New Year's Eve Tickets

Goodbye, 2016! You were a real kick in the pants. But tonight's the night when so many people party like it's 1999. As usual I'll be attending a low-key affair with many of my celebrity friends; it's a pot-luck, and I hope Beyoncé will be bringing her famous tuna noodle casserole. She puts salt 'n vinegar Ruffles potato chips on top, my favorite.

I wanted to post something unusual or special, and all I could come up with was to scan all of my Disneyland tickets from past New Year's Eve parties. There are only four, but they'll have to do.

First is this fun ticket from 1962. Tickets were a mere $5.50 - but when you adjust for inflation, that works out to about $45 in today's bucks, believe it or not. Still a relative bargain! And you get hats and noise makers. Hopefully when they say "noise makers" they mean loaded pistols, which everyone  can fire into the sky at midnight. It's a SoCal tradition. I love the artwork on this one. The park was open until 2 A.M. so I hope you had a nap.

This next one is from 1966. Pretty dull, design-wise. That $8 admission was the equivalent of about $60 today, which was quite a lot. You and your date - let's see, 60 X 2, carry the 4, divide by π, multiply the remainder by the hypotenuse, skim off the fat - that's $120! (New Math). Sure, it was a lot of money, but didn't you see the thing about noisemakers?? 

Meanwhile, I wonder why somebody punched "VOID" into this ticket. You'd think they would have just thrown the unused examples in the trash. History, shmistory.

Walt Disney passed away on December 15th, I wonder if that put a damper on things. One would think so.

As you can see, it's now 1967. This pink ticket was for advanced sales; once again I love the artwork! I wonder what bands were performing? Probably all of the acts from the recent Monterey Pop Festival. And notice that now guests would receive crazy New Year's hats! Say, what are the odds that New Year's Eve would fall on December 31 again?

And finally, another 1967 ticket, this time for those who didn't plan ahead. Be spontaneous! Sure, it will cost more, but you're worth it. I especially like that this one is unused, and does not have the dreaded VOID punched through it. Do you think that the "Surprise Midnight Spectacular" was a fireworks display?

I hope you all have a fun and safe New Year's Eve, and a happy, healthy, prosperous 2017!

Park Entrance!

Here's a nice pair of photos from different batches, each showing the entrance to Disneyland. This was a pretty exciting sight for a zillion kids, and a lot of adults too.

First up is this neat view; it's undated, but I'll take a wild guess and say that it was probably 1958 or '59 - I can just see a Grand Canyon Diorama poster in the distance (just beneath the "N"). Thanks, attraction poster! It was a beautiful day with a cloudless blue sky - maybe a little breezy (look at the pennants).  Don't you wish you were walking into the park with those people??

Next is this photo from August, 1972. The posters are gone - I wonder when they were removed? Once again there is wind from the West - maybe it will keep that summer heat down. Santa Fe is still sponsoring the Disneyland Railroad, I always like seeing that logo. The boy in the red shirt is phasing in and out of this dimension, something that happened a lot in the early 70's. 

Frontierland River, 1957

It's time to delve into a very nice batch circa 1957 - (but not 1957) - once again! It's all very confusing. Some of the slides have the hand-written date of "1957" on them, but one of them shows the Phantom Boats, which weren't around in 1957. SO.... *ahem*. Make of it what you will. Also, if you remember the cool kid to the right, he isn't wearing his sport coat here, so the family must have visited the park twice. 

Anyway, I love this first photo. That clear blue sky is somethin' else! Our two heroes pose with the Old Mill in the background. To the left we can see the white rail fence, which evokes Southern plantations. A Keel Boat and yellow passenger car from the Disneyland Railroad can also be seen.

Next is this nice shot of an Indian War Canoe gliding past; there aren't many people paddling! Give those cast members a break. One of the streams that gushes from a spring at the top of that hill on Tom Sawyer Island rushes down into the river.

A Visit From DrGoat!

I am very happy to present the first of several posts from a longtime GDB friend. His name is Peter, but you know him from the comments as DrGoat (named after a 1950 Whitman children's book that was illustrated by Peter's uncle - it is still beloved by many to this day); he will be sharing 17 photos from various years - Disneyland and one Knott's Berry Farm. I think you're going to enjoy them! 

Here's DrGoat: ... The first is me (Peter) and my Dad Aldo, 1960, July. I wish I remembered more, but I do remember we stayed at the Peter Pan Motel, spend 2 whole days there, which was a treat since we drove from Tucson and got a day at the San Diego Zoo, a day at the beach, a day at Marineland and usually a day at Disneyland and one at Knotts. We actually did 2 days at Disneyland and skipped a beach day which was fine with us.

Wow, what a vacation!

Next is this nice shot of the Flower Market, with some of DrGoat's family:

The second pic is the same day or the next day looking at flowers in the New Orleans Square area My Mom Mary, her sister Louise, and Dad. Us pretending we were interested in the flowers (my sister Christine and I) but really thinking about the rest of the park.

I don't know about you, but I find vintage photos much more interesting when I know a little bit about who's in them.

MANY THANKS to DrGoat for sharing... there are more to come!

In the Plaza, June 1963

Here's a pair taken in the general Plaza area, circa 1963.

You can't hardly visit Disneyland without taking at least one photo of Sleeping Beauty Castle. There's not much to say except that it looks very pretty with the nice landscaping. There's the wire for Tinker Bell used to "fly" over Fantasyland during the fireworks. What a view those ladies had!

I like the nice family, so neatly dressed for their park visit!

Looking eastward, we get this nice view of the Matterhorn - as usual, the beautiful trees and plants make all the difference. Look at that waterfall - no feeble drizzle, that's for sure. 

A Pair From November, 1955

Today I'm sharing two of the final three scans that I have from November, 1955. It would be nice if they were both from the same land or something, but what can you do.

First up is this ugly - but interesting! - photo, presumably take from the Disneyland Railroad just as it was about to pass behind Storybook Land. With the park being only a few months old, it is understandable as to why there are some very raw areas. The tracks for the Casey Jr. Circus Train are still exposed lumber - eventually they would be either clad in faux stone, or hidden behind lush landscaping. The little (temporary?) access road into Fantasyland is sort of interesting. I think the Skyway Chalet would eventually go right about where that mysterious container is.

Next, a familiar view of a Jungle Cruise launch as it returns to civilization. The afternoon sunlight makes for a lovely photo. Notice the Tahitian Lanai in the upper left; that would have been a great place to enjoy a leisurely meal.

Santa's Village, November 1957

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!

I wasn't sure what to share on this day, so I decided to post the last 4 slides from Santa's Village, circa 1957. Seemed appropriate.

There's a cute little train, unfortunately sort of lost in the shadows (that harsh winter sun...), but you get the gist of things. It was chilly up there in the Lake Arrowhead vicinity, everyone is bundled up with hats and mittens. There are no grownups along for the ride, I wonder if this was a "kids only" attraction. If so it must have been exciting to ditch mom and dad for a minute or two!

Is this a petting zoo, or just a looking zoo? All those deer know is that nobody has a handful of chow for them. Popcorn? Thanks for nothin'! And I might not know much, but I am smart enough to avoid a mean goose. 

Before leaving, dad snapped two photos of the parking lot and the charming entry into Santa's Village. This first one is the best, in my opinion. That forest is the real deal! One of my favorite memories of trips to the mountains is stepping out of the car and taking a deep breath that pine-scented air.

Here's the second one, and it's not bad, though we get a better look at the cars in the first one.

I hope that everyone has a peaceful and happy day.

Random Christmas Scenes

I admit that I have been scrounging for Christmas-related photos this year. I'm sure there are others in my various boxes of slides, but I'm too lazy to dig for them. SO... this is it.

Let's start with this fun (undated) view of Santa Claus in a sleigh pulled by six reindeer, and attended by two unusually tall elves. Some lucky kid got to ride with St. Nick! There's not much of a crowd, so I am not sure if this was a full-fledge parade, or just a quick appearance before Santa appeared at the local Woolworth's (or wherever). 

Wondering where this was, I looked up the "Hotel Aragon"...

... and found this vintage postcard view of the same hotel, in Madera, California. Madera is about five miles northwest of Fresno. The hotel was located on Yosemite Avenue at "D" street.

I tried to capture the same angle as photo #1, or close to it, on Google's "street view". As you can see, the Hotel Aragon has been replaced with an odd looking structure. One might think it's a bank, but in fact seems to be home to some bail bondsmen.

Next is this fun (albeit a bit dark) shot of Hollywood Boulevard, looking east from the corner of La Palma. Thanks to the marquee at the Vogue Theater, showing George Pal's "War of the Worlds", we know that this was taken in 1953. All the Christmas decorations were up, perhaps in preparations for the Santa Claus Lane Parade.

I look forward to seeing this on Facebook with my watermark cropped off.

Here's a contemporary Google view. The poor Vogue Theater is closed, and things look considerably less joyous without the decorations (and cool old cars). Notice Musso and Frank's in the distance, to the left.

More Monorail Cafe, 1999

I'll be heading out of town today, and will probably be gone for four days or so. As usual, there will be new posts for you every day, and I will try to respond to comments when I can. 

Say, howsabout some more photos of the Monorail Cafe? 

Decisions, decisions. Sure, we could sit at a table or a booth. Or we could sit at the counter. Now a booth provides just a bit of privacy, separating the diner from the rabble. It's the restaurant equivalent of the suburbs. But a counter is where the action is! It's all movement and noise and hubbub!  Plus you get to have one of those lamps shining down on you like you're the star of the show. Here's a secret: all of those table sitters are secretly jealous of the counter sitters. It's true! I read it in the Enquirer.

Part of the cafe's "retro" decor included photos of celebrities. Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh, Ricky Nelson (I think), aaaaand... gosh, they're getting pretty small... maybe Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn? George Burns and Gracie Allen? Lyle Talbot and Maila Nurmi? Alan Seuss and Ruth Buzzi? I give up.

Here's another view taken on a different day - I believe that Mr. X said that he popped in right when the place opened so that his pictures were not full of people. He loves people, he just doesn't want pictures of them - or to talk to them, or to touch them or hear them, and he certainly does not want to smell them. Other than that, they're great. Say, there are some pictures on the far wall, let's go take a flash picture of them.

So much for flash photography. Still, we can see four familiar photos featuring the Monorail throughout its history, and one photo of the Monorail's ancestor, the plucky little Viewliner.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the Monorail Cafe!

Unrejected Rejects, 1960

Once again, I've delved into the large box of rejected slides, hoping to make a few of them presentable. The results were fairly satisfactory!

You know it, you love it, the Mark Twain, soon to be Boba Fett's Galactic River Prison. The slide doesn't even have the common decency to be sepia toned. That pink! Those yellowish whites! Ugh.

But it looks pretty good after some fiddling. The sky is blue again, etcetera. Look at the straw hat on the guy standing at the bow. Best dressed. Meanwhile, even though this slide is hand-dated "1960", shouldn't Cascade Peak be at some stage of construction? Unless this is very early in the year, which it very well could be.

There's the Columbia - from the same batch as the Twain photo. You know, I don't ordinarily have anything against pink. It's a perfectly good color. Just ask Barbie. But when it comes to photos, I get all agitated!

Ahhhh, much better. The color isn't perfect, but I can live with it. Say, look at the Columbia, it's packed! They were probably giving away a complimentary Walt Disney autograph to every guest.

Santa's Village, June 1958 - Part 2

Oh boy, Christmas is almost here! I am eating mistletoe-flavored Oreos and wearing an ugly sweater, to really get into the mood. I'm also looking at some great photos from Steve Stuart's family collection. Check 'em out!

Some unidentified folks and myself seem to be heading-off in Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach – which can now be had for a “mere” $29,500.00 (with free local pickup in Roseville Oregon-!) – see here:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-1954-Pumpkin-Coach-from-Santas-Village-Skyforest-/161071192766 .  The coach should barely be three years old when this picture was taken – and it certainly has that ‘showroom new look’ about it.

And once again, just back from her latest photo shoot… my mom poses next to-??

And finally, my dad also posing next to the ‘mystery vehicle’.

[It's me, your humble editor again; what IS that vehicle? It's like a charming sled with wire mesh to hold hardened criminals. Maybe some sort of potentially dangerous animal (a bear?) was sometimes inside? Chime in if you know].

Supposedly, Santa's Village will be reopening sometime soon, I am very curious to see what it will look like. Thanks as always to Steve Stuart for sharing his photos.