Vintage Los Angeles Postcards, Part 1

Railroad expert and GDB friend Steve DeGaetano scanned some postcards that he purchased at Disneyland's 'One of a Kind Shop" in New Orleans Square after I expressed an interest in seeing some of them. The postcards feature views of Los Angeles, some over 100 years old; I'm fascinated by the history of the city of Los Angeles and remember stories that my grandmother told me about moving here from Illinois after marrying my grandfather (an LA native). Also, I was friends with an older couple who had so many stories about going to see great big bands and jazz artists in the city, it sounded amazing. For those of you who don't live in SoCal, I hope that you find these old postcards to be as fun as I do! Here's Steve:

After watching the 1992 Los Angeles riots from the comfort of my suburban home in Agoura, CA, I started taking a real interest in the history of the city where I was born, reading loads of books on Los Angeles and taking self-guided walking tours of downtown LA streets and sights. Around the same time, I got my first Disneyland Annual Pass, and started visiting the Park regularly.

The One of a Kind shop in New Orleans Square was a favorite evening-time destination, probably from the warm glow that emanated from the doors and windows, beckoning one to come in and examine all the interesting antiques inside. Most of these cards were purchased from the shop, a few at a time over the course of several visits. The imagery of these early postcards was both charming and fascinating, bringing Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles to life for me “in living color.” Sadly, the One of a Kind shop closed in May of 1996.

The cards were sold with their corners inserted into simplified cardstock “frames,” with the back side giving a little background on old postcards. The frames were double-sided and could be opened to free stand, sandwich-board style, displaying your cards. I don’t recall what I paid for these—they were probably only a couple bucks each.

I’m definitely no expert on postcards, but many of them are “Linen” finished, with an almost canvas-like texture to them. Many of these were taken before the advent of color film, and so were hand-tinted with colored pigments to give the illusion of being color photographs. If you like these, and want to see many, many more, I suggest picking up a copy of “Greetings from Southern California,” by Monica Highland, which features color images of hundreds more.

I will share the postcard's original caption in orange, and any of Steve's comments in blue!

LA-01: “Spring Street is the ‘Wall Street’ of Los Angeles. It runs through the business section of the city, and ends by the old Plaza church, where the city of Los Angeles was first founded.”

LA-02: “The celebrated street of gala Premiers, world fashions, movie starts and extras, famous shops, hotels and theatres, where beauty, gaiety and glamour reign supreme in a setting seen only in California.”

This of course is Hollywood Boulevard. Grauman’s Chinese Theater can be seen in the lower left, and the white tower on the right belongs to the Hollywood First National Bank Building.

LA-03: “On the Road of a Thousand Wonders.”

Obviously a daytime picture that was hand tinted to resemble nighttime. Still a fun image showing automobiles, trolleys and even horse-drawn vehicles sharing the road.

LA-04: “General Douglas McArthur Park is an interesting 20 acre sunken park containing a large lake with boating facilities. Many varieties of tropical trees and flowers surround the lake. Wilshire Boulevard, one of the principal thoroughfares of the Metropolitan area, passes thru the park, a direct route to Beverly Hills and the beaches west of Los Angeles.”

This one was postmarked July 1954, and the writer literally wrote “Wish you were here” on the back!

LA-05: "The Ambassador Hotel, surrounded by colorful gardens of subtropical beauty, is the home of the famous Cocoanut Grove."

The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom is featured in another postcard (LA-18). Aside from the famed ballroom, the Ambassador is probably best known as the location where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The Ambassador was demolished in 2006.

OK, that's it for Part 1! There will be three more installments of these great vintage Los Angeles postcards. MANY THANKS to Steve DeGaetano for scanning the cards and for all of his work dealing with the card captions and adding his own commentary!

Vintage Cars

I enjoy finding vintage photos of automobiles, even though I famously know very little about the cars themselves. They are industrial works of art! Stylish, and sometimes even exuberant. Today's examples have me stumped, I tried to ID them, but had no luck. I know that YOU guys will figure them out, though!

First up, a little kid poses in front of a coppery beauty, with classy white-walls and plenty of chrome. The photo is dated "May 1961". I think the child is a girl, with the pink coat and the stuffed bunny. Maybe she caught the bun-bun with her bow and arrow!

Next is more of an overall "look at all them dang cars" picture, from the 1950s. The beautiful Wisconsin Dells are still a popular tourist destination, though you won't see so many American autos there today.

And here's another unlabeled, undated photo of two boys posing in front of a two-tone (red and white) beauty on a Winter day. Whoever can identify that car will win the fair hand of my daughter, Griselda! Terms and conditions apply.

I'm still infiltrating the spy network of an evil villain (as opposed to a nice villain), but will be home soon!

 

Muffler Man at the Disneyland Hotel! June 22, 1965

I have a fun pair for you today! Starting with this wacky photo from out in front of the Disneyland Hotel. That's no giant! Well, I guess in a way, it is... it's one of those fiberglass muffler men that used to be seen all over the country. He is rugged, but friendly, welcoming guests  to an event. But what event?

It's hard to be sure, but it looks like the sign says, "Welcome to the 3rd Annual M.I.A. Show". I don't think "M.I.A." stands for "Missing In Action" in this case...

And even when zoomed in, I can't quite decipher the lettering at the bottom of the sign. "National..."; and maybe something to do with automobiles. Any ideas?

Meanwhile, over in Tomorrowland... folks of all ages love the Autopia. Those Mark VI vehicles are pretty cool, even though they do look kind of angry, as if they might eat us. Notice the man with the red windbreaker in the background holding a "SLOW" sign. Slower than 6.5 mph??

Views From a Monorail, September 17, 1970

I almost always enjoy looking at photos taken from a speeding Monorail. Sometimes you might gat a view of Tomorrowland, or maybe even the motels and restaurants along Harbor Boulevard. But you mostly see the big parking lot, and sometimes Main Street Station. Which is great!

This first view is surprisingly clear when you consider that the Monorail was moving at near light-speeds. The parking lot is vast, almost to the horizon, though the Disneyland Hotel looms through the smog. My main impression when looking at this image is the sheer number of Volkswagen Beetles in the lot. You can really only ID the cars until about halfway up the picture, but there are a BUNCH of bugs. I even see a few Karmann Ghias. You can only own one of the automobiles in the photo, so which will it be?

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that the Monorail is just about to pull into the Disneyland Hotel station, and our photographer snapped a quick pic. Now we're seeing the parking lot from what I believe is West Street. A charming dumpster is full of chunks of concrete, take a piece as a souvenir! Somebody cut down a little tree, probably teenagers who need haircuts. 

Two Beauties From January 1959

Happy Friday! I hope you have all recovered from your holiday excesses. I was going to lecture all of you about the importance of eating dry toast and one carrot for most meals, but I'll cool it. For today. 

I have two scans from the very beginning of 1959 (or very late 1958, depending on when the slides were processed), starting with this wonderful parking lot shot. We are surrounded by wonderful automobiles, which nobody can identify. What's the point of even trying? A crane looms over the park, possible involved in the construction of the Matterhorn. As for the park, we can mostly only see Main Street buildings, although the tippy-top of the TWA Moonliner is peeking up to the right.

I zoomed in so that you can see the snow-covered hills in the distance!

Meanwhile, in Town Square, Keystone Cops have formed a Saxophone Quartet. Thanks to that record "The Official Album of Disneyland/Walt Disney World", I can only hear "Minnie's Yoo-Hoo" in my brain when I see these fellows. 

NYWF Construction Pix, March, 1964

You know I love the 1964 New York World's Fair (though I was really too young to see it in person). What a place! And I've been fortunate enough to get some scarce construction photos, in this case from March of 1964, mere weeks before the grand opening (which was on April 22nd)! 

We'll start with the look at the Austrian pavilion. The pavilion, fashioned from laminated Alpine spruce, is suspended 15 feet above the ground from three soaring A-shaped supports. Pretty cool, although I would have preferred birch. Spruce is the "poor man's birch", you would agree. To the right is the Solar Fountain: A central dome supports a 30-foot high column of water while a starburst circles around the dome. Wobbling jets of water surrounding the dome simulate the sun's gases. And the tall arched thingamabob behind that is art of the Johnson Wax pavilion, the arches supported a 500 seat theater in the shape of a large golden disk.

Here's a vintage postcard view.

Here's the Japan pavilion, looking very much like a large house. Maybe that's why it eventually said "House of Japan" on the outside. The pavilion buildings combine the graceful architecture of ancient Japan with contemporary designs. Rockets for space research, model trains and tea ceremonies, and an array of consumer products are part of a presentation which emphasizes the differences between the new Japan and the old. Side by side with some of the world's most advanced microscopes, cameras, automobiles and industrial machines are charming evidences of the quiet, cultured but totally nonindustrial Japan of only 100 years ago.

Here's one of my own slides so that you can see how it looked when completed.

Over on the shore of Meadow Lake was a replica of Christopher Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria. And while the ship itself had not yet been delivered, we can see part of what was known as the "Spanish Pier". From the guidebook: A full-sized replica of the flagship of Christopher Columbus' discovery fleet is moored at the end of a 15th Century-style floating Spanish wharf. Termed by the exhibitors "Space Ship - 1492," this Santa Maria is the product of a distinguished intercontinental collaboration that insured authenticity.

Here's a second view. I guess I should have tried to merge the two images, but I am too lazy, and kind of itchy too. I wish I had some ointment. Across the water, construction for the Amphitheater, which had been part of the Billy Rose Aquacade during the 1939/40 Fair. It was refurbished for 1964, a show called "Wonder World" was performed there. It was a tremendous flop.

The only halfway decent photo of the Santa Maria at the completed Fair that I could find is one from World's Fair scholar/expert Bill Cotter, who has thousands and thousands of incredible photos from that Fair, as well as others. You should check out his website if you are interested!

I had this next photo in my own collection, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

I hope you have enjoyed these rare construction views from the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Scenes from the USA

I've recently gone through some of my random slides and scanned a bunch for use on "Anything Goes Saturdays". There's some fun stuff!

Let's start with this lovely view of the impressively grand Denver City and County building, from September, 1959. The photographer must have been standing in the "lantern" atop the gold-leafed State Capitol dome. Say, those mountains sure are rocky, I wonder what they're called? 

Zooming in on the rocket (purely decorative, sort of a rocket "throw pillow") that was perched in the City Center Park area, we can see a little western town! What in the world? Well, if you look at some old GDB posts HERE and HERE, you'll see photos from the centennial of Denver's gold rush. Where they found gold and stuff. I was happy to find this unusual detail in this photo!

Here's a more recent view, nabbed from the Web. Compare and contrast!

Next is this fun photo of the Big Chief Motel. Undated and unlabeled! I love that sign for the motel, and how about those wonderful automobiles? 

I have found that it's useful to search for postcards of motels, and I quickly found several for the Big Chief Motel in Bean Station, Tennessee! Here's an early "linen"-style postcard. When you woke up this morning, did you ever imagine that you'd see a photo of Bean Station? Talk about a good day! 

Here's a second, later "chrome" postcard, you can see that the "Mountain Crafts" part of the sign has been moved to the roof. For passing airplanes?

More Stuff From the Box

Gosh, I haven't visited THE BOX since the end of March! It's time to look at more STUFF.

I love this beautiful brass pin from Jack Westway's Under Sea Adventure Club. The pin was issued by Malt-o-meal in the 1930s, and I thought that it might be related to a radio program, but if so, I can't find any information about it. Still, this is a pretty swell prize.

Next we have a 1938 Little Orphan Annie Miracle Compass Sun-Watch, with an Egyptian motif, so that you know it is imbued with mystical powers. With a compass and a sundial, you could have this with you in the Amazon jungles and you'd be able to easily make your way to civilization.

Here's a Tom Mix Bar Brand Branding Iron from 1935 - actually a stamp that came with an ink pad, though I do not have the pad. Just go buy one at Target, it'll work just fine! Then you can put the Tom Mix bar brand on all of your friends.

I love this next one, a 1951 Rocket to the Moon ring from Kix cereal. Made of quality brass and the finest Corinthian plastic! There are mysterious space symbols on the sides, only aliens can possibly know what they mean. You're not an alien, are you??

The Rocket to the Moon ring did indeed come with three glow-in-the-dark plastic rockets, which could be spring-loaded and fired into outer space, or into the living room carpet, never to be seen again. These days, the rockets are much scarcer than the rings - but I happen to have them. 

Here's another nice item from one of the General Motors "Motorama" Expos - this one's from 1956. It's a... thing. Maybe you could use it as a guitar pick. The hole in it makes it seem like it could be used as a keychain, or you could wear it around your neck. While one side lists all of the brands of automobiles that GM made, this doohickey has a stylized jet plane (?) on each side. Makes ya think. Just above the word "Chevrolet", you can see a little bump, which allowed this thing to be spun around on a flat surface. For yucky kissing games!

And finally, here's another vintage award for prowess in shooting a revolver - for ladies! It's from 1939, and was acquired with the award seen in THIS "stuff from the box" installment. That one was for second place, but this one is FIRST PRIZE. Whoever won this could shoot a hat off of a flea - and did so, often. "What are you shooting at, Mabel??". "That flea over there is wearing a hat, and I don't like it - not one bit!".

 I hope you have enjoyed today's STUFF FROM THE BOX.

Scenes From the Fair

Say! Why don't we take a look at some scans from the wonderful New York World's Fair? All of these are from the second season (1965). 

The Fair was chock-full of interesting and impressive buildings, each one trying to lure guests in their direction, but come on... that giant Uniroyal tire Ferris Wheel is about as great as can be. Whoever thought of it should have been given the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Pillsbury Bake-off Prize. We also see the swoopy SKF "parasol", shooting up 82 feet into the air, like a rocket trail made solid. That's apparently where guests would get sample ball bearings which they later threw at Mr. Lincoln to see if he flinched. There's also the green cheese moon dome from the Travel and Transportation pavilion.   

From the undulating Moon Deck of the Eastman Kodak pavilion we get a nice view of the Tower of the Four Winds, beloved by many, but disliked by the man who actually designed it (Rolly Crump, as you know). It lacked the delicacy that he'd hoped for, basically. Hey, it looks great to me. It was part of the Pepsi Cola pavilion, where guests could see "It's a Small World". Behind the Tower of the Four Winds is the Better Living Center.

We are all familiar with Disney's various Monorails, which ride on top of their elevated tracks, but for many years the idea of monorails had them suspended from an overhead track. And you know what? It's not bad! Two-car trains circle the Lake Amusement Area 40 feet in the air in the latest refinement of a concept that has been called the transportation idea of the future. On the World's Fair monorail, built by American Machine & Foundry Company, trains ride below the track, suspended from overhead power units with rubber tires. The route is a loop 4,000 feet long, with three trains traveling in one direction while four others travel in the opposite direction on a parallel track.

And here's a great view of the Avis Antique Car Ride, from Arrow Development. Open-topped antique cars, reproduced to five-eighths scale, provide a pleasant ride through an old-fashioned country setting. Each car seats up to five, and anyone 10 years or over can drive. A single pedal - accelerator and brake combined - controls the one-cylinder engine that pushes the cars along at a top speed of four miles an hour; the ride takes four minutes. Avis also operates a rental service for automobiles and power boats at the Marina landing. 

Here's the backside of the Belgian Village, as seen from the Meadow Lake Bridge that crossed over the Long Island Expressway to the Amusement Zone. Imagine seeing this unusual sight as you commuted to work every day! It seems inconceivable that any New Yorker could resist at least one visit to the Fair.

Never fear, I have lots more NYWF slides for you!

More Autopia, April 1959

I love me some vintage Autopia photos - the little automobiles are so cool, and I love seeing the "freeway of the future" (beautifully landscaped). There were plenty of "little car rides" all over the country, but there was nothing like the Autopia.

Check out Speed Racer (where's Chim-Chim?) in his Mach V... I mean his Mark IV as he went speeding by. The photographer managed to keep him in focus while the background was a blur. Notice the Disneyland Railroad in the distance, stopped at Tomorrowland Station.

Meanwhile, over at the load area... perhaps the guy to the right is waiting for his buddy to exit? He's just standing there. I've said it before, but I'll bet those two cast members, grown men (not teens) could afford to live in a cozy Anaheim home and raise a family with their Disneyland wages. When I was a kid, a friend of a friend had a dad who was a manager at a Taco Bell, they lived in a lovely house. Things change. BUT I DIGRESS.

If we look beyond those two fellows, we can see the Monorail beamway being built. Too bad there were no photos in this lot showing the Matterhorn or Subs also under construction.

Knott's Berry Farm Ephemera

As the years go by (faster and faster!), my appreciation for Knott's Berry Farm continues to grow. And that's saying something, because I've always loved the place. I have a modest collection of paper ephemera from Knott's (compared to the multiple boxes of things from Disneyland), mostly because Knott's did not seem to produce an many different brochures, flyers, gate handouts, and so on.

One of my favorite items is this brochure celebrating Jungle Island, which debuted on May 2, 1964. Folks who were lucky enough to see this beloved feature remember the endearingly odd "Wood-imals", fanciful critters created from pieces of logs and branches. 

The man responsible for the Wood-imals was Forrest Morrow of Elgin, Illinois (one of our Junior Gorillas lives in Elgin!) Read more about him on the brochure, or have your servant read for you, like I do. I'm sure Mr. Morrow never dreamed that his folk art would result in he and his family moving from Illinois to California (he loaded up his truck, and he moved to Bever-ly). I also love that people were encouraged to climb on and play with the wood-imals. I tried playing with the art when I visited the Louvre, and you would not believe the dirty looks I received. Mon dieu!

Here's a fun and smudgy concept drawing of Jungle Island - I have no idea how accurate it is compared to the final product. Was there a little suspension bridge? If so I've forgotten it.

Next is a brochure from 1965. It's a bit less-common compared to some others, but you could probably find one without too much trouble. I think the "brown ink on yellow paper" aesthetic was supposed to look like an antique item, but they might have had better results if they'd used something a little more muted. I like the drawing of Calico Square with the saloon and the locomotive.

More awesome line art! "What is Knott's?". A question for the ages. Plus info about various restaurants (such as Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant) and shops. I love that it proudly proclaims that the whole place is "Owned and operated by the founders, Mr. & Mrs. Walter Knott and family". 

And in this age of automobiles and freeways (some of those freeways were only a few years old at this point) it only makes sense to provide a map so that you have an idea of how far you had to go. 

I hope you have enjoyed today's Knott's ephemera!