More Special Guest Photos!

Today is the fifth and final installment featuring scans of wonderful family photos from our friend JG. Check 'em out! 

Mom and I go for a Flying Saucer ride. We look happy, but I remember the ride as ultimately disappointing, hard to steer and move about etc.This photo is a vivid memory for me. My older brother tells me that I rode on the Saucers, but I don't remember it at all.

Lots of happy kids pose with Thumper and Flower (he's holding a bouquet!) on the bridge over the castle moat: Here I am with some Bambi characters on the castle drawbridge, with no guardrail on top of the guardrail. It is a wonder I didn't go over the side into the moat and be eaten by a swan. We were tougher then and had better sense. Everyone loves those big fluffy critters.

Just imagine being able to pose in front of the Castle like this, in the middle of the day, without scores of other people around you! At first, I thought this was just a typical pic of the Castle, but I zoomed in while writing this description and discovered that Mom and I are posed on the drawbridge. What a find!

Here's a repeat, but it's so good that it is worth sharing again: This pic was a huge surprise to find and my favorite of this lot. Really captures my Dad, I can almost hear his voice. Thanks for publishing this on Father's Day. These have all been great, but I think I agree with JG, this is my favorite. I love that his mom took this photo of father and son enjoying a special moment as they both watched the Subs gliding through the tropical lagoon.

A huge THANK YOU to JG for sharing these scans! He hinted that he might have some additional photos (non-Disneyland) to share someday, I look forward to seeing them.

RC Cola Pins, 1967

Here's a weird thing! Though if you've seen my "Pins From the Bag" and "Stuff From the Box" posts, maybe not that weird. SO... remember RC (Royal Crown) Cola? I've probably had it, though I have no memory of it. Back 1967 (as far as I can determine), they released a series of pinback buttons, influenced by psychedelia (to a degree), and featuring "hilarious" slogans, many tied to well-known pop culture references of the day. I had six or seven of them, and eventually discovered that there were a total of 15 in the set. Time to get eBay-ing!

Here are the first three buttons! I'll wait five minutes for you to stop laughing and regain your composure. Notice the limited colors, magenta, orange, and white. What more do you need? Blue? What are you, some sort of weirdo? These aren't that different from generic, humorous "hippie" pinback buttons that were common back then. They also remind me of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”! Sock it to me.

I enjoy dated references such as the Red Baron (was he in vogue because of Snoopy? Or was there another reason?), and the fact that he is called a "fink", very 60s. And Twiggy, well... she was the coolest fashion model out there. Send her to Vietnam, I guess.

Here's another pop-culture reference with Superman; and a joke about graduating. Because those hippies don't like school! Also... an oatmeal joke. Controversial! 

"Mary Poppins" had been a smash in 1964, and it turns out that she was a U.F.O. "Don't Trust Anyone Over 17", amen, brother! Meanwhile, Charlie Brown was actually a middle-aged man (that explains the thinning hair).

We all know that hippies needed haircuts and didn't take baths; and that first pin was also a take on Lady Bird Johnson's "Beautify America" campaign: Throughout her time in the White House, she fought to make American cities more beautiful by planting flowers or adding park benches and by removing billboards and junkyards from the nation's highways. We get yet another pop-culture reference with Daddy Warbucks, and a report card joke for the kids still in high school.

They look great as a set!

I have more random sets of pinback buttons to share, stay tuned.

Another Birthday, and Some Fun Stuff

 Today is Mike Cozart's birthday, and you already know that Sue B. has found the perfect vintage photo for the occasion. What are the odds of another person named "Mike"?? I wonder if that Mike's birthday was close to Christmas? Those "holly sprigs" in the corner seem specific. I like the bisque Jack-in-the-box candle holder, it keeps all that wax off of the cake.

Continuing the birthday celebration, Sue also sent along some photos of Jerome, Arizona - apparently a favorite place of Mike's. My theory: the Jerome McDonald's gives you drinks with just the right amount of ice - not too much, not too little. Of course there might be other reasons Mike likes Jerome AZ too. It's hot, but it's a dry heat!

I can't tell if that building is a factory (it has those tall smokestacks) or a weird home. Either way I want to live there. 

I wish I had some knowledge about Jerome AZ so that I could impart some wisdom, but hopefully Mike can chime in, if these tickle his brain cells.

It looks like the town gets tourist on good days. Look at those "classic" cars, is that a Ford Pinto? In front of it, some boxy little number that I'm sure somebody will be able to ID.

********************

Continuing a long GDB tradition of me screwing up, I forgot to wish Junior Gorilla Zach a very Happy Birthday. Luckily, I had this vintage photo ready to go. That two year-old kid is about to eat that entire cake in one gulp, he can distend his jaw like a python. It's really too bad that the photo doesn't show that phenomenon.

THE DENT

There are a number of famous dents in the US. The dent on the Statue of Liberty from that UFO (you all saw the footage). The dent in Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater", from when Frank hit it with his yo-yo. And the dent in the Queen Mary, from a collision with a megalodon. But the most famous and beloved dent of all is on one of the spires of Sleeping Beauty Castle. 

Sue B. has a Doctorate in Dentology, and she wanted to explore the phenomenon of THE DENT in more detail. Here's what she said: When The Dent was first brought to our attention on GDB (by Jr. Gorilla Stefano in the GDB post comments on 8/24/21), it caused quite a stir….we wanted to know WHO, WHEN, WHY, WHERE AND HOW? HOW did it get there??  DrGoat was certain that Tinker Bell slammed into the turret on one of her fly-overs, and we officially accepted that answer as the truth, but, in the meantime, I was asking Mike Cozart some questions, curious as to his thoughts.  I do believe he solved the mystery.  Here’s our conversation, in part:

Question to Mike:  What were the turrets made of?

Mike:  The originals were Douglas fir and fiberglass.

(I found a few interesting early photos of SBC as it was being built, with some spires still on the ground)

Question to Mike:  Were the turrets shingled with individual fiberglass shingles?

Mike:  Each whole roof turret of ‘shingles’ was one piece.  A master was fabricated and the old style cloth and liquid glass was coated on.  Then the casting was pulled.  A dent could have easily been made during construction or a rehab.  Fiberglass is done slightly different, today, but there are so many other kinds of plastic composites being used in construction now.  I don’t know exactly ‘the event’ — but you can see how that roof (turret) damage can easily be caused.

(I admit that I can't see The Dent here, but I think it might just be the angle of the sun)

Question to Mike:  Were the defects/dents possibly due to poorly made molds?

Mike:  Not poorly made…but quickly made.  Fiberglass in building construction was very, very new in 1955 and almost non-existent.  And they probably didn’t have the time or money to fix something so minor that guests were just not going to notice….until 60+ years later.  And, what might be visible — scouring eagle-eyed over a photograph — probably was not something ever seen by actual guests.  And do you spend the money and time on a small ‘dip’ (it’s not really a dent) or do ‘we’ have Main Street and the Mark Twain running on opening day??  Kind of important.

This next one was sent to me by both Sue, and by GDB friend MS, so they both get credit! A mysterious young buckaroo stands nest to one of the spires, and I'll be danged if I don't see a dent on the one closest to us! As MS said, it must be the kid's fault! 

Mike:  I have a feeling that because of the rush in construction and probably the lack of workers trained in fiberglass fabrication on that scale, the turret roof was probably pulled off the mold before it was completely cured and a slight sag formed without any major support under it while it dried.  I’m sure it was also minor enough that there would be no water leaking, etc., and they decided to ‘let it go'. 

Mike added: ...regarding the turret photo, as you can see,  the back turret is cradled (for transporting), plus the turrets have inner supports.

(Here's a press photo from opening day - it's hard to see, but I do see a dent on that spire).

Question to Mike:  Could the cradles cause the denting?

Mike:  The cradles couldn’t do the denting — the turrets were from fiberglass molds.

Mike:  I would have had the dip facing towards the castle, away from the guests…but I suspect that the molded clips used to attach the roof turret to the actual wall tower was already oriented that way so the dip or ‘sag' had to face outwards…or maybe it wasn’t even noticeable to the workers.  I know in model work, sometimes, a damaged part isn’t noticeable until it’s painted.

Back in 2021, I shared some photos from MS, with many showing The Dent about as clearly as I've ever seen in any images! That post got 37 comments (as Sue pointed out), rivaling Beatlemania in its cultural impact. MS is in the photo below, he's the guy to the left - as he mentioned, he might be the only Junior Gorilla who has a photo posing with The Dent! Click on THIS LINK to see more of MS's photos.

Here's another one of MS's pix really showing off that Dent.

SO... how do YOU think The Dent happened? Is it like Mike suggested, that it just happened while the spire was on the ground? Did a drunk pelican fly into the spire? THANKS to Sue, Mike Cozart, and MS for their contributions to today's blog post.

Dark Snoozles™, February 1961

I recently scanned a batch of slides from February, 1961, and was miffed to discover that 7 or 8 of them were so dark as to be unusable. It's a shame, because some would have been nice! They probably had a camera loaded with film suitable for daylight photography, but once the sun started to set... fugetaboutit! There were two that I decided might be OK for a Snoozle Sunday, in spite of their very obvious flaws.

There's the Omnibus, stopped at the load/unload zone at the Plaza in front of Tomorrowland's entrance. My guess is that it was a LOT lighter to the naked eye. You can just see the Moonliner through the upper level of the Omnibus, it looks closer than I would expect. There's not a lot else to point out!

Next is what would have ordinarily been a pretty neat shot, taken from a Nature's Wonderland Mine Train as it was about to pass behind one of the waterfalls on Cascade Peak, just as the Columbia was passing. Up on the Columbia, we can see what I believe is a cast member, is he waving at somebody on shore? Maybe folks on the Pack Mules? To the left, a person with a white sweater is drinking from the river. Refreshing!

 

That Toddlin' Town

(Snapping fingers rhythmically) "Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town..." uh, what? I never knew what that meant, but it turns out that there was a dance craze called "The Toddle". It's like the "Batusi" only with less coolness. Anyway, today we're looking at some vintage images of Chi-town. A certain blogger is a Chicago native, but I'll never say which one. 

I love this first wonderful photo from the 1950s looking up South Michigan Avenue. A friendly cop makes sure that we aren't up to any funny business (try to look innocent). The dark skyscraper in the distance is the famous Carbide (as in "Union Carbide") and Carbon building, built in 1929. The white structure to the right of it is the Wrigley Building, made entirely of gum. I think (but am not sure) that the tall dark building in the far distance might be 333 North Michigan Ave. And to the left of the Prudential tower you can see the top of the Chicago Tribune building. Just visible through the leafless trees to our right is the Art Institute of Chicago (with the arches).

Here's a contemporary view grabbed from Google Maps street view.

Next is this July 1959 shot taken on the Bascule Bridge (a Bascule bridge is a moveable bridge - also known as a "drawbridge" with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed) on Dearborn Street, looking southeast-ish. I was going to do another Google street-view screen grab, but the area is so hugely changed that it seemed pointless. Notice the building to the extreme right, tall, gray, with a dome on top.

As you can see in this vintage postcard, it is the Medinah Athletic Club building (now the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile building), completed in 1929. 

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Chicago!

A Pair of Monorail Pix

Recently, I was scrounging through the box that contained the Instamatic negatives that my friend Mr. X gave me so long ago - you saw hundreds of his personal photos. Under one of the folds at the bottom of the box was a single negative, one that I'd missed before. And the picture is a beaut! We're over at the Disneyland Hotel next to the Monorail Station; there's "Big Red", it looks like it has taken on a new compliment of passengers, and is about to zoom back to the park. Nearby is a Hotel tram, which probably didn't see as much use once there was a Monorail to ride.

 

I may as well stick with the Monorail theme, with this photo from September, 1962. It's a bit more conventional, but still a very nice shot of Big Red as it returned to Tomorrowland from the Hotel. The group of strollers is nothing compared to what you might see today, but it's still more than usual for 1962. Of course, neither the Monorail or the Submarine Voyage could accommodate strollers. Looking up at the Monorail, it appears that the kid in the first window is looking right at us!

 

Another 1955 Ticket Plan Flyer

I have another ticket plan flyer from ye olden days of 1955. A very good year. I'm sorry to tell you that it could cost you up to $2.50 to enter the park if you are an adult. I've never seen such prices!

Here's more general information for those who were not yet used to the Disney Way of Doing Stuff.

"Uh, Major, you musta been drinking shoe polish, because you already shared this flyer with us!". So mean. This is actually a different flyer altogether, though admittedly very similar. I've placed the two side by side, with the first shared example on the left, and the new one on the right. It's all about the same, though I noticed the addition of the Phantom Boats under the "Your choice of any 2" heading on the version to the left - which I suppose means that the example I shared before is actually the newer version.

Here's the backs of both, again, with the first shared example on the left, etc. There are some minor differences between the two. I think it's interesting that you could buy a "Ticket Plan" once inside the park, but the admission ticket would be removed, and the admission cost would be deducted. And the ticket taker would punch a hole in your bowler hat.

Anything from 1955 is pretty cool in my book, but you might find these to be a bit too samey-samey. Wait until you see my six different 1956 ticket plan flyers!

Two From August, 1961

"Major Pepperidge, I'm in the mood for two slides from August, 1961. Can you help? Signed, Flummoxed in Fresno". Glad you asked, Flummoxed. Here's a pair of scans that should de-flummox you in two shakes of a lamb's tail. 

Looking from the Mark Twain (or the Columbia), we gaze down upon the southern point of Tom Sawyer Island. The greenery is growing so fast that it actually swallows guests who are never seen again (if they'd read the fine print on their ticket books, they would have known that it was a possibility). A squirming crowd disembarks from the Raft, if they run fast enough, they can make it to Tom's Treehouse without getting absorbed. The Old Mill looks great, as always, and in the distance we can see Pack Mules just leaving the safety of Rainbow Ridge.

Next is a picturesque... um... picture, of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. The sails are unfurled, which is the best look. Rather than the bright red stripes on the sails this version has a maroon hue, like the color of the dried blood on the document you signed to become a pirate (an "X" is acceptable).  

Knott's Monkey Farm, 1960s

I have three fun photos from Knott's Monkey Farm, from what I think is the early 1960s (judging by the clothes and the buzz-cuts on some of the boys). Walter Knott knew that boysenberries were OUT, and monkeys were IN, so he wisely changed the focus of his popular farm. FYI, two of the slides had damage, which explains the different aspect ratios of the images. 

It appears that boys were more fascinated by the Capuchin monkey than anybody else, and that makes sense of course. I hope they treated the little guy with kindness. Or else he might bite their thumbs off! The boy with the blue cap is wondering if he could grab the monkey and make a run for it. They would be pals forever, solve crimes, and be elected as co-Presidents of the United States someday. 

I'm not sure if that boy is shaking the monkey's hand (paw?), or if he is giving him a nickel. Judging by the hands of some of the other boys, they appear to be ready with their own coins. Notice the one to the right with the Davy Crockett t-shirt! Which might mean that these photos are from the 1950s?  The kid to the left is thinking, "Yeah, yeah, but can he smoke a cigarette? I want him to smoke a cigarette".

You know what? I want a monkey too!