More Stuff From the Box

I think today's selection of STUFF FROM THE BOX is pretty nice! Hopefully you will agree.

First up is this fun "encased cent" from the Stork Club in New York City - as you can see, this one also commemorates the 1939 New York World's Fair. Back in the old days, encased cents were common souvenirs and were used as "good luck" giveaways by hundreds of businesses and tourist destinations. There's a nice 1939 Lincoln "wheat back" penny in this one! The Stork Club was one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. A symbol of café society, the wealthy elite, including movie stars, celebrities, showgirls, and aristocrats all mixed in the VIP 'Cub' Room. It debuted in 1929 (a year where nothing else happened).

Next is this very nice pin in the shape of the Atomium, which was originally built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. This unique structure, which you can still visit today, stands 102 metres (335 ft) tall, making it one of the tallest structures in Belgium. Its nine 18-metre-diameter (59 ft) stainless steel clad spheres are connected in the shape of a unit cell that could represent an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Cool!

As usual, you'll see more examples of my fondness for various kinds of employee pins, including this tiny (about .75" tall) pin that was once worn by an employee of Greyhound bus lines. Leave the driving to them!

This next item is extra-cool, a rare employee pin from Hal Roach Studios! Hal Roach was a film producer, director, and screen-writer, notable for such things as the "Our Gang" comedies, Laurel and Hardy films, early Harold Lloyd films, and so on. After owning a number of studio spaces, he eventually built one at 8822 Washington Boulevard in Culver City, which became known as "The Laugh Factory". Many years ago, somebody on eBay auctioned off a series of beautiful employee badges, mostly from Universal Studios. Those all went for big money, but I was the only person who bid on this Hal Roach employee badge. I'm happy to have it!

Here's a 1959 photo of Hal Roach Studios.

Another one of my "mini-collections" involves die-cut tin-litho badges, you'll find them for everything from political campaigns and TV shows to cereal and automobiles - you name it. This one is from an  organization dedicated to helping "crippled children" ("Easter Seals", is one example), though I'm not sure which specific charity gave this one out.

This last one is another teensy employee pin, presumably given out for 30 years of service at General Motors. Even teensier logos for Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac are above those pink "rubies". 

I hope you have enjoyed today's STUFF FROM THE BOX!

Knott's Pitchur Gallery

It's been quite a while since I've shared photos from Knott's Berry Farm's "Pitchur Gallery" - let's take a look at one (plus some extra stuff) today!

The "bucking bronco" was one of the more popular scenes in the Gallery, we've seen folks ranging from children to grandmothers holding on for dear life. This boy makes it look easy!

This is the first time I've had the negative, which is pretty cool! I've since acquired one other Pitchur Gallery photo along with the matching negative.

Reverse the negative, and you get a positive! Who knew??

Both the photo and the negative were in this Pitchur Gallery envelope; I see at the bottom that it says "Negative made from Photograph", which leads me to assume that it is a second-generation negative and not the original. 

Many years ago, somebody emailed me to say that they had hundreds (or was it thousands?) of negatives that once belonged to the man who ran the Pitchur Gallery; I think the person might have been his daughter or granddaughter. I tried contacting her, but she never responded. I wonder if she still has them all?

Hippos, August 1962

Hippos; I call them "Water Rhinos". I'M NOT CRAZY! In spite of their adorable appearance, hippos do not make great pets. Nobody ever considers that you'll need a litter box the size of a Volkswagen bus. Which is why animal shelters are full of hippos. It's pretty sad. 

Today's photos can't be called "Snoozles™", which is breaking the Sunday format, but as you can see, the pictures themselves aren't bad - in fact they are pretty good, no heads in the way, they are clear, the color hasn't faded... they are just a little bit dark. But my "scans" folder is lacking any truly awful examples. Happily!

One hippo stares at us with a beady eye, while another prepares to burst through the surface, making people (not me!) shriek in surprise. That part of the river looks like a swell place to live, if I was a hippo I'd want to be there too.

Are these the same two hippos? Who can tell? This is why all hippos should wear name tags. They don't have to be Disney name tags, but I admit that that would be nice. I always bring a pack of mints, because "hippo breath" is not great. Toss in a few mints, and they are kissably fresh!

The Magic Kingdom, November 1982

I'm continuing a look at some scans of Magic Kingdom scans from 1982. They're pretty nice, though some are a bit darker than I'd like. In this case it gives the photos an interesting quality, or at least I think so.

We'll start with two Skyway views looking down into the beautiful lagoon of Vulcania - the flooded volcanic crater where Captain Nemo has his lair. It's pretty cool - as long as the volcano stays dormant. 

How do you transition the ride's scenes from the sunlit lagoon to the "ocean depths"? How about entering a "cavern" hidden by a waterfall? Definitely! Somebody needs to turn up the spigot on the waterfall. From up here, we can see the roof of the "dark ride" portion.

Looking closer, we can see some freeloading gulls hanging out nearby - kind of a fun detail.
 

Florida's "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad" debuted in 1980, so it was still fairly new. From this angle it appears that the bulk of the ride is at the crest of a low hill - or is that just an illusion? 

Here's the obligatory photo of Cinderella Castle, but it's a beauty. 

Here's the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square. From what I understand, this is still a pretty popular attraction in Florida (tell me if I am mistaken). As of this writing, I thought I saw an announcement on Facebook that this attraction would be closing, but I'm not sure if that is correct.

And finally (for today), another Skyway view, this time looking down on the Grand Prix Raceway. With so much land, I would have expected the Florida "Autopia" to be massive and full of fun features, but the "raceway" concept actually limited the creativity - you're just on a big racetrack. Imagine if they'd made a rolling landscape with hills and forests and creeks. Or something! I'm sure I'm speaking heresy to those who love it just the way it is.

There will be one more blog post with November, 1982 photos!

A Pair From March, 1961

Before we get to the vintage Disneyland pix, let's wish GDB friend Andrew a very Happy Birthday! Sue B. is so good at keeping on top of these things (unlike me), and she sent along a photo from a vintage birthday party. Maybe from the 1980s? 1970s? We'll just have to guess. That white cake looks delicious, my mom used to make a white cake with white frosting and raspberry jam between the cake layers, it was one of my favorites. PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE BOY TO THE LEFT!  This family is very lucky, they have an original Cezanne hanging on their wall, they probably got it at a church jumble sale for $2. Thank you, Sue, for providing this photo, and Andrew, I hope you have a wonderful day.

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Here's a nice pair of slide scans from March of 1962! Let's begin with this photo of a reduced version of the Disneyland Band, a mere eight guys instead of  the 20 (or so) that you might see marching down Main Street with Vesey Walker in the lead. There aren't many clues as to where the band is standing, but I believe that the queue to the left might be for the Midget Autopia. Or is it Storybook Land? I MUST KNOW!

It's always fun to get a look at the Submarine Voyage when the lagoon was drained for maintenance - you can observe so much that is normally hidden beneath the blue water. From this Skyway view we can see how they had to use some intense colors to cut through the blue, like the corals in yellow and vermillion ("vermillion" = "fancy red").  

Zooming in, there are some rocks (just above the rim of the gondola) where you can see that some mechanical critters were normally placed, maybe a sea turtle, or an octopus battling a shark.

 

Two From April 1973

Here's a pair of "OK" images from Fantasyland, circa 1973 - starting with a familiar view of It's a Small World's busy façade. There are more strollers than we typically see in old photos! Of course, IASW is a very "toddler-friendly" attraction, so it makes sense. Still, you can sense that the stroller takeover was beginning! 

Next, a photo taken from the Disneyland Railroad, which was at rest at Tomorrowland Station, presumably. I'm guessing that this is the "Holiday Green" set of cars, though they could be the "Holiday Blue" cars I assume. Both went into service in 1966.   

 

Merlin's Magic Shop & Adventureland Bazaar, August 1962

It seems like it's been a while since we've had a good look at Merlin's Magic Shop, located in the courtyard of Fantasyland, right near the castle. Unlike most other original 1955 Fantasyland buildings, Merlin's is beautifully detailed, with hand-hewn half-timbers, steep swooping rooflines, crooked rain gutters, odd little windows, multiple chimneys... it's pretty swell.

Zooming in on one window, we can just make out a few items; the gorilla mask, what looks like several Randotti skulls, and packaged novelty items (A joy buzzer? Soap that turns your hands black? Hot chewing gum?); I have no idea what that oversized key is for (as if it was for a human-sized toy robot). If you can identify anything else, let me know!

In the other window, there is not much to ID - I assume some of those colorful shapes are magic paraphernalia. There's a ventriloquist dummy that resembles Jerry Mahoney - it's that bright red hair.

"Help! I'm stuck in this magic shop!".

Next, we're outside the Bazaar in Adventureland, our photographer seems to have been very interested in the architectural details, and maybe some of the "stuff" on the upper story - metal pans, clay pots, and that saltwater taffy machine.

Fantasyland Scenes, March 1961

Here's a couple of "different" photos from Fantasyland. They're not amazing, but at this point I'll happily take different.

I never really thought about it, but I honestly can't remember any other photos in my collection taken from aboard a Storybook Land Canal Boat just as it was about to be eaten by Monstro. The woman has been swallowed by whales dozens of times, this is no big deal.

Just west of Monstro you'd find Skull Rock; here's another "different" view, an interesting side angle from the pathway that led back to the dining area behind the Pirate Ship. We get a good look at the profile (such as it is) of Skully, a bit of that dining area, and even Cinderella's Castle from Storybook Land.

Goofy and Pluto, August 1981

The walk-around characters of Disneyland are real rock stars, everyone sees them and wants a piece of them. They remember their innocent, early days, before they knew of the double-edged sword of celebrity. Well, boo-hoo! That's what I have to say about it. In fact, that's what I have to say about everything. 

There's Goofy, attracting hoards of fans outside the American Egg House (formerly the Hills Bros. Coffee House). Is the man with the pale shirt-and-tie behind him his "handler"? When a guest becomes particularly enthusiastic, he might have to use his electric cattle prod. Don't worry, they hardly feel it through their thick hides! Cattle, I mean; it hurts like heck if you're a hu-man.  

Nearby, a grown woman has knocked over three children so that she can have her photo taken with Pluto, one of the most huggable characters. Two boys to the left prefer lampposts anyway - always have, always will. There's a woman to the right...

... somehow she reminds me of Gladys Kravitz from "Bewitched"!

 

Semi-Snoozles

After careful analysis, I have determined that today's slide scans DO qualify as Snoozles™. But just barely! This first one is from August, 1962; we see a salty sea dog up in the rigging of the Columbia. He's whistling the Old Spice jingle, as was traditional in the 18th century. Based on this fellow's expression, he's spied a sea cow, but he's been at sea for so long that he thinks it's a beautiful mermaid. 

Next, it's July 1963, and we have this partially-obstructed view of the Submarine Lagoon. Why the photographer didn't lean forward so that the gondola safety bars were out of frame, I'll never know. I guess the brain edited them out. Still, if you just look within the upper "window", it's a nice look at the yellow Monorail, the last of the Mark IIs (introduced in 1961).