Wednesday, September 12, 2007

1950’s TWA Moonliner: In glorious sepia



Here are 2 undated (and separate batches) bw TWA Moonliner shots from the 1950’s. For those that missed it when I first posted it, here’s an upclose color version of the signage:



Back to sepia. Looks like gigantic martini olives on toothpicks behind the Moonliner, huh?



See more Moonliner photos on my regular website.

4 comments:

Matterhorn1959 said...

I love those lights. As I have said before, I would love to have those lights in a back yard. By the way the poster in the frame on the light stands is the Disneyland Hotel.

Major Pepperidge said...

Well, we've seen it before, but I am still blown away by photo #2 (the first pic is nice too of course).

Can you read those triangular banners in the third photo? They surround the Flight Circle...it almost looks like the word "circle", but then again maybe not.

Daveland said...

Major: I believe they say "Thimble Drome." When I get home tonight I'll do a zoom and post a closeup for tomorrow. Matterhorn - if you ever get a set of those lights, let me know!

Anonymous said...

Those banners say Thimble (horiz) and Drome (vertical), and were only up for the first year of operation after Cox took over from Wen-Mac until they could make better signage. According to Cox history records, they took over in late 1957. There first real season was summer of '58, when the banners went up. The were removed when the area was re-painted and upgraded. When I started there (I remember seeing them stored in the cabinets) they were not up. You can also see in the various photos of the circle, the change in the "tower" on the center cabinet. Wen-Mac had a chair half way up for the announcer (you can see it in your Tomorrowland photo Sept 1956 just below the mushroom light on the building to the right, and the tower included the wind sock. Cox had there mini thimble (gold) with a small plane going around, there Cox logo. Later, the circle had small display platforms around the inside the fence, with various planes, cars and boats.