Monday, December 24, 2012

Aunt Jemima's, July 17 1968

Here are two scans from stereo slides, both from the day that happened to be Disneyland's 13th birthday.

In this first photo, I decided to crop out the large expanse of empty concrete at the bottom third of the image in order to get a better look at the old Aunt Jemima's pancake house. Pink, white and yellow make for a cheerful combination of hues; I'd like to imagine myself sitting at one of those outside tables enjoying a stack of pancakes (with plenty of butter and syrup) while overlooking the activity on the Rivers of America.


Over at the entrance to Frontierland, our photographer pretends to be interested in the log stockade, but I know that the pretty girl in the skirt didn't wind up in the picture by accident!


12 comments:

Chuck said...

Ever wonder why there were rifles pointing from the blockhouse towards the INSIDE of the stockade?

walterworld said...

That pic of Aunt Jemima's/River Belle Terrace is fantastic. It's mostly still there too, at least in my memory. Just wish they still had the previous ordering set-up with real silverware instead of plastic.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

Nice Pics. I love how the dorky kid in pic 1 is about to trip over his own feet straining to look back at the pretty girl who just walked by.

The little guy is much more suave, posing for the 3 girls about to pass buy. It's like he's saying "hey ladies, like my racing stripes? My mom got it at Zody's"

Omnispace said...

Looks like a gorgeous day in Disneyland! It's important in 3D slides to have proper foreground. I'm sure that's what the photographer of the second photo was considering.

Major Pepperidge said...

Chuck, maybe in case some Indians managed to climb the walls?!

walterworld, I have a much better photo of Aunt Jemima's coming up. And your comment about the silverware sounds just like my friend who took that picture!

Alonzo, I didn't even notice that kid, but MAN is he dorky!

Omnispace, you are probably right, although this photographer took plenty of photos that just happened to have pretty girls in them; it had to have been done on purpose!

Nanook said...

Alonzo -

You are so right about that poor kid: He's even wearing black socks. That get-up looks more at home at King's Island. (Sorry, Cincinnati folks).

JG said...

What Walterworld said. I love Aunt Jemima's. A very special place in my memory. This photo shows how much was done along here to install the "Pirate Overpass" since there is now a very tall retaining wall at this location to allow traffic to pass beneath.

I was devastated to see what a Mickey Mouse Pancake has become, to say nothing of the silverware.

And a great picture of the blockhouse and the vintage babes.

@Alonzo... "Zody's..." Oh dear, there's an echo of the past that was almost gone. Thank you for reviving it. I remember it well...now.

Best to all for the holidays!

JG

Lillian K. said...

Love the detail of the rifles sticking out of the stockade tower (that's long gone today) and the Frontierland trash can, besides all the human interest items going on in photo #2.

Great post, Major!

K. Martinez said...

Yeah, the River Belle Terrace dining experience has declined a little, but it's still my favorite spot for breakfast in Disneyland.

Merry Christmas Major. Merry Christmas to all!

Nancy said...

Such a nice sunny day and I love those yellow umbrellas. Wish I had been there on that terrace enjoying those pancakes back in the day. Thank goodness for people who like to save and help us remember the good times!!

Merry Christmas Eve to all! :-D

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook... stay tuned for some King's Island goodness!!

JG, have the MM pancakes been ruined somehow? Vintage babes, I love 'em too.

Lillian K., yeah, those rifles are long-gone, sad to say. Frontierland without guns? Hmmmmm..... Glad you liked these!

K. Martinez, I wish I was able to spend more time at the park so that I knew which restaurants were worth visiting! It's been over a year now.

Nancy, there are a LOT of old photos that I wish I had been a part of. Hope you have a great Christmas!

JG said...

Alas, yes Major, the MM pancakes have been revised for the worse.

Years back, the MM pancakes were made with a "batter gun", a hopper the cook holds in his hand and presses a button to dispense the batter, first the big circle, then two little ones for ears.

The face was made up with pieces of fruit, a half pineapple ring for a smile, half maraschino cherries (bright red) for eyes, etc. and a puff of powdered sugar on each ear.

They were made up on a flattop griddle right in front of you, (the cook faced you)so each action was part of a performance. A true old-school Disney experience.

Now, the pancakes are pre-fabricated, with the face "molded in". I suspect they are made in a central kitchen off-site and trucked in to be re-heated. They are much like a "fast-food" pancake and are nothing at all like the originals. The same product is offered at other food service sites, including Grand Californian.

I saw them being served at River Belle last trip, and decided to order something else, which was actually pretty good. Bacon, eggs, potatoes, etc.

But the MM pancake of my youth is gone forever, except when I make them for kids at the annual pancake fundraiser.

JG