I have some real beauties (in glorious black and white) for you today, courtesy of Lou and Sue! These are from June, 1956, which Sue says was the first time her parents went to Disneyland. JEALOUS.
I love this great shot of Main Street Station with the turnstiles and various signs ("Strollers and Wheel Chairs ENTER HERE"). I've never done the research to see when the framed posters were placed near Mickey's floral portrait, but there they are, less than a year after Disneyland opened. Notice the passenger cars stopped at the station!
It's hard to be certain, but I think the clock says that it is 2:04-ish.
Here's a second great view, and we haven't even set foot inside the park yet. There's the old ticket booths, notice the sign for special admission prices for juniors, service men, and "members of clergy". Adults, $1 - children, 50 cents. The little booth to the left says "Admission Only", for those guests who wanted to come in, walk around, listen to the Disneyland Band, but might not want to ride any attractions. I've never seen that before!
I thought that this woman might be someone familiar to Sue, but as far as she knows, the lady is just a random guest. The phone booth to the right appears to be occupied. "Judy? You'll never guess where I'm calling from!".
Who are those boys? Sue says, Stu and Steve came along, too. They're a couple of my dad's nephews -- 12 year old twins. My dad got Stu interested in photography at an early age. Maybe we'll see some of his pictures in a future post. He grew up to be a Bob's Big Boy restaurant manager in the Anaheim area. Steve, on the other hand, did not have a hobby, that I know of. But I do know that he liked to let the air out of my dad's tires. Often.
This picture of the Horse Drawn Streetcar and a bustling Town Square is SO GREAT. Melissa will appreciate that the mother and daughter in the center o the photo appear to be wearing matching skirts. The girl is wearing a souvenir Keppy Kap - good choice! Looking at the people in the distance (to the right), they are so well-dressed, I can't help wondering if this was a Sunday.
A BIG thank you to Lou and Sue!
Major, maybe it's just me, but I can't see any specific attraction posters in those frames. I almost want to say that they are just bare plywood, although there does seem to be something in the center of some of them, but I can't tell what that would be. Is it possible that these frames for the posters were in the process of being erected on the fencing? That would be pretty cool if they were brand new and they hadn't even gotten the posters in them yet!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thank you Lou, Sue and the Major, too! :-)
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDeleteStu looks as though he's gonna let the air out of the next set of tires he finds inside The Happiest Place On Earth. (The little devil-!) I wonder just what day in June of 1956 these shots were taken. TSI would open on June 16th; and the Skyway would open on June 23rd.
@ TM!-
I think those plywood panels are "the Emperor's New Clothes" of attraction posters-!
Thanks Lou, Sue & The Major.
Nanook, in that case they are all very lovely, but the first one to the left of the Mickey Mouse Flowers is especially nice!
ReplyDeleteThe black and white only increases the dramatism of these pictures. I find the "bare bones" entry gates very cool. Thanks to Lou and Sue!
ReplyDeleteI would like to point out that STEVE let the air out of tires, not Stu. We Stu's need to stick together! By the way, I had a cousin Steve who was a bit of a troublemaker. Ya just can't trust 'em!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sue and Lou! These are fantastic shots!
Looks like the color generators were 101 that morning. I understand the early models were a bit twitchy.
ReplyDeleteInteresting angle on the Bekins Building in photo 3 (or 4 if you count the close-up).
Thanks again, Lou & Sue!
Nanook - My parents were there June 13-15 of that year. They went back 2 or 3 more times, in the late 50's - so there will be a lot more "early" shots of Disneyland to come.
ReplyDeleteStu29573 - I promised you "Lou & Sue & Stu" pictures!
Glad you like these pictures, and Lou will be happy to hear you're enjoying them, too!
Sue
I wonder what that guy is doing hanging off the tender of the E.P. Ripley in pics 2 and 3? Crewmen would usually just walk on top of the tender if they wanted to check the water level. I wonder if he's re-creating Walt's news butcher stories of clamoring over the tenders of Missouri Pacific steam engines to get a chance to hobnob with the crew?
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, ha ha, I should look at the full-size version of photos if I’m going to write about them! You are right, it looks like there are just pieces of wood with no posters! Very interesting, and if the “June 1956” date is accurate, then we know that this is about when the posters were first added to the entry area. Cool!
ReplyDeleteNanook, this was all of the June 1956 photos that Sue sent, so we don’t any views to see if the Skyway was Skywaying, or if Tom Sawyer Island was open.
TokyoMagic!, oh yes, that one is my favorite too!
Penna. Andrew, the entry gates are a bit more gussied up today, but I sure love these 1956 views. What a place the park was, at that point - and there was so much amazing stuff to come.
Stu29573, ha ha, I dunno, you seem awfully defensive! The “letting the air out of tires” prank is pretty evil, Lou must have had a good sense of humor.
Chuck, yes, that is an unusual angle, looking dead north - I can’t tell if Lou was standing in front of the Police Station, or closer to the west tunnel under the tracks.
Lou and Sue, ah ha! Now we have a more exact date. I think I have some ’57 and ’58 photos still to come, but as of now these are the only ’56 photos. I really loved these, thanks to you and Lou!
Steve DeGaetano, gosh, I didn’t even notice that fellow. It figures that an eagle-eyed DLRR fan would notice him though! It does seem like an odd place to be standing, but we’ll never know why he was there…
Lou and Sue, These pics are just wonderful. We were there in '56 in July. I was 6 and my sister was 10. She remembers more than I do plus my memories are more like just vague impressions and feelings. Love that line at the information booth.
ReplyDeleteYour talk of Stu and Steve remind me of Goofus and Gallant from "Highlights" magazine.
ReplyDeleteLove these B&W photos of Disneyland. I spot the passengers cars "Colorado Rockies" and "Land of Pueblos" on the Retlaw 1. This is back when the "Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad" was more like a working railroad instead of a mere theme park ride.
Thanks Lou and Sue! And thank you, Major.
This is really fun. Photos this old are rare and contain many gems of lost knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lou, Sue and Major, and everyone for the memories and observations.
JG
What wonderful photos! I would have to agree that those frames don't appear to be holding any attraction posters. You may have inadvertently discovered when those appeared at the Main Gate!
ReplyDeleteOne minor correction the last photo is not Town Square but the Hub. You can see the Adventureland sign through the trees over the horse's hat. Thank you Lou and Sue... and Major too... for posting these great photos!
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
Major, I do have more 1956 photos to scan and send to you, plus my dad's pretty certain he took slides in 1956, too. I still haven't had a chance to look through everything he had boxed away, but am hoping fo find some interesting slides from those early trips - to share with everyone.
ReplyDeleteDrGoat, please describe what you do remember, from your trip in July 1956. We would love to hear! . . .
Sue
DrGoat, too bad you don’t have photos from your 1956 trip!
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, I remember Goofus and Gallant coming up before, though I have no personal history with them. Good eye on the RR cars, I love those romantic travel names. “Land of Pueblos”, so awesome!
JG, these are some of my very favorite black and white photos ever shared on GDB, for sure.
Matthew, ah yes, you are right, it IS the Hub (or the Plaza?)… there’s the Adventureland sign, just as you said. I hate it when I make dumb mistakes!
Lou and Sue, I look forward to seeing anything you are generous enough to share, but ESPECIALLY those early photos!
I just noticed (in the first pic) that the "Strollers and Wheelchairs Enter Here" sign is pointing into Mickey's mouth!
ReplyDeleteSue