Frontierland & Main Street, March 1958

I've said it before and I'll say it again: When you've looked at 3 zillion images of Disneyland, anything different is good! Which is why I like this photo, taken aboard one of the open-air freight cars. Some passengers are disembarking, looking none the worse for wear after experiencing the train's corkscrew loop and encounter with King Kong. Love the water tower, which was functional as well as a great piece of old-timey decor. I am also fond of that reddish-brown paint on the train... when the 1970's roll around, I think I'll have a suit made in that exact hue.


These ladies were so excited to be at Disneyland that their very molecules vibrated, making them appear blurry. You can see a piece of Frontierland Station, and further back, a whole lotta not much! Benches. White picket fences. A pergola of some kind. You can even see some Jungle Cruise foliage.


And, just because I'm feelin' sassy, here's an extra picture of Town Square. I still love the way the juxtaposition of an turn-of-the-century Main Street and the fairy tale castle somehow works, as crazy at it is! Only a few of the midwest towns had medieval castles in real life.

Fantasyland, July 25 1961

I always love it when photographers give you the exact date of their visit to Disneyland! Why? Because I am crazy. There, I said it. Are you happy now?

Anyway, I've got three swell pictures of Fantasyland today. Sleeping Beauty Castle is lookin' good here... you can see the wire that Tinker Bell used when she ran out of pixie dust. Best of all, we have a little nun action going on in the foreground! She has the classic, "What do I want to do next?" pose; I hope she isn't one of those naughty nuns that I have heard about!


July 25th is generally a busy time at Disneyland., and that was certainly true in 1961. What wonders could be had in Tinker Bell's Toy Shop? It boggles the mind. I want (or maybe even need) a giant novelty pencil! There's the exit to the castle walk-thru, recently restored to its former glory. And even the trash cans continue the "medieval faire" theme, looking like the colorful tents that the dark-ride exteriors emulated.


Hey, shouldn't you people be standing in line somewhere?

Conestoga Wagon, June 1958

Oops! I forgot to publish this at my usual time, sorry this is late!

Here's a photo that bears a strong resemblance to several vintage Disneyland postcards! It shows the ol' Conestoga Wagon as it travels through the harsh desert. The must wash that wagon's covering with Tide, because it is whiter than white. In the old days, settlers rode in the back of the wagons with one elbow out so that the Indians would have something to aim at, which was mighty neighborly. The desert heat can sometimes do funny things, like make you think that a straw hat was emerging from the bottom of the frame. But that would be plum loco!


Well, they're out of the desert (so you can stop worrying!), and from the looks of all that greenery and water, they made it to Oregon. Now it's time to build the first mini-mall, where you can buy a burrito and get your nails done. Oh beautiful for spacious skies....


Who feels like dancing? Not me! I just ate and I have to wait 1/2 hour. But these hardy Indian dancers were always up for a show, and they had an audience hungry for a taste of the old west. Look at all those clean-cut children; boys with buzz cuts, girls with poofy dresses. Behind them, Frontierland does a pretty good job of looking like... well, the frontier!

E.P. Ripley, June 1958

For all of you fans of steam locomotives, here's a great picture of the E.P. Ripley as it loads up with passengers at Frontierland Station. The conductor (?) is giving the high-sign, telling the engineer that he can safely proceed without fear of removing guest's extremities. Notice that there are parallel tracks, from the days when one train could pass another. Also notice the happiest barbed wire on earth.


Fans of blurry photos, don't despair! I have something for you too. Here's the Stagecoach, which wouldn't be around for too much longer, as it rattles along the trail next to the Rivers of America. Look at the folks sitting on the top, legs hanging over the edge... it must have been lots of fun, partially because it was completely unsafe. What would happen to those folks if the coach should happen to tip over (as it occasionally did)?? Wheeee!

A Puppet's Life For Me, July 1977

When you find yourself with a hankerin' for singing, dancing puppets, it's time to saunter on over to "It's a Small World"; you will get your fill and then some!

Hoo-boy, looks like we're going to have to wait a bit, the line is pretty long. But that's what you get for going to Disneyland in July! Bell-bottoms were the order of the day - - that lady needs to get hers hemmed. Just to put things in some sort of perspective, the Sex Pistols were already wreaking havoc in England. Oi!


I'm so glad that this white, blue and gold exterior has returned!


Just for fun, I'm going to quote the wonderful "It's a Small World" storyteller album, read by Winston Hibler: "I'll bet you've guessed where we are now! It's gay 'Paree', where graceful little French ballerinas are putting on a show for us." Doesn't he mean Cancan girls??


I've been to Italy, and it actually looks exactly like this. No need to go and see for yourself! "...and over there by the leaning Tower of Pisa, we hear the future opera stars of Italy".


"And now near London Bridge, the English children sing to us..."


"Africa, with all its color and exotic mystery, now comes into view. Bashful giraffes, smiling hippos, carefree swinging monkeys, and other animals in their lush green jungle setting, join in the song."


You may now return to your less-groovy day!

Frontierland in Black and White

I've got three black and white photos for you today, and even though they have no color, we've used space-age techniques that keep the fun intact.

Here are three nice folks enjoying their day and posing in front of the Bertha Mae Keelboat. I sure wish I could tell what those flyers and brochures are in that lady's hand. And I would kill to have one of those life savers with Bertha's moniker painted on! Something tells me that the real keelboats from Davy Crockett's era did not have quite as many folksy/gingerbread details... it's like a mini-Mark Twain!


Here's a closer look at the various flyers that the woman is holding... one of them contains information about the different ticket books you can purchase. Another is one of "Greatest construction show on earth" flyers, a way of making you glad that everything was behind walls and covered with scaffolding!


The Conestoga Wagons gave guests an authentic, bumpy ride around Frontierland. Handy for removing fillings. Apparently this one is headed for Oregon. But guess what? It will never get there.


And finally, here is a candid shot of the Indian performers as they warm up. Pre-show jitters, you know. I am wondering if that contraption that the two Indians are looking at is a cradle?? I've seen some very young performers, and footage of one of the women carrying a baby.

Leftovers

I've been preparing a bunch of new images for you recently... if you were nearby, you'd hear the comforting whine of the scanner, and see the eerie moving bar of light shining out from the edges of that machine. But those new scans will need all kinds of adjusting and cleanup, so for today you are stuck with these leftovers!

The old Mark Twain wasn't really very old in 1965. Like the park itself, the steamboat was 10 years old. It looks mighty impressive in this neat closeup. You Are There! In a way, it's almost as fun just observing the people as they await their journey on the Rivers of America. I should have Photoshopped in Waldo so that you could search for him!


And finally, two shots of the Small World topiaries...


... I know, I know, yawn! But fear not, tomorrow is a new day!

The Horn That Matters, February 1962

I admit it, I stole the title of this post from reader "Chiana". Her check is in the mail! 1000 golden pazoozas.

There are a number of things that I love about this first photo of the famous mountain/roller-coaster. Like the dramatic sky, blue with plenty of fluffy white clouds. The House of the Future is surprisingly camouflaged from this angle, it blends in with the surroundings to protect itself from predators. And how about that perfect family in the foreground... mom, dad, and a couple o' kids. Dad's even wearing a coat and tie, you don't see that anymore!


Here's a nice, dramatic angle... pretty sweet, with the Skyway being eaten by the Matterhorn. It does look like a mouth, doesn't it? I'm not crazy! My doctor said that the voices would stop! At any rate, you get the beautiful blue Monorail at no extra cost to you. Who want's popcorn?

Soggy Disneyland, March 1977

Your honor, we have established - beyond a reasonable doubt - that it sometimes rains at Disneyland. Here we present as further proof this photo that we will refer to as "exhibit A". The presence of bunches of poinsettias hints that these photos were taken around Christmas time, in spite of the date-stamp of March 1977. The rain didn't dampen guest's spirits for long, by the looks of things... the sun is already shining on the castle!


The photo (exhibit B) shows more blue skies. The shower must have just passed! Maybe gramps decided that the Carnation truck would be a good place to keep his hat dry (Grandma was on her own). Funny how the vehicle is parked out there, away from the Carnation Corner. Veeeeery fishy...

New York World's Fair revisited

It's 2009, and I feel fine! Happy New Year, everybody.

I don't know about you, but I welcome the occasional trip back to the 1964/65 New York World's Fair. Here are four nice photos for fellow fans:

First up is this sweet picture of the Bell System building, which housed (among other things) "The Ride of Communication" . "The upper story of the pavilion, which houses the ride, is a gigantic "floating wing" that rests on four pylons. Below is an exhibit hall devoted to the technology of communications. Nearby rises a 140-foot microwave tower which transmits TV shows originating at the Fair."


I love this picture of the Florida Water Ski Show: "In a show sponsored by the Florida Citrus Commission, teams of performers water ski behind fast boats, doing intricate acrobatics, formations and jumps, four times every day between noon and 6 p.m. A highlight of the Seattle Century 21 Exposition, the show is staged on a specially constructed, doughnut-shaped pool in the Amphitheater first used at the 1939/1940 Fair." Pretty cool that the pool was used at the legendary '39 fair!


I've always loved the egg-shaped IBM building, and until seeing this photo, never realized that it had "IBM" embossed all over it! "Beneath the (egg-shaped) theater, fairgoers stroll through a grove of rust-brown steel trees. There they may watch puppet shows and see experimental computers, including one which translates Russian technical data into simple English, and another that can recall headline events of any day during the last 100 years. Architect of the pavilion was the late Eero Saarinen; the display area was designed and the film was produced by Charles and Ray Eames.


The Chrysler pavilion had lots of cool things to see, among them "Bil (one "L"!) Baird's Marionettes". The "Show Go Round" was an elaborate musical. Mr. Baird had performed at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair as well (though apparently he did not perform at the 1939 fair)! According to Wikipedia, after he died in 1987, his children auctioned off his hundreds of puppets. One of them, "Oily Oilcan" from the Chicago Fair, fetched $11,000!


If you are interested in the Fair, then you must check out nywf64.com, it's an invaluable resource!