Disneyland Souvenir Guidebook, 1965 - Part 3
Today I am proud to present part 3 in a series of posts that feature the wonderful 1965 Disneyland souvenir guidebook - courtesy of scans from GDB regular JG. Be sure to go back and see the first two posts, if you haven't already seen them.
Adventureland! A place of dangerous animals and mysterious ruins. I love that classic "Adventureland" font. In the inset photo, Walt wears a skipper's hat - imagine taking a tour through the rivers of the world with him as your guide! Notice that the description on this page is in quotes, as if somebody just happened to transcribe something that Walt said.
Once again, a striking graphic motif was used; bamboo, orchids, and bromeliads - along with a human skull for fun. Notice the tour guide with a group of guests following her like baby chicks.
That bird looks very "Rolly Crump" to me (as does the tiki god), I wonder if he could have had anything to do with this guidebook? Yeah, probably not.
Of course the famous Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted Tiki Room get the lion's share (see what I did there?) of coverage.
One of the most interesting sections of the '65 guidebook is near the back; Disneyland history is combined with concepts and artwork for future attractions.
The first paragraph states that "Drawings for a 'Disneyland' actually date back to the early 1930's". Really?? This is news to me.
Mickey Mouse is working on something called the Haunted Mansion - I'm sure that will open next year. The written description is pretty accurate to what was eventually realized. To the right is Sam McKim's painting (based on a Ken Anderson drawing), while one of Rolly Crump's surprisingly colorful pieces is shown in the lower left.
More hoopla! I find it amusing that Disneyland's "navy" is compared to Britain's fleet of warships during their domination of the seas. I'll bet any British Admiral would quake in his boots when a fleet of canal boats and motor boats were spied on the horizon.
I would have loved this page, chock full of construction photos, dating from the earliest years to slightly more contemporary attractions, such as the Swiss Family Treehouse, the Submarine Voyage, and the Columbia.
Imagine: it's 1965, and a new "land" has been announced. New Orleans Square! I love the artwork; the piece at the top looks like an architectural elevation, with color added. In the middle, a piece by Dorothea Redmond (thanks Mike Cozart!), which makes New Orleans Square look massive. And at the bottom, a view of the beautiful Blue Bayou, along with a hint of things to come with the "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Thanks as always to JG! Stay tuned for the fourth and final part, coming up.
27 comments:
Major:
The color elevation shown on the NEW ORLEANS SQUARE announcement page was done by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond.
That very first page (with the aerial view of the Jungle Cruise) actually shows the Pirates of the Caribbean building under construction. What an exciting time in Disneyland history, with Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion still on the horizon. I used to love any info that I could get about "future attractions", but unfortunately, Disney stopped announcing them in these pictorial souvenir books by the time I started purchasing them. However, my very first DL wall map had the "Spaceport and Rocket Flight" (Space Mountain) listed as a future attraction years before it ever opened.
Thank you, JG and Major, for sharing these images!
Ah, yes. The lion's share. You should've applied for a job as a Jungle Cruise skipper at the Park.
The bamboo background with the multicolored "Adventureland" lettering is really eye pleasing. Nice style through out this section of the pictorial souvenir. Also dig the drawing of the stack of skulls with spears giving it a sense of danger and foreboding.
In my opinion, one of the best pictorial souvenir booklets ever published by Disneyland. Thanks for sharing from your collection, JG. And thank you for presenting it, Major.
TokyoMagic!, I remember when the coming attractions page in the 1960 pictorial souvenir booklet featured "Adventures in Science". That one intrigued me.
And about the DL wall map... "Spaceport and Rocket Flight" sure did shrink in size when it became "Space Mountain".
Major, I think the drawing of NOS that you said looks like an architectural drawing with color is by Dorothea Redmond; the middle image with the two nuns is by Herb Ryman.
Steve has swooped in to identify what is probably my favorite Herb Ryman work: the NOS riverfront.
Great scans, remarks and observations; thanks to all.
It's the golden age of Disneyland, just ten years old and still growing. To me, as a child growing up in North Hollywood, Disneyland had always been there. Even today, it's hard to imagine what it must have been like the day Walt stood in an orange grove and imagined the "happiest place on Earth". I wonder how many people thought he had lost his mind. These excellent scans of this colorful guidebook show that some of the best is yet to come. My best pig for a Wayback Machine! Thanks to JG and Major P. for the memories and the pics.
Thank you, JG and Major, for these splendiferous scans. Herb Ryman's New Orleans sketch shows that planned buccaneer barker above the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean; imagine what his come-on-in spiel would have been like.
If there's one lesson my twentieth-century American upbringing instilled in me, it's that human headbones = unmitigated merry old fun.
I noticed that "Danger Island," the latest season of Archer, uses a slightly bastardized version of the Adventureland font in the opening credits.
Since Mickey Mouse is in the parks, I guess technically drawings of things in the parks go back to the 1920's.
imagine what his come-on-in spiel would have been like.
Maybe similar to the Pirate Barker Bird that used to grace the entrance of PotC in Florida.
Barker Bird 1989
I agree that this is probably the best souvenir guide they ever did. Incidentally, that Mansion artwork of the "Great Hall" is by Marc Davis, not Rolly Crump.
Humorous 'trapped safari'. Man I gotta see that! I loved this park.
FYI, I found "The Magic of Disneyland and Walt Disney World" by Valerie Childs (mentioned by Melissa and TM in the first installment) at ABEBooks for $4, including shipping.
Thanks JG and the Major
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Ken, I remember the first "old" wall map and pictorial souvenir book that I ever purchased, showing the Adventures In Science attraction. The artwork for the interior looked really intriguing. I wonder what the attraction would have been like? I also wonder if the Space Port and Rocket Flight was going to be a two-track attraction, like the Matterhorn and like WDW's Space Mountain? That would explain why it looked so big on the map.
Stefano, Wow...I never knew there was supposed to be a Pirate Barker above the entrance to POTC! You learn something new everyday!
David Z., I'm glad that you were able to get a copy of that book! Remember, there are two smaller versions by the same author. One just concentrates on DL and the other, WDW. However, if I'm remembering correctly, some (but not all) of the photos are repeats from the combo book.
Major and Melissa, I'm kind of surprised by that "1930's" date too. How far back do the sketches for that "Mickey Mouse Park" go back? It was supposed to be located across from the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, so what year did they move there? Was it right after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? I think it's been stated that Walt realized that piece of land across the street was too small to hold all of his "dreams." But I wonder if that park had actually been built, if it would have eventually been shut down and relocated, or if Walt would have just built a second park and ran both.
I just noticed a photo of Rainbow Ridge construction. I have seen many building Disneyland pics, but never one of my favorite Frontierland scenes. I have fond memories of Rainbow Ridge. So cool!
Just happened to have watched the Disneyland 10th Anniversary special; in that third image, the shot of the Tiki Room has the same group of people as in the film. Kind of a deja vu moment.
Thanks for sharing, JG!
WOW! Thanks JG and Major for sharing this guidebook. I too love how Walt appeared in the guidebook enjoying the attractions he built.
Interesting things of notice and questions to boot. That first photo does indeed show Pirates of the Caribbean under construction, but it also shows that the water way between the Jungle Cruise and the Rivers of America is paved over (the pipe that connects is still under ground there as all the "green/brown" Disneyland water ways were connected... or at least they were before Indiana Jones was built). Does anyone know when they removed the bridge and paved over the water way?
Ponderous /pänd(ə)rəs/ - adjective - slow and clumsy because of great weight. Who knew?
That fourth image of the Jungle Cruise loading dock is interesting. The box in the forground with the lock on it. That was moved to the Unload dock between this time of 1965 and 1986. The box contains the Guest Control ropes that we would put up when the line extended beyond the permanent rope queue (which used to run all the way back to the Adventureland ticket booth) near a Tree planter and the Swiss Family Treehouse).
Also , I really like seeing the boats with their rudders on them. The rudders in 1986 were actually rubber (and so was the rope on the front of the boat) because at times the boat would bump into each other at the dock. Does anyone know when the real rudders were replaced? Or does anyone know when the rope appeared on the front of the boats? Rudders started to disappear when Imagineering (lead by Show Quality and Kim Irvine) started to re-theme the striped explores launch to become more "lived on" boats with character... this is also the start of the decline when they removed the padded bench for hard plastic "boxes" (don't get me started). Now, with all due respect to Kim and her team... I cannot say if it was her decision to remove the padded seats.
"Drawings for a "Disneyland" actually date back to the early 1930's"... huh? News to me too Major.
That picture of the bulldozer below the "Once upon a time..." may be an image of the Jungle Cruise rail... but that seems odd to me. Does anyone else have a guess? Also, it appears that picture below the Columbia (in the same scan) may be of the River Belle Terrace being built where the Aunt Jemima Pancake House once stood.
What a fantastic post!
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
PS - Hi Mike! Good to connect my friend.
Tokyo Magic & Ken:
The Tomorrowland Space Port & Space Adventure (Space Mountain) was originaly anticipated to be added in 1968 as PHASE 2 of the New 1967 Tomorrowland. This complex -entirely under cover featured a 4 track rocket sled coaster , a restaurant “ refreshment garden” ( sponsored by 7-Up) an indoor elevated dance floor, a space themed shooting gallery and SATURN : a indoor Rocket Jets done as a saucer craft - also was to have been a re-located Flying Saucers attraction. All these inside the “mountain “ structure with the Space Adventure rockets shooting abouve. The 4 track computer control system became more complicated to develop and the whole project was temporarily shelved as funds and labor were diverted to the developing Florida projects.
An interesting note: in the 1967-1968 plans for Disneyland’s Space Mountain were the spire “sateloids” and at various points the Rocket vehicles would appear outside of the building into daylight and jet back inside into darkness. To make the building appear even taller, quarter size miniature prop rockets vehicles -filled with fake passengers-emerged from the highest points ( ala miniature Atom mobiles in Inner Pace) making it look from the outside an attraction going to great heights.
At Disneyland’s Space Mountain opening John Hench said at the dedication speach that Space Mountain Complex was always suppose to have been here - despite a decades delay.
Dear All-
Thanks for all the great commentary here. You-all FORCED ME to finally grab my own copy of this guidebook and am now fully-engulfed in all its goodness.
Thanks again to JG, and The Major.
Mike Cozart, I have seen a piece of artwork for Space Mountain's exterior, showing rockets on a track outside of the show building. Were the actual ride vehicles going to come outside in addition to the miniature vehicles, or would it have only been the miniatures that were seen outside? Either way, that is a fascinating bit of info. Thanks for sharing that!
Great insights Mike! Thank you!! Love the idea of a "refreshment garden" sponsored by 7-Up. Wish that one would have come true. The space Place was a nice try.
I must admit... I remember many a good night in the summer of the early 1980s dancing to Poppa-Do-Run-Run (California surf cover band) at the Space Stage in front of Space Mountain. The fact that they did build three of the five items you mention is still very, VERY, impressive.
Always your pal,
Matt
So fun to see photos that returned in later guide books, including my treasured, dog-eared, loose-covered (and, sadly, now lost) 1974 edition.
I'd never noticed how much the photo of the two hippos on the second page resembles the logo of the Toledo (Ohio) Zoo. While I know that the logo is based on astatue that originally graced the entrance to the African Savanna exhibit from 1986 to some point after 2004, that statue, in turn, could very easily have been inspired by the earlier photo. Considering how many years I was a member of that zoo (I even have a cling sticker in my car window of that logo), I can't believe I never made the connection before.
While I didn't remember ever reading anything about park drawings going back to the early 1930's, I stumbled on this excerpt from Neal Gabler's book unexpectedly while slumming on another blog today (please forgive me, Major! I'll always come back to you...). It pulls together memories of several of Walt's associates of when they first heard of his ideas foe what eventually became Disneyland, and they stretch back to the Snow White era. It's quite possible that he may have had some basic sketches as early as Diane's toddlerhood.
Thanks again, JG and Major, for pulling this post together, and thanks all for the great (as usual) discussion!
Tokyo Magic; yes there were full size actual ride vehicles that came in and out of the structure on lower and mid levels . The higher top level sateloids supported the miniature prop ride vehicles that creatated the illusion the top of space mountain was far higher in the sky than it was. Imagine if that had happened and how collectors would covet “an original vintage Tomorrowland Space Adventure miniature hight effect Rocket Sled”!!!!
All the indoor features like The Dance floor, Flinging Saucers , 7-up garden were all located on different level height terraces -all connected by SpeedRamps. SATURN and the Shooting Gallery were on the lower flower as well as the “Space Adventure” unload.
Early Florida Space Mountain kept a similar exterior look to the Disneyland 1968 version with a “crescent shape” footprint. It had a refreshment garden and a SPACE EXHIBIT still in the plan - but the 4 track rocket sleds had been reduced to 2.
The term was SPACE MOUNTAIN was coined by Walt Disney himself. John Hench said Walt always referred to the building as “The mountain” when discussing the plans over models. So as a salute to Walt SPACE ADVENTURE became SPACE MOUNTAIN.
Flinging Saucers could be a great name for a dinner show if they ever build a Greece Pavilion at EPCOT.
Mike Cozart, that is some awesome detailed information on the planning stages of Space Mountain you shared. It reminds me of the original plans for Discovery Mountain at the Paris theme park and the elaborate artwork showing the Indiana Jones Adventure being integrated with the Jungle Cruise, Disneyland Railroad and an Indy Mine Car ride. It's amazing how a project is so ambitious and over the top and then gets pared down into something less grand and more practical. Thanks again for sharing.
And thanks for sharing that bit about the naming of SPACE MOUNTAIN. I always wondered how they came up with that name.
Sorry guys, I was super busy yesterday and was too tired to respond to all the comments by the time I got home. So here’s a first: After typing a long LONG response to all of the comments, blogger told me that my response was TOO long. So I will break it up into two parts.
PART ONE:
Mike Cozart, thanks for the correction, I’m sure you noticed that I fixed the error.
TokyoMagic!, that’s one of the things that is so appealing about this guidebook, Walt and his Imagineers had so many great ideas, and the park felt so vital and energetic. I guess it really shows how different things are when you have a leader who knows what he wants - “Pirates” and the Mansion were two of the most expensive attractions ever, but he would do whatever it took to realize his vision. I know that he passed away by the time of the Haunted Mansion, but it still feels like his team was trying to “do him proud”. The “Spaceport and Rocket Flight” first appeared on the 1966 souvenir wall map, amazing that they included it so darn early.
K. Martinez, with quality jokes like that, I should have my own sitcom on the Dumont network. The only other guidebook that gives this one a run for its money is the “Summer ’67” book, and that one is small in size. The large size of the ’65 book really makes an impact.
K. Martinez, I still don’t know what “Adventures in Science” was supposed to be exactly, but that artwork was so appealing! I love the artwork for the Spaceport that is on that Collin Campbell map, the thing looks so huge!
Steve DeGaetano, you are right of course - I saw Mike Cozart’s correction before I saw yours, but definitely keep letting me know when I make a mistake!
Jonathan, when you consider that Anaheim was a sleepy town with orange and walnut groves, it really is amazing what impact Disneyland had on the city, not to mention Orange County in general.
Stefano, see Mike Cozart and Steve DeGaetano’s comments - I made the mistake of crediting Herbie Ryman rather than Dorothea Redmond. Also… I never knew there was a concept of a pirate barker above “Pirates”… that would have been amazing, and I’m sure it would have stopped foot traffic completely.
Melissa, skulls are better than throw pillows if you want to spice up the decor of your home or apartment. Now that I think about it, I guess I have read that Walt was considering a little park near the studio as far back as the 30’s (due to public demand).
Melissa II, I can’t help thinking they would have used Paul Frees to do the voice of the barker pirate!
HBG2, man, I am making mistakes right and left. Somehow I always thought that that particular artwork with its bright (garish?) colors was from Rolly. Thanks for the correction.
PART TWO:
David Zacher, congrats on finding that book for a pittance! It’s amazing how colorful and bright the park seems. It was the 1970’s at its best.
TokyoMagic!, if I wasn’t so lazy I would hunt down some of my books. I believe that they moved to Burbank in 1939, and I would not be surprised if Walt hadn’t already thought about some sort of little park, even in the most basic of concepts. I’ll bet they all involved a train!
Jonathan, I have one or two photos (maybe just one!) in which Rainbow Ridge is under construction. Google Image Search is being bad though, I can’t find it when I search for it.
Tom, wow, you paid way more attention than I ever did!
Matthew, thanks for all your great observations. I’m sure I have read about when the waterway was paved over (the “E-Ticket” magazine, anyone?), but I’ll be darned if I can remember. I wonder why they had to lock the box with the ropes?? Maybe some unscrupulous guests would have helped themselves to a souvenir. Rubber rudders, who knew? Not me! I do think that’s a Jungle Cruise rail in that one photo.
Mike Cozart, WOW, imagine if that version had actually been built! It sounds fantastic. Reminds me a little bit of the enormous complex planned for Disneyland Paris, with the “Nautlius” submarine and other stuff all beneath the dome of attraction. I love the concept of them fooling folks by using miniature rockets filled with fake passengers a la “Adventure Thru Inner Space”! So cool.
Nanook, mine is still in a plastic bag somewhere at my mom’s house…
TokyoMagic!, in a way it would have been cool to zoom outside the show building, but it also wouldn’t make a lot of sense as far as I can tell. Maybe they had a story to explain it. During the day, the sudden transition from dark to sunlight and back would have been very jarring!
Matthew, I’ve seen lots of very grand concept art - I suppose it’s pretty usual to think big and then scale things back.
Chuck, interesting about the Toledo Zoo. The logo really does resemble that photo! I could totally see some graphic designer being inspired by perhaps that very picture. Thanks for the link to the excerpt from the Neal Gabler book, which has a lot of good info in spite of its many flaws!
Mike Cozart, I would have DEFINITELY wanted one of those miniature vehicles! How many thousands would they fetch if they existed? I’m sure the sheer cost of building the Spaceport as conceived would have been prohibitive, but it’s SO darn cool!
Melissa, I can’t decide if “flinging” is a typo, or if they really had an idea for something called “flinging saucers”!
K. Martinez, ha ha, great minds think alike, see my previous comment to Mike Cozart! And yeah, I also did think of that particular concept art combining “Indy” with the train and the Jungle Cruise. It would have been so incredible.
Thank you everyone for the brilliant comments, and Major, for hosting the post. I think posting all this stuff is as much work as the original scans. I'm glad you are all enjoying it.
Too bad this dropped on a day that I'm away from my desk. I do really enjoy reading what everyone else sees in these familiar photos. Details that I never suspected existing. I'm going back to the book with a magnifying glass and a printout of these comments. It's like getting a whole new book. Thank you each and every one.
I think my favorite of the construction photos is the guy carrying the giant squid arms on his shoulders.
Re: Space Mountain. Thanks Mike Cozart for the great backstory. The grand model of Disneyland in the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco shows the ride vehicles coming out into the sunshine. I thought that was artistic license for that model (which has a lot of license), thanks for confirming that was part of the original concept.
JG
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