Alice and Friends

Isn't Alice as cute as a button? She looks less like a pale, refined English lass, and more like she'd be at home on a California beach (playing frisbee football with her pals). Joining her is the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit...they look harmless, but if you hassle Alice in any way, they will mess you up.


The next photo is one that I've shown before. But that was when I had my old scanner. I started using a new scanner many months ago. What a difference it makes! I thought it was nice enough to show it to you again. Love the details, like Monstro spouting in the background. This picture was taken only weeks after the ride debuted.


Maybe I'll have to go back and rescan a bunch of the better slides from the bad old days!

Parking Lot, 1964

It seems hard to believe, but now that it's gone, the old parking lot evokes at least a little bit of nostalgia in those who parked their cars there years ago. "Remember, we're in lot 'B' for Baloo". Here are two views from 1964, both taken from the Monorail.


Two things puzzle me in this first image...what is that white structure to the right? It's not the Convention Center. It resembles Space Mountain, and I'm pretty sure the building still exists. I know that you know that I know that you know. And also, you can see Main Street Station...just to the left of it is a reddish roof or structure of some kind. Could it just be part of another Main Street building? Here's a closer look. It almost looks like construction.


This second image was actually taken a month before the first one. We've left the Disneyland Hotel, and we're speeding back towards Tomorrowland. You can just see the Douglas Moonliner poking up. I'm looking for that mysterious structure that's in the first photo, and don't see it.

Tomorrowland, 1956 (Post #400)

I think that you'll all agree that this is an exceptionally nice image of Tomorrowland, from December 29th, 1956. Great color, lots of activity, and plenty of chewy, vintage goodness. I love the dramatic perspective of the multicolored Skyway buckets as they head towards Snow Mountain (the Matterhorn is still several years away). There's the Yacht Bar, and the lagoon that used to be home to the Phantom Boats (long gone by this time). In the distance, Fantasyland Station (with the passenger train just visible), as well as the Junior Autopia. You can even see Monstro's shiny noggin.

This is one of my favorite slides!


Hooray for me, today's my 400th post. No big deal to anybody else, but darnit, I'm proud. Thanks to everybody who reads this blog, and a special thanks to those of you who take the time to comment!

Sundaylicious

Why are Sundays so special here at Gorillas Don't Blog? The secret ingredient is love. Now you know.

First up is a nice portrait of Cascade Peak, taken from Tom Sawyer Island. Someday when I have a swimming pool I'm going to build an exact duplicate of the peak, complete with waterfalls. Won't that be cool?


Next is a shot taken from one Casey Jr. Circus Train, looking at another Casey Jr. Circus Train. I know, not very exciting.


Here's a nice early photo looking at the west side of Town Square. City Hall, the Fire Station, and a sliver of the Beakins sign and van are visible here.


And finally, we get a look at the entrance to Adventureland. Parson Brown (love his hat) and his female companions are looking for a taste of something exotic and untamed. The sound of the distant drums! The strange and unsettling sculptures! Tropical flowers (the scent makes them swoon)! Rubber snakes! I can only hope that the jungle doesn't drive them mad.

Universal Studios, August 1968

This little girl is standing in front of a kooky old car that is trying as hard as it can to be GROOVY! You bet your sweet bippy. It's like Ken Kesey's famous psychedelic schoolbus in miniature. As the sign indicates, this automobile was used in the motion picture version of Bob Fosse's "Sweet Charity", which would not be released until nearly a year after this photo was taken.


In case you were curious (I was), here's a brief synopsis from Amazon.com:

"Bob Fosse made his film directorial debut with this movie version of his Broadway hit, which was based on Fellini's Nights of Cabiria. Shirley MacLaine is terrific as the proverbial hooker with the heart of gold, one who is convinced that she will find the right man if she just turns enough tricks." Sock it to me!

A number of hit songs were written for Sweet Charity, including "Hey Big Spender" and "If They Could See Me Now".

Opening Day In Frontierland!

Today I have a nice publicity still from Disneyland's opening day celebration (courtesy of Merlinsguy). Many of you have probably seen the kinescope of "Dateline Disneyland" (available on DVD) which does a pretty good job of capturing the excitement and chaos of that infamous event. Most accounts describe opening day as a "disaster", but I would give somebody's big toe to have been there in person!

In the background is the rarely-photographed home of Willard P. Bounds, Blacksmith and U.S. Marshall. Merlinsguy said that in the early days, a cowboy named Eddie Adamak made and sold souvenir lariats using rope and a drilled, spent bullet cartridge, so that everybody could twirl their lassos like real cowpunchers. To the right you can see the horse corral. To the extreme left you can see the shadow of one of the TV cameras.


I thought I'd get some screen captures of the Frontierland segment of the TV broadcast. After Walt's dedication, Ronald Reagan introduces us to Frontierland...the stockade's gates are opened, and a parade of cowboys, Indians, wagons and horses rush inside. Soon, Davy Crockett and Georgie Russel are introduced by Art Linkletter, and they sing a rousing rendition of "Old Betsy", Suddenly they are joined by escapees from a production of "Oklahoma!". All the men are wearing buckskins, all the women have calico dresses and bonnets, and boy howdy! They dance up a storm.


Thanks again to Merlinsguy for contributing this great photo!

Monorail and the Parking Lot

Arriving at Disneyland was an exciting thing, especially as a child. Many people remember looking for the Matterhorn from the freeway, entering the vast parking lot, seeing the train station and perhaps hearing the train's whistle. One of the most exciting things for me was seeing the Monorail as it glided across the parking lot, on its way to the Disneyland Hotel.

In this first image, folks are waiting patiently for a tram, while others appear to be heading to their cars. In the background the roof of Main Street Station is visible. Love that bright red, 4-car Monorail!


And here we are, about two years later. I believe that this was taken from the hotel parking area?


For those of you who care, I touched up the sky in this image...after restoration, it had turned a sickening greenish-gray. Photoshop to the rescue. Now it's more purty, and that's all that really matters!

EXTRA! EXTRA!
I thought I would post this photo in order to help solve a controversy that has torn our nation asunder. This is a picture of the Dumbo attraction, circa 1955. Unlike nearly every other photo I've seen, Dumbo's ears are clearly in the "down" position. I don't know if they were captured in mid-stroke or if they were just frozen that way, but at least this shows that they did move at some point.

Rocket Jets, 1967

How about those Rocket Jets? They were the updated and much-improved version of the Astro Jets. I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, but I consider the placement of the Rocket Jets on top of the Peoplemover load area to be a stroke of genius. I have read an account that gives Walt Disney himself credit for that one!

Apparently he was surveying the model of the New Tomorrowland, and he looked at the model of the Rocket Jets, which was to be built elsewhere. He picked it up, placed it atop the model of the Peoplemover, and said, "Wouldn't this be better up here?". Yes it would!



Walt passed away before the old "New Tomorrowland" opened in 1967, but his ideas continued to influence that land, extending to the opening of Space Mountain in 1977 (Florida's version opened in 1975).

Incidentally, the entire top portion of this attraction is up for auction in a day or two. Go to this website and download the whole .pdf catalog, or just download part 3 of this huge catalog. Look for item #786! Estimated price: $20,000 to $30,000.

Indian Village, August 1961

The big chief who ran things over in Frontierland's Indian Village took a little time off from his duties to say "hello" to this nice lady. They both seemed to be enjoying the moment! Love the teepee behind them (sure wish the chief wasn't blocking the sign).


Here we see the same Indian (from the same lot of slides) standing off to the side during one of the performances of Indian dancing. I've seen photos of him holding a microphone, presumably he was our host and narrator during the proceedings, explaining the symbolism of the various dances.

Disneyland Fun, September 1960

These three images were from a small group of extremely faded and damaged slides (beware of "Drewery Color" slides). I decided to pick out the ones that were reasonably salvageable and give 'em the old Photoshop treatment (you'd be surprised how bad they looked beforehand). Some are still a bit rough around the edges, but they're fun just the same.

This couple is having a good time flying on the back of a big-eared elephant. Who wouldn't? I love the sense of motion, with the blurred background. Notice that Dumbo's ears are hinged, a holdover from the days when they actually moved up and down.


Here's a nice portrait of three friends in front of the Pirate Ship. As you can see, I left most of the slide's damage alone and just fixed the color.


More fun, this time on the teacups. Two gals and a guy. I believe that a very large percentage of Disneyland's guests are adults, even though it is generally seen as a family park (or less kindly as a "kiddie park"). As you can see, this slide is slowly disintegrating around the edges.