Another image from the long series of photos taken of Main Street Stores. This time it is the Yale Lock shop that featured a giant key outside. This style of advertising is a well known and highly collected category folk art called trade simulators. The folk art consists of giant representations of the merchandise or tools used by the proprieter. Some of the classic examples are giant teeth for dentists and giant glasses for an optician. The Yale Lock shop featured a display of locks and keys from ancient times to modern times. Additionaly a guest could get a souvenir key with the Disneyland castle on one side and Yale logo on the reverse. Yale is still at Disneyland as all the doors use Yale and Towne locksets.
A close up of the window on the second floor of the building to the right.
These two windows represent Disney attorneys. Gunther Lessing was one of the studio's first attorneys, representing them in a case for profits for the Skeleton Dance. Younger and Leopold were both partners in the firm Youngman, Hungate and Leopold who represented Disneyland in early contract negotiations. (Information comes from Laughing Place List of Windows on Main Street.)
Lessing was also a notorious anti-communist, and he was the one who staunchly advised Walt to fight unionization, apparently against Walt's better instincts. Unfortunately, no one with common sense managed to penetrate Walt's inner circle to counterbalance Lessing's lunatic ravings. Roy was extremely conservative and fell for all of that extremist crap, as conservatives always do.
ReplyDeleteLunatic ravings? Extremist crap? Someone needs a history lesson. Gotta love those goose stepping socialists.
ReplyDeleteI have two keys that were from the opening day of Disneyland in 1955. They are from the Yale Lock Co. Are these worth anything?
ReplyDeleteThis style of advertising never fails. It is very effective even until now.
ReplyDeleteIn advertising, we should never forget the basics and the roots just like what was described in this article. But of course, we should be open to new concepts. Frank from sites.google.com/site/longislandinspection/
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