March 1960
Here are two pretty Fantasyland views from slides date-stamped "March, 1960" - though the photos were likely taken a few months earlier. Starting with this nice example featuring the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship; you probably remember the mom and her two kids from when they were aboard the Mark Twain. At this point, the ship was still in a sort of "swimming pool", and the dining area (seen to the right) was rather minimal. But in May of 1960, the pool would be transformed into a beautiful tropical lagoon, and Skull Rock would spring up nearby, drooling magically. I drool, but it ain't so magical.
Here's a lovely view of a decidedly non-pink Sleeping Beauty Castle as seen in clear Winter sunlight (look at the coats and sweaters, it has to still be Winter!), with lots of families going hither and yon. Many of the opening day attractions and exhibits were still in place, but 1959 and 1960 were years that saw great changes at the park!
9 comments:
Major-
Always love seeing the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship, but my eyes are immediately drawn to the 2nd image and the little girl with her polka dot dress with a life of its own. Good show, darlin'.
Thanks, Major.
The kids can hardly contain their exuberant giddiness! The older brother looks like someone just told him his puppy died. To be fair, these kids are a bit young to appreciate Disneyland (especially the toddler).
I wanna climb up and get into one of those crow's nests, just because.
Good grief, somebody whitewashed the Castle! I notice that the people look a little whitewashed as well. So maybe the color has faded on the slide. The group of kids on the bridge (on the left) just threw another kid into the moat and are making bets on how long it takes the swans to skeletonize him. I don't see The Dent. Does anybody else see it?
Nanook, that little girl's dress is so stiff and poufy that she can't even put her arms down at her side!
I can't say that my drool is magical either. I guess only Disneyland drool is magical. Thanks, Major.
I don’t see The Dent, either, JB — but it’s definitely there. The angle and lighting are off.
I hope these kids had a great day at the Park which kicked off a life-long love of Disneyland.
I feel,like I should see the Matterhorn in the second pic, but I’m sure it’s there somewhere.
Thanks Major!
JG
The Castle looks almost as black and white as an early Mickey Mouse cartoon, while the banners are in glorious 3-Strip Technicolor. The Pirate Ship is in Warnercolor --- pretty good, but starts to fade after a few years.
The Dent isn't there; after combing through dozens, nay hundreds, of Castle pics at Daveland, year by year in all seasons, it is apparent that El Dento didn't debut until 1963 or '64.
Thank you Major for these sunny winter days at Diz.
Stefano, The Dent usually doesn’t show up due to the lighting or angle being off…or pictures not being super clear (in focus). It was there from the beginning. If you can find a super good picture of the kids running through the castle on Day One, you can easily see it.
Nanook, not many people remember when Alpo sponsored the Pirate Ship. The Alpo Burgers weren’t much of a hit with the public.
JB, Disneyland can be overwhelming for adults, much less small children. I often wonder about people who bring their toddlers to the park - the kids won’t remember a thing about it, and will probably need to leave early (unless the parent has one of those huge strollers, where the kid can take a nap). I admit that the color is a bit washed out on the castle, you can actually make out a trace of tasteful pale pink, but it is not the VERY pink that is used now. The Dent seems to be lit just so that it vanishes, but I’m sure it’s there! Those stiff poofy dresses are so funny, I guess they are cute, but not very practical. One needs to go to an expert and have drool analyzed properly, it’s the only way to know.
Lou and Sue, YES, this.
JG, there’s something about pictures like this, good color, pretty nice compositions, and plenty to look at (people, the park itself, etc) that makes them extra fun in my book. I think the Matterhorn is not far out of frame to the right, you can see the Skyway cables angling upward.
Stefano, there was color on the Castle back then, but it was extremely subdued. “Warnercolor”, I feel like I should know more about that, since I’ve been watching YouTube videos about early color film formats. I’m pretty sure The Dent was there much earlier than 1963/64 - HERE’S a link to a photo from 1960, the dent is below the red pennant to the right, but it is fairly subtle in this light.
Lou and Sue, yes, I do think The Dent was there from the beginning, but as you said, it can often be hard to see. I’ll look for a more obvious early example!
Polacolor ... Cinecolor ... Eastmancolor ... Videcolor ... SUPERMARIONATION! ... SUPERDYNARAMA! ... ANIMAGIC! ... FABULOUS FANTASCOPE! ... TOHOSCOPE! ... and the patented STEREOPTICAL PROCESS!
Sue is correct regarding the dent. The turret damage apparently occurred during construction after the turret caps were delivered to the Disneyland construction site. It’s believed it happened after it had been lifted into place as it probably could have been rotated away from view. ( like a lampshade seam). I suspect at the time it was decided to not really be noticeable. In fact in all my years before and during a company employee I’ve never heard any stories about the dent occurring and was never even aware until I think for the first time it was identified here by GDB followers! ( you can’t get away with anything amongst Junior Gorillas!!)
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