Two Beauties

I have two beautiful vintage photos for you today - both taken late in the day. Or is it early in the evening? 

We'll start with this pretty shot of the Rivers of America, from "sometime in the 1950s". The shadows cast by Tom Sawyer Island are growing longer and longer, but the Conestoga Wagon on the far shore is still bathed in warm sunlight. Two Canoes race side by side, there is nothing more exciting. 

Next is this twilight photo of Main Street, from April 1975. Everyone loves Main Street when all the lights come on. Being April, the trees have not leafed out quite yet, and I'll bet it got chilly, but don't you wish you were there at that time?

Mark Twain Guys

It's time for even more scans, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor. He gives so much, and asks nothing in return. EXCEPT FOR YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL! Just kidding, sorry if I frightened you. We're going to hang out with some of the Mark Twain's crew today. The Order of the Red String Tie. I just made that up, but it's brilliant, and somebody should give me one million dollars.

"Hey Marty, how is Doc Brown?". Marty would laugh, but (as far as I can tell) this photo is from 1984, so he just gives us a slightly baffled smile instead. It's OK, I have the benefit of being from THE FUTURE! 

I don't know this fella's name (where is his name tag??), but he could very well be an old-timer who goes back to the Walt Days. "Walt called me Charlie. That isn't my name, but it was a thrill, anyhow!". What a story. 

Uh-oh, look at this guy. "C'mon kid, Miss Crabtree knows you are playing hooky, and the truant officer will be here any minute". "Aw, gee whiz!".

Mike and Christopher. Together they were known as the "Gruesome Twosome". Well, not really, but they liked to pretend that was true. "I've changed the password to our clubhouse. Now it's two knocks and a 'ca-CAW'!". "Gosh, I'll never remember that!". 

I know this one seems redundant, but I included it because a young Weird Al Yankovich is walking past  Christopher. He's like a sturgeon!

A different crew member named "Mike" satisfies his sweet tooth with a Snickers bar. I'm guessing that it is a no-no to eat while on duty as a CM, so I hope Mike enjoys his unemployment. Rules are there for a reason, sir! His supervisor will punch a hole through his hat as the final coup de grâce. It would be different if he'd been eating a Dolly Madison Zinger, but what's done is done. 

MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor!

The Last From April, 1974

It has finally happened! Today I am posting the final two slide scans from a cursed lot of slides from April, 1974. "Cursed? Major Pepperidge, surely you don't believe in such nonsense!". Well, I DO! These slides had the unfortunate distinction of being mostly too dark, and the only explanation that makes sense is THE SUPERNATURAL. But the curse is broken today, thanks to clean living and jazzercise (yes, I have leg warmers). 

Neither of today's photos are that bad, admittedly. They are also not great, but you can't have it all. This first one is a nice view of a section of Fantasyland as seen from the Skyway, passing near the Pirate Ship, with the Drooling Skull (terrifying) and Monstro da Whale mid-frame. Near the horizon, it's a small world gleams like a city out of a dream. We even get a little Peoplemover action.

How do they keep their lawn so green? Plenty of manure, I'll bet. And there's no dandelions or burr clover or other unsightly weeds. It's a lawn that Hank Hill would be proud of. The flowerbeds of swirling yellow and orange flowers are almost psychedelic. And hey, there's a certain snow-capped mountain just past those palm trees. 

Say! Two fellas made a wrong turn at Albuquerque and somehow wound up at the very peak of the Matterhorn! They are probably suffering from hypoxia, frostbite, and athlete's foot. But they have a song in their hearts and pockets full of dreams!

Randos

Thomas Edison once said, "I love me some randos". He had a way with words, you have to admit! Let us honor Tom with some examples of his favorite kind of pictures. 

This first one is from November 1963, with a view of a tiny slice of Tomorrowland. There's the TWA Moonliner - but by this point, Kirk Douglas had purchased it, because that's what those Hollywood types do. That's why I don't let them stay in my boarding house! I run a proper establishment. A bit of the Flying Saucers attraction can be seen, and beyond that, some of the backstage buildings that served as various offices. The Dominguez ranch house was the original Administration Building (that's the one right next to the rocket, I believe). But there's that other structure, does anyone have a clue about its purpose?

Here's a weird one. It's from a slide dated "October 1977", and we see a fine portrait of... er...  some guy with a beard. .Julius McWhiskers? You don't find many pictures of Julius. My friend thinks this fellow might have been from ZZ Top's original lineup, and he usually knows what he's talking about.

Nice Fantasyland

Let's visit Fantasyland, sometime in the late 1960s!  I'll bet many Junior Gorillas went to Disneyland in that general timeframe. I sure did. I originally thought these were from the early 1970s, but you'll see a clue in just a minute that clears things up a little. 

The ol' Pirate Ship still impressed guests after... well, in 1970 it had only been 15 years. But still! If you look closely you can see part of the "Chicken of the Sea" signage, which puts this photo at 1969 or before. There, that's the clue! Remember? From three seconds ago? I feel pretty proud of myself, I don't mind saying. To this day, the Mad Tea Party looks weird to me with that wrought-iron fence thingy around it, even though it was there for a pretty long time. I'm just not used to it being in photos I guess. Overhead, a turquoise Skyway gondola gives some guests a great view.

Just a bit to the east is the cheerful (but scary?) Skull Rock, a natural formation that boggles the imagination. A rock! That looks like a skull! All of the palm trees and tropical foliage evoke a desert island, perhaps someplace where pirates landed to hide their chests of treasure. Gimme gimme! Notice the blue sign for the GAF Photo Trail; GAF replaced Kodak in December of 1970 (according to one website); perhaps it took a while before the Chicken of the Sea signs were removed from the Pirate Ship?

Monstro's Mega Mouth

Monstro the Whale was (and still is) a popular photo subject for shutterbugs, I've sure had plenty of pix of him on this blog. As you know. I might as well use up two photos from two different batches, right? RIGHT? 

From July, 1960 comes this first picture, which has hardly any people in it (there's that one lady, who has altered her chromatophores so that she blends into the background) - I think Monstro ate most of them. It's what he does! I told Walt that we should have a loud belching sound blasting out of Monstro's gullet after every boat went through, but I don't think he heard me. I referred to Monstro's Mega Mouth, but he should not be confused with a Megamouth Shark.

Here's a real Megamouth Shark. What a beauty!

Now it's June, 1962, and Monstro is still up to his old tricks. Whales are famous for being set in their ways. Ask a whale to try a new cereal, and he won't like it! All Monstro wants is "Quisp", and who can blame him? Grown men seem fascinated by Monstro, and he appreciates his fans - he doesn't say anything, but you can tell by the twinkle in his eye.

Silver Dollar City, August 1960

I have somehow wound up with a series of slides from Silver Dollar City (in Stone County, Missouri - near Branson). Doing a little research, I discovered that SDC opened on May 1st, 1960, so these photos are from only a few months later. It is owned and built by the Herschend family, which had already been in charge of the local tourist attraction, Marvel Cave: The Herschends built the Ozark frontier town on the land surrounding the site of the cave. Silver Dollar City originally was the site of five shops, a church, a log cabin, and a street production reproducing the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys several times daily.

The name was inspired by Ozark Jubilee script writer and publicist Don Richardson after the promotional idea of giving visitors silver dollars in change. The scenic designer for much of the original attraction was Andy Miller, who had been the set designer for the Jubilee in nearby Springfield. Opening day, May 1, 1960... In its first year, Silver Dollar City drew more than 125,000 people, four times more visitors than the number that toured Marvel Cave. "We discovered we were in the theme park business," Pete Herschend said.

Heading in!

I can't help wondering if Knott's Berry Farm, which had been a success since the 1940s, was an inspiration at all? Here we see a hotel (ice cream parlor), with a doll shop next door. Because you will want to buy a doll and immediately give it ice cream to make it feel welcome.

An old-fashioned firehouse also seems to be in order; this one has a primitive fire wagon for the Volunteer Water Bucket Brigade. It's hard to be sure, but there might be a fancier firetruck inside the station.

Aha! An actual ride! This was the "Flooded Mine" attraction. One description says: This classic boat ride takes riders through a flooding mine, past pumping stations and explosions. Riders can shoot targets which trigger some effects when hit. You can find photos of the interior, with scenes that recall the Calico Mine Train and the Timber Mountain Log Ride at Knott's!

Postcards, we love vintage postcards.

I have a few more slides from Silver Dollar City, so stay tuned!

Two From March, 1960

Here's a fun pair of family photos from March, 1960! Starting with this excellent view from the Monorail station looking back from whence we came as Big Red zoomed toward us. Little do they know that I put a space penny on the track, I can't wait to see how it smooshed! Notice the Speedramp at the bottom of the picture, I put a penny on that too. In fact, I put pennies on everything! Overhead, Skyway gondolas move back and forth. Two servicemen are in the one closes to the bubble dome, I think they are Marines, but Chuck will probably know their ranks and nicknames based on evidence that only he can see. Down below, the Yacht Bar beckons to those of us who own yachts.

Next, a mom and her two kids pose on the Mark Twain's "Flapjack Deck". I think that's what it was called, anyway. It must have been chilly, the boy has a hat with ear flaps to prevent frostbite. I like the lantern on the wall. I'll bet that Walt's other apartment was behind that door. He needed a lot of apartments. The lady to our right is being very judgy, which isn't very nice. "Uh! That color does not suit her! And her children are ill-behaved!". Cool it, lady. 

More From the Big Bag o' Pins

The public has grown tired of Taylor Swift. But they still love the Big Bag o' Pins! And you'll see why.

First up - a pin celebrating the AMC Pacer. That might be a red heart, or a baboon's behind. You be the judge. 

Here is a 1975 hatchback coupe - I have to confess that I kind of like the way it looks - it has style! Wikipedia says Reviews upon its introduction used descriptions like "futuristic, bold, and unique." The Pacer featured an aerodynamic "jellybean" styling, numerous innovations such as different door lengths, and was noted "as a space-efficient car, seemingly from the future.". The Pacer stood out at a time when "Detroit was still rolling out boat-sized gas guzzlers."

I have never wanted to brag that I graduated from Fink University, but it's time you knew the truth. As you can see, I graduated with honors. Some people have spread the vicious rumor that these pins were given out with packs of bubble gum by the Leaf company, but I won't even dignify such ugliness.

I love the bold graphic design of this pinback button for Schoenling Beer. It has a very "Captain America" vibe for reasons unknown to me. The Schoenling Brewing Company opened its doors in 1934 in Cincinnati – a city that thrived on local beer and the industry that built this city. It was family-owned, and it quickly grew as folks around town found a staple spot for it as ‘their beer’ in a city with several competing local brands.

In the ’70s and ’80s the story of regional breweries like Schoenling quickly became that of consolidations and mergers. Cincinnati tried its hardest to remain insulated from this. The city’s breweries put up a fight, but one by one they were forced into submission until finally with their merger with Hudepohl in December of 1986 – Schoenling was the last remaining Cincinnati brewery.

I particularly like this next pin, celebrating 1959's SAUERKRAUT DAYS in Henderson, Minnesota. How about a bratwurst with a cold Schoenling Beer? Sausages and sauerkraut were certainly a staple when I would visit my grandparents in Minnesota, and I always liked it when we had that for dinner. With little red potatoes (with plenty of butter)! And a bowl of radishes, which they liked to dunk in little bowls of salt. I've seen other appealing Sauerkraut Days pinback buttons, but this is the only one I have.

A LATE ADDITION! I just bought this 1967 Sauerkraut Days pin - I like the nod to the kind of psychedelic lettering you might find on a Fillmore Auditorium rock poster!

Have you ever heard of a place called "Disneyland"? They have this koo-koo crazy ride called "Star Tours". A tour of the stars? Heavens to Betsy! The pin has a 1986 copyright, though I assume it was sold for years. Remember how excited the public was to be able to fly in a spaceship through part of the Star Wars galaxy?

The pin glows in the dark, by the way.

I remember seeing billboards with Little Miss Sunbeam when I was a kid, and it always made me want bread and butter so much. Squishy white bread! In 1942, illustrator Ellen Barbara Segner was commissioned by the Quality Bakers of America to create a marketing symbol of a young child. Over six months she submitted hundreds of sketches before coming across the girl who would become the first Miss Sunbeam in Southern Indiana. 

I hope you have enjoyed today's pinback buttons.

A Pair From the 1960s

Here are two pix from different undated batches. Maybe that makes them "randos", but I refuse to pay to have them officially certified.

At first I thought that this first one might be from the 1960s, and it could be, but somehow the fashions on some of the guests feel a bit later than that to me, now that I really look. What do you think? A Tyrolean band performs somewhere... that "stonework" makes me think that they are near the castle, but I can't quite place it. Maybe they are near the Matterhorn? Behind the two clarinetists is a groupie! 

Another "probably from the 1960s" scan is this unusual angle on the Mark Twain as it waited at the dock. There are flags aplenty! The boy to our left is sporting a hat with a purple ostrich blue, and if you look carefully, you can see a red plume and a yellow plume. I guess there were a lot of featherless ostriches walking around somewhere?