Snoozles™
Here are more Sunday Snoozles™, submitted for your approval. These are both undated, but almost certainly from the 1950s. First up is this shot of the nuclear-powered Omnibus (in only a few years, one of these would travel beneath the polar ice cap) as it rumbled down Main Street. The focus is a bit off, though the Omnibus itself is mostly in focus. Due to the nucularity! To the left is the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner. "Hello, may I please have a Coke?". "What makes you think you deserve one? You make me ill. Get out!". I was "let go" shortly afterwards.
Swans, they often sleep on the job. I guess "Big Swan" is so powerful that nobody would dare to say anything for fear of getting their fingers bitten. Most people don't know that the rock had a hidden door to one of Walt's other apartments. (It never gets old, folks!).
11 comments:
Major-
"... in only a few years, one of these would travel beneath the polar ice cap..."
Sure: July, 1957 - December, 1958... that would be IGY (International Geophysical Year). I'm fairly certain in one of the "Life Magazine" articles covering IGY, it detailed the many journeys of the always-versatile Disneyland Omnibus'-!
Thanks, Major.
Sundays always catch me by surprise. I've said it before, but it seems like the week goes by much faster these days. I think there's a massive black hole in the vicinity.
The (nuclear) Omnibus driver is either talking into a microphone or he's lighting up a Winston (they taste good like a cigarette should!). The kid on the left has a red Mickey balloon, sans 'ears'. I've always liked the Mouse-ear balloons, especially the ones that live inside a round, clear balloon. But I also like how these older earless balloons look. Their simplicity fits well with the Park.
We're damn lucky those Swans are asleep! The rock door to Walt's apartment was also where they quickly stashed what was left of an unlucky guest after the Swans had their fill. There are a few feathers floating around on the water. Evidently, the Swans couldn't wait for a guest to get too close ("Awww, lookit the pretty swans!"), so they ate one of their own.
This week's Snoozles were almost as tasty as Leftuggies! Thanks, Major.
I wonder if Walt was renting the swans back then, or if that service started at a later date?
Thanks for the Sunday Snoozles, Major!
We can see the red and white bulbs in front of the corner entrance to Coke Corner, although not the special bulb with the split personality. Interesting to note that every other red bulb seems to be out.
On my last Disneyland visit, I waited 10 minutes in line here, got to the register, and then the young lady working the line disappeared without a word. I mean, she didn’t evaporate or shimmer out of existence, but she walked into the back, never to return.
I waited for five minutes, then got the attention of the kid at the next register between customers. He looked surprised that the girl was gone, then a bit annoyed (although not at me), and then waited on me. The line behind me merged with the line in front of his register and I didn’t hear a single gripe from a customer, which I thought was pretty gracious of the people already in line behind the active register.
That was indicative of my experience with cast members on that trip. Many - I think most - were still making an effort to make the Disneyland experience special for guests, but I saw things I had never seen before like this girl at the register or cast members standing around in small groups talking to each other and ignoring guests.
Of course, I also saw some of the worst guest behavior I had ever seen as well. No fights, but I clearly remember a guest going off on a manager near the Harbor Galley, going on and on in an unpleasant, entitled manner and clearly expecting some sort of formal apology and free something or another to placate her. It made our lunch unpleasant to have to listen to her. After she stomped off in a huff, I made a point of speaking to the manager, complimenting her on how she handled the situation (the guest got nothing for her overblown histrionics other than some sympathetic head nods and a polite explanation about how there wasn’t really anything the manager could do), expressing sympathy at having to deal with people like that, and thanking her for doing a great job of trying to make a Disneyland visit special for the average visitor. She looked taken aback for a minute and then told me I had made her day.
Have customer service and guest behaviors really gotten worse at Disneyland, or am I just getting old? Or…I guess two things can be true at the same time…
Most historians won’t tell you this, but nuclear omnibii were instrumental in winning the Cold War. The Russians tried countering with atomic dogsleds but couldn’t keep up.
I’m guessing those unlit bulbs are the flicker effect of the blinking bulbs frozen by the camera shutter, but who knows?
That big rock conceals one entrance to the dungeon under the Castle where churros are made. That dungeon was loaned out to Michael Jackson for a brief time while they filmed that TV special. Now it’s filled with kids with donkey ears and tails, toiling in semi-darkness on arrastras grinding churro flour.
Notice the bars under the bridge keeping the swans out of the Snow White Grotto pond, and the Ace Hardware fence keeping them from climbing the planters. Were these really from Hertz Rent-A-Swan?
Chuck, it sounds like you had a day with cast members. Sorry that happened. I haven’t seen cast behavior like that, but guests… certainly. Locally, we have seen numerous restaurants close because they can’t hire people to do the work, so yes, both things can be true at once.
Thanks Major, good photos today!
JG
Of course they're nuclear (excuse me, nuc-u-lar) powered. That's what makes one an Omnibus and not just a bus.
When I was at Disney;and a few years ago, I didn't see any castmember behavior like that, but there were definitely fewer of them around. I did notice some of the female castmembers with makeup like they were going out to the club after work. It seemed odd at a Disney park to me. I don't know if the "fresh-faced" standards were dropped during the covid shutdown, or if they had been loosening before them (along with the facial hair rule for men). Walt Disney World still seems to hold on to it, though.
Nanook, my Dad was a big fan of the comic strip “Pogo”, and I vividly remember the strip mentioning the “G.O. Fizzicle” year (or something like that)! 1958 would be the time when everyone was crazy about Omnibuses.
JB, the driver could be lighting up AND talking into a microphone at the same time. I also used to really like the “balloon within a balloon” Mickeys at the park, though I don’t think I ever got one. They were probably $1.50, or some other outrageous price that my Dad wouldn’t pay. You can tell that the swans are asleep because they just skeletonized a guest. A big meal always makes them drowsy!
TokyoMagic!, I couldn’t tell you anything about renting swans, but it makes me wonder if the company that provided them also took care of them (feeding, etc)?
Chuck, I truly would love to know when that red and white lightbulb story began. I doubt it goes back to 1955. As I joked about on April 1, why not just start in the corner and work your way out from there? Problem solved. But the other way delights guests, so what do I know? I’m sorry you had a bad experience with that cast member, I have to wonder if she had an “emergency” (if you know what I mean)? Especially since her coworker seemed so surprised. I’m glad you took the time and effort to say nice things to that other cast member. With any large group of people (i.e. hundreds of employees) there will always be the few duds, but in my experience, the CMs at Disneyland really do tend to make an effort to be helpful and to engage guests in conversation or go the extra mile. I suppose a bad CM would stand out, and the good ones go unnoticed because it’s what we expect. I’ve watched some CMs doing a great job, and I once actually wrote a letter to the company complimenting a few of the CMs in particular (though I didn’t have names, unfortunately). I’m sure that the bigger crowds and weird sense of entitlement that some guests have make dealing with the public extra stressful, so in general I think they do an impressive job.
JG, I still remember the photos of the Russian sled dogs in their underwater gear in National Geographic. If I ran an amusement park, I’d replace every lightbulb after it had used just 1% of its lifespan. There will NEVER be a dead bulb in Pepperidgeland! You joke about a dungeon, but in a few early articles they actually did have some sort of plans for a torture chamber, believe it or not. I doubt those plans got very far, but it’s fascinating that they even considered it. They could have a fun iron maiden for people to take pictures with (no spikes). Did the swans ever leave the moat? What prevented them from walking around the way ducks sometimes do, even today? I am lucky that I’ve never had a job where I had to deal with the public at large, but I have no doubt that it would be trying, to say the least.
Dean Finder, I’m glad to see that *somebody* knows how to say “new-kew-lar” correctly! Just think of an atom’s new-kew-lus, it’s so easy! Fewer employees is the fault of the management, and it just makes things harder for those “on stage”. I don’t remember seeing any female CMs looking like they were going to go clubbing, but that wouldn’t have bothered me. On the other hand, I DO remember one or two female CMs working “Pirates”, and their outfits were pretty darn alluring - I was kind of astonished!
Chuck - I had a similar experiences as you …. However it got worse and in all my life of working with Disney and visiting Disney parks I have never blown up ………except for ONCE.
It was a Saturday and I had run into the park for a few hours and was in line at TOMORROWLAND TERRACE … this was about 2012. I patiently waited my turn … it was a bust crowded day . But pleasant. When my turn came to order the female cast member walked away and never returned . I waited then after quite some time got the attention of the employee ( by this time they are employees no more fun “cast member” lingo crap!! ) she tells me that my line had been closed .
!%|{~<}>.<>¥!!!???
Then told her then why wasn’t I told or how come they didn’t finish taking my order ???? Now I’m way pissed and a thinking of my 13 years of ass kissing I had to do as a cast member !! So I say I want to talk to a manager and that I cannot comprehend thst she won’t just accommodate my order as now the people who had been behind me went into the other line and I’d was being expected to get in that one and wait another 30 minutes ??
The arrogant manager came out and explained that the line I was in had been closed ( even though I had been in the line for over 30 minutes while it was still active ) and I asked again after explaining what had happened that they just wouldn’t take my order … the manager came out to where I was stand AND HOOKED A “THIS LINE IS CLOSED” sign and the entry of the line bars … I photographed the register clerk and the manager so I could have their name and I WENT Ballistic!!! Ii
Then I did the cliche Disneyland guest move and went to City Hall on Main Street and went ballistic there. After explaining why I was in a fit and showing them the photos I got the canned Disneyland guest relations better -than- you toned apology …. And 2 free meal tickets good anywhere in Disneyland.
But that wasn’t good enough : for several years I sent a faux “wanted poster “ with the pictures of the manager , the cashier and the Tomorrowland Terrace line closed sign and a brief description of the Disneyland employees “crime”around though inter office mail at WDI , that traveled to Disneyland , the studios and WDI … I also went around and posted the flyer on notice boards around campus- when fellow employees began mentioning the names of the cashier and manager I knew I had done enough and stopped posting the flyers and will no longer mention the offending names. I am also aware neither of them work for or with Disney … but likely for just general unrelated reasons .
There’s nothing worse than a woman scorned OR a hungry former cast member getting his buttons pushed by current cast members !!!
I love how that little wire fence is all that's protecting the unsuspecting guests from those vicious swans. They look so sweet and innocent (the swans, not the guests).
Mike, I understand your frustration, as I've had some bad experiences, too. Thankfully, there are still CM's who do care and try. It's too bad that folks like you, Bu, KS, and others from the past years, aren't in charge of teaching the past [Walt] ways to the current employees.
A friend of ours owns a fast-food restaurant, and his mission is to teach the upcoming generation of employees how to act in public (stop swearing, put phones away, etc.) and how to be polite. It's a never-ending job, as new employees come on board. I haven't told him, yet, but he also needs to teach the kids how to count money/change -- boy are they bad at it, unfortunately. One employee once gave me an extra $20 bill back, in change.
I think I'll catch the next Omnibus, thanks, Major.
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