Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: The New Tomorrowland, Disneyland, 1969
By Charles Phoenix - Sunday November 20th 2005 |
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The New Tomorrowland, Disneyland, 1969
Vintage slides of Disneyland are among my favorite finds – especially old slides of Tomorrowland. It’s the least photographed land in the Magic Kingdom – which leads me to the SLIDE-OF-THE-WEEK: THE NEW TOMORROWLAND, 1969.
When I was a kid in the 60s and 70s I thought that Tomorrowland was the coolest place to be — inside or outside of Disneyland. My two favorite attractions were there – America the Beautiful and Carousel of Progress. Now that I think of it, America the Beautiful is my favorite movie ever. And it was projected in the round! How amazing was that? The circle-vision effect of the film being projected all-around, together with the blaring optimistic arrangement of America the Beautiful – the song – was literally dizzying. It was a great high. The Carousel of Progress trip through time was an even better high. Yes, I still can’t get the theme song out of my mind. I’m humming it right now! When I was six I watched man land on the moon live on a giant monitor in Tomorrowland and then rode Flight to Mars.
The most eagerly anticipated and fondly remembered days of my childhood were spent at Disneyland. A trip there became the standard from which I judged the experiences I had everywhere else I went. I remember thinking Southern California was the greatest place on earth, not because our beautiful snowcapped mountain peaks, wildflowers in the desert and waves crashing on the sandy seashore. It was because we had Disneyland. When I was about five some relatives came out to visit from Oklahoma. I thought we were superior to them because we had Disneyland and they didn’t.
Here’s to you and Disneyland’s 50th!
Charles Phoenix
Visit Charles’ site, God Bless Americana, or join his Yahoo Group.
CHARLES PHOENIX’S RETRO HOLIDAY SLIDE SHOW
A live comedy performance
Your imagination will be inspired, your spirit will soar and it’ll really get you in the mood for the holidays!
At the Egyptian Theater/American Cinematheque
Fri & Sat Nov 25, 26 Dec 16, 17, 23, 30, 31* – 8pm
Sundays Nov 27 Dec 18, 25, Jan 1 – 1pm
*Special time Sat Dec 31 5pm
Tickets and info
Also in Orange County at the Curtis Theater in Brea
Dec 9, 10, 11 Fri & Sat -8pm / Sun -2pm
Tickets and info
Box Office: (714) 990-7722.
My favorite attractions back then were THE ENCHANTED TICKI ROOM AND THE CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS.
Here is a link to save what’s left of the one in Florida. Thank god I have the original show on a music CD!
http://www.carouselofprogress.com/The%20Carousel%20of%20Progress%20history.htm
For me it was all about Space Mountain. The Disney roller coasters are fairly tame, even for a small child. But add sensory deprivation to the mix and you’ve got pure pschological horror. Every time I waited in line there was at least one terrified kid begging his parents to skip the ride.
[...] They say you learn something new every day. I think that was certainly true for our visit to Disneyland this past week. One of the clearest lessons was this: don’t eat lunch in the park. Or if you do, bring your own and make a picnic of it. Trust me, you’ll be better off. [...]
Lessons from Disneyland — Lunch
Filed under: Feeding & Nutrition , Eating , Road trip , Amusement parks , Vacations They say you