Great 1958 Photos From Lou and Sue
Sue B. sent me some scans of 1958 snapshots taken by Lou (her father); they had turned very pink, to the point that I couldn't restore them back to color. But they are so nice that they are worth a look, even when converted to black and white!
Let's begin with this shot of the Disneyland Hotel Tram arriving near the front gate. The lady at the very back can hardly contain her excitement.
Ken-L-Land, a place just for pets! They have the best rides too, but there's no point in talking about them. Only dogs and cats (and the occasional bunny) are allowed. How many other amusement parks provided facilities so that a family's pet could be taken care of during the day?
There are the little, original ticket booths; did they at least have fans, or did the CMs inside have to deal on a hot day? The curb has been well-scraped by plenty of cars over the past 3 years.
This next one is my favorite (and I think Melissa will like it too)! A ticket booth especially for "Mothers of Twins"? What a kooky idea, and yet... there's a line! Two be-striped little girls (probably chewing Doublemint Gum) are proof enough for me. What if the twins happened to be fraternal rather than identical? "Get outta here, you bums, or I'll call the cops!" (throws a shoe). Notice the sign for the new Grand Canyon Diorama over the tunnel to Town Square.
Lou took this nice photo of Main Street Station with some fabulous posters! "Art Corner", "Frontierland", "20,000 Leagues", and "Main Street" (with a sliver of a "Peter Pan" poster). After all these years I still love those graphics as much as ever. Maybe more!
And, for the sixth photo, we're finally standing in Town Square. It looks so great.
A big thank you as always to Lou and Sue. There are LOTS of photos to come from them!
16 comments:
Major-
"Mothers of Twins"-? Kookie, indeed-! (Only at Disneyland). Look at all that empty space. What a time to be there - even in monochrome-!
As far as CM's keeping cool inside those rather petite ticket booths - the problem was solved by placing a large block of ice upon the seat of each stool, and then each CM sat upon the block of ice. Pure genius.
Thanks to Lou and Sue. Keep cool, Major.
Major, I thought you were kidding about the special line, just because of the twin girls in the pics. Then I enlarged the pic and saw the sign! So odd! I wonder if it was "Twin Day at Disneyland" or something like that? They couldn't possibly have had a line reserved "For Mothers of Twins" all the time, could they? And what if you were the father of twins? Were you just out of luck? This leaves me with so many questions.
Wonderful pics, today! A big THANK YOU to Lou, Sue and the Major, too!
For some reason, I'm oddly drawn to the berm behind Ken-L Land. It's so bare and unassuming, yet it does its job well.
And I love the shot of eager hotel guests fairly leaping off the tram. All except the third woman from the end, who appears to be finishing up shaving her legs.
Thanks again, Lou & Sue!
Everyone is in a hurry to get off that tram. I think they just saw the "Gift-Giver Extraordinaire" at the entrance and couldn't wait another second. ;) The "reserved twins (??) line" is reminiscent of the separate queue for Annual Passholders at the turnstiles today. That shot of the train station is really cool, too, especially with that crystal clear glimpse of the poster art. Thanks to Lou and Sue!
Yeah, I'm thinking it was a "Twins Day" promotion. My first guess was that it was for The Parent Trap, but that came out two years after these pics. "Da Google" came up with mentions of "Twin Day," but nothing for 1958. Drat! Nothing is adding up here! 'Tis a mystery wrapped in an enigma, I'm afraid...
I'm laughing about the Mothers of Twins lIne because - I looked at these photos, pulled them out of my dad's scrapbook, scanned them and emailed them to the Major, looked at them again and put them back in the scrapbook - and NEVER even noticed the twin thing!!! If it wasn't for you folks, I would've missed a lot! Especially the lady shaving her legs!
BTW, Lou (my parents) knew the Double MInt Twins (from the early 1960's) - they went to our church. I don't recall them, but I remember my parents talking about them. You jogged my memory, Major - thank you.
Am enjoying the funny comments from all - thank you!
Sue
Wow, thanks Lou and Sue. Wonderful pics. Yes, the one with the twins in front of the ticket booth is a gem. That dress the lady is wearing looks like that southwest, Santa Fe style that was all over Tucson at that time. With Turquoise jewelry. And that great tram shot. You made my morning.
Thanks to the Major, Lou and Sue: that exciting "just arrived" feeling vividly comes across in these photos. And the Kenlland sign like musical notes, plus the cartoon dog face with head cocked ... even doggies must have sensed the enthusiasm. It was very satisfying and funny to end the railroad tour of the park by exiting Primeval World with its roaring dinosaurs, and then hearing the yapping kennel canines.
More nostalgia: it seemed that the price for parking and boarding pets for the day both stayed at 50 cents throughout the 1970s, maybe into the 80s. Paying visitors must feel mugged to do both now, even before they reach the ticket booths.
Lou and Sue come through with another batch of winners. Those attraction posters are truly things of beauty. Sue, I remember the Doublemint Twins, they were all over the TV in my day. "Double your pleasure, double your fun!" Thanks to Lou and Sue and Major.
Sue - your reaction to everyone's reaction to these photos is how I feel when the Major posts the photos I gave him that James took for my brother Bruce! I just looked at them, almost threw them away (!) and then thought of this site. I am so glad I gave them to him because people pick up on things in those photos I just totally overlooked.
I love that twin photo not only for the twins but the way everyone was dressed. All the photos, even in black and white, bring back so many memories.
Irene, I'm glad you shared your pictures, too! It's fun to hear everyone's stories and share laughs together! As I've commented before, it feels like we're all on a trip together, having fun. I wish I'd found this blog sooner.
Sue
If this was "Twin Day at Disneyland," then when was "Evil Twin Day at Disneyland"?
These photos are so nice. Thanks everyone.
JG
Nanook, I guess those Mothers Of Triplets are just out of luck. Tough luck! I’m glad to hear that there was a no-nonsense way to keep the ticket CMs cool.
TokyoMagic!, I never joke about anything! I wouldn’t know a joke if it bit me you-know-where. I’ll bet that line for the mothers of twins was short-lived. Remember the time when members of the clergy could get in for less? I mean, it was long before you were born, but you still remember. Father of twins can just go to hell!
Chuck, the berm does look pretty raw and undeveloped - but it will fill in eventually! Now that I see that ladies are OK shaving their legs on the tram, I won’t feel so bad about cutting my toenails.
Andrew, at least a line for APs makes some sort of sense! Were there enough twins on a daily basis to make it worth having a separate line? Maybe they knew that it would just be good for PR, or a funny photo, although I don’t recall ever seeing it before, so it didn’t work.
Stu29573, I suppose anything is possible - they probably tried all kinds of things to draw people into the park, particularly on “off days”. What year was the “Twin Day” that you found on Google, by the way?
Lou and Sue, I sure wish we still had Lou’s negatives for these snapshots, we could probably glean lots more details. But I’m grateful for what we have, don’t get me wrong! I’m like you, I rely on the readers to help point out plenty of details that I miss, all the time. Funny that you actually knew the twin girls!
DrGoat, I’ve seen dresses like that in old photos, often with bright “southwest” colors; terra-cotta reds, sunflower yellows, rich greens, and so on. In fact I remember seeing just such a dress in a museum exhibit about “California Living” at a museum a few years ago. Isn’t it amazing that you could have your pet well cared for for a mere 50 cents?? It’s like somebody actually gave a darn about the well-being of the critters more than the money.
Jonathan, I wonder if the Doublemint Twins ever used Toni home perms (“Which Twin Had the Toni?”)? I was famous for my “Little Lord Fauntleroy” curls in my day, let me tell you.
Irene, aw, I’m glad that you are happy with your decision to share Bruce’s photos with me (and everyone here at GDB). I am too parsimonious about publishing them, but I want them to last. You understand!
Lou and Sue, personal photos are always the best!
TokyoMagic!, the only way they could keep evil twins out is if one of them happened to have a goatee. How else can you tell them apart?
JG, :-)
I just took one last look at that twins picture and I think the complete sign reads: Reserved for Mothers of Twins Club - Members Only. Can anyone else confirm that? Just curious . . .
Sue
Major, Apparently there was a "Twins Day" in 2010 (although I can't tell if it's "official" or not.) It's not even really clear if it happened then or not. It's very confusing (kinda like telling twins apart!)
Post a Comment