Wednesday, November 27, 2019

1964 Photos From "1937Fan"!

Not long ago I was contacted by a GDB reader who goes by the name "1937Fan"; she generously sent me some old slides that belonged to her Aunt. For free! How nice is that? 1937Fan said that she kept some Disneyland slides for herself (I don't blame her!) but had them scanned, and offered to let me share them with all of you. Of course I am happy to take her up on her offer.

All of today's images are from November 27, 1964 (a Friday - the day after Thanksgiving) - It felt  only right that I shared the first selection exactly 55 years after her Aunt's visit. Pretty neat! "Jason's Disneyland Almanac" tells us that the park was open from 9:00 AM to midnight, that it was a "Date Nite", the high temperature was 66 degrees, and that the attendance was 30,247. The day before, attendance was less than 9,000 guests!

In this first image, 1937Fan's Aunt stands (with a baby carriage) in the colorful Flower Market. Large, showy blossoms must have been in vogue, all of them appear to the the size of a child's head. All that color makes it seem like it was warm, but it was November (and as I mentioned,  the day after Thanksgiving), so most folks are wearing sweaters. 


This one is really great, with the Goodyear Blimp floating above the Matterhorn. Imagine the view from up there! I wonder if the blimp regularly took lucky passengers over Disneyland, or if this was for a special event? There would be lots of construction going on over in the future New Orleans Square area, and at some point during '64 the Autopia was remodeled. I would have wanted to take as many photos as possible.


Next is this great shot of the Mighty Matterhorn, with the round Skyway gondolas - they would be replaced with the rectangular models in a matter of months. If you look carefully you can see a rope dangling down the face of the mountain (near the center), probably used by Hans and Otto during their daily climbs. I'm a little bit surprised that the Christmas star isn't on top of the Matterhorn, but they might have actually waited until December to install it, I suppose.


MANY thanks to 1937Fan for sharing these fun photos! There are more to come.

26 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
"Large, showy blossoms must have been in vogue..." - as was at least one babushka (for Melissa, no doubt). Those Matterhorn shots are really nice - especially the one with the Good Year blimp ambling-by for some [undoubtedly] spectacular views-!

Thanks to 1937Fan and The Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

Wow, these are such a treat, for several reasons. First, they are all such wonderful pics. I really love the last pic of the Matterhorn. It seems like that was a less common spot for guests to stand and take a picture of it. These pics are also very special for me, because they were taken on the day I was born!

A great big "thank you" to you, Major and also to 1937Fan!!!

Nanook said...

@ TM!-

Drat-! And to think I forgot to get you a birthday present. In lieu of that 'present', why don't you just swing on by the house as I've made chocolate truffles and tomorrow a batch of chocolate meringue cookies - and some savory bread pudding. [You're welcome].

Andrew said...

Try zooming in so it's just the peak of the Matterhorn and the blimp. It creates such a neat effect that it almost looks photoshopped.

In the picture of the Flower Market, I think you can catch a glimpse of the bottom of one of the duplicated Main St. buildings that Mike Cozart was talking about yesterday on the right side. I'm a little confused on the window sticking out on the second level, though.

And I would be amiss if I didn't wish TM! a happy birthday. You're almost as old as me, I think... :)

K. Martinez said...

Go, Go, Go Goodyear! Love these pics! Especially the Matterhorn shots. Thank you for sharing with us, 1937fan. Looking forward to more from you.

MIKE COZART said...

ANDREW: today’s picture of the Flower Market was when it was located on WESTSIDE CENTER STREET - today this is outdoor seating for the Carnation Cafe. The Timex shop facades ( the silhouette studio today) is duplicated as the Hotel Marceline located on EASTSIDE CENTER ST.

TokyoMagic! said...

Nanook, thanks! Being a chocoholic, I would take you up on that offer, if I lived near you!

Andrew, thank you! And I believe that I am as old as you.....in dog or cat years! ;-)

Chuck said...

Three cheers for 1937Fan! Thank you so much for sharing these with us, and we're looking forward to seeing the rest!

Major, interesting point about the Christmas star not being in position yet. I wonder when they did put it and the rest of the decorations up in those days?

I remember being at Disneyland the weekend before Thanksgiving in 1994, and except in the Castle Christmas Shop, there were no holiday decorations up yet, although I did spot the top of the Town Square Christmas tree already assembled and decorated poking its top up over the parade gate in the NE corner of the square. My assumption was that it was "all hands" for the decorating crew after closing on Thanksgiving night to get the tree and the first decorations out.

TM!, happy, happy birthday! Hope you got to go to Knott's or some other fun place in celebration. Here's wishing for many more!

Andrew, as a Gen Z player who has never been to Disneyland, you still get extra points for knowing that the Flower Market was on East Center at one point, and that facade is in roughly the same place in relation to the photographer as the Hotel Marceline would be if this were a photo of East Center. Well done, lad!

MRaymond said...

The blimp over Disneyland, one of the few things that would take my mind off of the rides. It had such a distinct sound. I always wanted to see Disneyland from the blimp.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Thank you 1937Fan for sharing your Disneyland slides! Today's are wonderful, and I'm especially enjoying the Flower Market - one of my favorite Disneyland spots (it brings back happy, childhood memories).

Happy Birthday, TokyoMagic! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating (and I hope you took the day off of work)!

Thanks, Major!

DrGoat said...

Well, if these are just the beginning, we are all in for a treat.
Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when there are people out there that share their memories from that time. And people like us who treasure them. Big thanks Major. Fine job casting your net and having these folks leap into it.
Happy Birthday Tokyo, and many more. It was a fine year in my life too.
Hang onto that young thing Andrew. The rest comes soon enough.
Happy Thanksgiving one and all. This blog is one of the things I am thankful for. Thanks again Major David.

Alonzo P Hawk said...

TM a happy chocodelic birthday to you! I'm late to the party. Only a year older and I can't hang with the time stamps on these comments. I was sawing logs when most were made. East coast time zones get a pass.

Very nice photos and thanks to 1937Fan (and Major P) for providing them!

Kel said...

Thank you both for sharing.

I really wish we had the Skyway back... and something on the Peoplemover tracks... and the Rocket Jets back up above them...

Hopefully the modifications to the Tomorrowland entrance means that land is on deck for a more kinetic redo that can at least compare to it's glory days.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I’ll bet there were lots of babushkas in the park on that cool November day! Man, the thought of being in a blimp and looking down into 1964 Disneyland is too much. I’d need 50 rolls of film!

TokyoMagic!, I worried a little bit, 1937Fan sent these to me a while ago, but I wanted to start sharing them on the 55th anniversary of her Aunt’s trip. I’m glad I waited! Happy Birthday!

Nanook, I’ve never had a savory bread pudding - only a sweet vanilla version. Sounds interesting.

Andrew, if I’d done a Photoshop trick, I would have had to put King Kong on top of the Matterhorn. It’s just how I roll. I forgot to go and look up the duplicate buildings that Mike Cozart pointed out!

K. Martinez, ha ha, I didn’t even think about Goodyear’s eventual relationship with Disneyland - not sure if they actually had any in 1964? Maybe at the World’s Fair?

Mike Cozart, as far as I can tell the Flower Market was mostly on West Center Street; I have very few photos of it when it moved across the way. I think I have some photos of the Hotel Marceline (taken in the 90’s) on this blog.

TokyoMagic!, what are you talking about, it’s only a 21 hour drive to where Nanook is! You can do it.

Chuck, I am only guessing, but I’ll bet they didn’t put up the Christmas star until after Thanksgiving, and maybe not until after December 1st. I like lots of lights and decorations up to a point, but there is a part of me that might prefer more traditional Main Street decor, the kind you might see on a real city street. When it’s over-the-top, the place feels like an amusement park. Which it is, of course, but… eh, it’s hard to explain. TokyoMagic! got a rainy birthday, he might have to wait a bit to celebrate his day outdoors.

MRaymond, I remember trips to the beach (Huntington Beach), with the blimp passing slowly overhead, and hearing the distinctive whine of the propellers.

Lou and Sue, I’m loving sharing photos from GDB readers! The more the better, as far as I’m concerned.

DrGoat, one fun thing is that 1937Fan’s Aunt had two batches, some from 1964, and more from the early 70’s (square-formatted Instamatic type images). Thanks for the very nice comment!

Alonzo, ha ha, I have given up and figured I’d just start chiming in sometime in the morning - by then there could be five or ten comments, or even more on some days! Of course there are always the odd nights when I can’t sleep, and then I’ll respond at 4 in the morning.

Kel, I think it’s safe to say that everyone reading this blog wishes we had all of those Disneyland attractions back! I am very curious to see if there will be more changes to Tomorrowland besides the alterations to the entrance - it would be amazing if the rockets were moved up to their former location!

Irene said...

Wowser 1937 Fan, thank you so much for sharing these good quality images with us. I bet the slides are Kodachrome which was the best of the best. I do remember those glory days at the park! I was 16 years old at the time and sure do wish I had taken pictures back there or my Dad had. I guess I will never know why he didn't because he was such a photo hound and did use Kodachrome.

Happy Birthday TM. Too bad it's raining so hard today - bet they end up closing Knott's. Have you been for Merry Farm yet? The decorations and the shows are amazing this year!

Looking forward to more from 1937 fan. And I love that baby carriage which I think belongs to the woman behind fan's aunt.

Chuck said...

Major, no need to explain - I understand (and agree) completely.

JG said...

Thanks to Major and 1937Fan for the contributions. I love the old Flower Mart and any photo is welcome, and especially this fine shot. My Mom would approve.

Happy Birthday Tokyo! Many Happy Returns of the Day, as Pooh might say.

Echoing Dr. Goat's summary. I am grateful for GDB every day.

Wishing all of you the best possible holidays.

JG

Clyde Hughes said...

Thanks, Major, for posting these great scans from 1937Fan!

Happy Birthday, TM! It's great having a Bday so close to Turkey Day...mine is on Sun! I might take some of that chocolate and bread pudding!

Now, that shot of the Goodyear blimp makes me wonder if the blimp is actually the 'forced perspective' version so little known at the time this was taken. It was actually the length of a good sized mackerel and had room for one person to lie down inside and operate the little fans and flaps, etc.

Wouldn't it be great if Disney would open another park with all of the long-gone attractions? But, that wouldn't be 'real Disney.' Maybe, under cover of some of those giant flowers, we could re-install all of those great attractions at midnight on thanksgiving eve.

TokyoMagic! said...

Chuck, Thank you! As Major stated, it's raining here in So. Cal. A huge storm was forecast for today and tomorrow. If DL was still letting people in for free on their b-days (remember that year?) then I think I would be there, rain or no rain.

Sue, thanks! I do have the day off, but I already celebrated my b-day with family over the weekend. Today, I'm just staying in and prepping for tomorrow. I'm going to be making some pumpkin pies, using my grandmother's recipe.

DrGoat, thank you!

Alonzo, thanks! I am pretty much a "night owl"! If I am off the next day or if I go into work much later, then I am up very late the night before. If you don't see a comment from me in the middle of the night/early morning, then it's most likely due to the fact that I'm already in bed, because I work early the next morning.

Major, thanks! And I'm so glad that you waited to post these. They were a very pleasant surprise! I guess if I get in my car right now, I could be at Nanook's (and surprise him!) by tomorrow morning. I don't know his specific address, but how many "Nanooks" can there possibly be in the phone book?

Irene, thank you! I haven't been to Knott's Merry Farm yet. None of my friends with Knott's passes, wanted to go last week for the nighttime passholder Christmas party. Did you go to that? I'll get over there soon, though! I've heard that they stuck some "Bear-y Tales" characters into the Snoopy stage show, in anticipation of the new "Bear-y Tales - Return To The Fair" attraction, coming next year.

JG, thank you!

Clyde, thanks, and a happy birthday to YOU, in advance! We always celebrated my birthday on Thanksgiving when I was a kid. And every so many years, it actually falls on Thanksgiving.

Irene said...

TM - no I did not go to the Passholder opening night. I did have a reservation but it was too darn cold for me and those events are always way too crowded. I went on Saturday. I did not get to the Snoopy Stage show this time around so don't know if the Bear-y Tales characters are in it or not - you are the first person to mention it. I just found out my daughter's inlaws are planning to take the family to Knotts on Monday so if I am up for it, that's when I will be back again. I am looking forward to the return of Bear-y Tales no matter what form it's in!!!

Major Pepperidge said...

Irene, it’s thanks to folks like you and 1937Fan that GDB readers have had the chance to see so many wonderful photos. I like sharing my collection, but it’s even more fun for me to see other people’s collectiions! You are right, these are Kodachrome. You have a similar story to me… my mom was the family shutterbug, but when it came to Disneyland, she took NO photos. I still have no idea why. It sure would have been fun to have photos of myself as a child enjoying the park. Also… Knott’s closes when it rains??

Chuck, ha, I figured you’d know what I meant!

JG, I wish we could know certain factoids - like, how much money did Disneyland make selling fake flowers through the years? Maybe it was very little, but Walt just liked it because it looked nice. Thanks to you for all of your nice comments!

Clyde Hughes, I would imagine that in certain years, TokyoMagic’s birthday actually falls on Thanksgiving Day! I’m in the middle of August, when nothing is going on (though I know a TON of people who have August birthdays). You aren’t the first person to dream about a Disney park that had nothing but “extinct attractions” - it would be fascinating! But my guess is that most people who didn’t grow up with those rides wouldn’t care about them. Maybe I’m wrong!

TokyoMagic!, tomorrow is going to be especially rainy. If you have appropriate gear, it would probably be an amazing time to go to the park. I’ll bet it will be pretty uncrowded, even if it is Thanksgiving. Glad you enjoyed these inadvertent birthday photos!

Irene, I think it’s funny that they continue to bring out the Bear-y Tales characters in spite of the fact that the ride has been gone for decades. Maybe bring it back?! I hope you get to go to Knott’s on Monday, and hope that it isn’t too cold!

Nanook said...

@ TM!-

There are still phone books-??!!

MIKE COZART said...

Ok: I have reviewed ALL of Disneyland’s Main Street USA building facades and have discovered a 3rd duplicated building. The third is a three story structure ALSO on the same block as out other two duplicated facades and it’s duplicate is next to the men’s restroom ( in 1955 it was the ladies restrooms) on WESTSIDE CENTER STREET .

Chuck said...

Holy cow, MIKE COZART - you're right. Interesting that all three of the repeated facades are on the same block. I wonder - was the NE front the last that was designed and they ran out of time or money? Interesting that they pulled facades from each side of Center Street as well as Town Square, presumably so you couldn't see two of the facades at the same time (although I guess you can do a 180 in the middle of Main Street where it crosses Center and see three of them within a single scan).

Thanks for sharing your research!

Irene said...

Major - yes, Knott's closes when it rains. They can't operate many of the coasters in the rain and it also floods, big time! They were supposed to stay open until 10 PM last night but closed at 7. I notice they are opening today but I don't think they have a choice seeing as how it's Thanksgiving. Mrs. Knotts is serving their Thanksgiving feast and inside the park Spurs will be open to serve their Thanksgiving buffet (which is amazing by the way). Otherwise I think they would have called a closed for today.

Yes, Knott's is bringing Berry Tales back for their 100th Anniversary. Big doings next year! They are replacing the fairly new Iron Reef ride in early January and retheming it to Berry Tales. It will still be a 3D shoot at things as you go by ride, but that's OK. Also the store that goes along with the ride will be rethemed to 100th Anniversary merchandise. Fun times ahead for us Berry fans!

1937 Fan said...

What a great post! Hard to believe it has 55 years! This would have been one day before her birthday too.