Opera House)! He smells better than expected. Is he signing autographs? I thought that practice started later, I've never really understood the appeal, but then again, I rarely understand hu-man emotions. Stripey girl (to the right) looks like she might have had her INA guidebook signed. Whenever I see one of those paper shopping bags, I can't help wondering what's inside. I think the lady bought a book, hopefully one with not too many words.
Nearby (but later in the day), a Horse Drawn Streetcar passes by in Town Square. Imagine sitting on one of the benches, listening to the area music (or maybe even the Disneyland Band), hearing the clip-clop of hooves, and the train's bell and/or whistle - it would be the best!
11 comments:
"He smells better than expected." Haha. I imagine most of the walk-around Characters smell like vinyl and foam rubber. Stripey girl has teeth just like Goofy! Hmm, could be a book inside that colorful shopping bag, but to me it looks like it might be an LP record; Haunted Mansion, if I'm not mistaken.
Ah yes, Disneyland has many sounds that enhance the Park experience. Some of them soothing, some of them exciting, all of them memorable.
This is a nice photo of the Horse Drawn Streetcar; perfect lighting. Looks like Dobbin is about to get a cannonball to the face. Both of the CMs have unbuttoned vests (we haven't heard from Bu in a while). It was probably a hot day, so the open vests were officially allowed. What attraction poster is that in the background? Looks like a clown in an orange costume, on water skis.
Let's enjoy the sounds of Main Street: The gentle snorting of the train, the loud tooting of the horse. ;-p Thanks, Major.
In that first pic, is that a ticket window in the background? It sure looks like it. I know the Child's ticket books included a free ticket to see Lincoln, but did the adults have to buy their ticket? I went back to last Wednesday's GDB post, because I remembered Mike commenting on the poster, but in my mind there was one on either side of the doors. Upon taking a second look, I can see that there isn't a poster on the left, and that it does look like it could possibly be a "ticket window."
It’s stripey stripey day.
10 cent fare seems fair enough.
MS
The Goofy pic is fascinating, it’s like a Renaissance painting. the youngster getting the autograph is nearly invisible, blocked out by everyone else. All we can see is part of a leg and a hand with a book.
Mom is struggling to hold her shopping bag and her straw purse, all hard to make out. Woman behind with her shopping bag… I think the photographer is focused on Goofy and doesn’t care about the kids at all. And nearly everyone in stripes.
Beautiful horse in the second photo, that might almost be a postcard. I think the horse knows he is the center of attention too. The Attraction Poster in the background is for the short-lived Gorton’s Fish Sticks attraction which was across from the Sub Lagoon.
Major, you’re right, the ambient sounds of Main Street are some of the best in the Park. Can it be because we associate them with arrival and the start of a beautiful day in Disneyland?
Thank you.
JG
@TM!-
Initially adults did have to use an 'E'; then later a 'D' Coupon for admission. I just can't confirm the dates requiring a ticket.
JB, I don’t imagine that hygiene is a priority for Goofy. He can’t help it, he’s a little slow. The item in the bag doesn’t look big enough to be an LP, and I guess the only way we can solve this is through fisticuffs. Those cannons only have wacky t-shirts as ammo, so Dobbin will be startled at best. I emailed Bu to see if he’s OK, but so far no response, but yes, once again we see the verboten (?) unbuttoned vests. The poster is one of those very rare repros of vintage Santa Fe RR posters, once in a blue moon you’ll see one in an auction, but they are as scarce as hen’s teeth.
TokyoMagic!, wow, good eye, that sure does look like a ticket window for Mr. Lincoln. I do think that GMWML was an extra fee, maybe it still belonged to WED or something? There were several different Santa Fe repro posters on display at Main Street Station, I know you could see at least one from the platform on the other side.
MS, you aren’t kidding, stripes were the thing in 1971, apparently!
JG, I admit that I did not get Renaissance vibes from the Goofy photo! But now that I am paying attention, it could be a lost Vermeer. I would also focus on Goofy and not those kids, how often do you see kids? Every darn day. How often do you see Goofy? CASE CLOSED. I wonder if those horses enjoy attention? Are they like friendly dogs that crave pats? Somehow I always think of horses as being a little more dignified, ha ha. I think you are right about associating those sounds with arrival, that’s when they are most “novel”; after a while we probably just get used to most of the sound effects.
Nanook, maybe I can look at some of my ticket books a bit later today and see if those will help with the dates. Or we can look at the old "Vintage Disneyland Tickets" blog!
Hello all! I’m alive and well, just as busy as a hornets nest (whatever that means.). Unbuttoned vests has awoken the Sleeping Beauty within me…I am just throwing in the towel on this one. It was just blind eyes looking the other way, and those Pony Farm guys were just like the Retlaw guys: a little untouchable. I like this old Goofy: this era costumes were the best…today’s blinking/winking specimens creep me out. Those train posters were sold at a surplus sale I think for $25 WITH the wooden frame…I was too focused on a 25th anniversary giant prop cake…(I couldn’t figure out how to get it home…). I did get some nice silver plated escargot plates though…gone to a move back in time. Nice to be back: thanks Major!
TM! and Major, wow sure looks like a ticket booth built into the opera house... a surprise feature! so I found some photos of that ticket window on Daveland (I will pay the link fee!).
The black and white facade photos show it best:
https://davelandweb.com/operahouse/#sixties
Also -- nice horse!
Those Santa Fe Railroad posters are pretty rare … however all are based on real period Santa Fe advertising - just slightly simplified. When Santa Fe was ending its sponsorship WED had already started creating new Disneyland Railroad graphics … a whole project of the removal of the Santa Fe identification fist required that posters , signage was to be returned to Santa Fe … apparently Santa Fe didn’t take anything as up until the mid 1990’s the Santa Fe platform posters were on display in the park’s property control building in the lobby like area - they had items displayed in nest way - but beyond the chain link lobby area everything was mostly boxed or crated and not visible. The Santa Fe & DL drumheads seem to show up now and then … but from sign shop documentation- like the locomotives themselves (most ) of the signage was repainted over and re-used. Two all new attraction posters were created in 1976 and 1977 … replacing the PINK 1950’s posters. But oddly the Grand Canyon and Primeval World attraction posters were used into the early 90’s STILL with Santa Fe listed on them !
At hand I can see at least by 1973 The Disneyland Railroad was a D ticket . That remained till tickets were discontinued in 1982. The main st. Station had TWO ticket windows … one sold tickets… the other sold coffee, soda and snacks despite that you could NOT bring food or drinks onto the trains . The snack area was later used for storage and in the early 2000’s some water damage required sone bigger repairs and Santa Fe & Disneyland wallpaper was discovered on the original wall featuring silhouettes of locomotives #1 and #2!!!! Goodyear PeopleMover had been in the back meeting room of the plaza inn ( the entry is the stained glass window door facing the restrooms ) it had been a Goodyear sponsorship office & lounge before becoming a managers office - but the PeopleMover wallpaper - Goodyear logo “wings” remained up into the 1990’s!!
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