Vintage Amusements

It's time for more scans from the general category of "Vintage Amusements"! Not amusement parks, necessarily, you see. this first scan is from 1955, with the added note, "Favorite ride". I wish they'd included the location, but what can you do? I thought this might be the LA County Fair in Pomona, CA, but that's just a guess - it could be anywhere. That looks like a eucalyptus tree in the distance! We see three classic "spin around" rides, with the thrilling motorboats in the foreground (each with three wooden ship's wheels), a "flying fish" (?) ride, and a merry-go-round.

This next one is an undated 1950s photo of an unusual and very cool little train ride - I've never seen a train like that before! It's pretty distinct, maybe it dates  back to the 1930s? I could almost imagine the same train running at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, though that's just my imagination going strong. Perhaps one of you recognizes it and can add more to the conversation. I was dying to know where this could be; notice the fezzes on some of the youngsters. Could this be the Indio Date Festival? If you look in the upper left, you can see some Moorish (?) arches that seem to confirm my theory.

Here's what is known as "The Magic Carpet Stage" from the Date Festival, as seen in a modern photo. Since 1947 the annual festival has been held to celebrate the Date Palm harvest in the Coachella Valley. The event is held in February on the Riverside County Fairgrounds. The fair is located in Indio, California, a city in the Colorado Desert, approximately 130 miles (210 km) east of Los Angeles.

I hope you have enjoyed these VINTAGE AMUSEMENTS!

Faded Rainbow Ridge, 1950s

I scanned a small group of slides from the 1950s that were extremely faded; but I was pretty certain that a bit of Photoshoppin' could bring them back to something approximating their former glory. I'm fairly pleased with the results!

There's the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge - I suspect that the Rainbow Desert Mine Train had debuted not long before this picture was taken (from the decks of the Mark Twain). It feels like we need cataract surgery.

Ah! The surgery was a success. I much prefer that deep-blue sky. Upon viewing this adjusted version, I'm wondering if the Mine Train was, in fact, operational yet? There are no real signs of activity, and there is definitely not a line (notice the sign near the entrance to the queue - I have no idea what that says). There are two or three people who appear to be on the elevated platform - what can I say, I'm confused. I like seeing the pack mules in the lower left, and the Castle and Skyway to the right.

In this early view, I was hoping to get a clear glimpse of the little graveyard that was on the slope below the chapel (trees would obscure it pretty quickly). But... no such luck. There are no tiny tombstones or grave markers yet.

Next is this oddly-composed photo, a little closer to Rainbow Ridge. It looks as if somebody has ignited a bunch of smoke bombs. Probably teenagers!

The color is better - as is often the case, I could keep fussing with it forever. Reduce some magenta, now it's too cyan! Reduce some of the cyan, now it's too yellow! And so, at some point, I just had to make peace with the results, and watch some cartoons (you understand).

Mark Twain, March 15, 1957

Well. Here we are again. A few months ago, I was talking to a friend who told me just how many photos of the Mark Twain had appeared on GDB over the years, and it was a lot - but not as many as I'd expected. I figured that the number would have been at least twice as big, if not more! He also had the numbers for Sleeping Beauty Castle and "it's a small world". Kind of amazing, really. 

Anyhoo, we've got two additional scans to add to the data - fairly typical views, though they are early (Disneyland was not even two years old yet), so that's something. Here's the Twain coming home, with no Cascade Peak to serve as a picturesque backdrop. Just some crummy dirt and shrubs! I'll be complaining at City Hall soon enough, don't you worry about it. The Pilot is tooting the whistle tootily.

I know, I know, I should have posted this one first, since it shows the steamboat as it made its first turn on the River, but I didn't feel like it, OK? Nearly every passenger is on the top level, and you can't really blame them. A red canoe is moored at the raft dock; with a raft "parked" there as well, I have to wonder if Tom Sawyer Island was closed that day?

 

Pins From the Bag

FIRST THINGS FIRST!

I'm on a real roll lately; I realized (too late) that March 1st was David W's birthday. And I blew it! Sue B. had even sent me a vintage photo for the occasion (months ago), but I was too busy watching reality TV (the best TV). So all I can do is share Sue's photo and wish David a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Sorry for my error, DW, I hope you had a wonderful day!

The photo is great, a mom who should've been on TV (she needs more pearls, though) is getting ready to serve slices of cake (chocolate with white icing, yum). Is the birthday boy the one with the bowtie? I think I had a clip-on bowtie when I was very young, but reject them wholeheartedly now. A person has to have standards. I can't tell if all five kids are siblings or not. I like the cluster of balloons hanging from the ceiling (or a chandalier) and wish we could see more of the vintage kitchen. Thanks for this picture, Sue!

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It's time for another exciting and probably historically significant selection of PINS FROM THE BAG! For those of you who didn't witness the Moon landing - this is basically just as good.

Button #1 - celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Gackle, North Dakota! "Gackle"... what a beautiful name! It was actually named after a farmer, George Gackle (seriously). It's a tiny town (population 280-ish) to the east of Bismark that was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1954. I like the charming design. For years I visited one particular antiques ("junk"?) shop in Minnesota, and they always had lots of pinback buttons from the general area. I was a sucker for that sort of thing, and I bought a lot of them (they were ridiculously cheap). So you'll see more similar buttons as I go through the bag.

Button #2: In 1950 there was a little-remembered Expo or Fair in Chicago, sort of a mini-World's Fair. Its theme was "Frontiers of Freedom". The Chicago Fair of 1950 was an exposition that celebrated American achievements in agriculture, commerce, industry, and science, aiming to showcase a vision of a high-standard American living. It also featured a large-scale living dramatization of American history. The fair, held along Lake Michigan in Jackson Park, included a mile-long exhibit showcasing the latest innovations in rail travel, automobiles, and architecture, including cigarette-smoking robots. (It) was a major event, drawing millions of visitors and influencing culture, society, and even American architecture and the arts.

The twisty thingamajig is the "Spiramid", pictured in concept artwork as being a soaring structure, perhaps 100+ feet tall. But funding must have been lacking, because they only built a small version, maybe 20 feet tall (with a downgraded name, the "Pyramid Sculpture"), and a lot of that was a tall base. Too bad! You'll probably see more about the Spiramid on this blog someday.

Pinback(s) #3: Here's a pair of vintage buttons that were given out as part of a campaign to encourage children to save their money at their local bank. If they joined the Savings Club (or Savings Rodeo), they would receive a different button depending on the amount of money in their account. Tenderfoot, Wrangler, Bulldogger, Bronco Buster, Trail Boss (that were issued as account grew from $2 to $125) and 2.25" dia. litho Straw Boss and Foreman "Honor Circle" buttons (that were issued as account grew to $250 and $500).

Pinback #4: I always love a lenticular button, and here's one from Magic Mountain, in Valencia, California. I always like seeing one of the cheerful trolls, an indication that this is an early item: In 1972, Magic Mountain began using trolls as the park mascots. The trolls King Blop, also known as King Troll, Bleep, Bloop, and the Wizard became recognizable symbols of Magic Mountain. Six Flags purchase the park in 1979, and the characters were retired, though I believe they are still used on rare occasions. 

Pinback #5: Here's a fun novelty button sold (or given away?) at the Fleet Wing Carnival (whatever that was) in Lambertville, New Jersey. Lambertville is on the banks of the Delaware River, across from New Hope, Pennsylvania. Besides the colorful lithography featuring Uncle Sam, the main attraction is the simulated (but pretty realistic) firecracker attachment!

Pinback #6: Zorro, (Zorro), The fox so cunning and free; Zorro, (Zorro),Who makes the sign of the 'Z'. Man, did they hire Sondheim to write those lyrics?? "Zorro" was a hit "action-adventure Spanish western" TV series that ran from October 10, 1957 until July 2, 1959 (with four hour-long specials that aired on Walt's anthology TV show in 1960 and 1961. I remember playing with Zorro toys when I was kid, but it had to have been in syndication by then. If you wear this button and are pulled over for speeding, the police will let you go with a warning.

I hope you have enjoyed today's PINS FROM THE BAG!

Frontierland

I'm proud to present another selection of Frontierland scans, shared with us by the Mysterious Benefactor. Does he wear an eyepatch and a cape lined with red silk? I'll never tell!

Well. Hmmm. I'm sure somebody out there thinks that I should have skipped this particular photo, but by golly, I gotta be me! There are other nicer Disneyland blogs, right? And I am a patron of the arts, especially go-go dancing and saloon dancing.

Now we've hit a vein of photos featuring Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (or at least some signage), which was presumably the latest and greatest attraction in Disneyland (it debuted on September 7, 1979). I assume that this sign was hand-painted in the shop by a man with one of those green visors and a smock covered in splotches of pigment, and a werewolf mask. You can't eat, drink, or smoke on the ride, but they don't say anything about water balloons.

Now we get a bigger picture; I didn't know that the previous sign was just a "sub-sign", and now I look like a FOOL.

I have to admit, you will be very familiar with these signs pretty soon. This particular day must have been "Wear a Cowboy Hat" day.

Perhaps you didn't need to see so many views of the same sign, but what's done is done. Did these ladies know about "The Goat Trick" yet? It will give you the whim-whams.

In this gloomy winter photo, we can see the weather-sculpted rock formations, known as "Boo-Boos" (or something like that). The CM to the right has been instructed to stare into the middle distance as if he was a sea cap'n looking for whales, and he's doing a great job.

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Tom's Treehouse, July 1962

Tom Sawyer Island was sort of a dream come true for certain kids who loved the idea of a place where they could have little adventures, climbing rocks, exploring spooky caves, crossing swaying bridges, and so on. I know I wanted a  treehouse when I was younger, but we didn't have a suitable tree, and we moved every 2 to 3 years. Oh well.

Tom Sawyer, on the other hand, not only had his own island, he had a small platoon of boys who helped him build a darn fine treehouse at the top of the highest hill on the island. Until the Matterhorn was built, souvenir maps listed the treehouse as the "highest point in Disneyland". 

I like the cobbled-together look of the treehouse; the boys used whatever they could scrounge up, including pieces of old crates, and a Steinway grand piano (needs verification). The Treehouse closed forever in 2013.
 

Snoozles™

It's Sunday, and that means that it's time for yet more Snoozles. May we never run out of this precious resource. First up is this scan from September, 1960; it's not that bad, but could be sharper and less dingy. Still, it's an OK view taken from the platform at Main Street Station, looking out toward the parking lot. There were buses aplenty! The iconic Disneyland sign can be seen as well.

Next, a photo that is bright and clear (from the 1950s), so what's my problem? It's just kind of "meh". It's not a particularly good picture of the train station, even though the Santa Fe logo makes me happy. And Mickey's flower portrait is in full bloom, admittedly. OK, now I'm feeling guilty that I deemed this to be a Snoozle!

Random New York City

OK, so today is the REAL birthday for Lou Perry and Dean Finder, which I messed up royally on Feb. 23rd. Go back and look at that day for Sue B's fun pictures!

New York City. Maybe you've heard of it. Tall buildings! The subway! Museums! Slices of pizza! A really big park! And, well, that's about it to be honest. No need to even go there. I've had some random scans from NYC for years, and I finally decided to try to make a blog post with them. Maybe you'll learn a little something about sharing, or friendship, orbelieving in yourself, or some damn thing. 

This first scan is from the 1950s, and is a view from the Empire State Building looking past the Chrysler Building toward the East River, and beyond. If you are standing on your head you might see La Guardia airport! OK, I lied. The atmosphere is vaporous, from all of the alligator exhalations in the sewers. 

Here's a map. Maps are useful.

I thought it would be a piece of cake to find a contemporary view just like that old one, but it was surprisingly difficult. The one below, scrounged from the Internet, is about as good as it got. In this modern view, you can see the Koch Queensborough Bridge crossing the East River and Roosevelt Island. Wave to the nice people in Astoria! There sure are a lot more tall buildings (how's that for incisive commentary?). 

Next is one from the 1960s, taken by my friend's boss. This fellow was an artist, and he liked to render photorealistic paintings of various store fronts in San Francisco, Paris, Rome, Oxnard, and other notable cities. They are quite nice! I looked up "The Dug Out", but wasn't having much luck. I found another place called The Dug Out on 3rd Avenue, but it wasn't a match. However, on some other site a person said that there was a place called The Dug Out on Bleeker Street. OH REALLY? Using Google Maps' Street View, I went to 145 Bleeker Street (the number on the window in my photo). 

So here's the view. I mean, it's sort of the same, but of course it's pretty different too. I was feeling pretty good about it, in general, but that staircase is a lot narrower, and that seemed odd. I should mention that the blue awning barely visible to the left is the famous venue, "The Bitter End", which opened in 1961, considers itself to be New York’s oldest rock club and built a legendary reputation after showcasing young performers like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor and comedians like Woody Allen and Billy Crystal." At the club, Bob Dylan played pool, watched performances, and occasionally performed circa 1961. I should mention that I had to go back a few years in Google Maps, because a structure is now on the sidewalk, mostly blocking this view.

Next I looked for old photos of The Bitter End, and lo, we can see that the stairs match my photo, and there is The DUGOUT (one word)! WHOO-HOO!

And finally, here's a photo (dated October, 1968) taken from inside somebody's car as they tootled along some mystery road. It didn't take very long to figure out that this is FDR Drive, which parallels the East River for miles and miles. That's the Manhattan Bridge nearby. Being unfamiliar with the territory, I thought that the Empire State Building was dead ahead, but it is several miles to the north (which would be to our right). 

Here's another Google Maps contemporary view for you.

I hope you have enjoyed these oddball New York City views!

Mark VI Autopia

Many months ago, GDB early birds might have seen today's blog post when I accidentally had two articles publish on the same day. I saw the error at around 4:30 in the morning, and decided to move it way in the future. For those of you who already viewed it - it's nice to see you!

I happened to have two Leftuggies™ that feature Mark VI Autopia vehicles, and my psychic said that I should post them today. I always do what she recommends! The tarot cards do not lie.

No wonder this girl is smiling, that Mark VI car in coral red is a pretty sweet ride. This slide is undated, but the Mark VIs were in service from 1964 to 1968. This vehicle purred like a kitten - because it is actually powered by 10 kittens under the hood. I would explain how it works, but it is very technical. It looks like the other color choices were blue, turquoise, yellow, and cream. I'm sure that the cast member should not be leaning against that pylon (Bu? We need an official ruling), I hope he enjoys prison. 

This next nice view is from August, 1965; who knows, maybe that is the same exact car as the one in the previous picture. The dreaded guide rail had been added in 1964 when the Mark VI cars were introduced. I suppose it was necessary, kids had a tendency to crush the feet and shins of CMs, and would not obey polite rules of the road; on the other hand, they should have been more quick to jump out of the way!

More Disneyland Hotel - November 20, 1980

Let's continue to enjoy a series of November 1980 photos taken around the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel by Lou Perry. His daughter Sue B. scanned them for us! The last post featuring images from this batch was in October, so it's been a while. 

It looks like this is another view of the Sea Port of the Pacific (at least I think it is), where you could order a deep-fried whale. Don't worry, just a little whale! Ask for extra dipping sauce. Lou has gotten artistic on us, with the cool bluish pine branches contrasting with the warm sunlit wood of the SPotP.

Here's a nice view of the Marina Tower. Like Town Square at Disneyland, they had armaments "just in case". A pair of guests are enjoying the view from their third-floor room, and they're thinking of throwing a paper airplane or two.

Hey! It's the SPotP again! It's nice that they made an effort with the landscaping, it appears that there might have been a babbling brook, for its pleasant sound and sparkling water. Or was it just a pond full of Vampire Koi? They'll leap out of the water and latch themselves to your neck! Why did they put them there in the first place??

I wonder if this was the view from Lou's room? He's also got paper airplanes on his mind, it's only natural. "I'll put a small paper clip near the front to add some weight, for stability!", he thought to himself. We can see some of the actual marina, though it is in shadowy darkness. There's what looks like some sort of cable car or trolley, I'm not sure if it's a genuine antique or a simulacrum. There's a mysterious colorful yurt to the left of the trolley.

I think it's safe to say that Lou liked the look of that Seaport of the Pacific. Maybe he appreciated the way the setting sun changed the colors and overall atmosphere? No Vampire Koi would dare to mess with him.

There are more Disneyland Hotel photos to come, with thanks to Lou and Sue!