Blurzles™
Yep, it's Snoozle™ time, with these falling under the sub-category of "Blurzles™". As if often the case.
This first one is from the 1950s, and might have been a pretty photo of a Casey Junior Circus Train chugging through the patchwork quilt of Storybook Land, but our photographer was a little bit jumpy. It's not a total loss though, the late afternoon sun makes it kind of pretty.
Next, from 1967 or 1968 comes this dynamic composition with the yellow Mark II Monorail coming toward us on the elevated beam. Pylons! And posters! Not as many posters as I'd like though. The Disneyland Hotel is in the distance, the Monorail has just come from there and was on its way to Tomorrowland, which is pretty cool.
10 comments:
i immediately noticed that the Casey Jr. photo looks like a small model because of the blurry focus. The focal distance / depth of field, is very narrow when photographing small models, and the subject can look blurry very easily. The Patchwork Quilt looks to be more in focus than the Train. Maybe some of the blur is from the Train being in motion? I see Disney still has a problem with that albino starfish infestation. Huh... I never realized that the Quilt continues up above the train tracks!
Ooh, this one is nice! Hardly any blur, too. And the photographer waited until the right moment to snap the picture, centering the Monorail. The family on the right drove all the way from Maine for their once-in-a-lifetime visit to Disneyland, only to find out that they don't have enough money for the whole family to enter the park. Now they are drawing straws to see who gets left out. The loser will spend the day in the Kennel Club where they will be looked after and treated to a can of dog food.
The second pic is definitely the better of the two. But both have good things to offer. Thanks, Major.
JB, the patchwork quilt is tri-level. There is track up on top of that highest level. That's the top of the train's lift hill.
Thanks for the Blurzle's, Major!
The little girl,relieved she got a long straw, will grow up to be a cheerleader.
I think I can, I think I can fit in one of those cages.
Thanks for the Blurzels!
Casey is blazing along, hoping no one will notice the power lines. It’s the blur of speed, the need for speed!!
What a great monorail pic! These artworks were called posters because originally they were stuck on posts. Now these are on PYLONS! So, “pylonsters”? Also a fancy trash can. Notice how the theme of the Esplanade is vaguely Main Street. The ticket booths, trash cans, and the other buildings are all sort-of Victorian and similar to what we see inside, but less fancy. Imagine having no idea what to expect from this new-fangled innovation and seeing Town Square for the first time ever!
Thanks Major!
JG
nice blurzles. photo #2 shows the type of streetscape I thought I'd be seeing all over LA, once I got old enough to drive.
In the age of easy and accessible digital photography, when anybody and their cousin Fred and their cousin Fred's cousin Fred can take a million shots and just delete the ones that don't come out perfect, and every picture you see online is 100% sharp and crisp, there's something cozy and comforting about a good Blurzle. It takes me back to the days when most of us just pointed, clicked, and hoped, and ended up with a few blurry shots on each roll. But we hung onto them just the same, because they were the only memories we had from that day. Plus, we'd paid good money for the film and processing!
I love how Monstro looks like Jaws in the poster, but he's practically jolly and avuncular once you get to the actual attraction. "Hi, kids! Wanna sail into my gullet, haha?" *spurt*
JB, I see what you mean, Casey does look kind of toylike in that first photo. The little circus train does not exactly speed by at high velocity, so the motion blur is odd, but as you said, most of the rest of the image is pretty much in focus. It’s sad to think that the family didn’t have an additional $5.50 to get one more person into the park! Remember how, in those days, you could pay admission just to get it? That Kennel Club is nice, they wouldn’t let me in because I did not meet their standards.
TokyoMagic!, I wonder if that photo was taken *before* they had to reduce the steepness of the tall hill?
zach, they decided that the girl would be a cheerleader at that particular moment?? Weird! Ugh, the Monkey Cage, never again. My back was to the scenery for the entire ride.
JG, Hmmm, “pylonsters”, sounds like something that might chase you. Interesting observation about how the Main Street aesthetic was already starting before you even got into the park! I never thought about it.
LTL, my sister works in transportation, and she went to a conference that convinced her that in a few years we wouldn’t even need cars. I wish I was as convinced.
Melissa, I see your point about old photography vs. modern digital photography, and yet… I still get frustrated when I get a Blurzle! I think of Lou Perry and how much he must have paid for processing for the zillions of photos that he used to take. I’m sure he was happy to do it. Monstro is jolly and avuncular? I admit that I never thought of him that way!!
Yeah, I originally wrote "we just pointed..." but then I went back and changed it to "most of us" because I thought of Lou and so many others who really knew what they were doing with their film cameras.
Major and Melissa, thank you for the kind words about my dad. 'Taking pictures' truly was a hobby he LOVED. I don't recall if I've scanned any of his trip receipt lists [that he typed up in the 50s and maybe early 60s], for GDB. I'll have to do so, soon. The lists are so detailed and, yes, he spent a small fortune on film and film developing.
I like today's images, thank you, Major.
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