Tomorrowland, April 1974

Tomorrowland? What a wacky concept! Tomorrow will be here in a matter of hours, I'm in no hurry. But, what's done is done, especially since Walt rejected my idea, "Hotland", where it's always really, really hot. The ground would be heated through a series of buried pipes, and jets of steam would blast up at guests at unexpected moments. You could take a ride through a steel foundry, or experience the Fondue ride. Ice cream and soda sales would be through the roof! But Walt just coughed and stared at me.

You can see that this nice shot of Tomorrowland is marred by a partial double-exposure to the right, but what can you do? I can cry and say bad words (which I did), but it won't change anything. Let's just focus on the positive, like the classic Peoplemover, Adventure Thru Inner Space, the Mary Blair mural, and the Rocket Jets.

This next one isn't as exciting, but there are still some good details...

... even years after Walt's passing, Tomorrowland (and part of Fantasyland) was a "world on the move"!

The Last Scans from Keith Schad

Today I am sharing the final four scans from Keith Schad; you can go back and look at the many blog posts with photos from 1958 (taken by his wife's Great Grandfather) and another batch from late 1971 (taken by Keith's father in-law). All four of these are from the 1971 batch.

We'll start with this nice photo of two yellow Mark VII Autopia cars, next to gas pumps that do not advertise Richfield at all. One car has a big dent in the side, in solidarity with the Castle. I like seeing the criss-crossing tracks to the left.

Next is this shot looking up at the pilot house of the Mark Twain; the pilot himself is almost lost in the darkness, but it appears that he is looking right back at us. He probably flashed the 1880s version of a peace sign, whatever that might be.

The big energy crisis of the 1970s was still a few years away, so the Burning Settler's Cabin displayed an impressive blaze. The poor settler doesn't look so good, but I'm hoping his injury is just a flesh wound.

And finally, here's a look at a side wing of the Plaza Inn, with the flowers (in alternating stripes of yellow and purple) in the foreground. Very artsy! You don't see the Plaza Inn from this angle very often.

 MANY THANKS to Keith Schad for sharing all of his wonderful family photos! He told me he might have some other non-Disneyland images worth looking at, so stay tuned.

A Trio From June 1962

Having just scanned a bunch of slides dated "June, 1962" (yesterday's Snoozles were from the same batch), I'm happy to report that there are some very nice pictures. Not all are great though (as is to be expected), and today's examples are a bit "meh". Not bad exactly, but... you'll see.

Like this first very "blah" look at the far shore of Frontierland as seen from Tom Sawyer Island. Much of the color is so muted that it is basically an unattractive greenish-gray. Along the shore to the right is a fence - I'm not exactly sure why it is there, though the riverside bandstand had been removed, and major construction was underway in much of Frontierland, so it was related to that in some way.

Next is this view of Castle Rock (on Tom Sawyer Island), with only a few people evident, instead of the endless conga line from to the top and back down. I'm looking at the variations in colors, none of them accidental. "We'll put a little ochre over here, and some rusty red over here, and maybe a little puce over here". "Puce?? Larry, I think you need a vacation". Cascade Peak looks impressive in the background.

Ah, now we're getting somewhere - I never tire of seeing the Rainbow Desert, with those crazy rock formations and kooky cacti. Watch out for tumbling boulders! And bobcats, that place was full of bobcats. 

I promise that there are better pictures from this lot, coming up!

SNOOZLES, June 1962

Today's SNOOZLES are perhaps not quite as appalling as most; they mostly suffer from the crime of being a little boring. No judge would give them more than two weeks in jail and a year's probation.  Both are from June, 1962, in case you didn't see that in the title of the post.

You'd think that in June, they would need all of the vessels out on the Rivers of America, but the Columbia rests in Fowler's Harbor. So perhaps these are from a month or two earlier? We'll never know. Tom Sawer Island is being swallowed alive by vines, thank goodness they never planted kudzu there.  

Looking over at the Keelboat, we can see hints of some of the construction that dominated this corner of Frontierland in '62 - the Plantation House had been removed, and there was a lot of bare dirt and boxed trees - something the photographer clearly tried to avoid (mostly). Didn't he/she know that it would be the most interesting thing 62 years later??

Next, a perfectly serviceable photo of the Mark Twain, with Cascade Peak evident behind it.

Frontier Town, New York

About six months ago I acquired some random slides, and one of them is this wonderful photo (probably from the mid-1950s) of two kids posing in front of a cute (but odd-looking) little locomotive, the Frontier Town Express. The slide mount had "New York" written on it, and it turns out that this was the Frontier Town amusement park in "the Adirondacks, Route 9 between Lake George and Lake Placid". You know, near Ticonderoga! It opened on July 4th, 1952. 

The train looks like it has a real steam whistle, but can it be an actual steam locomotive? Somehow that seems unlikely, but you never know.

Doing a little Googlin', I found MANY vintage postcards from Frontier Town, it looks like it was a lot of fun! The first three postcard images show the same little train, though I can find no data about it (other than the fact that it was a narrow-gauge railroad).

Here's the back of that card, with typical limited information. It's a postcard, I guess I can't expect too much. 

Interesting, this holdup was not part of the pre-programmed experience, though the visitors don't know it. They think it's a hoot! 

It sure is a pretty sight to see the train running through the lush forest.

Other postcards give a better sense of the overall layout, with a blockhouse to the left, and what might be shops (?) or "houses".

Based on this card, it appears that Frontier Town offered many of the things that a typical western park (of which there were many around the US) offered, including gunfights in the streets.

Or how about a nice stagecoach ride? We're carrying the payroll today, but I'm sure that will cause no problem.

Here's another nice view, so lovely with those rolling hills covered in trees.

Uh-oh, that guy must have said a bad word. The pillory is too good for him!

I found this photo of a small cardboard sign, perhaps 14" X 7" (ish), and realized that I have one in my collection somewhere (the signs don't seem to be particularly rare). But it's easier to just share this jpeg scrounged from the 'net. 

Frontier Town closed sometime in 1998, and its closure was devastating to the local economy. If you do a Google search, there are plenty of articles online about the derelict buildings rotting away in the woods. There is now a "Frontier Town Campground" in the area, but there is talk of trying to bring the amusement park back. I hope they do it!

Beauties From 1956

I love looking at views of Disneyland from the early days, when the park still felt kind of small and "just-finished" (as if you would still smell fresh paint) and the trees are still saplings. Today's scans are from 1956 - perhaps February? Just a guess of course.

So there it is, Main Street USA, with the setting sun casting long shadows across the street. These photos do have a few kids, though you really have to look for them. It's fascinating how much Disneyland seemed to cater to adults at that time. Meanwhile, Main Street looks beautiful, and we get the added bonus of a Surrey and the Chemical Fire Wagon.

Those familiar lessee names give me the warm fuzzies - Yale, Swift, Gibson, Eastman Kodak... they all make me think of Disneyland! Note the sign outside the Main Street Cinema, with Mabel Normand in "A Dash Through the Clouds".

Next we head to Frontierland, and the dock for the Mark Twain. A few guests appear to be boarding, but there will be plenty of room for everyone. Hey, there's a kid! They DO exist!

Along the shore, it looks like construction is underway, with some boxed trees here and there. I'm assuming that the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge will spring up pretty soon, along with the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, which will debut on July 2nd, 1956.

Arline, 1956

Today's photos don't stray very far from the front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, but that's OK! The first two are really more about the people than the place, anyway.

Meet Arline! There's a name you don't hear anymore, even though it's kind of pretty. I'm  guessing that Arline and her sweetheart were married, but had no kids yet. Might as well enjoy Disneyland before having to deal with strollers and diapers, right? Arline's blue dress goes well with her blond hair. I enjoy her little "hurricane as seen from space" spit curl too. Her bag is full of peanut butter and jelly sammiches.

And here is Arline's sweetheart (or husband). Sometimes folks look uncomfortable in pictures, and this guy certainly does. Is he worried about cosmic rays or Russian microwaves? Two words: TINFOIL UNDERPANTS. One interesting note is that there was no little boy in red when the picture was taken, but somehow he's there in the photo! 

A nice followup features our gal Arlene, she just loved posing on bridges! The swans are swimming toward us hoping for some popcorn. In the upper right, we can see a sign for Prof. George Keller's FELINE FANTASTICS! The professor had been part of the Mickey Mouse Circus, but when that failed, he got a solo gig with his heavily tranquilized big cats. A mere whip and chair was all he needed to bend them to his will! 

Just for fun, here's a scan of a scarce postcard featuring the professor with two of his lions. His show ran from February 19th, 1956 through September 5th of that same year.

Disneyland, March 1992

GDB friend Sue B. scanned some slides, photos that were taken by her cousin Stu. You've seen some of his stuff here before! They are from March, 1992, which was just a few years ago. Wait, what do you MEAN it was over 30 years ago?

It looks like Stu was in line to ride the Matterhorn when he noticed a parade of some sort going by in the distance. I did some Googlin' and saw that there was a parade called "The World According to Goofy" in 1922, but that didn't start until June. I'm sure one of you will know the right answer! We can see Mickey Mouse in his sporty red and yellow roadster. 

The Disneyland Band is right behind him, and Monstro even seems to be smiling a little bit. The big softie. 

Now we can see some characters, including Pluto, Goofy, Balloo Von Bruinwald XIII (from Talespin), and Darkwing Duck, riding in the Motorized Firetruck. Behind Balloo is Don Karnage (also from Talespin), who I did not know about until the fine Junior Gorillas told me who he was in THIS POST.

Next we have two photos of  Splash Mountain, a truly wonderful ride that I am going to miss (it closed in early 2023), though I understand why it had to change. At this point it was about three years old. 

I'll be very curious to see what the replacement, "Tiana's Bayou Adventure" is like, and will try to remain objective! 

THANK YOU, Lou and Stu and Sue!

Two Leftuggies™

Someday I'm going to make a fortune with my trademarked Leftuggies™. I just need to monetize them. BUT HOW?

Speaking of Leftuggies™,  I have two of them for you right now! This first one is dated "September, 1959", and shows a nice lady posing in Tomorrowland. There's the mysterious UN logo, presumably placed there for United Nations Day. Children all over the world placed tinsel on their Rand McNally globes, and they drank warm buttermilk with a cinnamon stick placed in the mug. They also watched lots of TV, but they did that every day. The lady gets two extra points for not folding her souvenir guidebook, but then one point is subtracted because her sweaty hands will cause the paper to warp.

Next, from what I am guessing is "sometime in the 1970s" (look at those sideburns) is this picture of the Dapper Dans, serenading us with a lively song. Perhaps "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo'bye)!"?  Whatever the tune was, they are having a lot of fun, and so are WE.

 

Two Pix From April, 1974

I have to be honest, part of me will be glad when I have used up all of the "too dark" scans from the April, 1974 lot. The kids at school are laughing at me! My mom said that they are "laughing toward me", but it still stings.

It's always nice to see one of those big Belgian Draft Horses (do they like Belgian draft beer?), they appear to be gentle in spite of their strength. "I've seen it all!". I'm looking at the man to our left, he's got crutches. Maybe he just sprained his ankle? It's going to be a long day, hobbling around for hours and hours. "You go ahead without me, I'll just lie down in the middle of Main Street". Notice the kid to the right with the patriotic hat - Bicentennial Fever was already starting to take hold in 1974. "America Sings" would open in Disneyland on June 29th of this year.

I'm sure our photographer was going for a view of the Matterhorn, but the fun part is looking at the guests in their 1974 fashions.  Which are surprisingly "normal", except for Mom, who has a long-sleeved red shirt, and then an oddly-patterned shirt over that, with a giant Peter Pan collar.