Today's photos are undated, but I wouldn't feel too bad about guestimating them as being from September, 1956. Er... give or take a year??
This first late-afternoon image shows guests leaving the park, and discovering that the fun didn't end at the gates! There was a group of wonderful antique autos on display, and man, they are beauties! The bodies of some of them might have been built by companies that had previously built luxury carriages - many adapted to the age of the automobile. The example to the far right reminded me a bit of the Munster Koach...
... until I really looked at the Munster Koach again. Well, they're both black, anyway. Remember when I posted the photo below, way back in 2010? Remember when there was a song about the Munster Koach?? Do you remember where I left my wallet?
Anyway, what was the deal with the old jalopies? Wulp, look at this post from 2008, when I shared some other photos featuring antique cars in Town Square; Disneyland used to have regular displays by the "Horseless Carriage Club". It must have been fun to watch a parade of these classics, which would have been perhaps 30 or 40 years old at the time!
Major-
ReplyDeleteWhat fun times at The Park. And I'm afraid those "late model" autos are a bit too early for me to attempt any proper identification. Any other takers-??
Thanks, Major.
Sure thing, Nanook! From left to right, there's a brown one, a white one, a red one with a white soft top, and then a black or navy blue one.
ReplyDeleteParades of old cars always make me think of the end credits to Speed Racer.
I have your wallet, Major. I'll e-mail it to you.
Love the awesome Munster Koach and the glorious telephone pole behind it. As a child, I was huge fan of the Barris designed and customized autos of 1960's hot rod era.
ReplyDeleteThese are some nice pics. Why doesn't Disneyland do cool stuff like this anymore? Need I ask? Thanks, Major.
That car in the last pic reminds me of the car that Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson drove around in (while singing "Detroit") in The Happiest Millionaire. Lately, everything is reminding me of The Happiest Millionaire.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see a clear shot of that Hawaiian shirt that guy is sporting there by the red jalopy. And thanks for that link to that song. I made it through about 40 seconds before I had to hit the red button. Whew.
ReplyDeleteNanook, there’s not a Pontiac or a Chevrolet in the bunch! Or maybe there IS, who knows.
ReplyDeleteChuck, man, you really know your cars. Good grief, I have watched hundreds of hours of “Speed Racer”, but I must have changed the channel once the end credits ran. I don’t ever remember seeing that sequence before.
K. Martinez, it’s funny, I had no idea that there was a whole culture (kulture?) of Munster Koach fandom… I found my scan on some OTHER website.
TokyoMagic!, what is the deal with “The Happiest Millionaire”?? I have never seen it. Mr. X also has recommended that I avoid “Bon Voyage” and “The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band” (Fred MacMurray somehow avoided being in that last one).
DrGoat, I’ll bet collectors of vintage Hawaiian shirts would pay big money for an original from the 1950’s!
They used to have auto shows at Disneyland? Not surprising. I remember reading how they tried to have a state's fair back in the late 1980s with a ferris wheel and everything. Now that would have been interesting.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I live on the East Coast, so I've only been to the park in Florida.
Major, perhaps it's on TokyoMagic!'s mind because this year marks the 50th anniversary of "The Happiest Millionaire"-?
ReplyDeleteI actually like the music from “The Happiest Millionaire” as well as “The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" as I'm a fan of the Sherman Brothers work, but I'll admit the films are a little hard to sit through and watch in their entirety.
The Disney Dudebro, They also had "Love Bug Day" at Disneyland in 1969 in which hundreds of Volkswagen "Bugs" were decorated by their owners and drove in a parade down Main Street U.S.A.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOumxKeLQ0o
I went to Disneyland's "State Fair" several times which I thought was pretty cool. You could ride the Ferris Wheel in the Plaza to get some unique views of Disneyland from the height of the Ferris Wheel. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me.
Major, I guess I have The Happiest Millionaire on the brain lately, because I just watched it a couple weeks ago and I've been listening to the soundtrack at home and in the car. I've always liked the music from that movie (with the exception of the two songs that Fred MacMurray tries to sing). Again, it's an odd movie, but I liked it the very first time I watched it. I am also a big fan of Lesley Ann Warren's. Now having said that, I remember that I didn't feel the same way about Disney's The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (where she's paired up again with John Davidson), but I haven't seen that movie since the 1980's, so it might be time to revisit that one.
ReplyDeleteKen, I hadn't even thought about the 50th anniversary of the movie, but thanks for the reminder. Maybe it's not too late to throw a blog post together in honor of the occasion!
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, You have until December 7th of this year.
ReplyDeleteFortuosity, that's me byword
Fortuosity, me twinkle in the eye word
Sometimes castles fall to the ground
But that's where four leaf clovers are found
Yeah, I'm going to have to pull out my copy and watch again.
@ TM!- & Ken-
ReplyDeleteTWICE at Radio City Music Hall in 1967, in its entire 164 minute, UGH-! version, was just fine with me. I do believe I again saw it in the 1980's or 90's, which is why I have less-than-favorable things to say about it. (But then, that's just me...)
Nanook, I'm a fan of the live-action Disney films from Walt's era and a little after, but I do know that for many people, including Disney enthusiasts, the films are unwatchable. In the big picture, it is the animation and theme parks that Disney is famous for, not it's live-action films. For me, there are clunkers and some hidden gems within the Disney live-action library. Still I enjoy them, but I completely understand why many have unfavorable opinions about them.
ReplyDeleteFrom 2nd through 6th grades (1976-81 for me), most of the films I saw in the theater were Disney films at the Base Theater well after their first run off-base. In fact, I think the contracts the Army-Air Force Exchange Service had with the distributors at the time stipulated that they couldn't be shown on base - at a significant price reduction to Servicemembers and their families - until after they'd finished their first run off base (we didn't get Star Wars on base until 1979!).
ReplyDeleteWatching the Disney movies during that period meant not only re-releases of Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, Davy Crockett, and the initial release of The Rescuers, it also meant watching films like The Shaggy D.A., The Baker Street Irregulars, Unidentified Flying Oddball, and The Last Flight of Noah's Ark. While I still enjoy all of these films today, I understand their limited appeal to certain - perhaps most - segments of the moviegoing population.
The Disney Dudebro, I think I have one or two photos (photo prints) showing the ferris wheel near Main Street Station, it’s a weird sight to see.
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, all I know from the music is “Fortuosity”, which is a perfectly good song. I’m sure I can hear the whole soundtrack on YouTube, maybe I need to check it out.
K. Martinez again, wouldn’t it have been fun to drive a bug down Main Street? I’d love to hear from somebody who participated in that event.
TokyoMagic!, I admit that there are actually MANY Disney live-action movies that I have not seen. Including “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, which is supposed to be pretty good! That is one that I should probably check out. I definitely think Lesley Ann Warren was super pretty, but can’t think of much that I’ve seen with her (never saw “Clue” either).
TokyoMagic! again, I notice that you completely ignored the 35th anniversary of “Million Dollar Duck” a few years ago. WHY?!?!?!
K. Martinez, does Pearl Harbor Day have something to do with The Happiest Millionaire?
Nanook, if you saw it twice, you must have liked it to some degree? If it was really bad, I can’t imagine you would have gone back.
K. Martinez, there was a period in which some of the Disney live action movies were just terrible. “Gus”, the place-kicking mule. “The World’s Greatest Athlete”. “Superdad”. “Rascal”, “The Boatniks”, “The Snowball Express”… not on anyone’s “best of” lists, I’ll wager.
Chuck, oh man, “Unidentified Flying Oddball”, I forgot about that one. What about “Condorman”? Or “The Devil and Max Devlin”?
Disney released a number of very enjoyable live-action films - some of which were: Treasure Island (I ran a nitrate print of that film, once); 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; Old Yeller; Kidnapped; Pollyanna; Swiss Family Robinson; The Absent Minded Professor; The Parent Trap (1961); Mary Poppins (a hybrid film - but still). There are certainly others - some of which came later. But by the time things moved from the 1960's into the 1970's, the pickins' were pretty slim.
ReplyDeleteI own The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, mainly as it was released on Blu-ray. And although hokey - certainly enjoyable on many levels. Frighteningly, the sharpness and color of the transfer is nothing short of spectacular. It figures.
Major-
ReplyDeleteI saw Millionaire... twice, as it was part of the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall - complete with the Rockettes - and I was on vacation there at the time. Undoubtedly, I had a good time for both showings.
It's amazing that those 30 or 40-year-old cars are almost nothing like the current models in those pictures, but a 30 or 40-year-old car now is not nearly so different than a current one.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel like the cars that I see at car shows now are pretty much the same era cars as I saw in the 1980s. Somehow, post-1960s cars rarely seem to make the leap into "classics"
Chuck, do you mean "The North Avenue Irregulars"? The one with the band called "Strawberry Shortcake"? My eyes roll in their sockets when I first heard the name of the band, but I can still watch and enjoy it on some level.
ReplyDeleteMajor, I agree with you on every film you picked. Those are some real turkeys. If I had to pick the biggest turkey from the pre-Eisner era it would have to be "Herbie Goes Bananas". Dreadful!
Nanook, you picked all the classics! Some of the smaller gems I like are "The Three Lives of Thomasina" and "Darby O'Gill and the Little People". I think those are well done and still very entertaining. I noticed you picked one from the Dexter Riley trilogy. I have all three of those. Yes, they are corny, but still fun on a certain level. And I know Pollyanna isn't popular among the male sector, but I love that film for its old-time Americana. That was something that Disney was really good at.
The Apple Dumpling Gang is the only movie I regret being taken to the drive-in to see.
ReplyDeleteKen, Fortu-icious little happy happenstances! I also want to know about the significance of Pearl Harbor day in relation to the anniversary of the movie's release. When I look it up, it appears to have been released in the month of June.
ReplyDeleteNanook, please tell me that the Rockettes were wearing alligator costumes and boxing gloves! And I remember seeing The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes in the theater when it originally came out. I liked all three of the "Dexter Reilly" movies.
Major, I did not see Bedknobs and Broomsticks until the eighties when it came out on video and I was a little disappointed in it. Mary Poppins, it is not! And although I'm a Lesley Ann Warren fan, I did not see Clue until recently. I really enjoyed it. It gets a little convoluted though....especially with it's three different endings that are included on the DVD. Oh, and I somehow missed that anniversary of $1,000,000 Dollar Duck. I love that movie. How can anything with Sandy Duncan be bad? It just can't be! I've been trying to figure out an angle on a "Sandy Duncan" blog post for some time now. I'll do it one of these days.
Chuck and Ken, The North Avenue Irregulars is another favorite of mine. Seriously. How can anything with Cloris Leachman, Karen Valentine, Barbara Harris, Susan Clark and Ruth Buzzi be bad? It just can't be.
@ Ken-
ReplyDeleteI also have Pollyanna on Blu-ray. And although your assessment of the film may be true, I enjoy it for the same reason as you.
@ TM!-
Seems unlikely the Rockettes were wearing alligator costumes w/boxing gloves - but it's been a long time-!
Ken & TM!, yes, I did mean North Avenue Irregulars. I apparently read too much Conan Doyle. Thanks for the correction. And nothing, repeat, nothing with Karen Valentine can be wholly bad. I still remember the voiceover for the TV spots for Hot Lead and Cold Feet - "starring Don Knotts...Jim Dale...and Karen Valentine." At that point, I knew I had to see it.
ReplyDeleteI still have the Scholastic Book Club novelizations for all four of the original Herbie movies (including the dreadful Goes Bananas, plus Hot Lead, Unidentified Flying Oddball, and The Cat From Outer Space.
Ken & Nanook, my wife is a big fan of Pollyanna, both the movie and the book. We have both hard- and soft-bound copies of the novel and VHS and DVD copies of the film.
Nanook, perhaps the Rockettes were wearing boxing shorts and carrying alligator purses?