One decent photo can yield a variety of interesting shots when you zoom in. This 1957 aerial shot (incorrectly labeled as 1956, but corrected by a few sharp-eyed readers) is just such a photo. The bandstand that started in Town Square, moved to Central Plaza, and then over to Magnolia Park before getting the final “86” from Disneyland is nowhere to be found, unless it is hidden behind the trees in Adventureland. No Cascade Peak, no expanded Nature’s Wonderland...why the park is practically a toddler in its infancy!
Tomorrowland is also a babe; no Matterhorn...the circus tent is gone...and not even a Viewliner in sight!
Guests are still being given the empty promise of an Edison Square or an International Street or something like that...don’t listen folks, it’s a pack of lies! You can see the back of the tent at Central Plaza that held some of the original cel art pieces for sale and then eventually became the Edison Square preview area.
Here’s a detailed shot of cels from Peter Pan & Alice for sale:
See more Disneyland aerial views at my main website.
9 comments:
"Grand Opening 1958" LOL!
What an great shot, I'm getting lost in all the Main Street details - WOW!!!
Oh, I LOVE aerial shots!!!! It's funny what draws one's eye...I was looking at the backstage areas where I used to spend my breaks, behind the fire station, stretched out on one of the benches of the trolly car at night, LOL...Also behind the Opera House. Wow, this is cool.
The Bandstand lost in the wilds of Adventureland? Or maybe it's at Roger's Garden in Newport Beach, CA... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-GPAKooS-A
What a great aerial shot (those are my favorites)...
And oh man, look at those amazing cell setups (with what appears to be original matching background paintings). $25 probably seemed like a lot of money for such a thing back in those days: According to the inflation calculator on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website, it would be about the equivalent of $194 today! Still a bargain, we now know...
I'm drooling over that Alice cel setup. $25... where's my time machine!
Like Connie, cast members had their hiding places behind or above "on stage"... I took some breaks above the Adventureland Bazaar. And the bandstand is definitely now at Roger's.
As the Monsanto House Of The Future is visible, shouldn't this photo be from 1957?
Wonderful stuff, Dave. Thanks for this.
JG
Yeah---Must be '57, I can see the Viewliner trestle...
Post a Comment