Fantasyland, 1950's

Here are two photos from the 1950's, featuring Fantasyland. We'll start with this one; there's a lovin' couple posed on the middle of the bridge, looking right at us, so it is safe to assume that this was a portrait of them (barely).

Zooming in to the left, we see some attractive young people (school chums?) taking a break. This was in the days when there wasn't a railing along that bridge (added last year) - they are lucky to be alive. Notice the kid in the background with his mouse ears!

This one can only have been taken from the steps up to the Skyway chalet; it provided a slightly elevated view of Fantasyland. To our right is tent where food was dispensed (is this one "Fant 2"?). The colors are interesting, brownish-olive and orange-red. But it works! Thank goodness it's not purple and pink, anyway. 

Frontierland Instamatics

It's time for "Major Pepperidge's Instamatic Corner"!

Any view of Cascade Peak, particularly with the Mine Train passing by, is welcome here on GDB. This one is a bit unusual in that it was taken from a Keel Boat! 

Here's a busy popcorn vendor, located right along the Rivers of America. I hope he likes the sound of steam whistles and Dixieland music! If I ever went to "Dapper Day", I think I would like a getup like this one. 

In the background we can see the still-unopened Haunted Mansion, as well as a raft full of people just arriving at Tom Sawyer Island (I assume they are arriving because they're all facing away from us). And you can see the Columbia making its way back toward its dock.

It's not often that you get a closeup of a popcorn machine! But that's the way we do things here at GDB.

Rhino and Hippo, 1956

Many people love Moose and Squirrel. But I love Rhino and Hippo!

Here's a pretty good shot of  the rhinoceros that used to charge guests from along the banks of the Jungle Cruise river. We've all seen lots of pictures of rhinos, but what a strange beast this fellow his! I wonder what that lady is pointing at to our left? Maybe she is admiring all of the oranges on that tree - a survivor from when the park was an orange grove. I always love seeing those.

Hippos! Why did it have to be hippos? The water is full of them! One is right next to our boat, ears a-wiggling, looking for a hand to chomp on. The early crocodiles (or are they alligators?) in the Jungle Cruise were just a little bit "off" somehow, but I've always found the hippos to be pretty realistic, even in 1956. 

Old Cars in San Diego, 1950's

I didn't know what to post for today's "Anything Goes Saturday", so I went through my scans, and found a few nice vintage photos that people had taken of their automobiles years ago. They must have been mighty proud of their vehicles! All three of these pictures were taken in lovely San Diego, California.

This first slide was labeled, "Hal and Tom"; the guys are posed in front of their lemon-cream something-or-other. A Chrysler New Yorker? Maybe 1954? I'm sure I'm wrong, but you guys will tell me what it is! I love the color, and the neat and tidy yard looks like it is part of a typical post-war tract home. 

The next two are a pair from another San Diego family. Three adorable little girls are in their bathing suits, maybe they are ready for some playtime in an inflatable pool, or just running through the sprinklers. Behind them is what I think is a 1949 Cadillac Club Coupe. Again, only my best guess. The car seat on the ground probably came out of another car...

… this one! The maroon color matches, anyway. It is a "work in progress". The hood is off so that gramps (or somebody) can get that thing running again. I have no idea what it could be, but it looks like it might be from the 1930's. Who knows!

Frontierland Canoe, July 1958

Today's first slide is an absolutely beautiful (postcard worthy!) shot of an "Indian War Canoe" as it glides past the Old Mill on the south point of Tom Sawyer Island. The color is just so lovely, and Frontierland (what little we can see of it) beckons. If only I could be there! In the background the majestic Columbia can be seen.

I zoomed in on the canoe because I think it's fun to observe the folks on board. The girl in red needs to do less yammering and more paddling! A few people are clearly not even pretending to paddle (like the lady shading her eyes, or the woman in front of her). 

Next we get a rather unexciting shot of Fort Wilderness, although it looks good anyway! Very fort-ish. If you look to our left there are a few people walking along the island shore (hidden by the foliage). Grown men can be seen above the fort's walls; I have the feeling that Tom Sawyer Island brought out the boy in them.

Special Guest Photos - Magic Mountain

Today we are heading north on the I-5 to Valencia, California; that's where Six Flags Magic Mountain is! The photos are from the summer of 1980, and are courtesy of GDB reader (and bon vivant) Ken Martinez. Thanks Ken! Today, Magic Mountain holds the distinction of being the park with the most roller coasters (19) in the USA. And let me tell you, some of them are intense.

Magic Mountain opened in 1971, and it was acquired by Six Flags in 1979.  This first shot was presumably taken from the 38-story Sky Tower. Ken tells us, "You can actually see parts of all four coasters that existed at that time if you look closely; Gold Rusher, Mountain Express, Revolution, and Colossus. The Mountain Express and Colossus you can see in full". 

Next we have a great view of the Colossus, which opened in 1978. At the time, it was the world's tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster (and it had twin tracks). It also featured two drops of over 100 feet. The last time I rode it (about a year ago), they had put the trains on backwards, which was interesting.

And here we are, aboard the Colossus. Wheeee! Colossus closed in 2014, and will be replaced with "Twisted Colossus", a hybrid wood and steel coaster with barrel-roll inversions, a near-vertical drop, and dueling tracks.

Ken says, "(Here is a) classic shot of the Revolution. It was the first modern coaster to feature a vertical loop. It was originally known as 'Great American Revolution' to tie in with the Bicentennial when it first opened in 1976". I still love this ride!

This view was taken from the Revolution, and shows the Sky Tower. As if 38 stories isn't high enough, it is built on a hill that adds even more height. It was closed for a while, but guests can now go to up to the observation level for spectacular views and to see a museum showcasing the park's history.

 THANK YOU once again to Ken Martinez for sharing these great photos with us!

Woody Herman, Carnation Gardens, circa 1984

Here are some more great photos, courtesy of our friend "Mr. X", who is off somewhere fighting crime. But he wasn't so busy that he couldn't take the time to donate some personal images taken when Big Band legend Woody Herman was playing over at the Carnation Plaza Gardens. These are circa 1984.

This young man (the trumpeter in the previous image) is Mark Lewis, who was a member of Woody's band from 1980 through 1986.

As you can see, Woody's band was made up of relatively young whippersnappers… this iteration was known as his "Young Thundering Herd". Don't you wish you could hear what they were playing?

There's Woody, who was about 71 at the time, and still going strong. I wonder what it must have been for Mark to play with such an icon?

I particularly like this shot, looking back toward Main Street in the early evening, with couples dancing up a storm!

Interestingly, Mark Lewis' father was Cappy Lewis, who had been a member of Woody's orchestra in the 1940's, and a contract player for the Walt Disney Studios throughout the 1960's. You can hear Cappy performing an awesome trumpet solo in the song "The Bare Necessities", from "The Jungle Book". A classic! He also was one of the original members of the Elliot Brothers group at Disneyland. (Thank you, Mr. X, for all of that great information).

The sun has set even further, and the stage has a wonderful warm appearance here. Guest are still dancing! I'll bet it took some of those folks back to their romantic younger days.

There's the master himself; what a privilege it must have been to see stars such as Woody Herman playing at Disneyland! I know that Mr. X went to see him quite a number of times, because he has shown me the photos! Maybe I'll share more of them with you soon.

MANY THANKS to Mr. X for sharing these photos with us!

Scenes Along the River, March 13, 1958

Today I am sharing a couple of views from along the shore of the Rivers of America. We'll start with this tableau, featuring a fearsome mountain lion perched atop a rock outcropping. Just look at him, he'd eat us if he could! 

I used to wonder about why this fellow was placed in this manner, and finally found a very early photo (before those trees at the base of the rock were there) in which he was about to pounce on two unsuspecting deer (you'll have to wait for that one, I haven't scanned it yet). I can only assume that the deer were removed, since they couldn't be seen anyway. 

The deer may be gone, but there is still a nice, juicy elk! Or maybe it's a deer, who can tell. They have antlers, right? It's some kind of ungulate, OK??  While I have seen lots of photos of different fauna along the river, I don't recall ever seen this particular one before. 

Beautiful Columbia, September 1971

I was very excited to find this first photo, a rare record of the day that the Columbia was attacked by a marauding tree! I'm sure you heard about it, it was in all the papers. Look at those creepy tendrils, reaching, grasping, wanting only to choke and crush! This is why nobody likes trees today. In spite of the drama, it made for a pretty picture. 

More trees! Why, even mighty Cascade Peak was no match for them. "They" say that it was water that destroyed the Peak, but I talked to a guy at the race track and he said that it was the trees. I believe him. 

HAPPY EASTER!

I don't think I've done an official Easter-themed post in my almost-nine years of blogging. Today's the day! I've gone through my boxes of random slides and scanned some fun vintage images.

I love this first one, featuring a lady in her pink dress, with a pink poodle (!), circa 1956. We are overlooking beautiful Laguna Beach. The slide was labeled "Easter Parade, 1956", but I suppose that other than the pink dog, there isn't much "Easter-y" about it. Does her hat count as an Easter bonnet?

Next up is a cute school photos (just the girls) from somewhere in Southern California, 1959. I love the construction paper bunny ears! Everyone has a tiny Easter basket, and one tot in the lower right has an egg in her hand.

The expression on the girl to the left is priceless.

More cuteness on the same day. Maybe someday, somebody will see this photo and recognize their grandmother!

And I have saved what might be the best for last - this backyard Easter portrait, undated. The boy in the bunny costume reminds me of Ralphie from "A Christmas Story". I found this in a folder of old scans, I think I scanned it before I ever started GDB (which is one reason why it looks bad). At some point I purged my slide collection, and stupidly sold this one, but hey, it was mine at the time!

No matter what your religion (I worship cephalopods), I hope that you have a nice Easter.