The Carousel of Progress attraction was one of the many marvels that Walt Disney debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Today's post takes on a photo journey showing how one particular scene has evolved over the years. Photo #1 is from July 1965 and shows the 1940's host sitting in the kitchen with his dog.
Naturally, sponsor GE manages to get a little product placement into the show!
A publicity shot of the same scene once it hit Anaheim in 1967:
Moving to Florida in 1975, the host got a new hairdo. Actually, this looks like a completely different animatronic.
This last shot shows how it looked in 2010 in Florida, when I made my most recent visit to Orlando. The kitchen has been given a Halloween theme. Love that retro pumpkin on the table! Know where I can find one?
See more Daveland Disneyland Carousel of Progress photos at my main website.
Another childhood favorite ride. I don't know why but I know I liked it. The model of Progress City fascinated me. I always wanted to stay and look at every detail but my parents zipped right past it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI love this ride, always have, and I wish Disney would give it some love.
Great comparison! I love that the 1975 dad is wearing something that looks like a red silk ascot.
ReplyDeleteDave, I had no idea this show was still running in WDW.
ReplyDeleteHave they updated the script at all? I occasionally listen to my old sound track albums and it's really funny to hear how dated the CoP script is compared to today's "values". References to our "shiny new nuclear reactor", etc.
JG
It's ironic that even though I I've been going to Disneyland regularly since 1963, I'd only experience the "Carousel of Progress" in Florida. For some odd reason, I just missed it during it's 1967-1973 run in Anaheim. Because of that, I associate the song "The Best Time Of Your Life" more strongly to this attraction than the original song "It's Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". Nice post. Thanks, Dave.
ReplyDeleteWe would never miss the CoP ride on our monthly trips to Disneyland. After moving to South Carolina and seeing the same ride at WDW, it was a time traveling experience. The ride has changed a little, and the final scene was a little "off", but we still love it. Great pics Dave. Thanks.
ReplyDeletePS: The '67 version of the host always reminded me of Howard Hughes, especially since I worked for him for 30 years.
ReplyDelete