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.
11 comments:
Virginia got her very own gift shop, but Marion and Toni had to share a store. I wonder if they were ever jealous?
Thanks, Major. I can never get enough of the vintage Knott's pics. And I have a soft spot in my heart for the Cable Car Kitchen, since that is where I first worked after being hired.
1) Near the center of the photo, Mom and Daughter are wearing matching red sneakers. And, continuing the trend from yesterday, the clean-cut guy on the left (white shirt, black slacks) has, what looks like, red & white striped socks! Only, somehow his feet don't seem to look right... I think he's AI generated. His fingers are a little wonky too. Yes, definitely AI. ;-)
What does he has in his nasty little handses, my precious? A hot dog? Maybe a can of spray paint. I bet he's gonna tag the side of the cable car.
2) Evidently, the lady in black (in the center) is the main subject of our photographer; she's smiling at the camera. The guy on the left is practicing his "Igor" impersonation, "Yes, Master. It's a very fine brain!"
3) In the foreground, on the left, Peter Pan is taking a short vacay from Disneyland to see what this Berry Farm thing is all about. Yeah, it's a girl; but they almost always have girls play Peter Pan for some reason. I bet Peter's mom (left) works in a diner. And there's Mr. Rogers, in his finest cardigan, trying to decide if he wants beef stew or a chicken dinner. Another lady in black! She's wearing her coat like a cape; very chic!
Hmm, I seem to have poked fun at your Knott's photos without saying much else about them, Major. I guess I was in "one of those moods" (again). Thanks!
Knotts is very charming and unique. As they bill themselves now: "America's FIRST themepark". It's hard to compete with the juggernaut a few miles away, but they do a good job of differentiating themselves as "another" place to go with a unique experience. It's still looming in my 2024 Bucket List. What do they serve in the Cable Car Kitchen? Is it the day old popcorn that TM refers to? Or the "something else" day-old that shouldn't be mentioned...like a corn dog re-deux? And why did they name Marion after a berry? And Toni with an 'i"...wasn't that a hairspray? or was it a home permanent? and I'm curious to know what sport equipment was sold in the ladies sport shop? Weights and things? Thighmaster? Archery supplies? Couldn't everyone get a gift shop? What about the boy? Did he get a shop? or a shoppe? A general note whilst going down a Knott rabbit hole: are there any photos of M/M Knott smiling? Looks like the kids did some photos with some half smiles...did anyone ever get to really enjoy the fruits of their labor? It is reported that the two Walts did meet AND both experienced one anothers Park...but where are the photos? Did the Knotts smile when they rode Peter Pan? Speaking of Candy Parlours...there isn't one I haven't like. Candy IS dandy! A parlour of Candy is even better...do you sit in the Parlour and consume your candy?...and it was good enough to put on the "big sign"? All good things at a time a few things were "free". Did Disneyland get Knotts gated? Or was it inevitable? Lot's of questions today! Thanks Major!
In the third pic is my favorite restaurant at Knott's, Ghost Town Grill. I believe it's now the only food place that is a full-service restaurant.
Thanks, Major.
Bu, the Cable Car Kitchen had a buffet line at one end of the building, an ice cream parlor at the other end, and a fast food counter in between the two. The ice cream parlor is now a Starbucks. The buffet became a Cinnabon at one point, but when they pulled out, Knott's just made it a doughnut shop called, "Dough-Knott's." Or something "punny" like that. The fast food counter was taken over by "Pink's" (of L.A. hot dog fame). But their Knott's venture wasn't successful, so they pulled out after just a few years. After they left, that middle section of the building was renamed "Cable Car Kitchen," once again.
You are right....I don't think I've ever seen a photo of the Knott's with big smiles on their faces. However, in person, Virginia Knott had a HUGE smile on her face, the two different occasions when she almost ran me over (backstage) with her big white Cadillac. Or was it a Lincoln Continental?
I would never recognize pic 1 as Knotts, but I’m sure I saw this part of it.
I like the last photo, good crowd enjoying the faux old buildings.
Looking at the paving, I realize I haven’t seen Knotts since the ADA Wheelchair access laws came in effect. I can imagine it had a huge effect on the site paving with all the buildings just being tossed in over time with no real plan. The paving in photo 1 looks pretty good, the gentleman pushing his Dad or Granddad seems to be doing all right, but those wood sidewalks would be a challenge.
Thanks Major!
JG
@ Bu-
Lots of questions, indeed.
Toni was famous [or more-often infamous] for its home permanent, from Gillette. Its big competition was Lilt, from Procter & Gamble. (Home permanents are dicey, at best).
Yes, "candy IS dandy"; but as Ogden Nash said: "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker".
I don't know about candy 'parlours'; but before Saga Corp. merged Straw Hat Pizza with Pizza Palace creating Straw Hat Pizza Palace - which was later shortened to Straw Hat Pizza, Pizza Palace's ad agency created this slogan to go after the Shakey's Pizza Parlor chain: "Wouldn't you rather dine at a palace than a parlor-?" Personally I prefer to avoid BOTH chains. A clever slogan, but the winner goes to Knott's with their timeless slogan: "Minutes from Disneyland... World's Apart".
Thanks, Major.
TokyoMagic!, maybe Marion and Toni were smart, they could divvy up the work, while Virginia had to do it ALL!
JB, I wonder if the mother and daughter discussed wearing matching red shoes, or if it was just a coincidence. “AI generated”, I just saw a commercial for Oscar Meyer lunchables, and I swear the “dad” was CGI. He had “Polar Express eyes”. I hope Igor enjoys ghost towns and does not get too scared. “They almost always have girls play Peter Pan”… not just girls, but former Olympic gymnasts! Maybe we’ll see a future Peter Pan at the Paris games. Beef stew, yum. But then again, fried chicken. Now I can’t decide. Maybe you are in a mood because you need a fruit rollup.
Bu, while Knott’s has changed a lot, there are still areas that are charming and that remind me of my childhood visits. I’m very surprised that one of my friends loves Disneyland, but has no love for Knott’s. Yes, they are different, that’s part of the fun. And yes, Walter Knott did not have the big budgets that Walt Disney had, but he sure made the most of his investment. I’ve never been to the Cable Car Kitchen, in fact I assume it is long gone (like the Cable Cars themselves). Yeah, what DID they sell in the Sports Shop? “Active wear”? Leg warmers and headbands, like Olivia Newton John wore in the “Physical” video? I think there’s a photo of Walter and Cordelia Knott at the “Pitchur Gallery”, on a covered wagon, and I do believe they are both smiling. Not big toothy grins, but smiles nevertheless. I confess that I have never been in the Candy Palace at Disneyland, or the Candy Parlor at Knott’s. I like candy just fine. My guess is that Knott’s became ticketed because there was just too much money to be made to NOT do it.
K. Martinez, I’ve only been to the Chicken Dinner restaurant once, but isn’t that a full service restaurant? I kind of forget. Maybe it is a buffeteria.
TokyoMagic!, ugh, Starbucks and Cinnabon. Like you’d find at an airport. Why not a Sbarro pizza place too? “Dough Knotts”, ugh again. Disney’s pun disease has spread. WHY? They aren’t funny, or clever. I’ve never had a Pink’s hotdog, but have heard that they are not that amazing. So now I know that there is still a Cable Car Kitchen at the park, even if it is much changed. Did Virginia Knott try to run you over on purpose?
JG, the area pictured in the first image is something I would have walked right past as I hurried to “Ghost Town proper”. So I’m sure that even if I saw it as a kid, I paid zero attention to it. Who cares about some dumb restaurant? With the paving in the streets, I guess a wheelchair could just avoid the wooden sidewalks altogether, just like guests avoid the sidewalks at Disneyland.
Nanook, I’m famous for my perm, very high on top with lots of tight curls. Ogden, who names their kid “Ogden”?? I can never remember if we visited a Straw Hat Pizza Parlor (“Palace”?) when I was a kid, or if it was a Shakey’s, but it was where I first played “Pong”, as well as an electric version of Tic-Tac-Toe. Both seemed amazing. Also, they played old songs and projected the lyrics on a screen - “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” - and the customers actually sang along!
Major-
"Ogden, who names their kid “Ogden”??" Perhaps it was a popular name ca. 1902-? (Although how many 'Ogdens have you heard of-?) Awright - there are a few, but.
And I remember Shakey's for all the same reasons you do.
Bu : Knott’s Berry Farm became gated after a series of some severe vandalism starting in 1968. After the park was gated an admission fees were charged , the wide assortment of merchandise vendors got smaller and smaller as it became increasingly difficult to make sales to entry fee paying guests - and less and less of the people who came in to eat and shop. One of the biggest model railroad shops in Southern California was inside Knott’s Berry Farm … on museum row across from Mott’s miniatures : during the 1950’s and 1960’s hobbyists could easily access the shop for products , supplies and repairs … even Bud Hurlbut purchased supplies for his design models like Timber Mt. log Ride …. But after the park became gated , it struggled like many of the former vendors and had to cater more to expensive tourist type items and less of a supplier for model railroaders and model builders. The same thing happened to the extensive dollhouse & miniature shop that had once been a part of MOTTS MINIATURES.
But Knott’s had to become gated fir safety and protection. Remember it was a last minute thing for Disneyland to charge an admission fee - Walt said “we will charge a 1.00 entry fee so we can keep the riffraff out!!”
Did Virginia Knott try to run you over on purpose?
Major, I suppose she didn't see me. I was walking through the backstage area and both times, she came barrelling around a corner in her big car. It is odd that it happened to me more than just once. I wonder how many other employees had close calls with her like that? Each time she had a big smile on her face as she waved at me. Oh, and I did have to wait on Toni Knott's once, during the time that I worked at the Cable Car Kitchen. I should have asked her why her sister had it out for me! Or why her sister Virginia got a store of her very own and didn't have to share. Or why nobody in the family smiles, except when they are trying to run over one of their employees.
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