Two From '56

Here are two random photos from 1956 - both are pretty in their way, and have lots of that "early Disneyland" appeal. For instance, look at that beautiful castle! And there's not a single guest visible, which is almost beyond belief. I miss the large grassy lawns that used to be more common at the park, though I understand why they had to go. 

Now we're on the Jungle Cruise dock looking across the river (what deadly critters are hiding in those murky waters?) toward signs of human presence, even in the deepest jungle. The people themselves are out, but their huts look mighty inviting. 

I always enjoy seeing some of Disneyland's original orange trees, and there are at least two of them here, covered in fruit. If only somebody'd had the foresight to save a few of these trees, they could have grafted scions onto hearty root stock and folks all over could enjoy fresh OJ from their GENUINE DISNEYLAND ORANGE TREE!

The River - November 28, 1973

This is the third consecutive day we've visited Frontierland - and if you skip Saturday's "Anything Goes" Knott's pix, it's the fourth day. Am I being paid to post so many photos from Frontierland? Sadly, no. But I am open to bribery! Offer me lots of money and we'll see how it goes.

Afternoon sunlight can add so much to any photo. It's like putting sriracha on a bland dinner! As you can see, the warm, brilliant light makes colors POP (I hope you brought earplugs) on this November day - hard to believe that Christmas was only a month away! Only one guest has short sleeves, but just wait until the sun goes down. He'll be sorry! Frontierland looks beautiful, and somehow I like seeing Rainbow Ridge along the far shore.

This next photo was taken mere moments later (you can see some of the same people on the raft), the shadow of the Mark Twain's pilot house is cast on the shore of the island, while two men salute us respectfully (I know, I know, they are just shading their eyes, but can't a boy dream?). 

Frontierland Again, October 1971

This is a Monday, but today's scans probably qualify as "Snoozles™", if I'm being honest with myself (which I'm usually not). They're just fine, but lacking in pizzazz (and pizzas). 

When the Columbia was berthed at Fowler's Harbor, it didn't need the sails to be unfurled. Maybe they were being steam-cleaned! That's what I like to do with my sails. It freshens them right up, and then I'm ready for company to come over to circumnavigate the globe (I just wanted to say "circumnavigate"). A Keelboat takes a nap nearby, and a raft floats over to Tom Sawyer Island.

Speaking of Tom Sawyer Island, there it is! Like you've never seen it before. Well, OK, you've seen it like this plenty of times. By 1971, the trees and shrubs had flourished, producing abundant oxygen that made guests light-headed and prone to spending more money. It was all part of Walt's plan!

Snoozles™

Some slides are Snoozles, without a doubt. Others are not so obvious - today's examples really baffled the ICSGF&L (the International Consortium of Slide Grading Fellas & Ladies); they even postponed their lunch break by 10 minutes. That never happens! (Lunch was Beefaroni and lime Jello).

What does the world look like from the top deck of a steamboat? Philosophers have been asking themselves that question for centuries, even though they were standing right next to a steamboat. Nobody said philosophers were smart. Here we observe a view looking westward (ho!), past the Old Mill and toward Frontierland Station (to the left). As you can see, the forests continue for hundreds of miles. The Columbia's masts peek up from beyond Tom Sawyer Island, the ship is likely at rest in Fowler's Harbor.

A second view, and a familiar one, with the queue building for the Mark Twain and the Columbia below, and the Golden Horseshoe theater in front of us.

Knott's Berry Farm, May 1962

There is a Berry Farm. Some say you can only find it if you eat your vegetables and are pure of heart. Who's to say? Not me, I've already forgotten what we were talking about. Oh yeah, Knott's Berry Farm, in beautiful Buena Park, CA. It's like Milan, only with more boysenberries. Today I have three nice photos from May, 1962.

Apparently our photographer didn't get to KBF until late afternoon, which is just wrong if you ask me. Of course, Knott's was free at that point, you could just wander in and mosey around. Ride a stagecoach! Pan for gold! Of course those activities cost a little bit. Maybe you went there for a nice meal at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant, or (in the distance) the Cable Car Kitchen. Speaking of cable cars, a genuine San Francisco cable car just blooped past us, lickety-split. It looks pretty busy, but folks are not in their Sunday best, so perhaps this was a Saturday?

GHOST TOWN? For real? I'm not crazy about ghosts, they are nothing but trouble, plus they smell. The guests don’t seem that concerned, however - they probably have magical amulets and vials of holy water. Wint-O-Green Lifesavers work too, FYI. It makes me happy to see Marion and Toni's Sport Shop on the sign, back when the Knott family ran the place with love and pride (Marion and Toni were Walter and Cordelia Knott's daughters). 

As I said in a previous paragraph, I think these images could have been taken on a lovely Saturday afternoon (since these are dated "May 1962”, school isn't out for the Summer yet); folks aren't quite in their Sunday best, but they are ready for adventure! I love the vintage fashions, the warm light, and the general "I wish I was there" feeling.

 

Two Interesting Pix From June, 1962

I normally like to share better-than-average images on Fridays, and was a little perturbed to find that my current folder of 100+ scans doesn't have much in the way of "wow" pictures. I'm trying to figure out who to sue - I'll let you know. 

The two scans I'm sharing today are from June of 1962, and at least they have some less-usual details. Like this first one, taken outside the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and a mysterious man in black is clambering on the railing around the balcony (is "balcony" the correct term?), he's probably trying to sneak into the show. Hey, Paladin, you can just walk through the front door, you doink. 

Meanwhile I thought that the new fancy wooden sign for the Golden Horseshoe might not be completed in this pic, but it's just a bit washed out.

The Man in Black appears to be confronting somebody else; Sheriff Lucky? An irate dancer? We'll never know. I sure hope they work out their issues with calm reason, even though that pistol is gleaming in the sunlight. Chekhov's pistol.

Across the way, the cheerful Gonzalez Trio performed in the little bandstand that was near Casa de Fritos. Apparently somebody shot at the photographer, there are bullet holes in the film! Those Boy Scouts to the right exude squirreliness. 

 

More From the Big Bag o' Pins

Hey! Remember the Big Bag o' Pins? The last time we delved into the bag was AUGUST, 2023. There were technical issues (all of the original photos disappeared, basically), and I dragged my feet about redoing the pix. But now they're finished! And it's time to "enjoy" a random selection. As a reminder, this bag generally contains oversized pins (anywhere from 2.5" to 4" in diameter, with a few exceptions), I'd pick them up one at a time, and they accumulated until I had two bags full. I know it's an odd grouping, but maybe that will make them more fun?

First up is this pin that was a real mystery to me. "Walt Disney's DANNY: Special Award Winner" - huh? In spite of never seeing the 1948 film "So Dear To My Heart", I was aware of the character of Danny, the little black lamb. This pin was in a case at the Glendale All-American Toy & Advertising Show, and I bought it just for the heck of it.

Doing a bit of research, it  turns out that the pin was originally part of a plush doll of Danny, with his blue ribbon for being, I dunno, cool or something. I don't have the doll, but I have his Special Award! Sorry, Danny, it's mine now.

Next is a pinback button that was given to me by a friend when Disneyland's Submarine Voyage reopened in 2007 with its "Finding Nemo" theme. My friend knew that I was very happy to have subs back, and I still am glad that we have them, though I do wish the attraction could be spiffed up a bit. Hard to believe that it has been 17 years since it reopened!

This next one is one of my favorites! "Welcome to Refreshment Land"!  I love being refreshed. I know basically nothing about this pin other than what is obvious; is it from a specific amusement park? Was it used at many fairs, carnivals, and other events? 

Since childhood, I've been a "Peanuts" fan; I had many softcover books containing old Peanuts comic strips; I had some sort of toy that helped lame-os draw Charlie Brown, Linus, and others (I wish I could remember what it was called); and one year, for my birthday, my mom got me a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with royal icing versions of Charlie Brown and Snoopy on it. So I'm legit, see? Which is why I have this giant 6" diameter pin (well, it can't be worn, it has a cardboard easel-style backing) featuring Snoopy atop his doghouse, while a flock of pre-Woodstock birds talk about important social issues and the latest best-selling books.

And finally, here are two different lenticular pinback buttons from Universal Studios (Hollywood). Like most lenticular pins, this one flashes between two scenes; one shows the terrifying COLLAPSING BRIDGE, which debuted in 1974. The other scene shows a Glamour Tram passing through a "hot" set, all of the lights are pointed at us. Ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille!

For some reason, this next Universal Studios lenticular pin was harder to photograph, especially with the tears of frustration in my eyes. I have no proof, but I believe that this one is a bit older than the previous example, the graphics on the left image remind me of some brochures from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

I hope you have enjoyed today's pins!

Town Square, May 1984 - Plus a Mystery

GDB friend Sue B. shared more photos taken by her dad, Lou Perry - these are from 1984, Lou seems to have taken a lot of Disneyland photos that year. All of these feature Town Square - except for one! Wow, what a tease, I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat.

A few folks are waiting for their turn to board the Horse Drawn Streetcar - a good ride when you have two little tykes. The "clip clop" of hooves will send the kids to dreamland. The horse is sticking its tongue out at us!

Some of these look a bit gloomy, I wonder if Lou was at the park for more than one day? Crowds were very light, how awesome would it be to see Town Square so lightly-populated? Maybe I'll pop into the Emporium and see if there are any good souvenirs.

Signs for Donald Duck's 50th birthday can be seen on all of the lamp posts. I'd love it if they acknowledged some of the Disney characters that are not as well-remembered today. Horace Horsecollar? Elmer the Elephant? I guess the kids these days don't care, which is why they should get haircuts.

Oh no, Emporium, I'm not spending another $700 on plush dolls! I've learned my lesson!

That guy looks suspiciously official, with his clip board (or whatever that thing is). He's keeping his head down and making no eye contact, because he doesn't want the paparazzi to pester him. But Lou is just an ordinary guy (even though he sold this photo to the National Enquirer for $10,000).

City Hall: I love to go in and complain. And then I get in line again and get a birthday button even though it's not my birthday. Then I get in line again and try to get a refund. Will I get in line a fourth time? I'll never tell.

And finally, the MYSTERY IMAGE. I have NO idea where this is, though it could be somewhere on the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel. Notice the folks in their bathing suits in the distance to the left (along with a surfboard and at least one tiki). I know at least one of you out there will recognize this scene!

MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!

 

"Your First Visit to Disneyland" - 1954 (?)

Today I want to share a fun vintage Disneyland item - "Your First Visit to Disneyland", a trifold (four panel) brochure that helped give an idea of what this kooky Disneyland place was going to be. There are several variants of this brochure, I have two others that I will probably share here someday; I think that this blue version is the second one printed - sadly I have never found a copy of the first one. I blame society.

I decided to start with the most impressive scan, showing the famous Peter Ellenshaw map. Notice that the text in the upper right says, "WATCH FOR OPENING DATE - MID-SUMMER, 1955". Since construction on the park began in 1954, it is very possible that this brochure is from pre-1955.

I've provided a large jpeg of the other side of the brochure so that you can read it if you want to. Those discolored areas drive me bananas, but I just have to live with them I guess. I saw one of these brochures on eBay a year or so ago, and the seller wanted $800.00 for it. ZOIKS.

Since this item was printed in the early stages of the park's planning, it's fun to look for tidbits that never came to pass - or they did come to pass, but in a different manner. For JG, I thought I'd highlight the mention of the "giant pylon-like space rocket", since he is such a fan of pylons. The description of the "super-automated restaurant" is interesting, I'm not sure what they had in mind there. They did have an "automat"-style area where guests could get food, but automats had been around since at least 1902. 

There is a blurb for Holidayland, including a mention of being able to ride a horse-drawn buggy (or surrey) through"an early-American covered bridge and along a winding country road". Hmmmm!

The Fantasyland panel mentions an Alice in Wonderland attraction, which did not actually open until 1958. I'm fascinated by the fact that the Mr. Toad ride was going to end "at the 'Pearly Gates' to the sounds of Heavenly music". We all know where guests really went! I'd love to know the details of how they settled on going to Hell instead. The "breath-taking aerial ride" (aka the Skyway) didn't open until 1956, and there is a mention of the "Old Dutch Mill" (which I believe was a sort of Ferris Wheel) and the "Donald Duck Bumps" (bumper boats), two early concepts that didn't make the cut. Oh, and I didn't highlight it, but Monstro the Whale "provides a novel water slide", another idea that was not realized.

In Frontierland, guests were to be able to ride a buckboard, among other vehicles - those appear on opening day, and in at least one early postcard, but the buckboards did not last long. Disneyland eventually got its replica of New Orleans, but there were plans to have scenes of Natchez, Mobile, Cincinnati (!), "and such historical buildings as West Point and Mount Vernon". Fascinating!

I hope you have enjoyed this vintage brochure.

More Instamatics, January 1977

Kodak Instamatic photos; they're square! I like less image in my photos, frankly. So I'm grateful that I don't have to manually crop these photos. These are the last three from a batch dated "January, 1977". 

A performance is going on next to "It's a Small World" - I assume this is the Kids of the Kingdom, they'd been evicted from their other stage because Space Mountain was being built there. But that won't get them down! They still have messages about positivity and good nutrition (probably). Gramps was so excited that he couldn't stay in his seat! Some say he even tapped his feet. 

Well, our photographer did it - he got a shot of the Matterhorn. I can hardly believe it.

The massive plaza in front of its a small world is chockablock with hu-mans, each one walking in tiny circles. You'd think they would go on the ride at least, but they all have the whim-whams, so we just have to let them get it out of their systems.

Snoozles™

You know it's time for Snoozles - because you have precognition. This first one is from June, 1962; the photographer wanted a nice shot of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, but that turned out blurry. The lady in the foreground though? Clear as can be! I hope she was his wife, so it wasn't a total loss. I'm generally happy to see photos of the ship with the sails unfurled, since those seem to be less common.

Next, a scan from a slide dated "November 28, 1973". I initially labeled this file "Art Market", and I guess that's not incorrect, but it isn't the Art Market that was on East Center Street. Instead, it looks very New Orleans Square-ish, don't you think? An artist works on a double portrait (how long would that take?), while the smiling face of Anita Bryant keeps him safe from harm. Everyone loves Anita!

New York World's Fair

I'm always happy to have any excuse to visit the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair! Unless they wanted to pull a tooth there, that's where I draw the line. Luckily, I have false teeth (that I ordered from an old Sears catalog), so there will be no extractions to worry about. The slides are date-stamped "October, 1965" - the Fair closed on October 17th. So this was a "last chance" visit.

"Meet me under the Tower of the Four Winds!". Hey, it's as good a place to meet as any, and you have to admit that the Tower is pretty cool. Plus the "It's a Small World" ride was part of the Pepsi Cola/UNICEF pavilion, and that's a "must see".  

Lucky visitors might meet a beloved Disney character over at the Pepsi Pavilion. I've seen photos of Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit, Snow White and the Dwarfs, Mickey Mouse, and here is Goofy himself. Gawrsh! 

The little girl from the previous photo has worked up a thirst, so the Schaeffer Center was just the place to go. She prefers a hoppy IPA. Under one of two air-filled plastic roofs is the circular restaurant. Under the other, an exhibit area displays a model of the original Schaefer brewery showing how beer was made over a century ago. Outside is a 100-foot curved bar and beer garden seating 300.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the New York World's Fair!

Two Very Nice Randos

I have two nice Randos for you today! Let's start with this cute photo of a little Tour Guide (she has the correct plaid, after all), posing with Mickey Mouse (from a slide date-stamped "March 1961") near the entrance to the Opera House. Mickey's going through his awkward stages, as if he's experienced a growth spurt. But he's cheerful and pleasant looking!

To the left is a window from the Wonderland Music Store, with some familiar 45 rpm records on display (along with a... tiny harp??).

Here are the records, in their splendid cardboard sleeves with wonderful full-color photos. These can fetch very respectable prices on the collector's market today.

Next is a photo from March, 1960, showing Rainbow Ridge under construction. The buildings are mostly primer-white. The Mine Train attraction was being revamped into the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland, and the little mining town got more than a facelift. I'd sort of hoped that we might get a better view of the cemetery that was next to the church (to the right), because it is hard to see in later photos as the trees got too big. But the little gravestones haven't been installed just yet. At the bottom of the image, a shaded queue area is barely framed in.

In the extreme lower right, we can just see a part of a display touting "Disneyland '60", along with a little billboard hinting at the magnificence of Nature's Wonderland.

I'm assuming that the artwork was the same as seen in this 1960 guidebook insert.

A Note to My Readers

Hello Junior Gorillas, today’s post is an odd one, and I won’t blame you if you decide to skip it entirely. But I am probably going to be making a drastic change to GDB soon, and I wanted to explain the situation. 

Way back in 2006, when I decided to try my hand at blogging, a friend of mine recommended Photobucket as a photo host. She’d used it, it was free, and there seemed to be no downside. And for years, it was a great service.

Then, in late 2016, new management decided that this whole “free hosting” thing was for chumps. Yes, I realize that this was probably Photobucket’s plan all along (“If a product is free, YOU are the product”), but I was naive. I wanted to keep the previous ten years of photos and the accompanying links so that GDB continued to work normally, so I had to start paying a monthly fee. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but decided that I would just bite the bullet and do it. Meanwhile, I started using Google to upload my photos.

Here we are in mid-2024, and Photobucket has announced that there will be more changes in store. Including giving them the right to the extent permitted by the laws of your region, to license or sell your Public User Uploaded Content to third parties for the scanning and processing of your Public User Uploaded Content. There’s a lot more, and it’s all awful, but you get the idea.

If I want to opt out? Photobucket will close my account, and all of the photos from articles before 2017 (roughly) will be gone. Forever. Yes, I can download the jpegs, but it would be a full-time job to re-upload them to a new server - something I am not willing to do. I can’t see any reason to save the text portion of each blog, since it will be meaningless without the accompanying photos, so my plan is to just delete everything. It will be like removing the memory modules from HAL’s mainframe!

For you guys, it will be a bummer, but for me, it means the loss of over TEN YEARS of effort. Once in a while I’ll go back and look at older posts and feel some sense of pride at this body of work that I’d amassed, little by little. But it’s time to “kill my darlings”, sadly. After the great purge, it will look like I started my blog in late 2016 (ish).

Anyway, that’s the gist of things, I welcome your thoughts, though I see no way around this drastic measure. 

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Here's a good picture (from July, 1959), since you were nice enough to get this far:

Grandpa & Granddaughter, 1950s

Happy Birthday, Disneyland! It's hard to believe that you've been with us for 69 years. Today's photos aren't from 1955, but they are nice and vintage, which is good enough for me. 

A grandfather poses with his granddaughter in front of the Chickenoftheseapirateship (it's fun to say it like that, really fast. Try it!), They are standing at the port side - the side that does not face out  toward the rest of Fantasyland. The warm sunshine, rich color, and gleaming paint give me a kind of synesthesia. I may go into a trance, and if I do, just give me a piece of candy. In fact, give me a piece of candy anyway.

"Gramps and the Bobbysoxer", starring William Demarest and Luana Patten (probably). See it twice for the first time! They are at the Jungle Cruise dock, have they just returned from their journey? Also, what is gramps holding in his right hand? I like the girl's pinky-orange dress, an unusual hue for sure.