Ghost Town or Bust!

It's been a while since I've shared some vintage photo souvenirs from Knott's Berry Farm's "Pitchur Gallery". Believe it or not, there are still quite a few that I have not shown! Yes, I have a lot of them. All of today's examples are from the same tableau - I'd say that this was the most popular (and thus most common) of all. Still, they're fun to look at!

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that these three ladies were friends, rather than relatives. Ofcourse it's impossible to say for sure. Two of the women smile nicely, but the one on the right (with the mink coat) can't muster up the enthusiasm to work out those face muscles. She's wearing a Napoleon hat, so maybe she's thinking about when she was at the Battle of Austerlitz. The one in the middle might be sporting a souvenir pinback button of some kind, but it's just not clear enough.

I believe that this one is from around 1960 or so. Most of these folks bear a strong family resemblance! It's exciting to see a photo of a young Bob (as in "Big Boy") to the left, a future culinary celebrity. Each day, he holds a giant hamburger above his head. I did that too, but it never amounted to anything. I guess I just didn't have the passion.

And finally, here are two boys and their cute Shirley Temple lookalike sister. She's lost some of her teeth, did Shirley ever sing a song about that? "I'm Missin' My Incisors"? I'd hoped to be able to determine what is on the boy's t-shirt (to the right), but no such luck. 

OK-zles™

OK-zles! First discovered by scientists at Bell Laboratories, OK-zles are a fascinating phenomenon. Originally mistaken for Snoozles, brainiacs in lab coats noticed distinct and unique characteristics, thus enriching and improving our daily lives (*gets tears in eyes*).

The first OK-zle is this totally OK photo from September, 1962. One might assume that the photographer was riding on the neck of a giraffe, but carefully analysis proves that this picture was taken from a speeding Monorail.  The motion blur in the foreground is a feature, not a bug. It's nice to see one of the trains sitting at station. This was a beautiful September day, where is everybody? In front of the station are posters - many that are easily identifiable, even at this distance. I'm noticing a (party obscured) "Art of Animation" poster, and a seldom-seen lilac Main Street/Santa Fe poster.

Speaking of Main Street Station, here's a bright, clear, extremely OK photo from December, 1969. It's weirdly devoid of people, with the exception of two lonely souls up on the platform.

 

Birthday Time!

Well, what do you know, today is Sue B's birthday! I chose a few fun vintage photos to share in honor of the occasion, starting with this undated (1950s?) birthday pic with a happy little boy posing with his chocolate cake. What, no ice cream for "a la mode"?? I love the bold mid-century patterns on the drapes and the wallpaper. And of course the cake-toppers are appropriate for Disney fans!

Looking on eBay, they are not super-rare.

I felt a little guilty that I didn't have a picture of a girl's birthday party, because, as we all know, boys are smelly and gross. So I decided to round out today's blog post with photos of a girl, even if it's not her birthday. You all remember Corinne, who has appeared on this blog many times! Take a look HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE!

Now we're seeing Corinne, circa June 1955 with her "Radio Tot" wagon and a few of her favorite toys.

Next is a photo from June 1956, and I think it's pretty clear where Corinne had been, possibly even earlier that day (folks did not feel the need to stay until closing back then). She's decked out with a pair of mouse ears and an earless Mickey Mouse balloon. The park was just under a year old at that point, maybe she was one of the first people to ride the Skyway or visit Tom Sawyer Island.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUE!

Beautiful Randos

I have two interesting Randos for you today, starting with this wonderful photo from June, 1970, it looks like our photographer is aboard a Peoplemover train that is just leaving the station. There aren't a lot of passengers on the trains in front of us, which is always a surprise. But down below... ay caramba! 

I wondered if a new attraction might have drawn all of those people to Tomorrowland, but it must have just been a busy June day. To the left, Adventure Thru Inner Space has quite a line, but don't worry, it moved quickly. Many others are taking advantage of the "built in" benches to rest their weary feet. 

Next is this interesting view from the Skyway, circa August, 1971. We're above Fantasyland, looking down on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. If you look carefully, you can see the "Hell" scene on the ride's painted mural. Our gondola is heading toward the Matterhorn, where a bobsled is visible, and you should know what that means! I hope you bought a Lottery ticket. In moments, we will be in Tomorrowland, but we can already see into the future, with the Rocket Jets and the Carousel of Progress in the distance.

 

Two From January 1974

I'm very nervous by nature (as opposed to Naughty by Nature), and I don't want to stray too far from Main Street Station. So let's just meander around Town Square. Come on, be a pal! 

I told Walt Disney that he should have common yellow school buses going up and down Main Street. And they could have cast members playing bullies who won't let you sit next to them! And the driver could be a drunk. But Walt coughed and said something about an Omnibus, and I could tell that the subject was closed. Gosh, what a grump. Anyway, there's the Omnibus that he was so crazy about, I guess it's OK. It's passing the Opera House, which has some scaffolding. I could find nothing going on there in early '74, but a full year earlier, Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln closed, and was replaced by "The Walt Disney Story" on April, 1973. Maybe this roll of film sat in a drawer for months? Addendum: I could see that there is an oval sign for "Cinderella" in the window near the woman with the stroller. That film was rereleased in 1973! 

Next is this nice photo that soothes my jangled nerves; the clip-clop of the horse's hooves and the jolly clang of the bell reduce my jumpiness by 72%!

Here's a closeup of one of the Emporium windows...

Nice 1950s Views

I sure do love early views of Disneyland - but have to admit that today's examples fall dangerously close to the "Snoozles" category. But they look pretty good, so... crisis averted.

Let's begin with... a photo of Sleeping Beauty Castle? On this blog? There's just something about the castle, it's hard to resist taking at least one picture of it. I did it myself a while ago, when it was all lit up at night. Yes, my face burned with shame. But nobody could tell because it was too dark! You can tell that it was a Winter day, with coats and sweaters, and trees lacking their full compliment of leaves. Did the ice cream vendor get lonely on cold days? Just go up and tell him he's doing a great job, he'll appreciate it. There's a trashcan front and center, maybe it was the point of interest for the photographer.

Next is this very nice Skyway view of Cinderella's Castle, perched atop a stony promontory. The rocks appear to be multicolored, but that's really due to some weird yellow blotches on this transparency. I guess the horses that pulled the pumpkin coach turned back into mice, which is why it sits abandoned on the winding path.  

 

Fun at Disneyland, July 1969

I have two nice photos featuring a mother and her son at the Happiest Place On Urf, circa July 1969. 

There they are, I'll call them Patty and Mitch (Jr.). They are not worried about Screechy The Way-Out Eagle because they know that he looks fierce, but mostly likes to eat pizza rolls and read Star Trek novels. Screechy is atop a pylon out in front of the Fantasyland Autopia; look at all those kooky international traffic signs! There's not a cloud in the sky, perfect for fireworks a bit later.

Not long after the first photo, Patty and Mitch (Jr.) pose again, this time with The Biggest Li'l Mountain ever, The Matterhorn. There's a respectable crowd, but it is Summer, after all. Two Skyway gondolas rev their engines overhead, and who can find the Bobsled (or at least the people in the Bobsled)? Good luck all day, man! 

GDB NINETEENTH ANNIVERSARY!

WELCOME to GDB's 19th Anniversary! As some of you already know, way back in 2006 I started this blog, with no idea what I was doing or how it would go. I certainly would not have predicted that I would still be at it nineteen years later. Google blogs are a joke to many due to their antiquity, but I have little interest in switching over to Instagram (or wherever). So laugh away! 

As I've said before, I would not be doing this if it wasn't for the community of nice people that has (miraculously) gathered to enjoy this very niche subject - vintage Disneyland (I never tire of it). It's not a lot of people, but they are choice! So thanks to all of you who drop by, and especially those of you who take the time to comment - hopefully it's fun for you too. 

I've been saving some extra-nice images for this occasion, from all around the park. Let's go!

First up is this aerial photo (possibly taken from an L.A. Airways helicopter?) circa September, 1963. I love aerial photos! As with any of them, it's fun to seek out little details, such as the Monsanto House of the Future, or the Flight Circle, or the Columbia at sail on the Rivers of America. Plus there's the "backstage" areas in the upper right corner... I wonder if that green field belonged to Disney at the time? An orchard of some kind still existed at the top center.

Tomorrowland is the closest, and in this zoomed-in view we get a good look at the Flying Saucers, the Astro Jets, the Yacht Bar, and the Matterhorn and Sub Lagoon. 

Next is this rare view inside the Kaiser Aluminum Hall of Fame, with the mirrored sphere in which guests would see a knight, a fireman, and an astronaut (thanks to parts of the sphere being two-way mirrors), all extolling the virtues of lightweight, versatile aluminum. I seem to have misplaced the original slide, which is alarming (I'm sure it's somewhere), but at least I had this scan to share. 

Next is this nice scan dated "March, 1960", with the Mark Twain chugging past Cascade Peak, which is only halfway (?) through construction. It's sort of fascinating to see the structural elements - there does appear to be some steel in there, though the Peak's demise was due to rotting wood (or so they say). 

The photographer snapped a second pic, so why not share that one too?

This next scan is a late addition, a Junior Gorilla was kind enough to send this slide to me. To keep! It's a beautiful, colorful shot of classic Fantasyland from May of 1976 (I believe, it's hard to read the date-stamp). Just seven years later, Fantasyland would be completely redone, and the Pirate Ship would be gone. But we can still enjoy looking at it here.

Next is this view looking down upon drained Sub Lagoon, circa March, 1961. The attraction had opened less than two years earlier, but that chlorinated water is tough on the props and vehicles. Workmen are placing new seashells and corals (notice the peach baskets full of those). It looks like some of the Subs supported the temporary walkways, while others are wrapped in plastic to lock in freshness. 

This next one is still in Tomorrowland, from July, 1958. It’s a nice portrait of two happy women posing with the Tomorrowland Spaceman and the Space Girl (does anybody know what she was actually called?). To the right would be the "Satellite View of America", while the angled building behind them held "America the Beautiful" (in CirCARama). It's fun to get such a good look at the rare Casa de Fritos poster on display in the park.

And finally, here's a beautiful 1950s photo of the E.P. Ripley (old #2) as it chugged along. The engineer appears to be greeting us by blowing the whistle, and the bell is swinging too. I'm always especially fond of photos showing the locomotives that were built at the Walt Disney Studios. The color is gorgeous on this one! I am not sure, but I believe that the train was passing near the spot where Tomorrowland Station would one day be built. What do you think? I admit that the wide roadway near us kind of throws me, so I could be mistaken.

That's it for this time. I have more, but I'll save those for some other occasion. THANKS to all of the Junior Gorillas out there for all of your support over the years!

Dark Snoozles™

Here are two more scans (from September, 1968) that would be perfectly nice, except that, for some reason, they turned out really dark. The black shadows such away 43% of the joy. 

Guests are milling around Town Square - that's what they're supposed to do. Check out that genuine cannon! Should we ride on the Streetcar? Or head up the steps of Main Street Station to take the Grand Circle Tour? It's only 11:30, they have plenty of time to do it all. I hope they head over to ride the still-new "Pirates of the Caribbean".

I only just noticed that some of the people in the distance to the right also appear in the first photo. There's that lady with the bright red ensemble, her friend with the flower-print dress, the man with the light blue shirt, and even the fellow to the right of him. Everyone on the Streetcar is weeping because it's so dark and scary. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Vintage Mystery Airports

I have two photos featuring some vintage airports - locations unknown. It drives me bananas not being able to figure out where these buildings were (it is possible that the structures in these photos have been torn down and replaced with bigger, more modern edifices). 

This first one shows what appears to be a fairly large terminal, I'm assuming that it is in a major city. I thought it might be La Guardia, but it doesn't match. I like the architectural style, it was probably quite modern in its day. I'm pretty confident that one of you will know this one!

I guess this one is less about the airport than it is about the hat-wearing people. But I am still wondering where this could be! I know, there is very little to go on, I don't have much hope of anyone ID-ing this one. But I appreciate the effort!

Two Leftuggies™

Here are two nice Leftuggies™ (or maybe they are Randos)? We'll begin with this March 1961 view looking down Main Street. There's nothing especially unique about this photo, other than the fact that it is very pretty and is full of vintage Main Street goodness. And glutamates. I don't like the way those people are walking toward the station. It's almost as if they are thinking about leaving! I will accept this, but only if they are all suffering from dengue fever. Which is possible if they went on the Jungle Cruise, where mosquito-borne diseases are common. Several guests are about to be flattened by a Horseless Carriage - they have nobody to blame  but themselves. 

Next is this wonderful from March, 1982. After an hour of calculations (and plenty of frustrated crying), I determined that this was 21 years after the first photo was taken. We've got the beautiful New Tomorrowland in front of us, with the Rocket Jets and Peoplemover, but we get the added bonus of Space Mountain, which had debuted about five years earlier. Fabulous!

A Pair From September 24, 1956

I'm using up the last two scans from a batch dated "September 24, 1956". Starting with this nice view of Main Street Station, and the entry turnstiles - as well as those two booths with handy pay phones just in case. I've never noticed the little flower beds right there by the turnstiles. Main Street Station looks wonderful as usual.

Over to the left is a ticket booth, with admission prices listed. 90 cents will get an adult inside, though this did not include any ride coupons. "Members of armed forces of all nations in uniform" - I don't remember ever seeing the "of all nations" addendum before. They get in for a mere 70 cents, as do "members of  clergy". "Why yes, my name is Father Pepperidge. Bless you!". Hey, 20 cents is 20 cents; in 1956 you could buy a car for 20 cents.

Lower down is a sign for the ticket book plan. Only one plan - 10 rides. They apparently hadn't cooked up the 12-coupon or 15-coupon books yet (we won't even mention the 20-coupon books. Oops, I mentioned them). It's a little blurry, so I can't tell the exact price, but an adult ticket book (which included admission) was $3 and change. Notice the sign advertising special prices for Legionnaires. Huh.

And finally, here's a moody photo of a Jungle Cruise boat returning to the dock from its exciting trip along the Rivers of the World. I believe that the ride was not jokey in 1956, so I would imagine that the narration was pretty dry by comparison.

Tom Sawyer Island Stuff

Hooray for the Mysterious Benefactor! We really should send him a gift. Perhaps some Omaha steaks, or a Chia pet. As usual, we will enjoy another selection of Frontierland images from the very large batch that he so generously shared with us. 

Here's a neat (and rare) look inside the caverns on Tom Sawyer Island - the sign on the wall tells us that this is the Chamber of the Bottomless Pit. My understanding is that, for a while, the Bottomless Pit had an echo sound effect - your own voice would reverberate back to you in the spookiest manner. Say rude words for added entertainment! I have no idea if this echo effect still works. Overhead, stalactites, formed by millennia of dripping water, create a cozy home for bats. Those bats will want to fly into your hair. Don't think about it. 

This next one was so washed out that you could barely discern anything, but Photoshop helped. This family is walking through what I believe is another cave. Maybe this is the Cavern of the Unfortunate Aromas?

Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island? Don't mind if I do! Sorry, no strollers allowed. Or mini bikes. Notice that the sign has a lemon reamer (to the right), the kind of detail that only Walt Disney would insist upon. "I never want my guests to suffer from scurvy!", he famously said in his opening-day speech. Art Linkletter actually cried when he heard this part.

Speaking of rafts, the next three photos feature those simple watercraft. Like this fully-loaded example, which has just left the landing along the western shore (near the Haunted Mansion). To the left, a Keelboat.

Another Raft! I think it just left the Island, but Im not positive. The pilots of those rafts execute a tricky maneuver, spinning the thing around as it crosses the river. I'm always impressed by their perfect timing! If you're really lucky, the pilot might "pop a wheelie".

This next photo is very nice, though that giant structure, added for "Fantasmic!", really chaps my hide. Don't worry, I have some lotion, but that's not the point! 

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Aerial BUPIX

I have some fascinating photos, courtesy of our friend Bu! Aerial photos, which are always fun to scrutinize. Bu said that he took the photos myself in my Uncle’s plane… when it was legal to fly over the park… we went for lunch in Catalina after that.  I should have appreciated it more back then, I only realize now that things like that aren’t typically “normal” in people’s lives.  It seems so glamorous saying it now. Have to dig through my memory for the year… but probably 77/78… So cool! I would have loved to fly in a low plane over the park back in those days.

First up is this most-distant view, with housing tracts and even a baseball field below us. That one community looks like a microchip on a circuit board. Imagine living so close to the park that you could take a five minute stroll to the turnstiles! The massive parking lot was still there, and there's no Mickey's Toontown; I believe that the field to the left of the Disneyland Hotel is the old driving range, though I'm not entirely positive. Yesterland says that the driving range was shut down in 1978, which is right around when Bu thinks he took these pictures, so it seems to check out.

Now we're closer, and looking at the park from the north end, facing south. A considerable parcel of land was being used for various outbuildings - warehouses, offices, and such. It looks nearly as big as the park itself. Melodlyland can be seen at the top left, and the convention center near the top center. The Global Van Lines headquarters can just be seen in the lower left.

The iconic Disneyland sign just sneaks in at the lower right corner! And we can see many familiar landmarks, including the entry gates, and... well, you know them all as well (if not better) than I do.

Ominous clouds shade the park. What does it mean?? We can see the three towers of the Disneyland Hotel, as well as the Marina; it looks like some of the garden rooms are still present. And we get a better look at the Global Van Lines building at the bottom of the image - they sponsored the Main Street lockers for years.

And finally, we get a good look at Tomorrowland, with the Subs, Autopia, Peoplemover, and even the Motor Boats. Space Mountain looms large, and the Carousel Theater still had "America Sings". Elsewhere, Big Thunder shows up nicely with its red "sandstone". Near that is a large grassy field at the north end of Fantasyland. We can even see the Haunted Mansion. 

MANY THANKS to Bu for sharing these wonderful aerial photos with all of us!

Views From June, 1962

I'm using up a few of the remaining scans from a batch from June, 1962. We'll start with this photo looking east down what I believe was called Plaza Street (though I could be mistaken). There's the INA Carefree Corner to the right, and the Red Wagon Inn (by this point called "The Red Wagon Restaurant" for some reason) is to the left. I don't ever recall seeing all of that outdoor seating placed there, but there's the picture to prove it existed. In the background, we can just see part of the striped tent that held the Art Festival.

Well, we're tired, and ready to go home. Sure, it's only 4:00, but we also don't want to miss the big wrestling match on TV. Folks sit on benches, probably waiting for Dad to pull the station wagon up (what, don't they like riding parking lot trams??). I noticed that the very hop-able chain link fence (remember, bring a carpet remnant to protect yourself from the barbed wire) goes from about 5 feet high (to the right) to a less hop-able 8 or 9 feet high.

Each kid has a souvenir; we can see a pair of Cavalry hats, a hat with a golden ostrich plume, and two balloons (I guess the boy to the right got two souvenirs, because his parents loved him more).