It's a Wet World After All

I have a small batch of slides from March 1977, much more recent than I tend to post. But 31 years is still a long time! As we all know, it does rain on Disneyland once in a while. Here are three pictures of the "It's a Small World" exterior on a soggy day...

You can see most of the famous Mary Blair/Rolly Crump exterior in this picture... the lack of bright sunshine and a gray (rather than blue) sky does rob this attraction of some of its festive feel. There are only a few people in line; those dome-shaped plastic umbrellas were obviously in style at that time!


Here's a look at some of the details of the far-right edge of the IASW building...I spy a few stylized (but still recognizable) buildings from Pisa, Florence, and possibly Venice.


So gloomy! But if you hate long lines, than the rain is your friend! In the distance there is what appears to be a stage of some kind... does anybody have any idea if it WAS a stage, and if so, what went on there?

Random Saturday

All eyes are on the mighty "Mark Twain" as it gets underway for a tour of the Rivers of America! Except for the Indian guide at the front of that canoe, he is distracted. Only seconds after this photo was snapped, the canoe and all of its passengers were ground up into duck chow (chunky style).


Here's a nice detail of Cinderella's Castle from Storybook Land. It's a miniature, albiet a big one! You can still see it today, though I recommend a night visit.


And speaking of Storybook Land, here's a bird's-eye view of Monstro and the queue for that ride. Only two strollers to be seen, because in those days most people carried their babies in their back pockets. This view is pretty standard, although I do find that large empty space in the upper right to be interesting... I wonder if this was where the Junior Autopia was going to be built?

Posterama II

It's time for another look at a couple of fabulous vintage Disneyland attraction posters!

From 1956, this Skyway poster is one of my favorites. I bought this one from the Janzen brothers (of "E-Ticket Magazine" fame) for $300, which seemed cheap even then. Repros usually get the buttery yellow background completely wrong, using a much more harsh version of that hue. One particularly interesting feature of this poster is the depiction of the never-built "Air Boats" attraction over on the left; these were going to be large versions of the boats that are used to skim through the Everglades (see the giant propeller on the back?). Noisy and dangerous, and not particularly futuristic either! But part of me wishes that they really existed, if only for a little while.


Howard Lowery's auction catalogs often referred to this beautiful Submarine Voyage poster as "the Cadillac of attraction posters", and it's hard to argue the point. Such a wonderful design, and great bold colors. Mermaids are frolicking around the ruins of Atlantis, and there is a sunken wreck, probably full of pieces of eight (or even pieces of nine!), while each porthole of the submarine has a little face gazing out. The underside of the sub reflects the warm light of an open volcanic vent. The very first (and extremely rare) version of this poster mentions the sponsorship by General Dynamics, I have only seen one of them and still kick myself for not buying it (it was in rough condition).

Two From 1956

Today we're heading waaaay back to 1956! Starting with this great photo of Harper's Mill, on the southern point of Tom Sawyer Island. The mill didn't do anything (although the wheel turned - - it turned real good!), it wasn't an attraction really... it was just there to add to the show. The building had only been there a year, but it is pretty easy to imagine that it had been there a lot longer! I guess that this was considered a waste of real estate, and the old mill was removed. There is still a mill near the "Fantasmic!" stage, but the surroundings are so alien that it has lost a lot of its charm. By the way, I wonder if folks in the old days had a tendancy to put antlers on their roofs? I like putting hubcaps on my roof.


And here is a view of the Pirate Ship, Skyway, and Casey Jr. ticket booth. It must have been a warm day, folks are searching for any bit of shade that they can find!

Aboard the Jungle Cruise, June 1958

Photos of the Jungle Cruise have a tendency to be... well, sort of boring. At least after you've seen a zillion of them. Oooo, hippos! Lookit the elephants! Headhunters to port! But I do find myself to be drawn to photos like these, with people in the boat to help give a "you are there" experience. Imagine how exciting this ride was for the little boy in the red shirt.


See how those lions are watching over that sleeping Zebra?! The King of the Jungle is even smiling for the camera. For some reason I find it refreshing that a Disney ride actually acknowledges that animals eat each other!

Three From '57

All of you have been extra good this week, so I am posting three photos from 1957 as a reward!

When our photographer arrived, the sky was cloudy and gray, but that didn't get these visitors down... they're going to have a great time! The cars are so much fun here. Choose your favorite!


Obviously the haze burned off early, and the day turned out to be bright and sunny. This is a common (but nice) shot of a busy Fantasyland.


Back in Town Square, the sun is already on its way towards the horizon. We aren't going home already are we?? The Surrey is in the foreground, silhouetted against and brilliantly sunlit Opera House and Bank of America.

House of the Future & Skyway, August 1958

I wonder how many people would love to be able to own a cozy, plastic House of the Future these days? Sure, it's not very large, but it definitely has style. I would decorate mine with the very finest Herman Miller furniture, with maybe a Mondrian or Picasso to brighten things up. There would be a Giacometti sculpture in the entry, and a Henry Moore out front. If this photo was taken in a vertical format I could see it as a cover of an old "Sunset" magazine.


The Skyway vanishes into the distance as we wait in line for our trip to Tomorrowland (through the air!). In less than a year the Matterhorn would forever change this scene.

Main Street, December 1960

Arg! Yes, I said arg. I just got back from a long drive home, so today is going to be a quickie post.

Photo numero uno: A look up Main Street, and the halls are decked with boughs of somethin'. Not holly, looks like evergreen branches. I wonder if there were lights in the swags of greenery? It wasn't hard to find a water fountain back in those days, this one was right in the middle of the action.


OK, here's a mystery photo, mixed in with the same batch of December 1960 images. This miniature carriage resembles Cinderella's magic coach (OK, maybe not). Was it on display in some Main Street window or store? Only the shadow knows...

A Quartet from April 1974

Today I have four photos from 1974!

First up is this picture of the Submarine Voyage's "Seawolf". The real Seawolf was the U.S. Navy's second nuclear submarine (the USS Nautilus being the first), and the only U.S. submarine built with a liquid metal cooled (sodium) nuclear reactor. So now you know! It appears that it wasn't in use the day this photo was taken.


But don't worry, as we can see from this aerial view, there were at least four subs in use (and probably one or two others inside the show building). They are kind of backed up, which reminds me of the last minutes spent staring at the barnacles outside the porthole, waiting to disembark. One time we could hear the fireworks starting, and in fact we missed the whole show.


Here's another familiar Skyway view of the Pirate Ship. Captain Hook moved in, but I think you could still get a good tuna sandwich! Look at the wake coming off of the bow, that thing must be going at least seven knots!


And finally, the other square-rigged ship at Disneyland. I'm not even going to say its name, how do you like them apples? But it rhymes with "folumbia".

Rodent trouble, February 1962

Today I have a few fun pictures from 1962, showing that most famous of cartoon mice. He's dressed a bit formally, with that top-hat and tails; but after all he IS greeting guests as they enter the park that had become his home. And he knows that first impressions are important.

Our photographer saw his chance to take a nice portrait of Mickey... there's not a soul around. It's perfect! But then this Cub Scout barges in and ruins everything. I'd be angry except that Ricky looks so darn excited!


It looks like the Cub Scout realizes that he has ruined another photo. The "Oh NO!" expression on his face is priceless. Even Mickey looks amused.


Ah Minnie, your smiling face, flowered hat, and outrageous ensemble (the very latest from Milan) always makes my day. Ditch Mickey and run away with me, you temptress!