Walt Disney Treasures....Tomorrowland!

Every now and then you come across something so cool that you just have to share it. Today's post is about just such a thing.

In 1954 Walt Disney started producing a weekly TV show called Disneyland that promoted his upcoming theme park. The idea of the show was that each week, and different "land" in the park would be featured to generate interest with the public. For Fantasyland, they could use bits of their movie catalog. For Frontierland they made great shows such as Davy Crocket (which touched off a national craze). For Adventureland they used Disney's Tru-Life  Adventures movies . However, Tomorrowland was a bit of a problem.

You see, Tomorrowland was the last "land" to be built at the park, and it suffered from a lack of money and focus. Walt Disney was not interested in the Space Operas of the 50's. His mind was more focused on what could actually be. Therefore he termed the idea "Science-Factual" entertainment. The Tomorrowland he wanted (and never got exactly) was one that showed the real future, filled with hope and promise.

If he never quite got it at the park, he DID get it on his TV show. In 1955 he produced three programs; Man in Space,  Man and the Moon, and Mars and Beyond. In order to make sure that the shows were as accurate as possible he enlisted Werner Von Braun, Willy Ley, and Heinz Haber. In order to make it entertaining he enlisted his favorite animator, Ward Kimball. Mr. Kimball was best known for giving life to Jimminy Cricket, but he was actually a true renaissance man with interests in music, railroading and (of all things) U.F.O.s. He was actually a natural choice to direct the programs.

The shows were a smash hit and had far reaching consequences. It is public record that President Eisenhower had them shown at the White House to inspire the government's involvement with space exploration (perhaps the current administration needs to see them).

A couple of years ago I found that the Disney company had rereleased these shows (plus two more) on a DVD called Walt Disney Treasures- Tomorrowland. They have these shows, plus special features that include original art and interviews. The DVD was produced in 2003, but is still available through Amazon or the Disney Store online for about 30 bucks.

So, if you want to have a great piece of rocketry history, I can't recommend it enough.

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

The DVD, plus a model of Von Braun's Space Ferry

Walt Disney poses with a model of Project Bumper, a V2 and Von Braun's other creations.

 

The DARS Classic Part IX.....

Well, The DARS Classic has come and gone yet again, and it was  (as usual) tons of fun! The weather decided to be kind to us this year, so we weren't in danger of going hang gliding using the EZ-Ups as wings. The theme was right up my alley (and yes, I DO actually have an alley) being Sci-Fi. There were tons of great models there and, as usual, it was kind of luck of the draw as to which ones caught the public's eye. Still that's all part of the fun! I will post more pictures on Gary's page, and I will leave it to Gary to give everyone the full rundown in the newsletter, but here are a few of my favorite things (sorry, no gumdrops and kittens).




Establishing shot: The rocket table. There were lots of great models this year! Note multiple Space Arks and a certain TWA model photo bombing in the back...
 

Chas Russell shows us all how a Maxi Alpha III is Supposed to look! RETRO, Baby!

Speaking of retro, how about a beautiful Estes Trident? It had a great flight!

After six tries, my Maxi Colonial Viper finally takes to the skies! Black powder is MUCH easier to light than AP (at least for me).

The Klingon Empire will long tell of the bravery of these fallen heroes..... I can't say more...tearing up...

Sam Barone's take on an SR-71. It had an inboard C and outboard A's. Probably the coolest one I have ever seen...

Run a contest for nine years and what do you get? A t-shirt! Actually, a very cool classic DARS t-shirt! Jack and Suzy Sprague award Gary Briggs for a job very well done! 

Well that's it for this year! By the way, there is a comments section at the bottom of the blog for any feedback you might want to leave (be kind, please). Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Fast and Loud!

No, today's title isn't about the best way to fly rockets (although it certainly could be!), it is about a TV show on the Discovery Channel!

The idea of the show is that a guy in Dallas (Richard Rawlings) and his mechanic (Aaron Kaufman) go around and find old beat up cars to turn into hot rods. Its interesting to watch even if you aren't a  gear- head (or, you are like me and are just a wannabe) because you can often see places around North Texas that you recognize. Actually, they even bought a 'Vette off of a guy I recognized (but that's another story).

Anyway, in a recent episode, they went to Roswell, New Mexico and bought a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 that they brought back to Dallas and totally tricked out (I would love to have that car!) So, you might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with DARS? Settle down, I'm getting to it!

The whole theme of the show was space and U.F.O.'s and stuff (a Galaxie from Roswell, get it?) and when they showed the completed car, they did it here:

For those with sharp eyes, you can see that they are at the good old Frontiers of Flight Museum, Actually, they are right about where DARS sets up for Moon Day every year! You can see Apollo 7 in the background (and I still want that car!)

So there you go! I hope to see everyone at the Fall Classic next Saturday! Until then, fly 'em fast and loud!

Post, the Second

Hello from the world of Shroudines!

I'm still getting the feel for the ropes here, so I thought I would do some housekeeping stuff. Fist of all can I post a picture? Hmmmm......

Yep! That was easy!( Yes, I snuck in the Moonliner one more time...) Ok, so on to other matters.

I think the way we will run this thing is that about once a week, we will have a posting. Hopefully there will be other people besides just me posting (or you'll get mighty tired of Moonliner pics) but we will just see how it goes. I can either schedule a time for things to post, or I can just do it as soon as it is written. I see advantages to both, so, again, we'll see how it goes.

By the way, everyone remember that the DARS Classic is coming up very soon (Oct 19). The theme this year is Sci-Fi, so come on out and take part in the festivities! You don't have to enter to appreciate the models, but entering is very fun too (and probably rewarding). Gary Briggs has done a fantastic job of running this thing for years now, so a splendid time is guaranteed for all! More info can be found on the DARS site: www.dars.org or here: http://www.dars.org/fallclassic/fc2013.htm if you want to go directly to the event page. (Notice how I just learned how to put in links)

Anyway, keep checking back here for more stuff! Fly 'em fast and high!

 

Quisp says, "Blogs are full of QUAZY Energy!"

Stu

The Future is Now!! Oh, wait...Now....No, wait.....Now!....nevermind...

In this world of constantly changing technology and rapidly travelling information, it sometimes becomes necessary to roll with the flow and update our means of communication, To that end we have created Shroudlines...The Blog! The purpose of this blog is to better serve DARS members by quickly getting information out, and providing a more fluid "real time" basis of communication. In other words, stuff can go out quicker and easier!

It is my plan to have several authors posting here, so that the burden does not fall on one hapless editor, but rather several hapless writers. If someone wants to post a launch report, no problem! If someone wants to do a kit review, go for it! if someone wants to expound upon their love of apple crumb cake.....well, maybe not so much, but you get the idea.

So, there you have it! Hopefully word will get about this blog and people will really like it! Check back often to see any updates! Fly 'em high and fast!

Stu