Three From 1956
Yay, a triad of photos from Disneyland's second year of operation!
Numero uno: This nice shot of the entrance to the park, with the ticket booths, the Disneyland Railroad, and Main Street Station of course. In spite of the blue, sunny skies, it must have been a bit chilly judging from the dress of the guests. 
In this closeup view, we can see that the Carrousel was closed, that the park was open from 10 to 7, and that you could purchase "Special Guest Cards", whatever those were. Any idea, Tim (aka Mr. Vintage Disneyland Tickets)?? 
Here's a familiar view looking over the rail of the Pirate Ship towards Cinderella's dream castle. Casey Junior is about to pass beneath that castle, while Storybook Land boats (again with guys as the hosts!) cross hither and yon. You can get a nice look at Toad Hall. Thaddeus J. Toad's estate had ancient woods full of pheasants, a formal garden, and an orchard.
And last but certainly not least is one of my favorite Town Square images, with a nice dynamic composition. The horse is wearing a stylish chapeau, and City Hall looks appropriately grand. Wonder why Walt Disney didn't have his apartment above that building? It certainly looks roomy, and you didn't have kids ringing the bell like they did in the Firehouse. That foreground branch makes me think of the photos on Viewmaster reels, it would have made a great 3-D element!
9 comments:
So even back in 1956, people couldn't resist sticking their hands in the water?
Great photos, Super City Hall shot, yeah, I wonder why Walt didn’t use the upstairs of City Hall, in fact, what is up there/???
The “Special Guest Cards” were early version of the unlimited passport. $6 for the adult was twice the price of the 8 adventure ticket book, so I don’t think these sold real well back then. Here is a post I did that includes two of the special guest cards from 1957.
Link
Thanks for the neat post!
That person didn't keep their hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times!!
Tim, thanks for the link. Now that I look at it, I realize that the Special Guest Cards do look familiar, I think they come up on ebay once in a while!
I prefer being led through Storybook Land by an overgrown catholic school girl with a polyester skirt and knee socks
AMEN to dat, Dr. Zaius!
Love that 'Rehabilitation Program' sign! Thanks for the close up.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that's wondered why the Apartment isn't over the City Hall... Perhaps Walt only wanted basically a big "day room" on site, or didn't want to be too close to the complaints counter, or it was a matter of privacy, or the decision to put in the apartment came too late in the design phase for the City Hall building. At this stage of the game we may never know.
Just chiming in with what others have already said: guests cards appeared at the park in the late 1950s for a very short time. They were a response to (1) guest concerns that the individual tickets could cost a person $10 or $15. This capped it. And (2) other parks experimenting with a one-price system in the late 1950s. They were used for admission to all rides.
And the other sign:
"NO PICNIC LUNCHES ALLOWED"
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