Did you know that it's JG's birthday today? Well it is! And as usual, Sue B. has gone above and beyond, providing a set of vintage scans to help celebrate. In this first one, the presumed birthday boy sits enthroned at the head of the table, beneath balloons, streamers, and the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY. See that little girl in the hallway? It's so strange, when mom took this picture, there was nobody there!
Whoa, the supply of crepe streamers in the US dropped to alarming levels after mom decorated this house. I enjoy the deflated balloons. Darn things! Why when I was a kid, balloons lasted forever! Instead of one big cake, it appears that each party attendant would get his/her own cupcake, complete with candle.
Those look like some massive cupcakes. But I could handle one! Some folks are licking the frosting off of their candles, while others are ready to tackle the main event.
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Guess what? It's not only JG's birthday, but it is also Father's Day! I have some personal photos from some Junior Gorillas to share, just for fun. Let's start with this great picture of Steve Stuart, aka "Nanook", with is dad. Such a sweet photo! Steve's dad looks like a proud papa, for sure.
Next is a picture of me and my dad. This might have been at our house in Evanston, Illinois. My dad is looking on as I consider sharing my beer with him. Sorry, pops, I love my suds! Actually, I do remember that he would, on occasion, let me (or my brother) have the last drops of beer when we desperately wanted to have what he was having. The funny thing is that I grew up not especially liking beer, though I like it fine now.
And one more Father's Day pic... here's a photo of Sue B's dad, Lou Perry (you know Lou!), taken just days ago; Lou took so many wonderful photos of Disneyland, going back to the early days of the park. Sue has shared a lot of them here on GDB, and that got the attention of author Chris Merritt. He was working on his massive book, "The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney's Disneyland". From what I understand, five of Lou's photos wound up in the finished volume! The photo shows Lou, at age 96, holding a copy of Chris's book (which, by all reports, is stunning) - SO COOL! Thank you for everything, Lou (and Sue)!
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And now (talk about an anticlimax)... it's Snoozle Time! First up is this look toward the Plaza's central hub, a green circle divided into quadrants. What a pleasant place to sit and relax in the shade. There's no "Partners" statue yet - not for another 35 years or so. I still think the statue should have had Walt and Mickey on motorcycles, but some ideas are too ahead of their time.
Next is this too-soft look (circa August, 1968) from the Peoplemover, gazing down on the entry to Tomorrowland, and the swirling purple and yellow flowers (designed by Rolly Crump). To the left, there are plenty of available tables at the Plaza Inn. An Omnibus is coming in for a landing, my dream is to hijack it and head onto the nearby freeway.
Happy Birthday JG-! I certainly hope your birthday party will be as swinging as the one seen in these images. AND... I hope you wear a gold crown all day, too. (Nice tongue action from the kid in the stripy tee shirt - I guess he can't wait to chomp down on his birthday cupcake).
ReplyDeleteMajor, I see your kitchen was decked out with a genuine, 1st or 2nd version, General Electric Toast-R-Oven.
The swirling purple and yellow flowers may be a bit 'soft', but that hardly interferes with its beauty.
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there - especially to Lou. Thanks Major and Sue.
Happy Birthday to JG from JB. Many happy returns of the day! ;-) Although, I hope you don't have to return any inappropriate birthday gifts, like snow leopard Speedos. Treat yourself to a special feast, like chilled monkey brains.
ReplyDeleteThe "Happy Birthday" banner looks like it's made of soft pretzels. The birthday kid's crown says "3". I guess that's the legal drinking age wherever this photo was taken, as he has about a half a dozen cups of beer (or possibly punch) gathered in front of him. Weird wallpaper on the right. Are they cookie cutter shapes? Plus other stuff, like a policeman(?) and maybe a chicken(?). It's appropriate that Ghost Girl has made an appearance, since the eerie tilt of the camera gives this photo a spooky feel.
In the second pic, Ghost Girl has been replaced with Slimer, his tongue lolling out, as is often the case. And Birthday Boy has fallen into a trance; perhaps communing with the spirits, Ghost Girl and Slimer. Or maybe he drank all the cups of beer and is feeling a might woozy.
3) Ah, we can see that weird wallpaper better here. What I thought was a policeman is, instead, a rather buff gingerbread man; he must work out. And what I thought was a chicken, is a teapot. But the other things are definitely cookie cutters. How do we know those are candles on the cupcakes? Maybe they're Lucky Strikes.
What an excellent photo of Steve and his dad! I'm feeling the warmth emanating from the picture... or maybe the heat is coming from my monitor.
Cute photo of Little Major and Dad. Is that a toaster oven on the right? Or perhaps it's a Star Trek food replicator. It looks like there's a cup of "tea, Earl Grey, hot" inside.
A nice photo of Lou. I hope I make it to 96! And how gratifying it must be for him to have some of his photos published! Thank you, Mr. Perry.
OH!.... SNOOZLES, TOO!!!
OK, sooo, what was the general idea behind this photo? I mean, it looks nice and all, but what was the focal point?... The flowers? The benches? The umbrellas? That trashcan that is dead center? Isn't that Screaming Kidney Stone Kid's tree next o the trashcan?
It's too bad that the focus is a little soft in the last pic, it would've been an excellent photo of the swirly flower bed. It looks OK, as is though. Is this flower bed, and the built-in benches, still there?
Nanook, ah, so it IS a toaster oven!
Happy birthday to JG, and happy Father's Day to all the dads. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Thank you, Sue! And thank you, Major. This was a long, involved, and enjoyable post!
Happy Birthday, JG.
ReplyDeleteThe crepe streamers and balloons bring back memories of childhood.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.
Nanook, that is great photo of you and your father. Same with you, Major.
Sue, your father should be proud. Chris Merritt's new book is pretty special. I received it early through D23 Gold membership. I wasn't even aware it was part this year's gold membership "gift". What a surprise and joy it was to receive it early.
Yes, I believe for the first time Disneyland is anti-climactic with the three wonderful dad pics for Father's Day included today. My father died 30 years ago, and I still miss him.
Thanks, Major.
Happy Birthday JG! I dunno, I don't see frosting on these cupcakes...they look like muffins, no? I only have seen one photo of me having a party like this with streamers and balloons and whatnot...but it was in California outside in our little "pavilion"...or whatever it was...but it had a built in fireplace that I liked to climb to the top of. I like the "cookie" wallpaper...how fanciful! Much better than the sterile granite countertops and white walls of today. Kids drinking beer. Well, I was there too...and those last sips tasted delicious. I still enjoy the smell of hops...which grow like weeds btw....and some people make "hops pillows" as the smell helps you relax and sleep...allegedly. Onto Disneyland with it's Plaza without fencing and that eyesore statue. People love that statue and it is often photographed, so what do I know. Walt did not want a statue or an animatronic figure either....ooops! Lots of benches as a park should have! Swirly Tomorrowland...so iconic! That they would decide to rip that out boggles my mind, and I try to recreate it in my yard every year...at least the "spirt" of the yellow and purple...and sometimes its gold and purple depending on the plant. FYI: the photo is from 1980. My first tip off was the ODV employee in "Yellows", and secondarily: the 25th banner on the lamp post to the left. Either way, it's a lovely view from the Peoplemover, with the lovely olive trees in the plaza...with their twinkle lights at night, all so perfectly placed. Lou looks stellar with "his" book...now immortalized in Disney history. This is a fantastic book, with primarily photos you probably have never seen before...there was only a few that I recognize....which was great. It is a HEAVY book...they must charge by the pound! It's a wonderful history of how the park started, and it's evolution in the early days. It's extremely thorough, which I think is a hallmark of Chris's books: given the Knott's Berry Tales book which is equally extensive. Happy Fathers Day to all the dads...hope you get that "Hi-Karate" or special tie that you always wanted! Thanks Major!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone, I appreciate your comments and good wishes!
ReplyDeleteSue, how did you know what our kitchen looked like in 195x? Mom had a wall hanging plate much like that one!
Happy to share billing with some of the fine GDB dads here, these are great stuff! Nice to have a holiday birthday, so all the celebrations feel personal on a nice Spring day. Couldn’t have done better if I had picked it out special.
Great news about Chris’ book and to see Lou looking chipper!
The Plaza photo is likely pre1957 and possibly earlier, see the plain trash can. We know that Main Street, the Plaza and the outside esplanades were first to get fancy cans starting in late 1956.
Those swirled flowers were such a simple idea, but so effective. Sheer genius. It’s fun to look at the crowd, even if a bit fuzzy.
Thanks Major, Sue, Lou, Steve, Tokyo, Ken and everyone!
JG
Happy Birthday, JG! And Happy Fathers day to you fathers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the extra dad pics, Major.
Zach
Lots to love here today. HBDs and shout outs to good Dads.
ReplyDeleteSo, Major, it’s you and HAL going way back.
NICE photos too. Happy day all.
MS
Happy Father's Day to all the fatherly Junior Gorillas, and Happy Birthday to JG.
ReplyDeleteMy mom decorated the dining room for birthday parties with cris-crossed twisted crepe paper streamers when my siblings and I were kids.
I like that plaza picture. Is that man reading a guide book or the newspaper? "you take the kids and go on some rides. I'll be here reading the paper." Also, is that a dapper guest or a Frontierland character in the light blue suit and tan cowboy hat in the center of the Plaza hub? He has a "singing cowboy " look to him.
Wow, JG - you get a double celebration today - Happy Birthday AND Happy Father's Day! And Happy Father's Day to all the Jr. Gorilla dads out there!
ReplyDeleteSteve, that photo of you and your dad is precious! It must be one of your favorites - thank you for sharing it.
Major, what can I say. Now I know how your bad habits started. But it sure is a great photo of dad-and-son bonding. I love it!
Your comments were passed on to my dad and he's still smiling. Thank you.
I LOVE the swirly purple/yellow flower TL image. Thank you, Major. Fun day of celebrating!
I'm always a day or two late in looking at the posts now with my schedule. A belated birthday to JG. And great shots of Dads as we look back with fondness of our youthful days with them setting our directions for the future. Lou looks good at 96! All those happy days at Disneyland meant longevity which I hope bodes well for the rest of us!! KS
ReplyDelete