Random Amusements

Happy Valentine's Day! I didn't really have anything for this occasion, and then I remembered this photo in the collection of images from Irene, Bruce, and James. It is a window (somewhere on Main Street - perhaps the Candy Palace?) with Roger Rabbit dressed to the nines. I have the feeling that the red shiny heart on Roger's chest pulsed out in rhythm, cartoon-style! And no wonder, with Jessica as his sweetheart. He holds a framed portrait of Jessica in one hand, and a box of chocolates in the other.

I have some oddball, orphan slides to share with you today! This first one was hand-labeled "Disneyland", and is from January 1974. But we know that it isn't Disneyland! It is, in fact, Busch Gardens in glorious Van Nuys, CA. This has to have been taken from one of the boxy little suspended monorail cars that gave guests a general tour of part of the grounds, and even gave a look inside the factory, where zillions of gallons of beer were produced. I miss this place, which was not far from my grandparent's home - the monorail and amusement park were removed in 1979. I still occasionally drive past the factory just off of the 405 freeway, and you can smell a yeasty, malty aroma.

This next slide, date-stamped "July 1978", had me baffled. "Whaler's Wharf"? Was that at Sea World? Or even Six Flags Magic Mountain? No! This was Ports O'Call Village in San Pedro, CA. Ports O'Call was an outdoor shopping center that featured souvenir and gift shops, along with restaurants, sweetshops, fish markets, and quick-bite eateries. The "seaside village" encompassed 15 acres of shops, restaurants and attractions. A meandering promenade of cobblestone streets connected the specialty shops,  which had an "improbable mix of New England, Spanish Colonial, and Asian themes," stood from 1963 to 2020. I remember going here when I was a kid, my grandma liked to buy lemon-pepper seasoning from one particular store. But all of the charming architecture has been completely erased from my brain.

This next one, date-stamped "September, 1979" is a bit baffling to me. I thought it was from Knott's Berry Farm's "Roaring '20's Airfield" (there was a little airplane ride over there); but I found a photo of a ride that looked essentially identical to the one in the photo, complete with the checkerboard "control tower", from Six Flags Great America in Illinois. It's called the Red Baron, and it looks way too scary for me.

This last one, dated "September, 1970" was also a complete mystery to me. I asked friend of the blog Chris Merritt if he had any idea where this could be (because I mistakenly thought it might be Knott's again), and he thought it might be Sea World San Diego as they had this Cap’n Kidd’s play area at one time in the late 70s/early 80s. That's sounds like a pretty good guess!

I hope you have enjoyed these oddball slides.

50s Randos

Randos! You never know what you're going to get with randos. It could be a photo of somebody's big toe, or a picture of the Tomorrowland Spaceman eating a Zagnut bar. You don't see either of those fascinating subjects today, but I think you'll like  them anyway.

Here's a neat undated slide featuring one a Rainbow Mountain Stagecoach rumbling along the trail right next to the Rivers of America. Perhaps somebody on the Mark Twain saw it pass and thought that it was worthy of a photo. The Stagecoaches ran from June 26, 1956 until September 13, 1959. The landscaping looks kind of scraggly and undeveloped, so I'm guessing that this photo is from earlier in the attractions' run.

Next is this nice (undated) photo of a Mom and her son on the Tomorrowland Autopia. Those little cars took a beating, even with the springy surrounding bumpers. Notice on the side, below the steering wheel, you can see the external brake lever that Cast Members could step on, for safety's sake. I love all of the Bob Gurr Autopia designs (even the ones that he disparages), but the Mark I thru IV (essentally visually the same) are classic beauties.

 

Town Square - July 17, 1980

Here's a trio of scans from photos taken by Lou Perry, courtesy of his daughter, Sue B! They are from July 17, 1980 - the actual day of Disneyland's 25th Anniversary, though things look surprisingly uncrowded. Where is everybody? Other than those subdued blue and silver banners, you'd hardly know this was anything but an ordinary day. Notice the "Fun Rope", which was a B-coupon attraction in 1980, and we can see why. I'd love to know what was on display in the storefront to the left. I'd also love some eggs.

More guests are hankerin' for a big plate of eggs. Not cooked, just cracked raw into a glass, the way Rocky Balboa liked them. Gonna fly now! I'm still baffled by the lack of crowds - maybe they celebrated the 25th anniversary on July 18th, when the park opened to the public? 

There's Mickey and Minnie! With what might be a line of people waiting for their turn for a photo. You'll often find Mickey and/or Minnie in the park right around this same area today. 

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

 

An Odd Selection From the 1970s

I grabbed three scans from a batch from sometime in the early 1970s - they're not super amazing, but three of them will fill you right up.

"Old Unfaithful" is as spectacular as I'd always heard. This miracle of nature erupts sporadically (hence the name), and puts the geysers in Yellowstone park to shame. Plus, Disneyland doesn't have any smelly bison to deal with! Win/win.

The Canoes were still the "Indian War Canoes" in the 70s - I'm judging this by the way the CM in the bow is costumed. The attraction was renamed "Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes" in 1971 (I believe), so that helps us date these. The old Fishing Dock was now a place to smoke cigarettes and talk about the latest episode of "All In the Family".

A nice lady poses for a photo on the bridge over the moat. The park looks so laid-back and pleasant, that was a good day to visit!

 

Stuff From the Box!

Stuff From The Box! It's the Stuff that America is talking about!

Let's begin with this awesome premium Jet Plane Ring, a Kellogg's PEP giveaway (Pep cereal had the best prizes) from 1948. A ring with a gleaming silver jet plane on it would be cool enough, but this one is spring-loaded! Just pull the little tab (to the right) back and fire the plane into mom's meatloaf mix.

The planes would get lost, though to be honest these rings are not terribly rare. Still, they are pretty cool, so they can go for over ten million dollars.

Here's a vintage comic's page ad. Mother knows best!

Next, two similar badges with a jolly little elf waving to us. One says "I am a pal of Tiny Tawker". Huh? As far as I can determine, Tiny Tawker appeared on calendars with illustrations by famed artist Andrew Loomis in the 1950s. Tiny did elf stuff (as you might expect). It seems that he was also used as a mascot for many companies, such as Tri-City Dairy. 

You know how I love me a vintage employee pin or badge! And this one is from the Campbell Soup company. Contractor 269 probably supplied the little star-shaped pasta for "Chicken and Stars" soup, a position that required top security clearance so that the Russkies couldn't steal our idea. Give me some tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. NOW!

Another vintage pin is this brass example worn by a Burger King employee. Was it given after 50 years of service? "Frankly, this is the first one we've ever bestowed on an employee!". I would be proud to wear it, I'll tell you what.

Speaking of brass, here's a nice uniform button from a Western Airlines employee. At one time, Western advertised itself as "America's Oldest Airline" - whether that's a true fact or not, I could not determine. However, it did start operations in 1925; Charles Lindberg did not cross the Atlantic until 1927. In the early years Western used such motifs as arrowheads and the profile of an Indian chief. Later they became well known for their slogan, "Western Airlines; the o-o-o-o-nly way to fly!". 

And finally here's a fun little plastic advertising keychain from the Orkin pest control company. Founded by Otto Orkin in 1901, the name "Otto" was also used for The Orkin Man. Call him if ya gots bugs! He'll blast them with something totally safe, I'm sure. 

You already know that there is lots more STUFF FROM THE BOX.

Vintage Snapshots

Here are more scans of some vintage snapshots from various years, but mostly from the mid-1960s (and possibly into the 1970s). I bought this batch for one single interesting photo print, but now you are stuck looking at the rest of them! Sorry. 

It's lunchtime! You have to keep your body fueled up for an entire day's worth of excitement. Those folding chairs sure look comfortable! Everyone ordered a cold iced tea, and mom has the World's Largest Salad. The kid has an ostrich-plumed hat, so he gets extra credit. For the life of me, I could not figure out where they were eating. The folks going up steps in the background (to the left) really baffled me. 

Some of the same people pose by the bridge to Frontierland, but the clothing has changed. Perhaps they were locals who went to the park regularly. Mom's DEVO glasses are super cool.

This one might have been taken during the same visit as the first scan, and this print has the helpful date of  "August, 1965" printed on it. The mighty Columbia looks impressive in the afternoon sunlight, and a Canoe scoots along, barely visible on the River.

National Boy Scout Day

There's something in the air; I know! It's National Boy Scout Day! . I can't remember the last time I actually saw cub scouts out and about, it feels like it's been a while. But I'm sure they are out there, helping old ladies cross streets and learning woodcraft like nobody's business. Steve Stuart, aka "Nanook", sent along a photo from November 15, 1961, with him in his magnificent uniform. Notice the patches, which indicate that he is qualified to fly a jet if the pilot happens to be incapacitated. You can eat your delicious airplane food later, Nanook, somebody's got to land this bird!

I had something to contribute for the occasion; my brother gave one of those "digital picture frames" to my mom last year, and it has been a big hit - I've loaded up scans of hundreds of family photos. One of them is from May, 1969... my family lived in Huntington Beach, and my older brother joined the Cub Scouts. I remember being very jealous of his uniform and especially the cool brass kerchief slide with the face of a ferocious wolf cub! Here's my brother (on the right) and a friend in "Indian" headdresses for some reason. My younger brother and sister are to the right, and on the wall is a clock that my grandpa made, which still bongs in my mom's house!

 

DuPont Sign, New York World's Fair - March 1964

Today I am presenting the second installment of slides that feature the building and installing of the huge sign that was outside the DuPont pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair (part one was posted on January 3rd). 

As you can see, the finished components of the sign have been loaded up on a big flat-bed truck for the  journey to Flushing Meadows in Queens. Thanks to this photo, we know that the sign was built by Belsinger Sign Works, in Baltimore. Looking at Google Maps, that's roughly a four hour drive (though it is rush hour as I write this). 

Here's a photo of Belsinger Sign Works; at first I thought it was still a going concern today (you know how it is, the Internet is full of old articles). But then I found this statement from a former Belsinger employee ("NJ", since it might be impolite to reveal his name here): The sign company I worked 36 years for in Baltimore [Belsinger Signworks] made it to almost 102 years when it closed two years ago (it closed in 2021). A great legacy and a great ride. My first real job out of high school! I continue my almost 40-year sign journey with one other coworker of those 36 years at a great, larger sign company nearby. This trade truly gets in your blood, lol!

I absolutely love photos like this, showing the Fair site as a hive of activity in the weeks leading up to opening day (which was only a month or so after these photos were taken - April 22nd, 1964). Just drive your car onto the property and park in front of your pavilion! The partially-wrapped pole near the center of the image is where the DuPont sign would be mounted. The blue structure behind the gentleman to the right is a cluster of phone booths.

That tall arched structure behind the sign pole indicated the location of the 7-Up Sandwich Garden, where fresh sandwiches (hot and cold) grew on trees.

What a picture! I have another similar example for the next DuPont blog post. The giant "egg" of the IBM pavilion is to the left, the red umbrella roof of the Travelers Pavilion is above the red pickup truck, and the Bell System pavilion is in the distance, almost out of frame to the right.

It's hard to believe that the Fair would be ready for guests in a matter of weeks! There's a man above the "Sofia Movers" vehicle doing a ceremonial dance to ensure good luck. The sign is hooked up to a crane, but they have to wait for the giant hot glue gun to warm up before they can put the sign in place. Yes, I know a lot about this sort of thing. Don't be jealous. 

Stay tuned for PART THREE, whenever I get around to it!

1950s Randos

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Let our Nation reflect on the abundance of Randos, because they are totally rad." Inspired by Abe's words, I have two randos for you today.

This first one, from "sometime in the 1950s" is a swell view from a luxury Skyway gondola looking down upon the Autopia load zone, with hard-hatted NASA guys (they carry slide rules in their pockets because you just never know), and Screechy the Lonesome Iggle flying toward us for a hug. I love those old Mark I (or Mark II or Mark III or Mark IV) vehicles (those all looked essentially the same), and that Richfield billboard with the wheel-shaped space station. But what I mostly love is the views of Anaheim, just farms and farm roads and farm bugs. 

Just for yucks, how about a zoom view?

Next is another undated slide, taken on what appears to be a gloomy day (or is the photo just too dark?). Guests walk from the parking lot toward the ticket booths, with Main Street Station acting as a beacon to lure them in like moths. There's a tram right in front of them, but they presumably didn't need it. 

Two From April, 1972

That popcorn vendor might look lonely, but he's actually doing advanced quadratic equations in his head. Every once in a while, a chuckle will escape his lips - there's nothing more beautiful than math! Luckily, he also loves popcorn, and will tell guests about the history of this snack food; he even wrote an operetta about it - in Italian. Disney really hired the best of the best!

In 1972, some visitors probably thought that the giant chipmunk wasn't really there. "Stop following me, giant chipmunk! First my job interview, and now this! Shoo!". It's both tragic and hilarious. Meanwhile, the lady in dark blue is greeting Chip as if he is her best friend in the world.