Vintage Los Angeles Postcards, Part 1

Railroad expert and GDB friend Steve DeGaetano scanned some postcards that he purchased at Disneyland's 'One of a Kind Shop" in New Orleans Square after I expressed an interest in seeing some of them. The postcards feature views of Los Angeles, some over 100 years old; I'm fascinated by the history of the city of Los Angeles and remember stories that my grandmother told me about moving here from Illinois after marrying my grandfather (an LA native). Also, I was friends with an older couple who had so many stories about going to see great big bands and jazz artists in the city, it sounded amazing. For those of you who don't live in SoCal, I hope that you find these old postcards to be as fun as I do! Here's Steve:

After watching the 1992 Los Angeles riots from the comfort of my suburban home in Agoura, CA, I started taking a real interest in the history of the city where I was born, reading loads of books on Los Angeles and taking self-guided walking tours of downtown LA streets and sights. Around the same time, I got my first Disneyland Annual Pass, and started visiting the Park regularly.

The One of a Kind shop in New Orleans Square was a favorite evening-time destination, probably from the warm glow that emanated from the doors and windows, beckoning one to come in and examine all the interesting antiques inside. Most of these cards were purchased from the shop, a few at a time over the course of several visits. The imagery of these early postcards was both charming and fascinating, bringing Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles to life for me “in living color.” Sadly, the One of a Kind shop closed in May of 1996.

The cards were sold with their corners inserted into simplified cardstock “frames,” with the back side giving a little background on old postcards. The frames were double-sided and could be opened to free stand, sandwich-board style, displaying your cards. I don’t recall what I paid for these—they were probably only a couple bucks each.

I’m definitely no expert on postcards, but many of them are “Linen” finished, with an almost canvas-like texture to them. Many of these were taken before the advent of color film, and so were hand-tinted with colored pigments to give the illusion of being color photographs. If you like these, and want to see many, many more, I suggest picking up a copy of “Greetings from Southern California,” by Monica Highland, which features color images of hundreds more.

I will share the postcard's original caption in orange, and any of Steve's comments in blue!

LA-01: “Spring Street is the ‘Wall Street’ of Los Angeles. It runs through the business section of the city, and ends by the old Plaza church, where the city of Los Angeles was first founded.”

LA-02: “The celebrated street of gala Premiers, world fashions, movie starts and extras, famous shops, hotels and theatres, where beauty, gaiety and glamour reign supreme in a setting seen only in California.”

This of course is Hollywood Boulevard. Grauman’s Chinese Theater can be seen in the lower left, and the white tower on the right belongs to the Hollywood First National Bank Building.

LA-03: “On the Road of a Thousand Wonders.”

Obviously a daytime picture that was hand tinted to resemble nighttime. Still a fun image showing automobiles, trolleys and even horse-drawn vehicles sharing the road.

LA-04: “General Douglas McArthur Park is an interesting 20 acre sunken park containing a large lake with boating facilities. Many varieties of tropical trees and flowers surround the lake. Wilshire Boulevard, one of the principal thoroughfares of the Metropolitan area, passes thru the park, a direct route to Beverly Hills and the beaches west of Los Angeles.”

This one was postmarked July 1954, and the writer literally wrote “Wish you were here” on the back!

LA-05: "The Ambassador Hotel, surrounded by colorful gardens of subtropical beauty, is the home of the famous Cocoanut Grove."

The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom is featured in another postcard (LA-18). Aside from the famed ballroom, the Ambassador is probably best known as the location where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The Ambassador was demolished in 2006.

OK, that's it for Part 1! There will be three more installments of these great vintage Los Angeles postcards. MANY THANKS to Steve DeGaetano for scanning the cards and for all of his work dealing with the card captions and adding his own commentary!

Storybook Land 1956

We've seen plenty of photos of Storybook Land over the years, but in my opinion today's examples are particularly beautiful. The warm light of the setting sun adds a romantic glow to the scenes, and what can I say, they are just pretty pix. 

First up is this Skyway view, with Cinderella's Castle (or is it just "Cinderella Castle"?) on top of its stony mountain. Casey Junior is chugging by; we can see some of the outbuildings to the left of the castle, part of the pony farm I suppose? At the bottom of the frame, Toad Hall sits on the end of that island. A twisted tree trunk looks like it was actually the root system of a small tree that was stuck in the ground upside-down. 

This next view was taken from a Canal Boat, with a nice composition featuring another Casey Jr. train, with Cindy's Castle again. And Toad Hall, much closer!

 

Knott's Berry Farm Souvenir Slides

I got to the end of one box containing vintage Knott's Berry Farm slides (don't worry, there's more), and found a series of souvenir slides - the kind a visitor might buy at the gift shop next to the chicken restaurant. As a rule I avoid souvenir slides, but these were old enough to have a certain charm. Of the dozen, I scanned the three that I thought were the most interesting.

Inside the Saloon, the bartender sizes us up. Greenhorn? Trail-hardened cowpoke? Yellow-bellied rustler? Frontier priest? Humorous signs make the bar look like a theme restaurant on La Brea Avenue. The "No Whiskey Sold to..." sign is probably historically accurate, unfortunately. Hopefully you wanted boysenberry punch, because that's all they served. Well, maybe root beer too.

If you walked out of the Saloon and glanced to the right (northward), this is a scene you might see, with the beautiful narrow-gauge Ghost Town and Calico Railroad. Marilyn and Cecila relax in the shade to our right (they look pretty lifelike here!). This photo seems to predate the addition of the Calico Mine Ride.

Here's an unusual night view, streets apparently freshly hosed down for the evening. I believe this is looking west on Main Street, we can just see the Livery Stable in the distance.

 

Tomorrowland, August 1960

Let's start your week out on a high note with a few nice Tomorrowland views from August, 1960. I should be more impartial, I suppose, but vintage Tomorrowland is the place that I love the most. Just like when I was a kid.

A mother poses with her two boys (in identical outfits) next to the Astro Jets, which was truly a generic "off the shelf" ride (I've seen photos of others just like it at different parks), but I know how undeveloped Tomorrowland was in the early days, and how Walt and his Imagineers needed to provide more attractions. It did look great in pictures, too! Overhead, the Skyway, and to the right, the Monorail, which had just begun taking guests to the Disneyland Hotel this year.

All of the slides in this bunch have a warm color cast for some reason, but it gives them a kind of nostalgic look. I don't want to be rude, but Screechy the Iggle looks like he needs to do a few sit-ups. Stop eating those dropped hotdogs, Screech. I'm noticing the group of girls to the left, all wearing the same style of souvenir hat. They instantly became a gang! 

Snoozle Cruise, August 1970

I apologize in advance for today's Mega-Snoozles. They might not even be safe to view for some people, due to their soporific effect. If you are viewing this blog while driving a commuter train, please stop reading! 

If I'm not mistaken, this hippopotamus was photographed in mid ear wiggle. And that means something. BUT WHAT? He's hungry? He wants you to scratch his chin? Is that how hippos show that they are happy? I've forgotten.

Yes, you knew there would be another picture, either of elephants, or of crocodiles. These three scaly fellows guard a temple with an idol (a monkey-god). Thinking about trying to steal the idol? Think again! There's also a yucky spider, he'll bite you GOOD.

Beauty Contest - Venice Beach, CA

We're right in the thick of Summer, and I thought it would be fun to look at some photos from Venice, California, from sometime in the 1950s (I would guess roughly 1955) - a beauty/swimsuit contest! You can practically feel the sunshine, hear the nearby ocean, and smell the Sea and Ski.

Look at that crowd! This was quite a popular event; and I can see why. There were many fabulous beauties, such as this lovely lass. I noticed the words "Joey Baker: Real Estate" on the building to the left, and discovered that Joey Baker was "a pioneer in Venice Real Estate for over 50 years". He passed away in 2013.

The first one is my favorite. No, wait, THIS one is my favorite! I wonder if any of these young ladies went on to fame and fortune?

In searching Google to try to figure out the exact spot where this event took place, I found that distinctive brick building in the distance, I'm pretty sure it's the same building as seen (partly obscured now) in the newer view. This is the famous Muscle Beach part of Venice, named after Sir Albert Muscle.

Seriously, how can you choose a winner? They are all winners in my book.

As Shaggy from "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" might say, ZOIKS.

One could argue that this cutie in pink is the classic "California Girl", but it's not nice to argue. There is a woman playing piano accompaniment, what song would be appropriate? To the left, an officer of the law and a military man keep everyone safe.

Well well well, we know who won. I tried to figure out what year Venice Beach had a Surf Festival that went from July 10th through to August 14th, but had no luck.

I hope you have enjoyed this vintage beauty contest!

Tomorrowland, September 1983

Here's a nice set of Tomorrowland photos, taken by Lou Perry and shared with us by his daughter, Sue B. You know how much I like Tomorrowland! These are from 1983, in case you didn't see the title of today's post.

This first one is not an uncommon view, but it's still one of my favorites. The Rocket Jets are way up above everything, and the Peoplemover slightly below that - iconic. One of my biggest gripes is that this was taken away from us years ago and replaced with... nothin'. Well, we have the Astro Orbiter I suppose, but come on. Lou caught the Rocket Jets with the rockets in flight, which is always ideal. And I like that the Peoplemover cars were still in their original colors.

Hey! Lou took TWO pix of the Rocket Jets, and I'm not complaining. 

What I wouldn't give to be able to enjoy one more ride on the Peoplemover. I know that the Magic Kingdom still has theirs, the lucky ducks. Better than nothing, but not the same.

Ah, the days when Tomorrowland was TOMORROWLAND! The Mary Blair murals were still on display, and Adventure Thru Inner Space was waiting for me. Wow, can you imagine bringing a six month-old (?) baby to the park? Whew. I'll bet they went home early.

I don't see a lot of pictures of the Mission to Mars façade, for some reason. That attraction was there for 17 years, so it's not like people didn't have the opportunity! I took one myself when I was a teenager, so I guess I am pretty cool. Just like Lou! 

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

Tom Sawyer Island Bridges

Hear ye, hear ye! I've always wanted to say that, preferably ringing a large hand-bell. Today I have another selection of Frontierland scans, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor. All of these feature the two bridges on Tom Sawyer Island.

First up, the Pontoon Bridge, named after Sir Albert... no, I can't do it! It's too cruel! The Pontoon Bridge provides a bouncy, undulating experience, kind of like walking on Jello (I think). That girl in the cornflower-blue shirt is thinking about jumping up and down, you can just tell. Don't do it, little girl! I'll report her to the authorities.

Like so many of the MB's scans, this one looks like it could be in a souvenir guidebook or magazine ad. The mother and son have almost the same hairdo, clearly they go to Monsieur Jacques in Beverly Hills. Fun fact: he hates frizzies. 

The next three photos feature the Suspension Bridge, which is mere yards from the Pontoon Bridge, but higher (of course). Tom, Huck, Joe Harper, and the rest of the gang showed a real talent for frontier engineering. They considered the tensile strength of the materials available to them, as well as high winds, floods, and possum attacks.

It seems like such a simple thing, but guests clearly enjoyed crossing the Suspension Bridge! Not a trestle bridge though, they hate those. (Full disclosure: this blog is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cable and Wire Company).

And finally, here's one last look at the Suspension Bridge. Hey, is that Brooke Shields? There are so many details in this one small corner of the island, the steps (which I believe were used by people who'd just crossed the Pontoon Bridge), the little waterfall, and "Lillian's Apartment" (lower right). 

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Frontierland, July 1958

Here's a pair of perfectly good photos from July, 1958. They're fine! If I hear one word, I will turn this blog around and head home. 

The man to the right wanted his photo taken with the magnificent Mark Twain. This batch of pictures has a number of images of him and his wife having a swell time, so he's OK in my book. You'll see his wife in future posts! Do they still adorn the Twain with patriotic bunting around the 4th of July these days? It seems like they always did, long ago. I was trying to make out the design of that banner between the stacks of the steamboat, but the angle is all wrong. It might have a castle on it?

Here's a pretty pic from Tom Sawyer Island, guests are climbing and exploring; you can see a line of people going up the right side of Castle Rock, and coming down the left side. After visiting Fort Wilderness, they can walk along the trails and cross the Supension Bridge and the Pontoon Bridge, and then go spelunking in the system of caves.

The Dumbii

I have two 1956-ish slide scans for you - not the most exciting things ever. But you have to love the classic Dumbo ride (I mean attraction) from the early days, before everyone had one in their driveway. You DO have one in your driveway, don't you?? It's pretty clear that a parent was trying to capture their daughter as she circled around in her flying elephant. You have to have a steady hand, and a quick shutter finger! This first one is just a fraction of a second too late, but you can still see the red sweater and pony tail.

Ah, that one is a bit better, and the composition is a little more dynamic as well. I've pointed this detail out before, but you can always tell when a photo of the Casey Jr. ride (in the background) is early, because the track is just sort of "out there", without the attractive "stone work" added later.