More Special Guest Photos!
Today is the FOURTH post featuring family photos from GDB pal JG! As you can see, these are from September, 1965; JG included some comments on each photo for your enjoyment. Let's go!
Oh boy, what a beautiful look at the stern of the Pirate Ship, with the Chicken of the Sea mermaid in bas-relief. A nice Skyway view of my favorite place in Yesterland. The sails are unfurled and we are ready to launch, first star on the right and straight on till morning.
An action shot from the Skyway - two gondolas pass within, what? Eight feet of each other? That's 2.43 meters to the rest of the world. This picture should go in front of the one above, I think. A standard and somewhat dull view from a Skyway bucket. No, JG, this is in the correct order, the gondola is heading to the Fantasyland Chalet! The red gondola is on its way to Tomorrowland.
JG poses in front of Snow White, there she is, with the Dwarfs and various woodland critters: I'm posed in front of Snow White's Grotto, my favorite place in the Park that still exists. I love that I can still stand in the same spot 50 years later. I think it is the only spot like that in these pictures that still survives intact and I am constantly in fear that Johnny Depp or Rachel Zegler will be added to the Grotto.
Oh yeah, the Subs! Very cool that JG and Russ (his dad) are so close to the conning tower. My Dad and I in front of the Nautilus. I was fascinated with the 20K Leagues movie, we had probably just come from seeing the walk-through exhibit and then rode the sub with the same name. I think I shared the scanned version of the 20K storybook that I got on this trip.
THANK YOU, JG, for sharing these wonderful scans!
9 comments:
JG-
What great memories of sitting at those tables in the Skull Rock grotto and dining on a Tuna Burger and/or a Tuna Clipper Salad-!
Thanks for sharing these images, JG. Thanks, Major.
Awww! Thanks for sharing your family pics with us JG!
......Snow White's Grotto, my favorite place in the Park that still exists.
Maybe not for long? Currently, the roof has been ripped off of the wishing well and nobody knows what's going on with it. There isn't a construction wall around the well, it's just "roofless." The hardcore crazies are upset because it was that way for Valentine's Day and it ruined all of their photo ops and their wedding proposals. I was going to provide a link to the story, but I'm not going to give that person anymore "clicks" on their article, since they are one of those Disney "fans" who does not know what they are talking about. She claims that the wishing well and grotto have been a peaceful and beloved spot in the park, since the "Disneyland Resort" opened in 1955. Yeah, sorry....but you need to stop spreading wrong information. Maybe she works for Wikipedia?
Thanks again, JG. And thanks to the Major, too.
We can see Skully peeking out from behind, and to the right of the Mermaid. I wonder if he was stalking her? I mean, they lived right next door to each other; they saw each other all the time. Maybe she left the Park because he was always drooling at the sight of her?
I like this action shot of the Gondolas; you almost sense the movement as they glide past each other.
JG, move to one side a bit. We can't tell if Dopey has his fishing pole in his hand. I can tell that you're keeping a wary eye out for any Killer Swans in the vicinity. Good for you. That's probably why you're still here, telling the tale, today. Smart lad!
Nice Dad and Son pic. I just noticed that you're both dressed about the same, except for the shoes. Dressing the same was probably Mom's idea. I always like seeing the different levels of track over, and around, the Sub Lagoon.
I'm enjoying your family photos, JG. Thanks. And thank you, Major.
Thank you everyone, I hope you find some bits of your memories in these pictures, or, for the folks who never visited the old Park, something interesting to hold on to. I’m sorry these are not sharper focus, but I did the best I could.
Major, thank you for your help tuning these up and improving them. Also thanks for confirming the Skyway direction, which always confuses me. I think I just noticed the Fantasyland Train Station in the far background of that picture.
Nanook, I’ll have the tuna sandwich and the apple tart please.
Tokyo, I have seen that missing roof on the Well and I’m hoping it will be returned soon. They are probably planning some desecration in advance of the film release. At least I have this picture.
JB, I can’t remember if Dopey had his fishing pole then or not. He was under contract to the Mermaid to supply tuna to the Pirate Ship, so he had to work pretty hard. Fishing is a tough living.
JG
Nanook, I’m definitely sad that I can’t go to that shaded dining area of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship to relax and enjoy a tuna burger!
TokyoMagic!, I saw a photo of the wishing well without its roof. I can’t imagine why it would be like that, but if they remove the Snow White Grotto, that’s going to be one step in my “never going to the park again” list. I can only hope it was in need of fixing after 50+ years. The hardcore crazies can always find 10 other places to take their Valentine’s Day photos, they need to calm down. How about a picture in front of a trashcan? Foreshadowing! Now I am wondering who the person is you mentioned - reminds me of that sign that was at Disneyland proclaiming that the Matterhorn opened in 1955. Remember when Art Linkletter rode Space Mountain with Bob Cummings?
JB, if there is one thing Skully is good at, it’s lurking and peeking. He once taught a class at the local community college, it was very popular. I like the Gondola shot too, it’s very “you are there”. I try to remember the way it felt to be sitting in a Gondola, gliding smoothly, but maybe swaying a little? It’s been so long, though. I would say that Dopey would almost certainly have his fishing pole in 1965, it would be decades before anybody thought that he had to be a vegetarian. And as I’ve said, I am jealous of JG for having several photos of himself and his dad at Disneyland!
JG, part of the charm of vintage photo prints is that they aren’t so perfect - and yet they look like all of the photos that are in boxes and boxes at my mom’s house. I worry about what to do with them when she’s gone, there are so many of them, including boxes that belonged to both sets of grandparents. Many are now gathering dust in the garage, partly because they are hard to get to (long story). That is definitely Fantasyland Station, which would not be there for much longer (with the addition of It’s a Small World). We’ll just have to wait to see what happens with the Wishing Well, but it’s so small, how long can it take to fix (or tear down)? Thanks JG!
Great pics with the tiny JG and the stoic Mr. G. I keep having to remind myself that the square "buckets" were around long before the new and improved Tomorrowland '67. The Pirate Ship from this angle looks massive and very heavily decorated. No wonder it's in so many photos. I was kind of "meh" when it left, but am enjoying it's popularity posthumously. The grotto is also a favorite place of mine as well. Just as long as characters aren't around. They make people squeal and crowd around. The grotto is a "quiet place", and one of the few left. Perhaps a headless wishing well makes it even more quiet. Who knows? I did see the photos....just another thing that I probably won't agree with. I am grumpy. But the photo is super cute. Don't add Johnny Depp to anything please...not sure why a drunken sailor is OK, but a skull is not....just saying. There will only be one Snow White, and she is animated. You are quite close to the sub there....was this the boarding dock? I can't figure it out. I love the aesthetics of 20K, but I'm not sure I've ever sat through the entire thing. It does kind of give a creepy vibe....the burial, the scary sub, the crazy captain, organ music.....but the set is amazing. I would have liked to have seen that at Disneyland and would have paid money for it. In a short time after these photos, there would be a new Tomorrowland, a new New Orleans, marauding pirates, and 999 ghosts. Kind of amazing. These days it takes months to put a roof on a wishing well. And there ya go! Thanks JG and Major!
Let’s hope the Snow White Wishing Well doesn’t get the “Frontierland Baggage Depot” treatment : wait 14 months to repair a roof …. Then over night tear the whole thing down! Tokyo : I read and hear bloggers and YouTubers - reporting Disney park history that is very incorrect … but at the same time Disneyland often presents very incorrect official information too - no doubt because Disney marketing interns use the bloggers and YouTuber sites to create their official “content” like Disneyland’s Matterhorn since ‘55 ….The Enchanted Tiki Room opened as a restaurant…Disney built four attractions for the fair and all eventually came to Disneyland - the “SKYWAY” being one of them …. Submarine Voyage used to use real fish ( I’m sure that’s a mistake combination of REAL fishing in Tom Sawyer island and live mermaids in subs..) I too am grumpy! …. Don’t bump the grump!
Fun stuff, favorite grottos JG, thanks.
MS
I LOVE traveling back in our Time Machine, experiencing Disneyland with fellow Jr. Gorillas - and seeing the exact sights and attractions that started our love for The Happiest Place on Earth.
JG, these photos are wonderful - especially the one with you and your dad. I love how he has his hand on your shoulder, and you're leaning into him. Priceless.
Thank you, JG and Major.
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