The Dumbii

I have two 1956-ish slide scans for you - not the most exciting things ever. But you have to love the classic Dumbo ride (I mean attraction) from the early days, before everyone had one in their driveway. You DO have one in your driveway, don't you?? It's pretty clear that a parent was trying to capture their daughter as she circled around in her flying elephant. You have to have a steady hand, and a quick shutter finger! This first one is just a fraction of a second too late, but you can still see the red sweater and pony tail.

Ah, that one is a bit better, and the composition is a little more dynamic as well. I've pointed this detail out before, but you can always tell when a photo of the Casey Jr. ride (in the background) is early, because the track is just sort of "out there", without the attractive "stone work" added later. 

Golden Horseshoe, December 12, 1969

It's not difficult to find photos of the outside of the Golden Horseshoe, but interior photos are considerably scarcer. I have two of them for you today!

First up is this general view of the area where the audience would sit and enjoy Pepsi, Lays potato chips, and perhaps a ham and cheese sandwich. It's clear that a performance has ended and the crowd has cleared out, the perfect time to take a quick picture. Do you need longhorn steer horns on your wall? This place is pretty impressive for an amusement park. 

Speaking of performances, you can't go wrong with a picture of beautiful dancing girls. The one on the left is looking directly at us and now I am flustered! 

Snoozles™

Have you ever had the misfortune to eat a stale cookie? Today's photos are like stale cookies! Think about it. 

Seeing this not-great picture of the plaque at the base of Town Square's flagpole makes me imagine that familiar low-fi recording of Walt reciting the dedication. "To all who come to this happy place...". I think Daveland had a number of photos that showed that this plaque had been replaced a few times over the years. Did people wear it down? Too much rubbing.

Vermin have gotten bold at Disneyland, there's a skunk and a rabbit, strolling along without a worry in the world! Is there a Disney raccoon character? I kind of think there is, but I can't pin it down at the moment. If there is, you know he had knocked over a trashcan and is feasting on the contents.

 

Amusement Parks Again

You know me, I love collecting adorable Hummel figurines, and I also love photos of amusement parks. 

This first example is from June, 1971, from the extinct Lion Country Safari park that was in Irvine, California from 1970 to 1984. I lived in Huntington Beach in 1971 (roughly 20 minutes from Irvine), and remember TV and print ads, they almost always featured a car stopped in the park because a Lion had jumped on the hood (I felt disappointed when no lions jumped on our station wagon). Here's a very nice picture of a bloat of hippo paddle boats, I wonder if any of those survive in somebody's collection? "You know what, Charlotte? Paddle boats seem like fun, but they're actually a lot of work!". 

I shared this photo many years ago, but here's my sister, little brother, and Mom on one of the hippo boats from sometime in 1971.

Next is a photo (dated "August, 1959") that was a mystery to me. There were clues like the mention of Paul Bunyan, but that didn't help much. Then I noticed that the lettering on the stagecoach said "Dells Fargo Stage". Aha! This is from Fort Dells, Wisconsin. This amusement park opened in June of 1959, and featured rides, characters, train rides, a paddlewheel steamboat, animals, live shows, and much more fun for all ages. Sadly, Fort Dells Theme Park officially closed back in 1985 and was completely demolished by 1997. 

I'm still at Disneyland! Hopefully I will be riding the non-"Nightmare Before Christmas" Haunted Mansion multiple times, since I haven't done that since 2008. I can't wait!

A Nice Pair From January, 1960

Here are two good photos from January, 1960. Happy New Year! You know what we should do now that it's "THE SIXTIES"? Go to Disneyland, that's what. 

It's a little before 10:00; on weekends and holidays the park often opened at 9:00, but it's possible that these folks are just waiting to get in - I'm not even sure anybody has passed the turnstiles yet. All traces of Christmas decor are gone, it's "back to normal" so to speak. 

Auntie Alice is having a swell time, she's yucking it up with her friend, who probably told a saucy joke. "Match Game '77" saucy (probably involving the word "whoopee"), not truly naughty. To the right, some folks are lingering near the pay phones, they need to call their bookies. It's happened to all of us. 

Next is this nice view presumably taken from a speeding Monorail as it passed above what I believe is part of the Motorboat Cruise waterways, as well as the Fantasyland Autopia (starring Screechy!). What a great day to be at Disneyland!

FYI, I'm going to be away from my computer for the next two days, because I'll be at Disneyland! Yes, the authorities have been notified. Maybe I'll even write a trip report. 

Main Street Views, July 1958

Here's a pair of nice Main Street views from the summer of 1958. We'll start with this shot in Town Square, with the train station (covered in Fourth of July bunting). The lamp posts on either side of the steps appear to have signs advertising the new Alice in Wonderland dark ride and the Columbia sailing ship. A Horseless Carriage is completely full, those two ladies walking toward it are just going to have to wait for the next vehicle. A teen tries to imagine what mayhem he could create if only he could fire that cannon, while a father and son enjoy popcorn and talk about what they will do next.

Further up the street, a Surrey rides past; sometimes you'll see it pulled by white horses, or black horses, but these are brown. I know my colors! JEALOUS? There's a sign to the right of the entrance to the INA Carefree Corner indicating that "First Aid", "Lost Children", and the "Baby Station" could be found nearby. 

Two From February, 1965

Sometimes I acquire slides one at a time, sometimes I get lucky and get 20 or 30 at a time. But today's lot consisted of only two slides. They're pretty good though! 

First up is this view that I assume is from the Disneyland Hotel, up on the Monorail platform. Or was this somehow taken from the Monorail itself, with no motion-blur in the foreground? We're looking across West Street (named after James West) toward the vast parking lot. Yes, that's it, even though it's hard to see through the smog. If you look real hard you can see Wilbur Clark's Crest Hotel, and to the right of that, Melodyland. Main Street Station is also barely visible.

This one is extra-fun, with the Tomorrowland Space Girl (I've actually never known if she had an official moniker), posing with a cute little girl who hopes that she will someday live on the Moon. They are near the entrance to Tomorrowland (the Plaza is behind us) and the America the Beautiful attraction. 

Meeting Mickey

Here are two photos from different batches, each showing guests as they got to meet their favorite tuxedo-wearing mouse! 

This first one is from sometime in the 1960s; a young boy is taking Mickey's pulse ("You might have hypertension and should go on a low-salt diet"), while Mickey wears a top hat as a tribute to Fred Astaire, who'd gone to the dentist that morning. So respectful! Meanwhile, the area in front of the floral portrait is undergoing some sort of mysterious construction, I think this is from the brief period when a stage with go-go dancers was out front. It was Joe Fowler's idea. Where are all the other guests??

Next, from "sometime in the 1970s" comes this photo with a group of people crowding around Mickey, just in front of the Hills Bros. Coffee Garden. Is the lady with the hat a teacher? Maybe the lady with the burnt-orange shirt too? There are a lot of kids, including the smallest girl who escaped from Ringling Bros. in an attempt to live a normal life. You'll often find Mickey or Minnie in more or less this same location today.

 

Cast Member Extravaganza

I'm always happy to be able to share more Frontierland scans, generously contributed by the Mysterious Benefactor! These are undated, but I'm guessing that they could be from the 1980s (?). I wonder if any of the Cast Members seen here will be familiar to some of the Junior Gorillas? 

This first one looks like it could be in a souvenir guidebook; a CM interacts with a pair of adorable kids as smiling parents look on. "Hey kid, I like strained carrots too!". I'm assuming that the little girl is wearing the CM's hat? 

Would you buy a used car from these two? Of course not, they aren't selling cars, they're herding guests on (and off) of the rafts! They are holding cudgels, but they're hidden. "Mike" looks like he's guilty of something, though. Maybe he has a still on Tom Sawer Island.

"Oh Robin, Robin, run away with me to Par-ee! We'll stroll on the Bois de Boulogne, visit the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and drink absinthe at a sidewalk cafe on the Left Bank". "You sure talk pretty, mister, but I like it here in the U. S. of A!". Heart broken.

Not many people know that, on the old Frontier, the gifting of hats was commonplace. "Now you are responsible for me for the rest of my life". "Wait, what? I don't even like this hat! Plus I'm two years old!". "Too late!". Happened all the time. 

It actually does get chilly at Disneyland occasionally, as can be observed here - a scarf and a comfy plaid coat (from the Pendleton store?) help to protect this woman from the harsh elements. That raft is absolutely packed with guests who want to explore Tom Sawyer Island!  

A Cavalry officer drops some hot gossip on that kid. "See that guy over there? He once ate so much popcorn that he barfed". "Gee, really, mister?". "I said it, didn't I??".

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Snoozles™ and Father’s Day

Did you know that it's JG's birthday today? Well it is! And as usual, Sue B. has gone above and beyond, providing a set of vintage scans to help celebrate. In this first one, the presumed birthday boy sits enthroned at the head of the table, beneath balloons, streamers, and the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY. See that little girl in the hallway? It's so strange, when mom took this picture, there was nobody there!

Whoa, the supply of crepe streamers in the US dropped to alarming levels after mom decorated this house. I enjoy the deflated balloons. Darn things! Why when I was a kid, balloons lasted forever! Instead of one big cake, it appears that each party attendant would get his/her own cupcake, complete with candle.

Those look like some massive cupcakes. But I could handle one! Some folks are licking the frosting off of their candles, while others are ready to tackle the main event.

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Guess what? It's not only JG's birthday, but it is also Father's Day! I have some personal photos from some Junior Gorillas to share, just for fun. Let's start with this great picture of Steve Stuart, aka "Nanook", with is dad. Such a sweet photo! Steve's dad looks like a proud papa, for sure.

Next is a picture of me and my dad. This might have been at our house in Evanston, Illinois. My dad is looking on as I consider sharing my beer with him. Sorry, pops, I love my suds! Actually, I do remember that he would, on occasion, let me (or my brother) have the last drops of beer when we desperately wanted to have what he was having. The funny thing is that I grew up not especially liking beer, though I like it fine now.

And one more Father's Day pic... here's a photo of Sue B's dad, Lou Perry (you know Lou!), taken just days ago; Lou took so many wonderful photos of Disneyland, going back to the early days of the park. Sue has shared a lot of them here on GDB, and that got the attention of author Chris Merritt. He was working on his massive book, "The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney's Disneyland". From what I understand, five of Lou's photos wound up in the finished volume! The photo shows Lou, at age 96, holding a copy of Chris's book (which, by all reports, is stunning) - SO COOL! Thank you for everything, Lou (and Sue)! 

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And now (talk about an anticlimax)... it's Snoozle Time! First up is this look toward the Plaza's central hub, a green circle divided into quadrants. What a pleasant place to sit and relax in the shade. There's no "Partners" statue yet - not for another 35 years or so. I still think the statue should have had Walt and Mickey on motorcycles, but some ideas are too ahead of their time.

Next is this too-soft look (circa August, 1968) from the Peoplemover, gazing down on the entry to Tomorrowland, and the swirling purple and yellow flowers (designed by Rolly Crump). To the left, there are plenty of available tables at the Plaza Inn. An Omnibus is coming in for a landing, my dream is to hijack it and head onto the nearby freeway.