A collection of images and other items from Disneyland, theme parks and other amusement parks. Also look for images and items I find interesting, amusing or both.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
A Trip With John, August 1959 Part 1
A quick post between painting and moving showing a trip with John in August 1959. More pictures from the same trip tomorrow.
There sure are a lot of flags in front of Main Street Station. They look like they may be of other countries (well, 2/3 of them). Anybody know why they're there, or if they show up in other vintage photos online?
The "POW" flag with the staff that crosses the "I" in Disneyland is the flag of Turkey. (White crescent moon and star on red field, with star outside the disk of the moon)
A similar flag, crossing the "elevation" notice is the flag of Pakistan (White crescent moon and star on GREEN field, with star INSIDE the disk of the moon.)
Major's photo shows the flags re-arranged. There are the usual flags for Austria and Australia, but interestingly his picture shows the flag of Saudi Arabia crossing the "S", and at the very right Yugoslavia.
I don't think you'd normally see a communist flag flying at an amusement park at this period, but Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito was rebelling against Stalin's Stalinist tactics, so the US political posture of the time was to make nice to the "enemy of my enemy".
aug. 59' new matterhorn, new submarines and new monorail.....wow!
ReplyDeleteHey, I know a guy named John! Maybe it's the same person!!
ReplyDeleteThere sure are a lot of flags in front of Main Street Station. They look like they may be of other countries (well, 2/3 of them). Anybody know why they're there, or if they show up in other vintage photos online?
ReplyDeleteI can't exactly tell what countries the flags are from (I think I see the POW/MIA flag), but does anyone know if they fit Main Street's 1901 theme?
ReplyDeleteThe POW/MIA flag did not exist until 1971. Can't be that.
ReplyDeleteI have a picture with those same flags (in color);
ReplyDeletehttp://gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-from-july-1959.html
The "POW" flag with the staff that crosses the "I" in Disneyland is the flag of Turkey. (White crescent moon and star on red field, with star outside the disk of the moon)
ReplyDeleteA similar flag, crossing the "elevation" notice is the flag of Pakistan (White crescent moon and star on GREEN field, with star INSIDE the disk of the moon.)
Major's photo shows the flags re-arranged. There are the usual flags for Austria and Australia, but interestingly his picture shows the flag of Saudi Arabia crossing the "S", and at the very right Yugoslavia.
I don't think you'd normally see a communist flag flying at an amusement park at this period, but Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito was rebelling against Stalin's Stalinist tactics, so the US political posture of the time was to make nice to the "enemy of my enemy".