Here's a pair of especially nice photos of Disneyland, circa September 1959. Only about three months after the Matterhorn, Monorail, and Submarines debuted, which was an exciting time!
It seems that the photographer was attempting to capture the general ambiance of Tomorrowland in a single photo, with the Mark I Monorail ("Li'l Stubby"), the crowds waiting for their Voyage Through Liquid Space, and the venerable Skyway overhead (with a cameo by the Astro Jets to the right). I usually think of September as being hot in SoCal, but there are more than a few coats and sweaters seen here, which seems odd. Still, it's a fun image; the crowds add color and implied energy.
Next, we're in Fantasyland, since we see the Matterhorn Chalet to the right. There'd never been any roller coaster like the Matterhorn, and it looks like there were plenty of guests anxious to experience it for themselves. A rather unimpressive, earless red balloon floats nearby. The passing "Big Blue" Monorail is fun, it appears that one girl is looking right at us from her window.
Major-
ReplyDeleteThe Land 'o Tomorrow looks to be quite the place there, in the fall of 1959. In addition to all that 'cold weather gear' (only in So. Cal-!) I spy a babushka. Maybe it was breezy...
Thanks, Major.
I took a course in "implied energy" once. It all comes down to the body heat emitted by large crowds coupled with the square of the hypotenuse, multiplied by the radius divided by 2, and of course, the phase of the moon.
ReplyDeleteMy. These are nice images! Very Disneylandish. I can't tell if there is anybody in the Cameo Jets. Maybe since these two Jets are low to the ground there is no one in them? I don't know why, but the blue Monorail always looks more futuristic to me. Fashions: On the left is a woman wearing a poofy white dress with spaghetti strap top; looks like the kind of dress one would wear for dancing, or partying. Near the bottom center is someone wearing pants made from a checker board.
Major, I beg to differ; the red balloon does have ears... they're just printed on it. It does add a nice colorful counterpoint to the blue Monorail. Hunh, two guys wearing 'coolie' hats; don't see that very often! They're wearing them on their backs (as is the lady next to them). Probably to protect themselves from giant flying brain cells from the planet Deneva. It's rare to see a nice close-up of a Disneyland Monorail that looks this good.
1959. It was a very good year for Disneyland photos. Thanks, Major.
JB, the girl with the checkerboard britches wears those when her mom gives smart dinner parties.....and apparently when visiting Disneyland, too. The pants have a name, but I won't mention it here. She is also wearing saddle shoes.
ReplyDeleteThese are indeed, beautiful Tomorrowland views! Thanks, Major!
Wow, photo 1 is the essence of Tomorrowland 1.5. All the good stuff is here.
ReplyDeleteMajor, there still isn’t any coaster quite like the Matterhorn. I see there is a mountain-themed coaster in Florida, but our Swiss Mountain is the Horn That Matters. And it is still one of the top 5 most popular rides in the Park. The coolie hats must have been Adventureland souvenirs. They are very functional, but not my style.
Thank you!
JG
Fancy Babushka Friday!
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to have gotten the memo about dressing in "accented neutrals." (I remember that term from Mrs Mylar, my junior high Home Economics teacher.) In seven years' time, they'll all be dressing like a rainbow exploded in their closets. New Tomorrowland may have had more color, but 1959 Tomorrowland still had plenty of vroom!
TM! Was that a sly Lucy reference?
I went to bed early last night, so I just saw the follow-up comments in yesterday's post about "VENICE SAMURAI!" I laughed so hard I think I scared the neighbors!
Nanook, I feel like I need to double-check the dates on these, it seems so strange to see September looking so chilly. I sure wish we’d get a cold one this year!!
ReplyDeleteJB, wow, you’re good at math. I wish I was. These are the kind of classic Disneyland images that I like so much, a real “you are there” feeling, as if you are one of the guests. I’m sure there are people in the Astro Jets, we just can’t really see them from this odd angle. It is funny to occasionally see a woman overdressed for Disneyland, I remember one photo with a lady in a rather daring dress that exposed a lot of her back and shoulders. Good for her, I say! Printed ears don’t count, which you’d know if you read Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity”. Which I do, twice a year, mostly for the puns. I noticed the guys with the coolie hats, I wonder if they ever wore them again after that day??
TokyoMagic!, it’s as if ILL had three episodes and they are referred to over and over. I don’t even watch the show and I can tell you about hostess pants. I’m glad you like these pix!
JG, I’ve seen photos of Nara Dreamland, it appears as if they had a mountain-themed coaster, but I can’t find much information about the actual ride. But I agree, there’s nothing like our Matterhorn! I’ve never worn a coolie hat, but they do look very effective for keeping the sun off.
Melissa, “Mrs. Mylar”, I love it. She sounds like a character in a kid’s book. “Accented neutrals”, like my subdued outfits, but day-glow socks? I feel like the selective colors of the New Tomorrowland were perfect, those guys really knew what they were doing. And there was nothing sly about TM’s Lucy reference! Even I got it! I need to get Spielberg on the horn and sell him on “Venice Samurai”.
ReplyDeleteTomorrowland was so futuristic, they got November's weather in September! And those guys are obviously wearing COOL-ie hats because of the COOL temperatures.
The other day I was watching a game show, and the question was something about, which mountain is on the border of Switzerland and Italy? And I said to myself, Disney's Matterhorn is on the border of two lands, so maybe the real Matterhorn is on the border of two countries. And I was right! Edutainment triumphs again - I won a big fat nothing! Well, except smug self-satisfaction, and that's the other horn that really matters (blowing your own).
Speaking of the Matterhorn, I just saw on the news that yesterday it shed a few pounds (the real mountain did). (Google Matterhorn rockfall.) Thankfully, our version rarely does that!
ReplyDeleteThe lowest high temp in late September of 1959 was a little under 70 degrees. The month also featured the highest temp of the year, September 11, at 103 degrees.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think this is the first time that Blogger ate my comment. I'll try again....
ReplyDeleteTM! Was that a sly Lucy reference?
Melissa, it was an I.L.L. reference, but not so sly. As you can see, the Major now knows about "hostess pants."
I’ve seen photos of Nara Dreamland, it appears as if they had a mountain-themed coaster.....
Major and JG, there is also a mountain-themed coaster at Tivoli Gardens. Our very own Andrew was able to ride it last year. He shared about it (including many pics) in a post on his blog:
Rutschebanen at Tivoli Gardens