Tomorrowland, April 1974

I sure loved the old "New Tomorrowland"! My memories of earlier Tomorrowlands are essentially nonexistent (though my older brother remembers a few things), so for me, this was the place that fired my imagination so much. Seven years after the New Tomorrowland debuted, it still looks wonderful (as seen from the Plaza), with the classic Peoplemover on the curving track overhead. The grass is so lush, they must have used Miracle-Gro. 

Now we're inside the land o' the future, with guest's clothing ranging from "I'm going to wear shorts no matter what" to "A nice sweater will be just the thing". 

Disneyland Railroad, July 1964

I have a trio of photos involving the wonderful Disneyland Railroad, circa 1964. We'll start with this nice photo of the Fred Gurley (locomotive #3) as it is about to get underway after a stop at Frontierland Station. Booooooaaaaarrrrrd! 

Did somebody mention Frontierland Station? Here's a view of it from the train, sort of an interesting scene, with the Rivers of America and the Mark Twain in the distance.

And finally, in a photo taken moments later, a shot taken from the "speeding' train, with the Burning Settler's Cabin visible over on Tom Sawyer Island.

Minnie and Mickey

Today I have two photos from two different batches; one featuring the lovely Minnie Mouse, and the other featuring Mickey da Mouse. We'll start with this colorful image from September, 1974. Five California girls are posing with Minnie, who stuns in her yellow satin dress (probably designed by Halston - Minnie sometimes rubbed elbows with Andy Warhol and his wealthy friends in the Hamptons). 

Next we head back in time to August, 1967. Mickey Mouse is in Town Square, surrounded by fans. The boy with the blue shirt isn't even looking at MM though, I'm not sure what's going on. But he sure seems happy to be there!  

Knott's Berry Farm, 1960s

I decided to mix things up and share a few Knott's Berry Farm photos. That's right, I'll do anything, no matter how crazy. These are undated, but the presence of the Timber Mountain Log Ride places it after July 11th, 1969. 

I'm sure our photographer was waiting for a log to descend the drop, when one of the narrow-gauge locomotives happened to pass by. Hey, it looks great! I'll take a picture of it! The warm afternoon sunlight really adds to the beauty of the scene, not to mention the many trees.

SPLASHDOWN! I assume that some of the people in the log are friends or family. What an amazing ride, and it's still amazing over 50 years later. I like the detail of the rafts of freshly-cut trees lashed together with chains or ropes.

Next, we're somewhere on the side of Calico Mountain, maybe even sitting in one of the dependable little mine trains that will take us through gold mines, glowing caverns, past dangerous explosions and underground waterfalls - wow, what a ride!

 

Goofy and Mickey, November 1967

I wonder who came up with the idea of having popular characters from Disney films meeting and greeting the guests? It's possible that it goes back to the very earliest plans for Disneyland (although they famously had to borrow costumes from the Ice Capes for the 1955 grand opening - costumes that were odd to put it mildly). 

Today I have two cute photos of a little boy posing with two such characters, circa 1967. In this first one, he's with Goofy, posing right near the Mad Tea Party. Mom (or is it Grandma?) stands to the left, she's having a great time. We can also just see Monstro's nose, and the lighthouse ticket booth, as well as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the Carrousel. 

Out in front of the Bank of America in Town Square, Mickey Mouse (wearing his finest claw-hammer coat) greets his many fans. Note to self: buy plaid overalls. Mom (Grandma?) enjoys a cigarette while holding a complimentary INA guidebook.

Cascade Peak, June 1962

It's SNOOZLE TIME! Prepare to be underwhelmed. Both of today's photos feature Cascade Peak, one of my favorite vintage Disneyland icons, but the pictures leave much to be desired.

Well, OK, this first one isn't so bad, it mostly just suffers from being boring. But it also makes me miss the rocky peak with its multiple waterfalls.

This next one is pretty bad, canted to the right in what might be an attempt at being "arty". 

Classic Cars

Who loves old cars? We know Nanook does, but hopefully a few other Junior Gorillas appreciate some beauties from Detroit. 

We'll start with this undated (but 1950s) photo from "someplace in California". I realize that the main subject is the two ladies and their friendly collie, but that truck isn't there by accident! Whatever it is, I love it, it is just waiting for some teenager to turn it into a hotrod. Candy-apple red metal flake paint? Fuzzy dice? Wiggling hula girl on the dashboard? It's like heaven on Earth. The landscape fascinates me, it could be anywhere in CA, my grandma and grandpa once owned some land that they never developed, way out in the Pasadena area, I swear the one or two photos I've seen looked very much like this.

Next is this great photo of a man proudly standing next to his 1951 Buick Special (I think). What a beauty, and it must be brand-new, that thing gleams very gleamily. My one complaint? Not enough chrome!

And finally, a slightly blurred photo of a little girl (?) sitting on the hood of a Dodge Sedan with a 1947 New Jersey license plate. It's not quite as elegant as the Buick in the previous photo, but it's still awesome!

Anaheim Motels, September 1961

Today I am presenting the third installment featuring Lou Perry's 1961 photos of various Anaheim motels (scanned and shared with us by his daughter, Sue B.). This final installment has my favorite images!

First up is this shot of the venerable Jolly Roger Inn (on Katella at Harbor), which I believe was razed in 2013. I always love a giant globe!

Here's a vintage postcard. It sure seems like back in the day I knew a lot of people who stayed at the Jolly Roger during their visits to Disneyland.

Next is this photo of a dirt lot. Oh yeah, and the Charter House too! The Charter House is at 1700 So. Harbor Blvd. I believe it is still there, but is now called "The Anaheim". 

Vintage brochure view!

Vintage postcard view!

Next is the Fantasy Motel, located at 1734 Harbor Blvd. (now the location of Castle Inn & Suites). It has another great sign! Free shuttle service to and from Disneyland; heated swimming and wading pools; free TV; Hi-Fi. ICE CUBES!!

You can thank me for this vintage postcard view later.

Wowee, this is some great night view. THE COLORS!

And finally, my favorite photo of the batch, this amazing look along Harbor Boulevard, with a bunch of classic motels, and at least one restaurant. Closest to us is the Domino Restaurant and Coffee Shop, and the Magic Star Motel is just beyond that, and then a place called the "Showboat" (no info on that one!). If you look carefully you can see the crossed candy canes of the Candy Cane Inn, and then the Meri Go Round liquor store

Here's a nice postcard showing the Magic Star Motel and Domino Restaurant.

Here's the Candy Cane Inn.

And here's what the sign in front of the Candy Cane Inn looked like!

This was a super-fun batch of photos, I wish I'd had more personal knowledge of all of the motels on Harbor or Katella. MANY THANKS to Lou Perry and Sue B.!

Randos

I love randos! They're not quite Leftuggies, but only the most brilliant physicists can determine the difference anyway. So don't worry about it. Both of these are undated, but likely from sometime in the mid-1960s.

This first one is shows a view inside Fantasyland, looking at the west end of the Castle, with the Dumbo attraction to our left. I'm intrigued by that doorway near the top of the castle wall - perhaps it allowed maintenance access to the roof. What would have been out of frame to our right? My guess: restrooms. People just have that, "I'm heading to the bathroom" body language! 

Next is this nice view of a Casey Jr. Circus Train, as seen from a Skyway gondola, right outside the Chalet station. A friendly fellow throws us a wave, which is mighty neighborly of him. If you look closely you can see Cinderella's pumpkin coach on the roadway up to her castle. 

The Golden Horseshoe

I sure wish I'd seen the classic Revue at the Golden Horseshoe, back in the days when Wally Boag was doing the show. But... no such luck. Today I have two fairly early photos from the Golden Horseshoe Revue - undated, but almost certainly from the 1950s.

Look at how young Wally Boag appears! Though he was a seasoned veteran of the stage by the time he worked at Disneyland. With him is Donald Novis, who co-created the script for the original show, and performed from 1955 until his retirement (due to illness) in 1964. I think that's Novis' hat hanging from the steer's horn in the background - but maybe not. As many of you know, after Novis retired, Fulton Burley replaced him, and was with the Revue for 25 years.

I'm sure somebody out there knows the name of the pianist! I thought that the painting in the background might be a copy of a Frederic Remington piece, but if so, I could not find a match on Google Image Search.