Remember those POTC interior shots that I posted last week, promising that you’d see the rest of the batch soon? Well, today is soon!
Here’s a brief snapshot of what the park looked like during the Summer of 1977. Our first view of Town Square was taken from the Main Street Train Station. Shot #2 was most likely taken from the train as it whisked past small world.
The Flower Market is full of colorful artificial goodness; care to pick up a bouquet to take home with you?
The blanket of color from the real flowers makes for a nice frame in front of the Matterhorn:
The Mary Blair murals; so much more appealing than the current space-age murals that were rudely plastered over this work of art:
And a few from The Jungle Cruise before I sign off:
See more Disneyland photos at my website.
The Mary Blair mural looks so wonderful - the style of the artwork is very much "of its time" - dated today, but in a charming way. You're right it is a lot more charming than what replaced it.
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ReplyDeleteThe covering of the Mary Blair murals goes down as one of the great "What the heck were they thinking?" moments. Someday maybe people will understand that change just for change's sake is not a good thing...
ReplyDeleteI like the colors of IASM, the blues are cool!
ReplyDeleteThose blankets of flowers at the Tomorrowland entrance make me smile :-)
The Mural extends my smile! The south side mural is more moody than the north one, I think I like it better...
Awesome post, thanks~!
I wish that both murals would be restored.
ReplyDeleteDidn't someone say that they are still there behind the current ones (whatever they are)?
I believe they are both still there, but most likely there is some damage to the tiles or some missing ones that would need to be replaced. Not sure how high it is on Disney's list of “to-do's”; it all depends on what the future overhaul of Tomorrowland entails.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one that misses the old entrance to Tomorrowland??? These pictures made my heart sing!
ReplyDeleteI love DL in the seventies. This is the DL of my childhood! The photos of the Mary Blair mural and the flowers at the entrance to Tomorrowland are terrific. I miss THAT Tomorrowland very much!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and not to nit pick, but Fantasyland didn't have a train station in the seventies!
Thank you for these, Dave!
Chris - What Fantasyland Train Station? (wink wink). Thanks for the correction - fixed!
ReplyDeleteThat kind of looks like jasmine under the Mary Blair mural (sniff, sniff)
ReplyDeleteI remembers' ya said that, yep, and I'm glad it's soon so soon.
ReplyDeleteThere are indeed some very appealing pics in this lot. DL sure had a sense of a healthy maturity for much of the '70s, a time of peace in the sun so to speak.
That's a really good pic of the murals for how it puts across its graceful lines (and that's brilliant hedge work underneath too btw, a simple but fine accent).
As I look at these I think how they are more fantasyland than tomorrowland in having whimsy yet are a hope for children of tomorrow and celebration of life. It could also be, as I guess they kinda were, a theme of yesterday, today and tomorrow. As such they make a fine transition between either of the two lands, Fantasyland or Main St. and Tomorrowland.
What surprises me is that they weren't at Walt Disney World because they are siblings with that giant mural also of Mary's that is in the Contemporary Tower. Maybe that could be their answer: if they can be removed and restored/remade, WDW has the space to put them up at the Magic Kingdom (or Contemporary or EPCOT, actually) as a transition between Tomorrowland and either Fantasyland or Main St. and they'd still work great at WDW.
Ah I like that tiger shrine" JC pic, it looks like you're standing there in the jungle!
ReplyDeleteBlanket of color before the Matterhorn, great description, super display of flowers. How about the California trees and... the Swiss Mountain hehe. Yet it seems to go comfortably.
One of the good things about the flower market having atificial flowers: you can buy 'em on your way by in the morning and they'll still be fresh when you leave that night. ;) The worst thing? It reminds me of that sad, sad, SAD Bobby Darin song!
As for that top pic, doesn't that make you just want to snag onto that bench there in the shade and take in that glowingly warm scene? Sure does me, I'm basking in it from here. :)
Hope you didn't mind me rattling on. Swell post again Dave!