Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Alice and Friends, August 1966

I have two cute photos from the entrance to Disneyland; guests have just paid for their tickets (four or five dollars per person, if you can believe it), and walked through the turnstiles, to be greeted by Alice and the White Rabbit. These two little girls are surely thrilled to meet such big celebrities only moments into their visit! 


I hope Alice doesn't have a boyfriend, I'm going to ask her out as soon as those kids are out of earshot. Wouldn't it be great to hear some stories from her time at Disneyland?


31 comments:

  1. Major-
    And the younger sister is wearing an 'outfit', with the top and bottom carrying through the pattern of orange & brown stylized birds-! Oh, my. Please tell me more about that large, blue 'ring' on the middle finger of big sister's hand...

    Must'a been a two-for-one sale on those glasses frames.

    "Alice in wonderland
    Oh, won't you take me by the hand
    And lead me to your wonderland of love

    I took one look at you
    And that was all I had to do
    Alice, you're the girl I'm dreamin' of."


    Thanks, Major.

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  2. Alice seems a little friendlier and little more prepared in the first photo. In the second photo, she's thinking, "Hey buddy, you've exceeded your limit of one photo per family! NEXT!"

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  3. Anonymous4:14 AM

    It's always good to see ol' Al, even though she tends to look different day to day...
    Those girls seem to have on matching Keds! When I was growing up, Converse wasn't the "cool" shoe, it was Keds! Or at least that's what my mom told me...
    Great pics!

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  4. I appreciate Alice stepping aside so we get a better look at the poster. Although I did notice Alice first.

    Nanook- It's a Candy Ring Pop, probably raspberry.

    Happy Tuesday, and thanks, Major.

    Zach

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  5. Cute kids, cute clothes, cute characters.

    A great start to the day, thanks Major!

    JG

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  6. @ zach-
    In 1966-? I think that's a stretch. Those Pop Rings made the scene around the late 70's - early 80's.

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  7. Cute photo...why oh why did they take those attraction posters down? It was so awesome when you first got in the gate and speculated which rides you would go on...squealing and squirming all the way. I had those same Keds. It's making want to go buy a pair. They were so comfy and could be washed in the washing machine. To Alice's right in the floral Mickey it looks like a bunch of dead stuff....but perhaps they were roses in there? August in So. Cal. means everything super hot and possible super crispy! 50,000,000 Population- in '66 that means around 5 million a year? That could be 14K a day...hmmm...1966- it might be!

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  8. Nanook, I wonder if the mother of the girls made those outfits? If so, she did a great job! Very cute and tasteful. It almost looks like the older girl is wearing two rings, though it’s hard to say. I had to look up the lyrics you shared, not sure I’ve heard that Neil Sedaka song.

    TokyoMagic!, by the third photo, Alice was openly angry, making a rude gesture and everything!

    Stu29573, the Alices really do vary, from girls who look like they spend their days outdoors (like this Alice) to others who look like they are preparing for a career as a TV hostess. I wonder if I ever owned a pair of Keds? Probably not, we always got the cheap “no name” shoes because we destroyed them so fast.

    zach, everyone loves Alice! And I agree, it was nice of her to let us see the Autopia poster. Ring pops… I used to see girls in school with those things and thought they were a weird idea. Who wants that sticky piece of sugar on their hand once they’ve started eating it??

    JG, it’s true, these are pretty cute!

    Nanook, I think zach might have been kidding about the Ring Pop. Possibly! Maybe the ring (rings?) were from one of those gumball machine capsules. My sister had some chunky plastic rings when she was a young girl.

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  9. Bu, I used to think that they removed the posters because they were too dated - some of the older designs had definitely become obsolete. But there were plenty that still worked fine, so my theory doesn’t really hold water. I wonder if some genius decided that the different designs cluttered up the entrance? Those flowers are surrounded by bare dirt, which is not a great look - maybe you’re right, they’d been fried by the hot August sun!

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  10. Major-
    That song was a big Number 17 on the Billboard Top Pop Singles Charts, in February 1963.

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  11. These are cute pictures. Yes, Older Sister has both a green and a blue chunky plastic ring. Younger Sister’s flower basket purse is funny, what could fit in there that made it worth carrying. I would unironically wear her bird shorts today! It looks like Alice might have been talking in the second photo. Thanks, Major.

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  12. Very cute photos of some happy kids. Alice isn't wearing a ring so you are in luck Major.
    The only song I can remember and know most of the words too is Calendar Girl.
    Thanks Major and Nanook. Now I have that song going through my head, "each and every day of the year".

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  13. @ DrGoat-
    For the 'full effect', you really should treat yourself to THE SCOPITONE version of Calendar Girl-! How did we ever survive-??

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  14. Nanook, at first I figured you wrote those lyrics!

    Autopia Alice is cute! And so are the two young ladies. Dressed very nicely, and they know how to accessorize.

    Thanks, Major!

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  15. In the first picture, on the very left edge, the girl’s wrist is glowing—like when you get your hand stamped and put it under a blacklight.

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  16. Always wondered why the White Rabbit's head looked more like Thumper's. He has that face in almost every picture I've seen.

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  17. When I saw the girls giant ring I thought it might be a LITTLE KIDDLE. They were a very popular line of miniature dolls that had big heads and tiny little bodies . They usually cane with a tiny vehicle accessory or in one of many playsets. There was also a line of giant rings and inside the plastic jewel sat the LITTLE KIDDLE. These were extreme popular from the mid to late 1960’s. There were even COSMIC KIDDLES (little space aliens) and MER KIDDLES ( little mermaids ) and even a Dick Van Dyke CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG LITTLE KIDDLE!!

    However I think the girl’s ring is too small even for the JEWEL LITTLE KIDDLES.

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  18. Yep, Mike, they also came in necklaces and perfume bottles with pretty scents. I had some of those as a kid, and also purchased some, more recently (mint—on the card). I’m impressed you know about them. Chuck, I bet your wife knows what they are, being a collector, too.

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  19. Nanook, I had seen that "video" before, but it had been quite a while. The lady playing February, June and September, looks a little bit like Barbara Eden. OH, but yes!

    She also looks a bit like E.J.Peaker. That's because of the kind of walk she walked.

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  20. Well thanks Nanook. August is quite the calendar girl I must say. That does pretty much round out that song quite well, doesn't it. Surviving was worth it in the end.

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  21. @ TM!-
    Neither MTV videos, nor the "Beautiful Girl" number from Singin' In the Rain can hold a candle to this "parade of beauties", no matter how tacky-!

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  22. Chuck6:27 PM

    Sue, I just confirmed that not only is she familiar with Little Kiddles, but she actually had one as a kid in the ‘70s. She thinks she picked it up at a garage sale.

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  23. Chuck6:34 PM

    I find it interesting that not one of the guys here has commented on Mr Sedaka’s changing wardrobe. It’s like you were all distracted by other things in the video or something…

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  24. Chuck, I don’t think they realized Mr. Sedaka was even in it!

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  25. Ha, ha! I did not notice Mr. Sedaka's wardrobe changes, but I think it's because I was distracted by his cornball dance moves......that, and the Barbara Eden/E.J. Peaker lookalike. I was waiting for her to cross her arms and blink her eyes.....or to climb aboard a double-decker bus and ride off with the Osmond Brothers.

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  26. Nanook, I don’t remember much about the songs of 1963!

    Kathy! I think that the purse was more of a symbol than a practical thing. Young ladies carried purses, but kids didn’t, so that made her almost a grownup! Yes, those bird shorts are awesome, they remind me of some designs by artist Tim Biskup.

    DrGoat, I don’t know if I’m ready to propose to Alice just yet! I have to make sure that she believes in UFOs the way I do. Because I talk about them A LOT. You understand. I like Sedaka’s “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”!

    Nanook, was it the old Lileks site that did a whole thing about Scopitone? Until then I’d never heard of it!

    Lou and Sue, Nanook only writes naughty limericks!

    Lou and Sue, yeah, some of the slides in this batch have blue spots - not sure why that is. Did something get splashed on the film?

    DBenson, do you think they just reused the Thumper face? I can’t find a good photo of a Thumper character at the moment.

    Mike Cozart, oh my gosh, my sister loved Little Kiddles. Did they have versions that were scented? Maybe I’m conflating them with some other toy, but I remember some sort of tiny dolls that were odiferous. Wow, I wish she’d had some Cosmic Kiddles! And I’ll have to look up the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Kiddle, how strange.

    Lou and Sue, AHA! I was thinking of the right things! My sister also had a bunch of Avon products that came in cute plastic containers… I think she liked the containers more than the contents. She kept them for many years, but I’m sure they’re long gone now.

    TokyoMagic!, Barbara Eden was one of the hottest women on TV (or anywhere), without a doubt. I know she did other stuff, but it’s too bad she didn’t become a bigger star. Those were the days when TV actors generally didn’t translate to movies.

    DrGoat, I’d say you can’t go wrong with any of those “months”! They are all cuties. I’m digging Neil’s dance moves too, ha ha.

    Nanook, wow, I didn’t remember that the “Beautiful Girl” number was from “Singin’ In the Rain” - was there a similar sequence in some other movie?

    Chuck, not only do I remember the toys, but I remember the commercials!

    Chuck, it goes without saying that Neil Sedaka’s wardrobe is incredible and that he is the coolest! I sort of kid, but I do like Neil Sedaka, admittedly.

    Lou and Sue, TRUE! “Where was Neil??”.

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  27. TokyoMagic!, “CORNBALL”?? We can’t all be Fred Astairs (except for you, of course). I give him credit for being game to just go for it. Even as a kid, when I thought girls were yucky, I think I had the hots for Barbara Eden!

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  28. Sorry, Major! Sorry, Neil! I'm sure those dance moves weren't his idea, anyway!

    Those were the days when TV actors generally didn’t translate to movies.

    Let us not forget that Barbara Eden was in the big-screen epic, Harper Valley P.T.A.! It's true. Oh, but yes!

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  29. Chuck3:54 AM

    She also played the repressed librarian in The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao and does a dance number in the film version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

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  30. TokyoMagic!, I thought Harper Valley P.T.A. was a TV movie. Shows what I know.

    Chuck, I remember Barbara in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", but it's been too long since I've seen "Dr. Lao". She's gettin' all worked up! And I sure didn't remember the dance number in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"! Another one I haven't seen in decades. Thanks for the links!

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  31. Major, Harper Valley P.T.A. was a theatrical-release film, first. Then, based on the success of the film, it was made into a TV series. The show only ran for a season and a half, but Fannie Flagg was in it, so that made it all worth while.

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