Two Beautiful Pics from Fantasyland

It's time for another installment of GDB Classics! Today we're going to visit vintage Fantasyland.

How can you not love this neat 1958 view of the Land of Fantasy (first published in 2008) as seen from the steps of the old Skyway chalet? You'd have to be some kind of crazy person, or a Communist.   Dumbo is in the foreground, doing that thing he (they?) do. Does. Whatever. I like the orange tree, loaded with fruit. Fact: Walt Disney did not want you to get scurvy! The Skyway looks especially busy and festive, like a line strung with colorful lanterns. Note the tower over on Holiday Hill (aka "Snow Mountain", aka "Death Mound"), where the Matterhorn would eventually sprout.

And now for another view from 1962 (published on GDB in 2007); once again, Fantasyland looks especially colorful and clean and lemony-fresh. I'm sort of surprised at that girl's poofy skirt, which I thought would be long out of fashion by '62. The variety of curves and lines and hues and values all add up to one lovely picture.

Town Square, 1960

You won't need your nerve pills today, because the photos are not very exciting! This first one is a view of Town Square in the late afternoon; you can see the banner in the distance heralding the opening of Nature's Wonderland and the "Art of Animation" exhibit. My favorite detail is the family just to the left (our left) of the streetcar. There's dad with three boys (the boys are all marching in step), and bringing up the rear is mom with yet another little boy. It makes me tired just thinking of what life must be like in their house!

I wonder why these turned out so dark and murky. Was it simply an erroneous camera setting? Did the film get cooked in a hot car? If this wasn't so contrasty it would actually be a nice look at the C. K. Holliday as it gets underway for the Grand Circle Tour around Disneyland.

Brussels World's Fair, 1958

Expo 58, also known as the Brussels World's Fair, was the first post-WWII World's Fair, and in many ways it set the stage for Seattle's "Century 21" Expo and the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Here is the United States pavilion, that "… included a fashion show with models walking down a large spiral staircase, an electronic computer that demonstrated a knowledge of history, and a color television studio behind glass". Say, that sounds swell!

I am ashamed to admit that the USSR pavilion fascinates me more than the USA pavilion. Wikipedia sez: "The Soviet pavilion was a large impressive building which they folded up and took back to Russia when Expo 58 ended. They had a facsimile of Sputnik which mysteriously disappeared, and they accused the US of stealing it". Man, I would have stolen it if I could have! What a conversation piece.

There's the Atomium (what an awesome name!), representing a single unit of an iron crystal, with each sphere representing an atom. It is 102 meters tall (that's 335 feet - am I the only person who feels embarrassed that the US couldn't make the switch to the Metric system while the rest of the world could?).

In this very dark photo you can see the Sky Ride as it passes the Luxembourg pavilion. Which I can find almost nothing about! I have failed you as a blogger.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Expo 58!

Tomorrowland, August 1965

I feel a touch of sadness today as I post the last two slides from a large lot of stereo views that I have been sharing forever. There were some real beauties in the bunch, and today's examples are no exception.

This great shot of the Astro Jets is from August 28, 1965. Not only does the ride look neat, but I love looking at the vintage people. Even familiar details like the checkerboard sun shades and the (blurry) Skyway sculptures make me smile.

One day earlier, our photographer took this picture (from the Skyway?) looking down upon a large fleet of unused Mark VI Autopia vehicles. The Mark VIs were the first to run with the guide rail, for better or worse (depending on who you ask). They also showed a real change in design (the previous versions all looked essentially the same), with the distinctive "eyebrow" (but before the actual headlights seen on the Mark VIIs).

Frontierland, 1960

Here are a few nice ones from good ol' Frontierland, circa 1960. 

The long-gone Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland was a wonderful attraction that (apparently) outlived its popularity. Would guests eventually appreciate the unique charms of this massive, detailed experience? We'll never know! Those Imagineers came up with so many fantastic touches, like being able to go beneath a waterfall; the entire ride really was very much like a train version of the Jungle Cruise in many respects.

Not far away, the Pack Mules were packin' them in. Kids mostly, by the look of it. Cast members wore white hats so that you knew they were good guys. 

Ye Olde Emporium, 1956

Whenever I see vintage photos of the Emporium in Town Square, I can't help wondering what amazing  treasures would have been found inside. Both of these photos are from 1956, so there were postcards that were 5 cents (that are now worth $100), maps, guidebooks, posters, coloring books, Eleanor Wellborn dishes, and all manner of wonderful tchotchkes to tempt guests! One might find something so rare and wondrous that even die-hard collectors don't know of its existence today.

Maybe there were even a few original animation cels, although I know those were supposed to mostly be available at the Art Corner. All I need is three teaspoons full of dark matter and my time machine will be complete!

Fantasyland, 1957

Here's a lovely, "postcard worthy" shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle, presumably in the winter of 1957.  It is a mere 77 feet tall, which sounds ridiculously tiny by today's standards. But I wouldn't change it, no sir. Notice the area to the right, where the Matterhorn would eventually go.

The lovable, toylike Casey Jr. circus train chugs through the patchwork-quilt Storybook Land and past Cinderella's castle.

Two Instamatics

Hey, how about some Instamatic photos for today? We'll start with this unusual view taken from the Tomorrowland Autopia - presumably "Mr. X" was just about to board his groovy automobile, but he took a quick photo looking back at the yellow Monorail waiting at the station. A turquoise-colored Peoplemover train sits nearby, empty (and possibly idle).

This next picture was almost certainly taken nearly 45 years ago, but the Matterhorn still sports this same sign, featuring a young man and his alpenhorn. Why isn't he wearing lederhosen? Talk about a lost opportunity. Also, does anybody suddenly feel the need for a Ricola throat lozenge? I like how the curly wrought-iron is slightly angular for a more stylized appearance. 

Last two from October 3 1956

I should have titled this post "Ho-hum Sunday", because these are some hella boring pictures. 

Even though we are looking at part of Tom Sawyer Island and (in the distance) the shoreline of Frontierland, there really isn't much to see except for some scrawny trees and a deserted dock. I think Cascade Peak would be built along that distant shore in just two years.

These ladies got all blurry. I do like the fearsome carved masks that line the bridge into Adventureland, but there's not much else to love about this picture.

Walt Disney World, November 1980

Once again I find myself unprepared for my "Anything Goes" saturday post, so I am just going to share a bunch of 1980 WDW images. As we've seen in the past, the relative lack of crowds is kind of amazing!

I love that they continued to use the horse-drawn vehicles at the Magic Kingdom… as far as I can tell they are basically identical to the Disneyland versions. Hey kid, get your butt back on the seat! I have to admit that this part of the hub is not quite so charming though, looking barren and rather featureless, which is weird. Still, imagine this area today when there is a parade or a fireworks display.

Part of the WDW water system included the moat, which looks dark and deep here. It was probably no more than 4 feet deep, I'll bet. At one time there were fanciful swan boats, like the kind "Mad" King Ludwig might have wanted in his fairytale Bavaria.

I love Anaheim's castle, but man… you have to admit that the Florida example is spectacular. I want to live in the upper levels. I know that there is a "Dream Suite" somewhere in there, but is there anything else inside the castle? Possibly a few stores, maybe a restaurant? Inquiring minds want to know.

This one's kind of neat, looking toward the entrance to Tomorrowland. Those spires with the waterfalls are super neat (and very "World's Fair"-ish). All that gleaming white seems futuristic, for some reason.

My extensive research (two minutes on Google) told me that this building is (was?) known as "Exposition Hall". I was going to make a joke about people exposing themselves, until I discovered that I already did that two years ago.

One of the unique Jitneys passes by City Hall in Town Square. And what an imposing (yet fanciful) structure City Hall is! I would go there to complain about my sub-par corn dog, but now that just feels silly.

I hope you have enjoyed these old WDW pics! There are more to come.