Jungle Cruise

Here are some very "so-so" Jungle Cruise photos, only made worthwhile because they are infused with the flavors and aromas of 1956. Sort of "pipe tobacco, Juicyfruit gum, and Uranium-238" if I had to describe it. Not unpleasant!

These folks are lucky to have had a close encounter with Ricky The Rhino; ordinarily rhinos are shy and stay in the treetops where they care for their young. 

There's a lion! Or something vaguely resembling a lion, anyway. Several times a day he likes to come down to the water's edge to sniff those flowers, sort of like Ferdinand the Bull. You can tell from his goofy smile that he's a little embarrassed. 

I can't tell if this is the bull elephant or his mother in-law; he (she?) is mostly hidden behind those plants. Notice the orange tree, a leftover from the orchards that were there before Disneyland was a twinkle in Walt's eye.

Vintage Kids

It's time for vintage kids! The pictures are old, but the kids are (were) young. You get it!

Photo #1: An undated (but 1950's, I think it's safe to say) snap of three children playing on a mysterious old piece of farm machinery. After a bit of Googlin', it appears that the machine is a mule-drawn mower for cutting hay. I am guessing that these are city kids (or at least suburban kids) for whom life on a farm was mysterious and romantic. My Great Aunt had a farm in Wisconsin, and it was always fun to explore the big barn and silo, the swim in the swimmin' hole (it had an island in the middle of it) or float on an inner tube down the creek that passed through the property.

We once spent the night in the barn, and I couldn't sleep because of the chirping bats flying overhead, and the mysterious thumps and other noises coming from the level below us (where the sheep were kept overnight). But we loved catching frogs and king snakes, and even chores like cutting down volunteer saplings seemed like fun - for a little while.

Photo #2: Some lucky buckaroo poses in his brand-new cowboy getup - maybe a gift from Grandma and Grandpa? He looks a little derpy, as if he's overloaded on cookies and candy canes. Or else he helped himself to some of Dad's eggnog. Behind him a shiny red scooter is on its side, I guess the kid is a little too young for a pony. But pretty soon he can head out to the range and earn his keep!

I hope you have enjoyed these vintage kids.

A Few Rescans

Happy Valentines Day, everybody! I'd hoped to post something relevant to this special day, but eventually gave up due to lack of romantic content. So... howsabout some rescans? I know we did some just a few days ago, please complain to the management.

Back in ye olden days, ol' Major Pepperidge had a pretty crummy scanner. He (I) didn't know it at the time, being a mere babe in the woods, but some of those early scans are real dog doo. Luckily, I still have the slides, and and newer, much better scanner. See the results below!

Here's a photo of Fowler's Harbor, first posted on June 27, 2006. It's sort of interesting, with those guys frolicking at the water's edge. 

Here's the new rescan, and my oh my, the difference is very apparent. For one thing all of the detail stands out, crisply defined. Color adjustments helped a lot too. As was pointed out back in 2006, you can see what appears to be wooden shapes that would eventually be covered with chicken wire, sprayed with gunite, and painted as part of the tunnel to the Indian Village.

I'd sure love to know what those fellows are up to - paddling that modern rowboat around in broad daylight seems like it would be verboten.

This next photo originally appeared on July 28th 2006, and it features a nice look at the exit area for "Snow White's Scary Adventures" (the photo itself is from October of 1969). Dad is pointing out an interesting detail for his son, who is just happy to still be alive.

The new scan is sharper, with better color, and I like the way it looks, even though the improvement is not as remarkable.

I attempted to correct the perspective on that wonderful mural; it was tricky, but kind of neat in spite of its flaws!

I hope you have enjoyed today's rescans.

Random Pix From Lou and Sue

Sue B. (of "Lou and Sue" fame) sent me a number of scans of vintage photo prints (photos taken by her dad, Lou Perry). Like some slides, these prints had turned very pink, but I wanted to share them, so I just converted them to black and white. They still look good! All of these are from 1958.

Here's a swell picture of the TWA Moonliner, with the Flight Circle directly in front of us. Who knew that those cheap, simple molded fiberglass chairs would be so fashionable 60 years later? I tried to figure out who manufactured (or designed) this design. The Eameses? Herman Miller? But I just couldn't tell.

Boy oh boy, where is everybody? There's somebody in the doorway of the Golden Horseshoe (likely a CM), and a lady looking in the window to the right, two fellows in the shade to our left, and that's it! Maybe the stiff wind scared people away.

Next we have two similar photos of Sleeping Beauty Castle; this one is my favorite because the Disneyland Band is casually walking toward the bridge that spanned the moat, possibly on their way to perform on the bow of the Mark Twain. I also like the two ladies to our right, they look bewildered.

Another photo, another day? Or the same day, but a different dimension? Perhaps a parallel universe where everything is exactly the same except that the word "food" is spelled "fude"? Anything is possible, according to Alfred Einstein (my neighbor).

Thank you, Lou and Sue!

More Photos From Huck

Here's another batch of photos from our friend Huck, from October 9th, 1991. Today's pix feature some signs and other fun details.

As you can see, a fairly spectacular billboard was placed next to the Mark Twain loading dock - I'm sure this image featuring Chernabog (from "Fantasia") must have whetted people's appetites. There's a photo of an artist painting this sign, and I'm sure I have it somewhere on my computer, but... I couldn't find it.

There's a blimp up there! It seems that blimps regularly flew over the park in the old days; the Goodyear blimp had a nest in nearby Carson... if the pilot had guests, what could be more fun than giving them a bird's-eye view of the Happiest Place On Earth? Yes, I am talking about Tijuana. But on the way, why not go over Disneyland too?

Here's a sign for the Horseless Carriage... "to TOWN SQUARE VIA MAIN ST. (one way only)". It's hard for me to tell, I assume that this sign was located at the Plaza? Huck had heard rumors that Jack Lindquist wanted to do away with the Main Street vehicles (except for the streetcars) and took this picture for posterity. Also, I never really thought about it before, but are those drum-shaped things below the sign speakers? They're painted "go-away green"!

Boy-oh-boy, look at all the stuff that's closed. Of course in the last Huck post we saw that the river had been drained, so it makes sense that any river-related attraction would be unavailable. But Space Mountain too? That hurts. And Mission to Mars would officially close forever on November 2, 1992 (about a year after these photos were taken), but Huck says that it never reopened after his visit (again, in October of 1991). Notice the Disney Dollars on display in the upper left, Jack Lindquist's most ingenious scam ever. 

Many thanks to Huck! There are more photos from him coming up.

1958 Gate Handouts

Today I thought I'd take a look at two 1958 Disneyland gate handouts; since they have information for guests about ticket book options, these must have been given to guests as they paid their 25-cent fee to enter the parking lot. You'd think that a lot of these types of flyers would have been left on the car seat, and that there'd be plenty of them in great condition these days. But they are almost always folded (usually twice), dog-eared, and torn. It's enough to make a person weep. I was lucky to find my examples, which are pretty nice.

Both handouts have identical graphics on the front...

And they also have identical information on the inside. Why would you not buy a "Jumbo 15" (for a mere $3.25)? Any leftover  tickets can be used during your next visit (though admittedly they would be A's and B's, and maybe a C). It's a bit shocking to adjust that $3.25 for inflation, only to find out that the people of 1958 were paying the equivalent of $30; yes, that is a bargain by today's standards, it's more the amazement at the change in the value of a dollar between then and now. As always, I love the little spot illustrations.

The difference between the two brochures can be seen on the back panels; the one on the left advertises "Summer Hours", Friday and Saturday "Date Nites", and "Fantasy In the Sky" every evening at 9 P.M. That's for me! Open every day from 9 A.M. to Midnight, and open until 1 A.M. on Saturdays' and Sundays. 

The one on the right also advertises "Summer Hours", but was obviously made to be used as the Summer waned and kids went back to school. Fall-Winter Hours were 10 A.M. to 7 P.M, and the park was closed Monday's and Tuesdays (hard to imagine).

I have more gate handouts that are variations on these, you'll see them eventually!

Rescans

I've gone into the GDB archives in order to attempt some more rescans of slides that didn't turn out too well the first time around. Judge the results for yourself!

First up, this photo, taken on August 14th, 1956; there's Wally Boag on the stage of the Golden Horseshoe, though he is practically lost in the darkness. This was originally posted back in 2009.

After a rescan, and some fiddling around in Photoshop, I've managed to lighten the image up quite a bit - it might be a bit too washed out in the lighter areas. But at least we can now see Wally (and his balloon animal) more clearly. Or... maybe it isn't Wally? I know he had fellows who stood in for him. I've always loved that painted backdrop with scenes from the "Pecos Bill" cartoon short - I believe the backdrop was designed by artist Paul Hartley. 

Next is this photo of the loading area of the Jungle Cruise (originally posted back in May of 2007) - the colors are so muted that it almost looks monochromatic. 

The rescan looks sharper and the reddish-brown cast has been mitigated, allowing some of those vivid greens and bright reds to come through. The jungle is so measly in this 1956 picture that we can  get a slight glimpse into the backstage area nearby. 

A Random Pair

It's time for some Sunday "near-rejects", as per usual. Poor Domingo, what did it ever do to deserve such uninspiring scans? All I can say is that it must have done something.

I've never been sure if the waterway that flows in front of the entrances for Adventureland and Frontierland is still technically the moat, of if it is just part of the "dark water" system, and stop thinking about it so much? Anyhoo, there's the log stockade guarding the entrance to the land of the frontier. I like lemonade, and orangeaid, but I'm not so sure I like stockade. Too gamy. 

There's Cinderella's Castle (or is it just "Cinderella Castle"?) from Storybook Land. You've seen it a million times. Don't bother looking for the tangerine coach on the road up to the castle, it isn't there yet. It's probably in the shop getting its carpels tuned.

Sorry these were so dull!

Scenes From Knott's Berry Farm

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Miscellaneous Pix

Today I have two random photos to share with you - but they're both good ones!

I always love pictures of the ticket booths, with guests lined up to buy their 10, 12, or 15-coupon ticket books. This one is undated, but I would guess that it is from around 1967 (an educated hunch).  A 15-coupon adult book cost $5.35, which seems like a bargain - adjusted for inflation that would be around $41. Which still seems pretty good until you factor in the 50-cent parking fee. Outrageous!

Next is this fascinating photo from October, 1963. Main Street is in shambles! It appears that the streetcar tracks are being redone for some reason, so the whole center of the street is a mess. I wonder how many days/weeks it took the crew to make these repairs? If anybody out there knows why the tracks were being reworked, please chime in.

This black and white photo sometimes shows up on places like Facebook, often described as being from1955. But the Sunkist store can be seen on the right, and that opened on July 31st, 1960. So neener-neener!