This is a rarely seen image of an early Disneyland attraction called The World Beneath Us. The photo comes from a Register supplement from July 15, 1955, heralding the opening of the park. The show, which "takes the audience on a simulated trip through the hidden wonders inside the earth," was sponsored by Richfield Oil, which also sponsored another Tomorrowland attraction: Autopia. What you see above is a 840-square-foot diorama of the Los Angeles basin that made up one part of the attraction. The 12-minute show closed in 1960. To learn more about The World Beneath Us, see the article about it on Yesterland, and link over to this great photo on Daveland. (I know, I know. Too many "lands." Just be glad I didn't mention Dairyland in the post too. Oh, wait... Nevermind.)
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A new TV show called "Discover Orange County," is giving some coverage to local history. The first episode, which is already airing on KOCE's various channels, features a tour of the cottages at Crystal Cove with Laura Davick of the Crystal Cove Alliance. The second episode, airing next month, features a tour of historic Downtown Orange with historian and Orange native Phil Brigandi. The show is hosted by Lisa Hart of Coto de Caza. See a recent Register article or the show's own website for more information.
Wow...
ReplyDeleteVery cool image!
Just curious - is that the same Philip Brigandi who lived on the corner of Fairhaven and Linwood back in the early '70s?
ReplyDeleteNever did . . . we were off Handy between Walnut and Collins.
ReplyDelete--Phil B.
WOW, amazing, I have always wondered what this attraction looked like, and this is the first photo of any kind that I've seen. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteMy father was doing some work for an air conditioning company in the building that housed this exhibit back in the day. WHile working on some duct work, he lost his balance and fell through the ceiling and came crashing down on this diorama. He was fired from that company because of the incident.
ReplyDelete