Knott's Berry Farm, September 1962

If you love vintage Knott's Berry Farm, you are my kind of people! And if you don't love vintage Knott's, enjoy your borscht, comrade. 

How often did a girl get to pet a friendly burro in 1962? Not very often! Little Miss Blue Dress is patiently  (?) waiting her turn, but she's already made a connection to Buttercup. "You and I will be friends forever!" (said Buttercup, not the little girl). 

Next is this nice family portrait next to ol' #41, the Red Cliff. Guests could lie down in front of the train just for laughs. What a hoot! Notice how close the parking lot is, just beyond the depot. Of course this was long before Knott's charged an admission fee - just show up and walk in! Preferably clothed, but I'm not the boss of you.

If you look closely you can see the two men from the previous photos, along with Little Miss Blue Dress. They're about to strike it rich panning for REAL GOLD! Then they'll all wear top hats and speak with clipped mid-Atlantic accents. It looks like they could open up the sluice to allow more customers to pan for gold, and it might be high-time to do so.

Two Beauties From April, 1981

Check out today's beauties, from ye olden days of April, 1981! We were dancing to "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang, ugly-crying to "Hello Again" by Neil Diamond, and getting groovy to "Rapture" by Blondie. I have no idea what anybody was doing to "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton. 

Check out this view of a Mark III Monorail at the Disneyland Hotel station! It would be hard to top this design for sheer coolness. Although... how about metal flake paint? My favorite! And a pair of fuzzy dice dangling inside the nosecone canopy.

Here's a nice shot of the Disneyland sign, which had clearly been altered from its original look. According to the always-excellent Yesterland website, the sign was changed around 1975, and at first there were red letters beneath the word "DISNEYLAND" with that said "America on Parade", which had just debuted. After that, it said "The Happiest Place on Earth" (what is that odd font?), "The Best Has Just Begun", and then back to "The Happiest Place on Earth" again.

 

A Pair From January, 1974

Welcome to January, 1974. As you can see, it was a particularly brutal winter in SoCal, with temperatures dropping into the low 50s. Stores couldn't keep light cardigans in stock! Some say that people even wore hats on occasion, if you can believe it. (Looking at Jason's Disneyland Almanac, I see that the very lowest  daytime temps were around 55º, with some days approaching 80º!). 

I've seen more than a few photos that are similar to the one below, but my gosh, what a beautiful sight! That sky is a deep cobalt blue, setting off the Saturn V rocket on the Rocket Jets and the Peoplemover station/load area. I'm not sure I would be able to deal with the crowds, my enochlophobia would have kicked in. Along the Speedramp up to the Peoplemover, we can see some of those lozenge-shaped displays that contained charming diorama (with limited movement) for Goodyear products.

I feel guilty saying that this next one is kind of a step down from the first, but we've seen so many pictures of the Matterhorn. SO MANY. I guess it's like seeing a bunch of pictures of your grandparents; you feel like you've seen 'em all, but you still love them.

Mark Twain, 1956

I love the Mark Twain, but I do find myself grumbling a bit when I have so many pictures of it. Maybe I need therapy! I just have to put my brain into the correct gear, and then I can appreciate the steamboat. Both of today's photos are from 1956, or possibly 1957 (if they are from 1957, I will give you your money back). 

The sternwheeler has chopped up some ducks into a delicious chowder as it churns past the Plantation House (juuuust peeking in from the left). The Frontierland shoreline looks wonderfully wide open and undeveloped. Sure, I love the attractions that were to come, but there's something about the way the place looked back then.

OK, OK, I should have posted this one first. But I like to mix things up to keep you from getting complacent! One boy standing at the rail looks down into the turbulent water, wishing that he could scoop up a cup of that chowder.

 

IASW, August 1969

It's just a fact of life, sooner or later I'm going to come across photos of the huge "It's a Small World" building. There's really nothing that you haven't seen before, and I am starting to think that it might be time to put a moratorium on examples that aren't exceptional. But that's something I will need to think through! Meanwhile, here's a standard view as seen from the Skyway. I've always liked the cartoon representation of famous buildings like the Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, a pagoda, an onion dome, and possibly St. Peter's dome (?). No golden arches, for some reason. At some point, somebody realized that putting a big souvenir stand right in the middle of the promenade would sell more bubble blasters than one off to the side would.

Tick-tock! This clock is accurate up to a billionth of a second, and it automatically resets for Daylight Savings Time. Walt did not opt for the built-in AM radio, and in retrospect, it was probably the right choice.

 

Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island

The Mysterious Benefactor continues to give and give. Maybe we should send him a Hai Karate gift set? It costs more than Aqua Velva, so he'll know we care. All of the MB's scans are from Frontierland, as usual.

These first two were taken in succession (obviously), just look at that line! I'm actually not entirely sure if this line is for the Keelboats, or the Canoes, or Tom Sawyer Island Rafts, or a combination of those, but it's pretty astonishing to see dozens and dozens of guests patiently waiting.

Just seconds later, the Keelboat has continued onward, honking its "La Cucaracha" horn as it passed. You know the one I mean! Frontierland looks so lush here, though I admit that the slide seems to have a greenish tint.

Next, a raft returns to the mainland, I notice that some makeshift seats were added to so that people wouldn't have to stand for the entire 1-minute voyage. I suppose you can't blame people for resting their feet when they have the opportunity. 

Wowee, that is one crowded raft. And there are some pirates aboard to! A portent of things to come. Ah, the pre-Fantasmic island, how I miss it.

This next one is interesting to me, as a Disneyland postcard enthusiast. This photo was taken at nearly the same time as a slightly-different one used for card #C-15, from a series that (according to one website) ran from roughly 1956 to 1966. It's also just a pretty picture, with the puffy clouds (was this taken in January or February?). The raft is the "Becky Thatcher", which I don't seem to see as often as some of the others.

Here's postcard C-15, presumably taken moments later. The raft isn't leaving much of a wake, so I am assuming that it slowly drifted while the photographer fumbled with his camera.

Many thanks to the Mysterious Benefactor!

Blurzles, July 1961

Sometimes I'll acquire a batch of slides, only to find that over half of them are not in focus. Camera issues? Caffein? Earthquakes? Perhaps a combination of all three. Whatever the case, it's aggravating, and I don't mind telling you (*whispering*) that I might have cried a little. Still, this first one is not a total loss; it's fun to see so many Main Street vehicles lined up, from a Horse Drawn Streetcar, to two Horseless carriages (one is different from the other, is it a "jitney"?), and a Surrey. 

More blur! A Surry passes a Streetcar and an Omnibus. The horse was trained to make engine-revving noises so that it felt more exciting. Neeeuuuuurrrrr! Whoooooooommm! Now you do one. You're not going to let those horses out-cool you, are you?

The Aztec Motel, Buena Park

I'm always happy to find photos of motels that were in the Disneyland/Knott's Berry Farm area. Today I have a nice image, circa September 1972. It's the Aztec Motel, which was located at 7620 Beach Boulevard, in beautiful Buena Park. Mere blocks north of the Berry Farm. The motel looks nice enough, though I don't see much evidence of Aztec motifs in the architecture. Instead, it's not very distinguishable from many other motels of its ilk.

Here's a postcard, which seems to be a fairly accurate architectural rendering of the place, with the exception of the large "Aztec" pictured on the sign - as far as I  can tell, that figure was never there. (See a similar style of sign at the Pioneer Motel).

I have a vintage brochure from the Aztec Motel, these are always fun to look at. I'm guessing that it was printed around the same time that the slide was taken.

Here's one full spread, just look at all of the attractions available to visitors! 

"Gracious living", and how! Paul and Ruth Klinger have done themselves proud. 

The Aztec Motel was razed at some point, and is now the location of Porto's restaurant.

Two 1950s Beauties

Here are two special 1950s photos, examples that I particularly like. Hopefully you will like them too!

First up is this wonderful shot from a Skyway gondola, heading toward Tomorrowland. We'll pass above Holiday Hill, the future location of the Matterhorn. You can see some pathways and even a bench for folks who hiked up to the top to take in the view. In the distance are some familiar Tomorrowland features, the Autopia and the Moonliner, though I don't see Tomorrowland Station, which was built in April of 1958. I love the vast acres of farmland still present nearby!

From a different batch comes this nice picture of the E.P. Ripley as it chugged along through... well. I think it was approaching Tomorrowland - though, as in the previous picture, the train station likely did not exist yet. Notice the guests standing in the combine/baggage car. I'm not certain how the photographer captured this slightly-elevated perspective. It seems too low and close to have been taken from the Skyway or its terminal. Any ideas? 

Random Disneyland Stuff

Here's some RANDOM DISNEYLAND STUFF. Not the most interesting ephemera, but it'll just have to do.

First up is this flyer from the Summer of 1977, printed in groovy colors befitting the era. There's a special mention of Space Mountain, which had debuted to great acclaim on May 27th of that year. You could also enjoy the original Main Street Electrical Parade, and "Fantasy In the Sky" fireworks. Big Bands were still a popular draw at Disneyland, including Buddy Rich, Les Brown, Louie Belson, Freddy Martin, Bob Crosby, Count Basie, and more. 

The other side features a psychedelic illustration of the Royal Street Bachelors, along with ticket book info. A "Deluxe 15" book for an adult was $8, or about $42.00 in today's money. Rent a baby at the Baby Center, do your banking at Disneyland because you have nothing better to do, board your cat Mr. Floofers, and get a stroller even though you don't have a child. It's all possible at Disneyland!

Next is this tuba-shaped sticker for the Music Festival Program, circa 1980. I wasn't sure exactly what the Festival entailed, and found a brief description on the Interwebs: Disneyland's 1980 Music Festival was a celebration of the park's 25th anniversary that featured a variety of musical performances: youth bands, marching bands, choirs, singers, and drill teams. I could have guessed that!

A related item is this more-generic sticker, "I performed at Disneyland Band Festival Program". I'm assuming that this is the ongoing program in which musicians from schools from all over SoCal could go to the park, and "learn from Disney professionals". Nice! My niece was in her high school band in San Luis Obispo, and she got to participate in a similar program (which goes by a different name, I believe). In spite of enduring a six-hour bus ride (each way) to and from the park in one day, she had the time of her life. Ah, youth! 

Stay tuned for more Disneyland ephemera.

Town Square, 1950s

It's time for some classic Main Street - or Town Square, to be exact. There are a LOT of photos of Town Square, and it's easy to assume that guests had just walked through the tunnels and were ready to be dazzled. Perhaps they'd seen some black and white footage on their TVs, or a few grainy photos in their local paper. But here it was, the real thing, more splendid than they could have imagined! That's the thing about Main Street, it isn't as flashy as the other "lands", but it makes an amazing first impression.

Even in this modest photo, you've got the old-fashioned popcorn wagon, a cannon like you might see in many small-town parks, a Surrey (to the right), and the big Emporium, full of wondrous merch. 

Here comes a Horse-drawn Streetcar, just like Grandpa might have seen. Walt might have been up in his Fire Station apartment, absently flicking chili beans at the grilled cheese maker that is still there on the kitchen counter (!). 

Above Fantasyland, July 1969

Well, whaddaya know, more photos taken from the Skyway! If I had a nickel for every one in my collection, I'd be rich. Today we're gliding above Fantasyland toward Tomorrowland, which is behind us.

The Pirate Ship was still sponsored by Chicken of the Sea (the mermaid figurehead is there, though partly obscure), but not for long - it was renamed "Captain Hook's Galley" sometime this year. I could not find an exact date. The ship always looks especially great when its striped sails were unfurled. I wonder if the stripes are based on Howard Pyle illustrations, or did it just add some visual interest? The photo is a bit dark, but you can see the dining area behind the ship, and in the distance, Casey Jr. is chugging along.

We've continued moving for just a few seconds before the photographer took another snap. If you like red Skyway gondolas, this picture will make you happy! Down below, a snooty caterpillar is about to enter the final scene from the Alice in Wonderland attraction, while more guests relax beneath umbrellas near the Fan 1 dining area.

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. 

Hey! Sue B. found an example of the t-shirt that the boy to the right is wearing. Take a look at an auction page HERE! Thanks, Sue!

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...