America Sings, September 12, 1983

Today I am happy to present the first of two parts featuring some very nice photos from AMERICA SINGS in Tomorrowland! These were taken by Lou Perry and were scanned and shared with us by his daughter, Sue B. And since we have a specific date (September 12), I had to refer to Jason's Disneyland Almanac for some data. With these later dates, we usually don't have as much information (usually attendance figures are not available) as we do for earlier dates, but we do know that September 12 was a Monday, the park was open from 9 AM to 6 PM, and that the high temperature was 96º.

I had to do some research, I only saw America Sings one time, so recollections are pretty fuzzy. Feel free to correct me since I am sure to be wrong several times.

Oh no, not Stork Bikers! The last time they came to town, they ate every sardine and pickled herring in sight. Why can't they leave us alone? I thought that they might have been singing "Born to the Wild" by Steppenwolf, or "Leader of the Pack" by Shangri-Las, but apparently the song was "Twistin' USA". By Danny and the Juniors! I like Danny, but I hate the Juniors.

The two hosts (or MCs) were Sam the Eagle and Ollie the Owl. I'd always wondered if there was any connection to the Sam The Olympic Eagle from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but Wikipedia says that while the Olympic mascot was designed by Disney artist Robert Moore, there is no other relation. 

Hippies! You'd think they might be singing psychedelic anthems such as "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" by the Electric Prunes, or "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock, but instead they apparently performed "Hound Dog/See You Later Alligator" (or maybe "Joy to the World", since this group was seen more than once).

If these are members of the "College Quartet", then this "A-Tisket, A-Tasket/Boo Hoo". You know who's crying "Boo Hoo"? ME!

This might be part of the finale to the "Modern Times" segment of the show, where the cast performed  "Joy to the World". My main memory of this scene is the way the hair on the guitar stork swayed as he moved. That chicken does not look trustworthy.

Well, that does it for Part One! Many thanks to Lou and Sue for these fun photos from an extinct attraction.

Three Gate Handouts, 1959 & 1960

Upon arriving at Disneyland, guests were handed what seems to be a number of useful and wonderful flyers/brochures with information about guided tours, ticket book options, and (usually) special events that were going on at that time of the year. I've shared a number of these, which I have filed under the category of IMPORTANT! flyers. See some past posts HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. In no particular order (I couldn't even locate all of them on the blog).

Going through my scans of paper ephemera, I saw that I still had three of these IMPORTANT! flyers that I have not shared. I think my concern was that, other than minor details, they are all so similar that they might not be of much interest to most Junior Gorillas. But then I threw all caution to the wind and decided to just combine them into one post. Some say I am mad, but it is THEY who are mad!

Here's a pinkish example from the Fall-Winter of 1959. Presumably attendance dropped off after a busy Summer.

I don't really expect you to read all of this, but if you do, it might provide some fun details. There was no "Nature's Wonderland" just yet, so one would enjoy a trip through "the Rainbow Desert and through Rainbow Caverns on a Mine Train". The new Submarine Voyage and Monorail were options; but you could still enjoy classics such as "Satellite View of America". And you get a souvenir guidebook!

The park is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but "Date Nite" was in full swing. Bring your sweetheart for a night of fun, music, and dancing.

Next is the pink and blue version for the Spring of 1960. I once saw a variation on this one on eBay, and it went for a shocking amount, so it must have been exceptionally rare.

I like the updated graphics on this one, with much of the same info as before. A "Jumbo 15" ticket book for adults was $4.50, roughly $50 in today's money. I'm sure more than a few dads grumbled about the cost!

So much for special events in the Spring.

And finally, here's the "Winter 1960" flyer, in icy blue.

It seems odd to me that they reverted to the same graphic style as the first flyer. But I'll get over it. 

And again, no special events are listed. No Christmas parades? No nothin'?? 

I hope you have enjoyed these IMPORTANT! and vintage Disneyland paper items!

The Matterhorn, August 1961

Let's ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds! We haven't been to Disneyland for a few years, so this will be a new experience for us. I hope I don't barf. 

There's the picturesque load-area chalet, it looks very "at home" with an impressive Swiss Alp behind it. The glacial runoff has resulted in some splendid waterfalls! All those shields on the façade must be from local baseball teams or something. Sliding into second wearing lederhosen isn't easy, but that's what makes the game so great.

I love this photo of a mother and her two sons posing with the Matterhorn right behind them, Skyway visible in the distance. Mom is holding a shopping bag that looks like it could hold a souvenir wall map (the 1961 map is the one with the pink border, in case you were wondering). That map shows the new Flying Saucers, the helicopter pad next to the Disneyland Hotel, and the Monorail track extending all the way to the Hotel. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't notice if there is still pretty landscaping at the base of the attraction, I was too a-scared of the abdominal snowman.

 

Snoozles™

I have some flawed slide scans for you today, and those flaws put them squarely in the "Snoozles" category. This first one is from 1967, and would be a nice "general interest" picture if it wasn't for the fact that it's a little out of focus. Not too bad though. There's an ice cream vendor to the left(ish), and to the left of him we can see two boys wearing identical blue plaid shirts. What would Melissa have to say about them?  

Next, from "sometime in the 1970s" comes this backlit, too-dark photo of King Louie, who is standing there with no guests bothering him, somehow. There are some kids who want to approach him, but how do  you do so without him going ape crazy?? Strangely, Louie is wearing a flower in his... er... "lapel", I wonder if this was some special day at the park? 

Times Square Signs, 1949

Years ago, I acquired a bunch of vintage photos from New York City. 1949, in fact - 76 years old! Among those photos were some very neat (and scarce) night photos from Times Square, showing off some of the amazing and huge signs for various movies. I'll share a few of them today, and maybe more in a future post.

With all of the lights constantly flashing in various patterns, a long exposure would have been required to get everything lit up at once. That didn't happen here, but there are still some pretty amazing examples of the sign maker's art. At the Loew's State, "Command Decision" is playing. Released in 1948, it starred Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, and Brian Donlevy. The film's major theme is the emotional toll on commanders from ordering missions that result in high casualties, the effects of sustained combat on all concerned, and the nature of accountability for its consequences. 

The Philco sign to the left was notable for showing simple animated scenes, it must have been a real technological marvel for the time - you'll see another photo of this in a future post.

In this view, we can see some of the familiar old neon signs for products like Kinsey whiskey and Ruppert beer, Chevrolet, and the famous Camel cigarettes sign that changed over the years, but always had a character blowing smoke rings (I think I can see a puff of smoke?), I wish we could see that one more clearly! To the right, the New York Theatre is showing "Two Thrill-Packed First Run Hits", including "The Feathered Serpent" and "Blazing Across the Pecos", both featuring cowboy Charles Starrett.

You can't help noticing the big sign for "Joan of Arc" starring Ingrid Bergman; I tried to figure out which theatre this was, but am not sure; the red LONDON might be the name of the theatre?

IMDB trivia had this tidbit: To promote the film Joan of Arc (1948), the studio placed an eight-story-high figure of her in white plastic armor in New York City's Times Square, at a cost of $75,000. That makes it sound as if they built a giant statue of Joan, but it's clear that they were referring to this sign. It's pretty spectacular! FYI, $75,000 is the equivalent of almost one million dollars in today's Moonbucks. 

According to Wikipedia, the film is a straightforward recounting of the life of the French heroine. It was Victor Fleming's ("Gone With the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz") last directorial effort, and was, unfortunately, a box-office disappointment.

 If you have liked seeing these, let me know and I'll share more!

Color Correction Academy

Happy Valentine's Day! 

 

I was going to ignore The Mushiest Day of The Year, but Sue B. is more mature than I am. She sent along two vintage scans that seemed appropriate for the occasion. As you can see, a boy and a girl are celebrating some occasion with a butterfly-shaped cake. "You've always been a fan of Lepidoptera, honey!", said the boy. "Oh, Sterling, you say the sweetest things!". Check out that wallpaper, 

What the...! Kissing?!? I choose to believe that they are just rubbing noses, the way it's done in certain cultures. Sue pointed out that the danger of cooties is in the red zone, but these two lovebirds don't care. I can't imagine being that age and then being asked to do whatever they are doing, but it's ancient history now.

 

 

It's Friday, and I wanted to share something fun, so I thought you might enjoy seeing more examples of slides that were restored from examples that had turned magenta over the years. It's always a fun challenge to try to bring the color back, even if the results were mixed. All of these are undated - but definitely from the 1950s.

So... there's the first one as it looks unaltered. Arg! Still, the subject matter is appealing, a nice view from the parking lot as we approach the ticket booths and turnstiles. 

I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the photo to look like this, and I'm still not entirely happy with it - but it is definitely an improvement. Notice the two ladies who appear to be wearing similar (but not identical) outfits; red dresses, white socks, and even souvenir Keppy Kaps (well, maybe only the woman to the right is wearing a Keppy Kap). Why are they going home so early?? To the right of the ladies we can just see a yellow "runabout" behind the ticket booths. The C.K. Holliday is at rest on the platform in front of Main Street Station. There is a banner above the west tunnel, I think I see "...ON" for the last two letters, must have to do with the debut of the Grand Canyon Diorama (which opened on March 31, 1958).

Next is this Town Square view, with an Omnibus and the Bank of America. For whatever reason, there was less color information remaining beneath all of that redness, which made things a bit trickier.

Like the first pic, I am not completely satisfied with this color-correction attempt, but it's OK. It's possible I could work on it longer and get a slightly better result, but I spent enough time! Above that trashcan, there is a man, and behind him we can see a rare Art Corner poster, as well as a 20,000 Leagues poster. Some guests are gathered around the little souvenir booth ("Do ya got any salt and peppers? My sister loves salt and peppers!"). Meanwhile, the Omnibus driver appears to be chatting with a family, because he cares. "Don't keep a grown chimp as a pet, take it from me". "I promise, sir!". Where else but at Disneyland? 

Mad Tea Party, August 1970

The Mad Tea Party still thrills (and sickens) guests after nearly 70 years! Luckily I am not prone to motion sickness, so I have a fine time whirling around for a few minutes (not necessarily in a teacup). I've never been entirely clear on whether the Disneyland version of this sort of spinning attraction was the first, or if something similar had already existed elsewhere. Does anybody know? 

Next is this nice, colorful ground-level view. So many empty teacups! I wonder if music accompanied this ride back then? Now you hear the tootling mad tea party theme on an endless loop, I assume that the cast members mentally tune it out, or else it would drive them... well, you know. 

 

Along Main Street, July 1959

Clip-clop, clip-clop. That's the sound that my wooden shoes make as I walk along Main Street USA. In 1959, most people wore shoes of wood, so don't give me that look. 

I have a pair of nice Main Street views for you, it's quite a thing to walk down a street like Grandma and Grandpa might have seen in their childhoods. My Grandpa grew up in Los Angeles, but hey, in the early 1900s, perhaps his neighborhood didn't look so different from this. "The Girl and Her Trust" is playing at the Main Street Cinema ("Do Not Miss It!"), that's a 1912 film directed by D.W. Griffith, starring Dorothy Blanchard and Wilfred Lucas. THE Wilfred Lucas?? If you look to the left of the Cinema, you can see one of those wonderful lamppost signs that were created as part of the hype for the incredible 1959 additions to the park.

Here's a better look:

Next comes this great look down toward Main Street Station, with a Streetcar and the Chemical Wagon heading in our direction. The Penny Arcade is to our right. More Disneyland '58 signs (printed on masonite) hang on wires overhead, while a big red banner spans the street near Town Square.

March 1960

Here are two pretty Fantasyland views from slides date-stamped "March, 1960" - though the photos were likely taken a few months earlier. Starting with this nice example featuring the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship; you probably remember the mom and her two kids from when they were aboard the Mark Twain. At this point, the ship was still in a sort of "swimming pool", and the dining area (seen to the right) was rather minimal. But in May of 1960, the pool would be transformed into a beautiful tropical lagoon, and Skull Rock would spring up nearby, drooling magically. I drool, but it ain't so magical.

Here's a lovely view of a decidedly non-pink Sleeping Beauty Castle as seen in clear Winter sunlight (look at the coats and sweaters, it has to still be Winter!), with lots of families going hither and yon. Many of the  opening day attractions and exhibits were still in place, but 1959 and 1960 were years that saw great changes at the park!

Rivers of America

It's time for another installment of Frontierland scans, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor! All of these fall under the general description of the "Rivers of America"; scenes along the shore and on the water. 

Uh-oh, a storm's a-brewing. I hope there aren't any twisters! That raft is so loaded, it can only mean that the guests on Tom Sawyer Island were fleeing for the mainland in search of the nearest root cellar. The ducks don't seem concerned, but what do they know? They have duck brains! The river looks glassy and smooth, but that's always the way before fierce weather.

We're looking across the water toward the Old Mill at the south end of Tom Sawyer Island, and even though this is pre-Fantasmic!, there is some sort of stage-like platform blocking some of the view. Did Dixieland bands perform there on warm summer evenings? Or was it just a landing for the rafts? If so, it seems like overkill.

There's a different landing for rafts, also on TSI, with a few guests waiting patiently. Little do they know that the rafts aren't using that landing! One guy is getting hungry, when he looks at other guests, they turn into giant turkey legs. 

Speaking of being hungry, that boy is going to devour the Fishing Pier; he has developed strong and prominent incisors much like those on a beaver. 

Maybe the theme of today's post should have been "Raft Landings for $100, Alex". In this case a Raft sits unused, and there's nothing sadder. Well, maybe some things are sadder, but let's not think about it. I'm glad to see that the fishing pier was rebuilt after that kid ate it.

And finally, a nice view of Huck's Landing over on the west side of the island, not far from Merry Go Round Rock and Fort Wilderness. There's just something about an island that makes me want to float over and explore!

MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor.