Nice Randos

Before you do one thing, including taking a breath, let's be sure to wish Nanook a very happy birthday! Sue B. has done her Sue B. thing and provided some scans of vintage birthday pix just for fun. These black and white snapshots are undated, but could be from the late 1950s or early 1960s, I think. This must be the birthday boy, posing in front of a large cake, and a table ready for lots of other kids. Those wizard hats mean that there will be lots of magical spells cast, which is a scary thought. Notice the poster with the donkey, who is ready to have a tail pinned to him! 

Whew, not a single yucky girl to be seen! You know they'd just want to talk about dolls and dresses. Boys can talk about cowboys and burping. And isn't that better, ultimately? The photo was taken before the bottles of beer were served (ice-cold from a nearby fridge), that's when the party really got going. Thank you, Sue B. for sharing these scans!

Randos! Like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. But it's usually interesting.

Today's first scan is from May, 1973, and it's a very nice shot from the final scene in the Carousel of Progress. It's the 21st Century! Nobody's wearing a silver lamé, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. Father has grown old and gray, but mother is still quite the tomater!  Progress City glows on the horizon outside the window - I told Walt he should call it "Sparkletown", but he didn't listen. Just four months after this photo was taken, the Carousel of Progress closed, though it reopened in Florida in 1975.

Next, something completely different. We've been hurtled back to the 1950s by a Time Wedgie. Luckily, we're still in Disneyland, so there's no problemo! The Red Wagon Inn beckons with its elegant Victorian (?) architecture and its quality cuisine. I have two vintage menus from this place, so I can tell you that you had some pretty nice options. Prime rib; grilled halibut; veal cutlet; pork chops; sirloin steak; spaghetti with meat sauce; and more! The park looks as neat and clean as can be, there are plenty of benches for those who need to rest, and beds full of flowers provide a touch of color and beauty.

What's Your Beef, Stu?

Looking in my "Lou and Sue" folder, I found that I still had some scans from Sue's cousin Stu, who loved Disneyland almost as much as Lou did. These photos are from March, 1992. Thirty three years ago counts as "vintage", right? 

First up is this nice Skyway (?) view looking down on the Mad Tea Party in a surprisingly-lush Fantasyland. The MTP's turntable is painted in very 1980s hues of lilac and pink (never mind that it was no longer the 80s). I realize that I always thought of the teacups as being "giant", when clearly the intent was that we'd been shrinkified by sipping from the "drink me" bottle, just like on the nearby Alice in Wonderland ride. D'oh.

Continuing on our Skyway journey, we are approaching Storybook Land, with the charming little train station below us, and some of the "crazy quilt" landscape beyond that. Cinderella's castle resembles (somewhat) Mary Blair's concept paintings from that film. Incredibly, even at this distance we can see the pumpkin coach on the roadway!

Here's a very nice photo of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, with a runaway mine train careening around the bend in our direction. The T-rex skelton jutting from the sandstone was supposedly repurposed from the skeleton that was seen from the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland, though I am skeptical. I'm guessing it's entirely new, but am prepared to be corrected!

BTMRR was not new in 1992 (in fact, it was now 13 years old), but it's easy to see why Stu took multiple pictures of it. The rock work is really impressive, and he caught that runaway train at just the right moment.

And finally, there's Stu, the man himself, about to float over Duckburg in a hot air balloon (?).  I guess Launchpad McQuack's "Seaduck" was getting an oil change? I'm trying to figure out where this photo tableau would have been - I don't really recognize the building partly visible to the right. Maybe this was at the Disney Studios? Huey, Dewey, and Louie aren't telling.

MANY THANKS to Lou, Sue, and STU!

Starlite Ticket Book Flyer

I have a nice, rare piece of Disneyland paper ephemera for you today - a wonderful flyer advertising the Starlight Ticket Books! These books had two admissions (one for you, one for your date), and tickets for 12 attractions. Presumably, attendance dropped in the evenings as families with children headed home, so this seemed like a good way to draw young couples to the park for fun, food, fireworks, and dancing. Oh, and rides.

The use of purple ink is interesting. The illustration is a bit crude, but that's part of its charm. I think the Matterhorn is slumping in the heat. There's no date on this item, but I think it's safe to guess that it is from around 1962.

The flyer has a single fold; there's a bare-bones map of the park and the streets nearby, because you don't want to accidentally wind up at Knott's Berry Farm (how embarrassing)! 

Starlite ticket books give you the greatest dollar savings ever offered at Disneyland! Buy a few ticket books while you're  there, for future use. A friend of mine has one of these flyers, identical in every way except that his states that Starlite books are available after 7:00 PM (instead of 6:00 PM as seen on my example). Interesting! 

The jpeg is one that I scrounged from the Internet, but I included it because it's pretty clear that the cover illustration of this Grad Nite record was painted by the same artist; this is how I narrowed down the date of the Starlite flyer to '62. However, the Starlite event was available for several years, so it's hard to say for sure.

And... I've shared this before (as well as on the old Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog). but I have an unused Starlite ticket book from June, 1965. Notice that only 10 adventures were included here. Choose your adventures wisely!

Main Street, July 1961

Does Modern Life get you down? Do you long for simpler times? Go to Main Street, my friend! It'll cure what ails ya. From the steps of Main Street Station, we look down on Town Square, with three Main Street vehicles nearby. The Motorized Fire Truck, a Horse-drawn Streetcar, and the Bus that is very Omni. Notice the banner on the side advertising the Monorail, which would now take you to (and from) the Disneyland Hotel.

Next, the surprisingly-popular Flower Market. I'm sure I would have whined and fidgeted if my mom had paused here for even a minute. But flowers are for girls, after all. It's a scientific fact. The woman in the white dress could be my grandmother, it's uncanny. If you look to the extreme left, up toward the corner, you can just seen part of a lamppost sign...

... this one! 

Dusk on the Mark Twain, June 1972

I just scanned a small batch of slides from June, 1972; there are some nice and unusual dusk photos in the bunch, which is cool! The two I'm sharing today aren't the most amazing things you'll see, but I still like the general vibe of being on the Mark Twain as the sun dips below the horizon. The colors turn soft and cool, and the lights come on; it's pretty great!

These guests feel shame for not being cool enough to hang out at the bow like the cool kids (that's where you'll find ME). But they are still enjoying the view - I can't tell if we are fore or aft, port or starboard. I think that's Tom Sawyer Island to the right... the man in the groovy striped slacks is wishing he was frolicking along the trails and through the caves. But as we all know, the island is CLOSED AT DUSK. The "waste" can in the lower left corner is... interesting.

The Twain is returning to civilization after three months in the wilderness. The man in front of us looks like he is in a daze - he resorted to eating one of his fellow passengers. There was plenty of regular food, but mistakes happen. Hey, let's go over to the Golden Horseshoe and enjoy the Revue! I've heard that it's a hoot and a half.

Snoozles™, July 1961

You know how it goes with Snoozles - they are not ready for Prime Time, and never will be! And that's saying something, because "Pink Lady and Jeff" was a Prime Time show.

If you just look at the thumbnails, things will seem OK. But the full-sized jpeg reveals the usual lack of focus that plagues so many vintage photos. Still, Frontierland looks beautiful in this late-afternoon shot.

Again with the soft focus?? Maybe it was an artistic choice. Doubtful, but maybe. Look at how teensy those Skyway gondolas look, they're like bugs. In fact, people look like bugs, Autopia cars looks like bugs... everything is covered in bugs!