truecoat
Well-Known Member
It could be much, much better. They only have 480p available but depending on the scan, this video could easily be HD or even 4k.
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Disneyland 1968
- Thread starter Darkbeer1
- Start date
It could be much, much better. They only have 480p available but depending on the scan, this video could easily be HD or even 4k.
Disneyland68
Active Member
Aloha,
Awesome find. You got my attention with your title!
My first visit to Disneyland was August, 1968. Family drove down from Vandenberg AFB on a Saturday. Checked into a cheap high rise hotel and by time we entered the park it was already past noon. I was both upset for the delay into getting into the park and thrilled to finally be at Disneyland. I was in total awe. POTC was/remains my favorite ride. Popcorn was cheap. I thought it was the best I had ever eaten. Don’t remember having any churros then. We lived at VAFB for six years and I was only able to visit three times. It was torture. Shared experiences with my friends after their family trips reviewing every detail using my Disneyland map as a reference guide.
Fast forward to today and DLR has been my family’s number vacation spot. Six trips with an average of 10 days each visit from HI staying on property every time. Most recently GCH with a room directly overhead the DCA park entrance with a front row view of the park.
A lot has changed over the past 50 years. But not my love for Disneyland.
Awesome find. You got my attention with your title!
My first visit to Disneyland was August, 1968. Family drove down from Vandenberg AFB on a Saturday. Checked into a cheap high rise hotel and by time we entered the park it was already past noon. I was both upset for the delay into getting into the park and thrilled to finally be at Disneyland. I was in total awe. POTC was/remains my favorite ride. Popcorn was cheap. I thought it was the best I had ever eaten. Don’t remember having any churros then. We lived at VAFB for six years and I was only able to visit three times. It was torture. Shared experiences with my friends after their family trips reviewing every detail using my Disneyland map as a reference guide.
Fast forward to today and DLR has been my family’s number vacation spot. Six trips with an average of 10 days each visit from HI staying on property every time. Most recently GCH with a room directly overhead the DCA park entrance with a front row view of the park.
A lot has changed over the past 50 years. But not my love for Disneyland.
DavidDL
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing, Darkbeer. My wife and I watched this the other night. I'm always fascinated to see the areas of the park we walk around nowadays in their former incarnations. It's so surreal sometimes. If I had a time machine, I would be super boring. The first thing I would do is go back and buy a couple boxes of unopened Poke'mon cards in 1998 so that I could sell them today and never have to work again. The rest of my time would be spent exploring the various eras of Disneyland. All that power and I wouldn't even want to change the future or do anything fancy, I just want to experience the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland that I never got to, and attractions of the like.
There are things my parents got to do at Disneyland that I never will and I wish I could. -and someday, my kids may be saying the same about stuff I got to do. -and so on. It's crazy to think about and really makes me try to appreciate everything I get to experience in my lifetime and trips there even more.
I don't want to start anything here, but this is something I've become more aware of in recent years, as well, when I enjoy "old timey" clips like this. In terms of decades, this footage isn't even all that old, not even a lifetime away for many. -and yet the difference in Guest demographics visible in old footage like this vs. what we see just over a half century away is staggering. It's a good thing that things are moving in that direction. I still enjoy seeing the park in it's past incarnations because the history and attractions are just so fascinating. But my wife and are both fully aware that she, as a person of color (if I did have that theoretical time machine I mentioned earlier), would have many forces and individuals that would be trying prevent her from enjoying the park eras of old the same way I could.
There are things my parents got to do at Disneyland that I never will and I wish I could. -and someday, my kids may be saying the same about stuff I got to do. -and so on. It's crazy to think about and really makes me try to appreciate everything I get to experience in my lifetime and trips there even more.
I don't want to start anything here, but this is something I've become more aware of in recent years, as well, when I enjoy "old timey" clips like this. In terms of decades, this footage isn't even all that old, not even a lifetime away for many. -and yet the difference in Guest demographics visible in old footage like this vs. what we see just over a half century away is staggering. It's a good thing that things are moving in that direction. I still enjoy seeing the park in it's past incarnations because the history and attractions are just so fascinating. But my wife and are both fully aware that she, as a person of color (if I did have that theoretical time machine I mentioned earlier), would have many forces and individuals that would be trying prevent her from enjoying the park eras of old the same way I could.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
I'm not so sure about that. Disneyland was never segregated.
Young people may not realize this, but back in the 1950's and 1960's you had to often look for nuance in things. For example, in a 1962 episode of Wonderful World of Color that showed a big crowd watching the fireworks in front of the Castle, Walt made a point of staging two young Black ladies in the audience and getting the camera to focus in on them enjoying the show. That sent a message loud and clear that Everyone is welcome at Disneyland!
For 1962, when some amusement parks in the Southeast were still segregated, that was heady stuff! And important. And for 1962, you would even call Walt "progressive" for doing that on his national TV show. And yes, those two Black girls were quite clearly and purposely staged there, likely paid actresses. Even today in 2020 the Black population of Orange County with 3.2 Million people is less than 2%, but back in 1962 Orange County probably only had a handful of Black folks living on the remaining farms/orchards and growing suburbs.
Here's the January, 1962 episode (actually shot at Disneyland in the fall of 1961) cued up to show the staged fireworks audience. It's cute!
DavidDL
Well-Known Member
@TP2000, I don't want to de-rail the topic or send it into the social issues forum. My focus wasn't necessarily that Walt (even though the man was far from perfect on that matter) or Disneyland itself didn't want people of color or minorities in there. I'm sure Walt and the Disney company did and said whatever they needed to in order to let others know that everyone was welcome in the parks. They did have Small World, after all.
I am just saying that many outside forces of the time would have made it harder for those folks to get in to begin with. I'm not saying Disneyland wouldn't sell a ticket to someone of color, just that someone of color would have likely had more working against them affording the ticket to get in to begin with, for example. Also, just because the park and it's owner could be welcoming of all peoples, doesn't mean the other Guests or general mindset of earlier times would make those who did enter feel any more welcome. The hotel down my street could claim to be welcoming to everyone. I'm simply trying to say that if there were institutional problems outside of that hotel that prevented me from affording a ticket or it was full of Guests who didn't think I should be able to sit at the same counter as them, then I'm likely to not end up there.
But I'm not a person of color, just trying to point out what I see when I go through older videos like this. It's only an observation so, carry on.
I am just saying that many outside forces of the time would have made it harder for those folks to get in to begin with. I'm not saying Disneyland wouldn't sell a ticket to someone of color, just that someone of color would have likely had more working against them affording the ticket to get in to begin with, for example. Also, just because the park and it's owner could be welcoming of all peoples, doesn't mean the other Guests or general mindset of earlier times would make those who did enter feel any more welcome. The hotel down my street could claim to be welcoming to everyone. I'm simply trying to say that if there were institutional problems outside of that hotel that prevented me from affording a ticket or it was full of Guests who didn't think I should be able to sit at the same counter as them, then I'm likely to not end up there.
But I'm not a person of color, just trying to point out what I see when I go through older videos like this. It's only an observation so, carry on.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
truecoat
Well-Known Member
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
I’d love to see more stuff like this on Disney plus. Here in the uk there are no old Disneyland/world of colour episode available. I’d love to see some of the old tomorrowland shows as well as things like Disneyland goes to the worlds fair and the opening specials for the parks
Rich T
Well-Known Member
Great footage! What a sweet, fun little travel piece! But, man, that narration has some unintentional howlers:
“Now, close your eyes and you’ll see Sleeping Beauty Castle.”
“...Walt Disney dolls in their national costumes...”
“We mustn’t linger, so forget America...”
And the Nature’s Wonderland bears represent Florida swamps? Who knew!
But I did love their choice of submarine music and Small World playing during Jungle Cruise!
“Now, close your eyes and you’ll see Sleeping Beauty Castle.”
“...Walt Disney dolls in their national costumes...”
“We mustn’t linger, so forget America...”
And the Nature’s Wonderland bears represent Florida swamps? Who knew!
But I did love their choice of submarine music and Small World playing during Jungle Cruise!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Exactly. I am still not a member of that service. And until such time as they start offering this type of thing, I see no reason to give them my money. They'll be fine without me, I'm sure. But still, they seem to be too stupid to know there's a big untapped audience out there for this kind of stuff.
Great footage! What a sweet, fun little travel piece! But, man, that narration has some unintentional howlers:
“Now, close your eyes and you’ll see Sleeping Beauty Castle.”
“...Walt Disney dolls in their national costumes...”
“We mustn’t linger, so forget America...”
And the Nature’s Wonderland bears represent Florida swamps? Who knew!
Hysterical! But it all adds to the charm. And when you realize that, these British Pathe' shorts have oodles of charm. This particular one about Disneyland is no different.
British Pathe' films have provided me hours of riotous entertainment. Here's one that proves the Hair Club For Men has nothing on 1960's Great Britain. And that Esquivel soundtrack!
Rich T
Well-Known Member
TP2000
Well-Known Member
This is the greatest thing I’ve seen all week!!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. And all credit goes to the incredible team at British Pathe', circa 1958-1970.
josephinelcajon
Member
Brings me back to childhood making two trips a year through the orange groves from San Diego to Disneyland. us kids looking for the Matterhorn. First one to spot it got to pick their first ride.
Tamandua
Well-Known Member
This reminds me of one of my English professors in college nearly 20 years ago. One day she went on a rant about Main Street USA and how it was a call back to the "good old days" and how they were only good old days for white men Yada Yada Yada...
That's one thing that I find depressing about society and Disneyland land now. You can't look back on a previous era without having to condemn any flaws or overlook any inconvenient realities. Main street was occupied by racist men. The jungle cruise era portrayed natives as uncivilized... natives. Pirates acted like... PIRATES! A ride based on a cartoon from a movie that took place in the post Civil War south doesn't portray former slaves as angry enough... We must revise it all. Depressing.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry you find it all so depressing!