Stuff From the Box

Hey hey! Gird your loins for more STUFF FROM THE BOX! It's a ringstravaganza today.

We'll begin with this nice brass non-Disney Davy Crockett ring. I don't know a lot about this item, though I have seen one just like it given away with Pepsodent toothbrushes in 1955. Davy became a sensation, thanks to three episodes of the "Walt Disney's DISNEYLAND" tv series, the first of which ("Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter") aired in December of 1954. The three episodes were later reedited into two theatrically-released movies, "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" (May 1955) and "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" (July 1956).

Next is this 1940s (some sources say 1930s) Dick Tracy ring, given away by the Miller Bros. hat company. Which would explain the emphasis on Tracy's green fedora! Dick Tracy is a comic character, introduced in 1931 by creator Chester Gould. The strip is perhaps best-remembered for the colorful and grotesque villains such as Pruneface, Flattop, Mumbles, BlogButt, and more.

The shield reminds us that Tracy fights for upstanding Americans everywhere. 

And finally, here is a 1947 Terry and the Pirates Gold Ore Detector Ring given away in boxes of Quaker cereals. I wondered about the tie to Terry and the Pirates, since there is no obvious reference to that comic strip, but one site states that this ring has been documented as being offered on his radio program. It looks like a tiny telescope - it is a tube with brass band featuring skull and crossbone design. Aluminum tube has red plastic end caps and when held to the light interior shows dark irregular shapes representing gold ore against a frosty bkg.

I'm sorry that the skull and crossbones is so scary, and I hope that you don't have bad dreams. Looking at these photos, it's clear that some kid chewed on the plastic ends. It was irresistible! I kind of want to get an  un-gnawed example now.

Here's a vintage ad:

And here's the cover of a Terry and the Pirates "funny book", from Milton Caniff, legendary comic artist.  

I hope you have enjoyed today's STUFF FROM THE BOX!

Scenic Frontierland, 1950s

Both of today's scans are sort of general scenes that don't feature any specific rides per se, but we get a feel for certain "corners" of Frontierland. It's been a while since I scanned these, but I believe that they are from two different batches.

This first one is unusual, taken from the Mark Twain after it had completed about 3/4 of its journey around the Rivers of America, and was heading south back toward the dock (there's the Golden Horseshoe in the distance). To our left is the roadway that was used by both the Conestoga Wagons and the Stagecoaches. I don't think that split rail fence was there for very long. I'm not sure if Tom Sawyer Island was open yet; there are no people visible over there, at any rate.

Next we are looking across the south end of Tom Sawyer Island toward the western shore of the river. This one seems to be from a bit later than the previous photo, with raft landings and the Old Mill ready to go, though the trails appear to be crushed stone, and not the usual dirt paths, so perhaps things weren't quite ready for guests yet. On the far shore, there's not much happening; I don't even think the second location of the Indian Village (the first was near Adventureland) had opened yet.

Snoozles™

Oh Snoozles, why must you be so bad? This first scan is from June, 1972. An interior of the Tiki Room? Sounds OK to me! And yet... it isn't. 1/3 of the lower part of the photo is a dark void, which is no bueno. Two parrots are to our left, I'm not sure if any of them are José, Pierre, Michael, or Fritz, our hosts. To the right is what I believe is the "bird mobile", deployed for the song, "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing".

Next is a somewhat dark and blurry photo (from August, 1970) of a desert oasis as seen from the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. Pronghorn antelope stop for a drink before heading home to watch the big game. Big Game, get it? Aaaa, what's the use! Authentic plants such as yuccas and ocotillo. cacti and... er... other plants demonstrate that there is plenty of life in the desert.

 

Universal Studios Hollywood, May 1979

Let's visit Universal Studios in Hollywood (well, it's near Hollywood), California! From now on I'll call it USH. This is from a batch circa May, 1979.

This first one is clearly from the Studio tour, though I am unsure if this is a set from an actual TV show or movie, or if it was just an example of what a typical set might look like. You know how decor can go out of style, and then eventually come back into style years later? That didn't happen with this decor.

Way up on the hillside is a sign to remind you where you are, while the "soundstage" below is actually part of the plaza where guests would catch a Glamour Tram for the exciting studio tour. I always enjoy the billboards for the latest hit movies, such as "The Wiz", "The Senator" (which, as far as I can tell, was actually released as "The Seduction of Joe Tynan") starring Alan Alda, and "Animal House" (which had been a surprise hit in 1978). 

Here's the famous "Collapsing Bridge", which had been added to the tour in 1974. Your tram would slowly move out onto the bridge, and suddenly the whole thing would drop! It probably dropped two inches, but still. I could actually see them doing an updated, improved version of this concept, with more swaying and tilting (plus a minty aroma), and it would only cost 500 million dollars to build.

Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh! It's hard to convey a sound effect via text, but by golly, I did it brilliantly. "The Six Million Dollar Man" (starring Lee Majors) had been a hit TV series for five glorious seasons. With astronaut Steve Austin's bionic legs, eye, and arm, he could run faster, jump higher, and eat more pizza rolls than a normal Joe. For a while, visitors to USH could get a sense of Steve Austin's powers by lifting this GMC van! Nun-nuh-nuh (etc)!  

Most kids today don't know that in the 1970s, if you wanted to make a long-distance call, you needed a bigger phone. The bigger, the better! With the example in the Prop Plaza, you could call Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow and his voice would be as clear as a bell. "Hello, Lenny? I'm at USH!". The woman posing with her daughter (granddaughter ?) seems miffed that the two of them don't have the phone all to themselves. Maybe the young boy wants to say "hello" to Leonid too, did they ever think of that? 

The "parting of the Red Sea" segment of the tram tour was added in 1973 to much acclaim. The "sea" is already magically parting! The effect was achieved through the use of a small mirror and two sparklers. MOVIE MAGIC. Say, what's going on across the sea? 

Two boys, presumably actors, have wandered over to watch the miracle of the parting waters and to mock the guests (because the boys are little smart alecks!). It must have been quite fun to see the behind-the-scenes activities of a real operating studio and amusement park. That rectangular trailer has the words, "Death to the (illegible)..." spray-painted on the side, I'd hoped that it would ring a bell, movie-wise, but no such luck.

This is PART ONE, stay tuned for Part Two!

Two Beauties From July, 1963

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I have a pair of really nice photos from July of 1963, we can pretend that they are from the 4th of July, 62 years ago. It'll be just our secret! 

Photo #1 features this colorful view from the Plaza looking toward the entrance to Tomorrowland. There's the fearsome ice cream vendor who will only let you pass if you can answer three riddles. Then you'll proceed along the Avenue of Flags, toward the mysterious Clock of the World, and then "America the Beautiful" to our left. Not much else is visible here, except the Douglas Moonliner. It sure looked like a perfect day to be at Disneyland.

Next is this unusual view from what I believe was the dining area for the "Fan 1" snack bar. Cloth shades were deployed to help keep guests comfortable during the summer heat, and to keep vampire bats out of women's hair. In the sunlight, the Dumbi whirl around and around, never stopping! 

Vintage Los Angeles Postcards, Part 1

Railroad expert and GDB friend Steve DeGaetano scanned some postcards that he purchased at Disneyland's 'One of a Kind Shop" in New Orleans Square after I expressed an interest in seeing some of them. The postcards feature views of Los Angeles, some over 100 years old; I'm fascinated by the history of the city of Los Angeles and remember stories that my grandmother told me about moving here from Illinois after marrying my grandfather (an LA native). Also, I was friends with an older couple who had so many stories about going to see great big bands and jazz artists in the city, it sounded amazing. For those of you who don't live in SoCal, I hope that you find these old postcards to be as fun as I do! Here's Steve:

After watching the 1992 Los Angeles riots from the comfort of my suburban home in Agoura, CA, I started taking a real interest in the history of the city where I was born, reading loads of books on Los Angeles and taking self-guided walking tours of downtown LA streets and sights. Around the same time, I got my first Disneyland Annual Pass, and started visiting the Park regularly.

The One of a Kind shop in New Orleans Square was a favorite evening-time destination, probably from the warm glow that emanated from the doors and windows, beckoning one to come in and examine all the interesting antiques inside. Most of these cards were purchased from the shop, a few at a time over the course of several visits. The imagery of these early postcards was both charming and fascinating, bringing Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles to life for me “in living color.” Sadly, the One of a Kind shop closed in May of 1996.

The cards were sold with their corners inserted into simplified cardstock “frames,” with the back side giving a little background on old postcards. The frames were double-sided and could be opened to free stand, sandwich-board style, displaying your cards. I don’t recall what I paid for these—they were probably only a couple bucks each.

I’m definitely no expert on postcards, but many of them are “Linen” finished, with an almost canvas-like texture to them. Many of these were taken before the advent of color film, and so were hand-tinted with colored pigments to give the illusion of being color photographs. If you like these, and want to see many, many more, I suggest picking up a copy of “Greetings from Southern California,” by Monica Highland, which features color images of hundreds more.

I will share the postcard's original caption in orange, and any of Steve's comments in blue!

LA-01: “Spring Street is the ‘Wall Street’ of Los Angeles. It runs through the business section of the city, and ends by the old Plaza church, where the city of Los Angeles was first founded.”

LA-02: “The celebrated street of gala Premiers, world fashions, movie starts and extras, famous shops, hotels and theatres, where beauty, gaiety and glamour reign supreme in a setting seen only in California.”

This of course is Hollywood Boulevard. Grauman’s Chinese Theater can be seen in the lower left, and the white tower on the right belongs to the Hollywood First National Bank Building.

LA-03: “On the Road of a Thousand Wonders.”

Obviously a daytime picture that was hand tinted to resemble nighttime. Still a fun image showing automobiles, trolleys and even horse-drawn vehicles sharing the road.

LA-04: “General Douglas McArthur Park is an interesting 20 acre sunken park containing a large lake with boating facilities. Many varieties of tropical trees and flowers surround the lake. Wilshire Boulevard, one of the principal thoroughfares of the Metropolitan area, passes thru the park, a direct route to Beverly Hills and the beaches west of Los Angeles.”

This one was postmarked July 1954, and the writer literally wrote “Wish you were here” on the back!

LA-05: "The Ambassador Hotel, surrounded by colorful gardens of subtropical beauty, is the home of the famous Cocoanut Grove."

The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom is featured in another postcard (LA-18). Aside from the famed ballroom, the Ambassador is probably best known as the location where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The Ambassador was demolished in 2006.

OK, that's it for Part 1! There will be three more installments of these great vintage Los Angeles postcards. MANY THANKS to Steve DeGaetano for scanning the cards and for all of his work dealing with the card captions and adding his own commentary!

Storybook Land 1956

We've seen plenty of photos of Storybook Land over the years, but in my opinion today's examples are particularly beautiful. The warm light of the setting sun adds a romantic glow to the scenes, and what can I say, they are just pretty pix. 

First up is this Skyway view, with Cinderella's Castle (or is it just "Cinderella Castle"?) on top of its stony mountain. Casey Junior is chugging by; we can see some of the outbuildings to the left of the castle, part of the pony farm I suppose? At the bottom of the frame, Toad Hall sits on the end of that island. A twisted tree trunk looks like it was actually the root system of a small tree that was stuck in the ground upside-down. 

This next view was taken from a Canal Boat, with a nice composition featuring another Casey Jr. train, with Cindy's Castle again. And Toad Hall, much closer!

 

Knott's Berry Farm Souvenir Slides

I got to the end of one box containing vintage Knott's Berry Farm slides (don't worry, there's more), and found a series of souvenir slides - the kind a visitor might buy at the gift shop next to the chicken restaurant. As a rule I avoid souvenir slides, but these were old enough to have a certain charm. Of the dozen, I scanned the three that I thought were the most interesting.

Inside the Saloon, the bartender sizes us up. Greenhorn? Trail-hardened cowpoke? Yellow-bellied rustler? Frontier priest? Humorous signs make the bar look like a theme restaurant on La Brea Avenue. The "No Whiskey Sold to..." sign is probably historically accurate, unfortunately. Hopefully you wanted boysenberry punch, because that's all they served. Well, maybe root beer too.

If you walked out of the Saloon and glanced to the right (northward), this is a scene you might see, with the beautiful narrow-gauge Ghost Town and Calico Railroad. Marilyn and Cecila relax in the shade to our right (they look pretty lifelike here!). This photo seems to predate the addition of the Calico Mine Ride.

Here's an unusual night view, streets apparently freshly hosed down for the evening. I believe this is looking west on Main Street, we can just see the Livery Stable in the distance.

 

Tomorrowland, August 1960

Let's start your week out on a high note with a few nice Tomorrowland views from August, 1960. I should be more impartial, I suppose, but vintage Tomorrowland is the place that I love the most. Just like when I was a kid.

A mother poses with her two boys (in identical outfits) next to the Astro Jets, which was truly a generic "off the shelf" ride (I've seen photos of others just like it at different parks), but I know how undeveloped Tomorrowland was in the early days, and how Walt and his Imagineers needed to provide more attractions. It did look great in pictures, too! Overhead, the Skyway, and to the right, the Monorail, which had just begun taking guests to the Disneyland Hotel this year.

All of the slides in this bunch have a warm color cast for some reason, but it gives them a kind of nostalgic look. I don't want to be rude, but Screechy the Iggle looks like he needs to do a few sit-ups. Stop eating those dropped hotdogs, Screech. I'm noticing the group of girls to the left, all wearing the same style of souvenir hat. They instantly became a gang! 

Snoozle Cruise, August 1970

I apologize in advance for today's Mega-Snoozles. They might not even be safe to view for some people, due to their soporific effect. If you are viewing this blog while driving a commuter train, please stop reading! 

If I'm not mistaken, this hippopotamus was photographed in mid ear wiggle. And that means something. BUT WHAT? He's hungry? He wants you to scratch his chin? Is that how hippos show that they are happy? I've forgotten.

Yes, you knew there would be another picture, either of elephants, or of crocodiles. These three scaly fellows guard a temple with an idol (a monkey-god). Thinking about trying to steal the idol? Think again! There's also a yucky spider, he'll bite you GOOD.