Here is the part two of the article with these fantastic LIFE Magazine pictures shot at Disneyland on opening day, July 17, 1955, and this time we will have a look at Tomorrowland as Disneyland guests discovered it when the park opened. If you've missed the part one showing Main Street and Fantasyland on opening day you can read it HERE and the part three with Frontierland on opening day is now online HERE.
Below, a great shot showing Disneyland entrance and the crowd walking towards the TWA Rocket, which you can see also on the picture above. At that time the TWA rocket was the highest structure in the park! Also note the "Clock of the World" right in the center of the picture below.
As you will see, just like yesterday's pics these Tomorrowland pictures are precious as they allow you to "feel" the atmosphere, the people, the energy of the era.
At the other end of Tomorrowland guests were amazed by the TWA rocket and also could enter the Space Station X-1 and Rocket to the Moon attractions. They also could sit in the shadow under these typically 1950's structures.
At Disneyland opening day the "Flags of theNations" were located in the back of Tomorrowland near the TWA Rocket. they will move to the entrance of the land in 1956.
But the attraction which was a hit from day one was Autopia and its "highways".
Note on the picture below the Disneyland Railroad passing by in the background. And of course, the lack of vegetation in this part of the park!
Nearby, guests could find some refreshments at the "Space Bar".
And not far from Autopia were the Tomorrowland boats which will be renamed "Phantom boats" in 1956. Apparently the boat engines were unreliable, and the Phantom Boats became later the first permanent attraction to be removed from Disneyland.
A last look at Tomorrowland with this great shot from above, and tomorrow in the part three of the article we will go to Frontierland and you will see very rare shots of a long extinct attraction! If you've missed the part one showing Main Street and Fantasyland on opening day you can read it HERE and the part three with Frontierland on opening day is now online HERE
Pictures: copyright LIFE - Time Inc
If you like "opening day" pictures the Disneyland Paris book - in which you have the whole park in 320 pages with 750 photos including 250 WDI renderings - has plenty of pictures of Disneyland Paris in its early days and the book is still available in its collector edition! I also remind you that unfortunately there is now less than FIFTEEN copies of the Disneyland Paris From Sketch to Reality book available in its english collector's edition - french edition is also available - so if you don't own the book yet, it's really now or never!
And there is a special price right now with a $45 / 40€ discount on the normal price, so order your collector copy while there is still copies available as it's really the last english collector copies. You'll find below a one click Paypal button as well as a video showing the whole book. Also, you can have more infos about this gorgeous 320 pages book HERE.
Click on the image below to jump to the book presentation page.
3 comments:
Those pictures are incredible!
They are really priceless Alain, thanks a lot for sharing them with us!
Love those pictures, Those flags appear to be the state flags of the United States and not the nations.
I was born and brought up in the 1970's in Wales (UK). So many of the attractions we see here were copied in places I used to visit back then. Reminds me a lot of the Pleasure Beach at Porthcawl and Butlins holiday camps. Thanks.
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