Main Street, May 1972

May, 1972 would have been a swell time to visit Disneyland! You still had the Carousel of Progress, the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, and Donald Duck's Pantsless Coaster. I could be in these! But I'm not. It wouldn't be long before my family rode their bicycles from SoCal to Pennsylvania, where we would live for the next few years.

Our first scan of the day features two kids proudly showing off their new souvenir hats, possibly bought at the newsstand/souvenir stand near the entrance to the tunnel beneath the train tracks. I have a Donald Duck hat (with the squeaky bill) much like the one the boy is wearing, though mine is a few years older. The girl has a hat with newfangled white mouse ears, which look a bit odd to my eye. It's nice to get the Balloon Vendor as a bonus, as well as the Horseless Carriage.

Next is a view looking south from about where the Kodak shop was on Main Street (which was next door to the Hallmark store). An Omnibus putt-putts toward us as the afternoon shadows grow longer across Main Street. The Cinema is showing a Fatty Arbuckle movie - I miss the days when it showed more than just Mickey Mouse short films.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, July 17, 1980

Here are three more photos of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, as taken by Lou Perry, and scanned and shared with us by his daughter Sue B. 

It can be difficult to capture a speeding runaway mine train as it careened along the tracks, a millisecond could make the difference between a clear shot and a blur. 

The main queue structure looks appropriately weathered and grungy. The miners loved to spit a lot, which actually helped preserve the old wood. Try it the next time you are fixing your deck! The hoodoos in the background look great during the day, but when lit at night, they are especially impressive.

That darn train passes too fast! I'm going to suggest that they slow the roller coaster way down. Make it more like an old-west Peoplemover. I'm sure all the guests will appreciate my regard for their safety.

There are three more Big Thunder phtotos from Lou and Sue, coming up soon. THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

 

Substravaganza

I love the old Submarine Voyage, and have shared plenty of photos of gray subs gliding through the blue lagoon in Tomorrowland; but I admit that such photos can sometimes be a little dull. So I'm posting more of them to make up for it. 

This first one is from July 1972, and we're looking down on the Seawolf from a Skyway gondola. You know, my nickname in college was "Seawolf". Or was it "Dorkweed"? I forget.

This next one is from a decade earlier (January, 1962), not that you can tell by looking. It's kind of a pretty picture, allowing us a bit of a view down into the coral reef.

The next two are from June 1967, with American patriot Ethan Allen's sub passing by. He added subwoofers and fuzzy dice, and the whole interior was lined with pink "fun fur"; Ethan had a very specific aesthetic. 

I wish he wouldn't blast his rap music so much, but part of me admires his joie de vivre!

I hope you have enjoyed this SUBSTRAVAGANZA!

 

OK-zles™

OK-zles™ are Snoozles™ - but they aren't as bad. But you figured that out already! Today's examples aren't too dark, or blurry, they're mostly just kind of boring.

See what I mean? The Submarine Lagoon should be exciting. "Liquid Space", they used to call it! But the lone sub is far away, and it's named after a roller-skate. (Yes, yes, I know). We see no cars on the Autopia freeway, no Monorail on the beam, and no Peoplemover on its track. I want my money back.

From the same batch comes this photo of the Mighty Matterhorn, but it looks so gray. Can a mountain be "brutalist"? It is disappointing that no Skyway gondolas can be seen (where the heck were all the vehicles that day?), but at least we can glimpse a single bobsled up to the left.

 

I Love Three Parades

I have a small batch of scans featuring various parades, and thought it might be fun to share some of  them today.

This first one is from the 1950s (I believe), from Long Beach, California. A bathing beauty waves to an appreciative crowd, from a float pushed by a sailor (or two?). I wonder what occasion merited a parade? In the background we can see a restaurant called the "Dinner House"....

I found an old matchbook cover on eBay, which helped with an address. 701 E. Ocean Boulevard.

The area is unrecognizable today!

Next is a scan from April, 1963, from a parade in Indio, California. Two children appear to have been dubbed King and Queen for the day. If they hit you with their scepters, there's not a darn thing you can do about it.

And finally, here's another parade that I believe was in the 1950s. The float says "Hillsborough County", which is in the Tampa area of Florida. It looks like it was a beautiful day; patriotic bunting might mean the 4th of July, Memorial Day, or... well, it could be anything. 

Nice Disneyland, March 28, 1972

Here's a pair of pretty Disneyland photos from March 28, 1972. With a specific date available, it's always fun to consult "Jason's Disneyland Almanac"; that was a Tuesday, and the park was open from 8:00AM until midnight. The temperature got up to a pleasant 74º, though it got down to a chilly 46º in the wee hours. There are no attendance estimates, unfortunately. 

So, I wonder if the photographer's eye was drawn to that huge bouquet of Mickey balloons? Red was clearly the most popular color. But I'll go against the trend and get an olive-green balloon. I'm only just now noticing that a mother and little girl (and maybe that boy) are posing with the balloons! Above the west tunnel, the CK Holliday sits as the train loads up with a new batch of passengers for another Grand Circle Tour of the park.

Speaking of olive green, here's a nice photo of the green Monorail as it pulled into the station in Tomorrowland. We're aboard the Peoplemover, heading toward a tunnel, where I believe we will be able to see inside the lobby of Adventure Thru Inner Space, with the Mighty Microscope and an endless line of Atomobiles.

Some Castle Thingy, December, 1962

I know, I know, another photo of the Castle?! That's just how it goes on a Disneyland photo blog. There will be more. But at least this one is pretty, with the colors popping in the afternoon sun. The blue sky helps; the slide is date-stamped "December, 1962" but there's no sign of Christmas decor, so it might have been a month or so earlier. Still, folks are dressed for cooler weather.

"Geppetto's Work Shop"? Where the heck was that? I even looked at a vintage map to see if such a place was listed. Nope! The stonework hints at being part of the Castle. This was decades before there was a Pinocchion dark ride. I'm baffled! But I know you guys will know.

 

A Frontierland Pair, 1960s

Here's a couple of nice Frontierland pix taken on a gray day in the 1960s.

It looks like the Mark Twain was moored over at Tom Sawyer Island for some reason - I can only guess why. If it was being fixed up, you'd think it would be in Fowler's Harbor - perhaps the Columbia was already there. BUT then you'd think that they'd be running the steamboat. to have at least one of the big boats on the river. If this was the "off season", I suppose guests had to take a chance that many attractions might be down for maintenance. 

Nearby, the world's loneliest popcorn vendor thinks about adventures he could be having. "I could be riding a camel in Egypt, or frolicking in Trevi Fountain!". Well you're not! What's wrong with selling delicious salty snacks to people? I'm kind of surprised at the subdued colors of his costume, where are the red and white stripes that stimulate the appetite? 

The Fabulous Jungle Cruise, July 1972

You all know the Jungle Cruise! Maybe a little too well, like me. Which is why I am sharing three photos today rather than the standard two - Jungle Cruise photos tend to be very "samey", although these are bright and clear and colorful at least. 

The Sacred Indian Elephant Bathing Pool was added to the attraction in 1972. Indian elephants love to swim! And who can blame them? The Bathing Pool looks like the place to be on a hot tropical day. This scene couldn't help but impress, with at least a dozen pachyderms splashing and spraying.

The "Trapped Safari" was added in 1964 (along with the next scene, the African Veldt); I have to admit that I like the recent(ish) change that has the guy at the top now moved to the bottom. HE'S going to get the point! 

And there's the Veldt, a popular scene with guests. It seems that everyone took a picture of this one! The animals are all looking on as their friend is eaten by lions, but that doesn't stop the giraffes from working on lunch. "What? I'm hungry!". No class, man, no class.

 

Skyway Stuff, March 1961

I have a pair of Skyway-related pix for you today, beginning with this portrait of a little girl, up in the charming Fantasyland Chalet; the Teacups, Flying Elephants, and a few of the old dark rides can just be seen through the branches of the trees, it's a very pretty scene. Does the girl have suspenders??

Next is a view from a gondola, a pretty nice view too, never mind the safety bars partly blocking the scene. The red Mark I Monorail passes by almost silently - in just a few months, the Mark II trains would debut (in June), and guests could go all the way to the Hotel and back. The park looks pretty empty! We get some nice bobsled action, not surprising from here. Screechy2 is in the upper left, the Alice in Wonderland ride just sneaks into the lower right, and a prominent fire hydrant is right next to that Kodak Picture Spot sign.