Fantasyland, September 1964

Here are two pretty nice Instamatic photos from September, 1964. Standing on the deck of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate ship afforded guest a good overview of Fantasyland, including the Mad Tea Party and King Arthur's Carrousel, with Snow White's Scary Adventures to the right. Put your finger in your nose, that lady down below is taking our picture! 

Next, a good image of Monstro the Groovy Whale about to swallow the Bold Lochinvar. It's spicy! For some reason one of the seat cushions wasn't used, which will affect the aerodynamics of the canal boat. A CM in pink waits to load (or unload?) the next boat, while a man from the FBI looks at every guest with suspicion.

Disneyland Hotel Grounds, November 20, 1980

GDB friend Sue B. (you know her!) generously scanned a series of 31 photos that her dad, Lou Perry, took as he wandered the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel on November 20th, 1980. That was a Thursday (thanks to Jason's Disneyland Almanac, as always), the park was open from 10:00 until 6:00 (short day!!), and it was a balmy 81º, cooling down to 44º at night.

My knowledge of the Disneyland Hotel can fit in a Tic Tac container, so I will have to rely on you guys to fill in the blanks. For instance, where was this picturesque little waterfall? I'm imagining the pleasant sound it would make, hopefully masking the noise of the harmonica player nearby.

TWO waterfalls?? That's too many! They'll hear from my attorney.

Koi. Why did it have to be koi? Well, OK, I admit that I like koi fish, even though they don't like me. Maybe because I fool them with Red Hots cinnamon candy? Some fish can't take a joke, that's all I have to say.

I believe that all this cool multi-level stuff is gone now, sadly - it looks like there were many little hideaways and places to explore, and I do love water features as a rule. The more the better, no matter what I said after photo #2. Looking at this image, I can picture myself playing my harmonica down there, for all to enjoy!

MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!

The Horn That Matters, May 1960

I admit that today's scans are not that exciting (to put it mildly). When I placed them in front of my "Snoozometer" (built at Cal Tech), the numbers were high. Do you know what I say? Dang the numbers! DANG THEM TO HECK! This particular photographer took no less than six photos of the Swiss cheese mountain, so you know that he was impressed, and maybe even gobsmacked. 

Even in this somewhat murky and too-blue image, we can see that the stone of the mountain is much darker than we are used to; as I've posited in the past, I'll bet that somebody decided that a lighter tone would impart more of an "aerial perspective" effect, and I have to agree with that person. BOBSLED ALERT! Bet all your money on the lottery today! (Editor's note: don't actually do that). 

This next one might be 1.3% more interesting, and only because of the umbrellas (and that one orange tree full of fruit). Oh alright, the portion of the House of the Future is OK too. There's no bobsled in this one however (or can we see the tippety-tip of a bobsled in the same place as in the previous picture?).

A Birthday, And Some Randos

Hey! It's GDB friend MS's birthday! And you know what that means - Sue B. found another great vintage birthday photo to share. I'm worried about the boy at the end of the table, he's trying to blow up that balloon, but it looks like the balloon is stronger. Will his little brother do any better? That's a pretty low bar. Mom is wearing a party hat, but is thinking about wearing another one. When else will she have the chance? NEVER! It's exciting to see that there is an actual Van Gogh "Sunflowers" painting on the wall, bought at a thrift shop for only $2. Smurf cups, plates, and a table cloth assure us that this will be the party to end all parties.

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Meanwhile, howsabout some randos? From July, 1960 comes this photo of three young girls posing in front of Storybook Land with the Piper Pig and the Practical Pig. All three girls wear the same style of souvenir hat, though one has gone rogue and went with the blue scarf rather than the red one. 

Next, from June 22, 1965 we have this nice view of the Indian Dance Circle as seen from the new-ish amphitheater-style seating; obviously the crowds could be considerable on a Summer day. Younger children were still encouraged to come down and sit on benches nearer to the action. On the river, two Canoes embark on their journey through a very convincing Frontier.

Snoozles, 1970s

The International Committee For the Glorification of Snoozles (or ICFGoS) has notified me that today's first photo might be the Snoozliest of all Snoozles. It's quite an honor just to be considered, and I'm already airing out my powder-blue tuxedo for the ceremony in Geneva. 

Just look at this beauty! It's practically a photo of nothing. Sure, there are plants. Even shrubs! But nobody likes shrubs, according to a 2011 Gallup Poll  (an astonishing 0% of biker gangs - the target of this study -  said that they approved of shrubs). But let's look a bit closer! Is this Frontierland? Hmmm. One might think so, until the horns of a shy black rhinoceros are just visible. So it's Adventureland! 

The next one isn't so bad - I can't ever be too disappointed in a view from the old Submarine Voyage. A pair of loggerhead sea turtles (notice the one to the extreme left) are dining on some delicious seaweed, which is full of nutrients such as Vitamin L and potassium. Bone app the teeth, fellas!

 

Knott's Berry Farm

Let's all sit back, open a can of creamed corn, and dig in while enjoying today's very nice photos of Knott's Berry Farm, 1950s style.

You may recognize this boy and his mom, they've appeared in other GDB scans in the past. They loved to travel! See a few of those photos HERE, HERE, and HERE. 

This first one is unusual, a very nice look at the exterior of the legendary Pitchur Gallery, where visitors could pose for pitchurs against a variety of painted backdrops. You've seen many examples on GDB (look HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, for a taste)!

Next, the two brothers pose next to some sleepy burros, who went to college (the burros, not the boys) so that they were qualified to operate an arastra (used for grinding up ore). They made big money, let me tell you. Any idea what that cabin in the background was? Besides a cabin, I mean (I'm trying to stay one step ahead of Chuck's shenanigans). 

And finally, here's a wonderful picture of the mom and her two boys with locomotive #40, the GOLD NUGGET. The entire loco was made of gold. Behind the train is a tall light fixture (also made of gold), which I believe was used to illuminate the horse arena, where feats of equine fahrfegnügen were performed (I admit that I don't know what fahrfegnügen means). It wasn't terribly popular, and was removed with the addition of the Calico Mine Train. 

Two From July 1963

July, 1963. America was abuzz because of the introduction of ZIP codes! Folks threw parties, dressed as Mr. Zip, who briefly became as popular as Spuds MacKenzie did years later. What a time.

Take a look at this first picture, presumably snapped by a guest walking from the tram drop-off zone toward the ticket booths. It's too bad there aren't beds full of beautiful roses anymore. The curve of the Monorail track reminds me a bit of the columns in St. Peter's Square in Rome. Probably designed by the same person.

Looking at the attraction posters, I noticed one just beyond those Servicemen - a yellow poster featuring the Mickey Mouse Club logo - certainly tied to the Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters, which was in the Opera House in 1963; the show had gone into syndication in the Fall of 1962.

This is the only halfway decent photo I have of the entrance to the MMC Headquarters, notice the poster to the left. It's a bit different from the one on the Monorail pylon, but close enough. Presumably it was a silkscreened piece, what a find one of those would be! Too bad there's no mention of Disneyland on the poster.

Daveland has a much better look at one of the posters outside the Opera House (image used with permission).

Next is this wonderful look from the Skyway into the classic Fantasyland, with long lines for the Peter Pan attraction even back then. The Carrousel is drawing them in as well. In the distance, you can see the side of the Opera House, with two large "barn doors".

Pontoon Bridge, Frontierland

There are probably plenty of Disneyland guests who have no idea that they can take a raft from the shores of Frontierland over to Tom Sawyer Island for fun and frolicking. Go through spooky caves! Climb up Castle Rock, spin on Merry-go-round Rock, or teeter on Teeter Totter Rock (in other words, don't miss the rocks)! Cross the perilous Suspension Bridge! OR... cross the undulating Pontoon Bridge, which is what we will be looking at today. These photos are courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor, by the way.

It's a real parade crossing the bridge, just one person after another. The boy in front does his best Michael Jackson impression. HEE-hee! I tried and tried to decipher dad's t-shirt, but couldn't do it. The "vicious fishes" shirt on the boy a ways back will just have to do.

Why can't these people be more ridiculous so that I can make fun of them??

I thought that the guy with the backwards baseball cap (the ultimate in coolness!) was smoking a cigarette, but now I think he has the stick from an ice cream bar sticking out of his mouth. Just don't trip and fall on the bridge, or that stick will go out the back of your head. I've seen it happen! 

Another day, another donut. Crossing without hanging on is something only one person in 50,000 can do, so that kid has my respect.

Even hockey fans from Canada enjoy crossing the Pontoon Bridge, and all they usually like is hockey!

If you zoomed in, you would see the beads of sweat on this fellow's forehead, his concentration is off the charts. The only other time he looked this serious is when he was in that hotdog eating competition (which he won, 67 dogs).

MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor!

It's Hip To Be Square

I have two random square-format slide scans, why not put them together? Maybe they'll turn out to be the peanut butter and chocolate combo we've all dreamed (dreamt?) of. 

Let's begin with this undated example, I assume it is from sometime in the 1960s. It's a nice view from aboard the Disneyland Railroad, I honestly can't think of another slide in my collection that actually shows the seats and guests sitting on them. A mom and her two kids (with dad at the camera) have boarded at Main Street Station for the Grand Circle Tour. The railroad is a perfect ride for a family with young children, though perhaps the dinosaurs are a bit scary.

Next we'll go back to the 1950s (probably 1956) for a view from the original, non-jokey Jungle Cruise. Headhunters used to be prominent in the attraction, and here we can see a group of hunters/warriors celebrating a successful hunt - or are they happy to see a new crop of heads to harvest? I'm not upset that the headhunters are gone, even though I miss that childhood memory.

Frontierland, 1970s

Let's take a look at a pair of wonderful Frontierland views from the early 1970s. Starting with this look at the Burning Settler's Cabin. There's the settler himself, in his Arrow shirt. He's taking a short siesta. Or maybe a long one. This seems to be pre-Energy Crisis, which began in 1973, because those flames are blazing fiercely. The woods on Tom Sawyer Island had matured to an impressive degree, it looks like a real wilderness.

Next is this very nice photo of three fishin' bears as seen from the rickety trestle bridge on the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. I've noticed that most of my pictures of these bears don't necessarily show them in full sunlight, so it's nice to know that the bears are warm and happy, with bellies full of trout. Seeing this tableau really makes me wish that we still had the MTTNW!