It's time for more MISCELLANEOUS AMUSEMENTS! Random scans from my collection of slides.
This first one (dated "March 1959") shows a charming lass posing in front of a saloon that served sarsaparilla (in a dirty glass), as well as Gluek Beer (?!?). Gimme a Gluek! "Sir, this is a family establishment!". There were so many western-themed amusement parks around the US at one time, that I was not very certain that I'd be able to ID this one. To the extreme left, we can see a part of a sign that mentions a rocker (used in separating gold from placer dust), and I wondered, "Could this be Rockerville, South Dakota?" (without much confidence).
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And then I found this scan of a vintage postcard from that very place. Bingo! See another photo of Rockerville at the end of THIS POST.
Here's the back of the card, for those who know how to read.
From June, 1961 comes this photo of a little roller coaster that has clearly been set up at some fair or carnival, with no clue as to where it was. Looking at the track, it looks like there is some sort of chain-driven wheel that helped push the coaster along, since they could not rely on the big drops of conventional coasters. Gravity - maybe you've heard of it! It reminds me of a stripped-down "Gadget's Go-Coaster".
And finally, here's a scan dated "June 13, 1959", from another anonymous fair. I hope it doesn't rain! There was no location indicated, other than the words "Festival center". That's no help at all! There's an airplane ride of some sort, as well as a Paratrooper ride. I think I see one or two other rides, but I can't quite tell what they are.
I hope you have enjoyed today's MISCELLANEOUS AMUSEMENTS.
Major-
ReplyDeleteNice sleuthing - and to think you've already featured this location.
I see there's a 12' round, outdoor thermometer for Ansco Film. It says: Ask for Ansco - the all-weather film. It's guaranteed. It's 'guaranteed' to do just what, exactly-? As their film produced results that at-best would be considered spotty-! LOOK HERE.
Thanks, Major.
Yay! Another Saturday of miscellaneous amusements! I can get motion sick and barf without leaving home! ;-)
ReplyDeleteRockerville: I wonder if the postcard is earlier than your photo, Major. Because the postcard has those nice saloon doors at the entrance. While, in your scan, the entrance is just a beat up looking screen door. Presumably, the saloon doors have a regular door behind them that can be shut, and locked. Also to keep out the cold and inclement weather. (Samuel Inclement wrote the classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Hound".)
The little coaster: I think the "chain-driven wheel" was just to get the coaster up the first 'hill' (more like a small bump) after leaving the station, like a larger coaster would. These kiddie coasters usually went around the track at least three times, using the chain lift each time. I guess it would be fun if there were no 'real' coasters around for a hundred miles or more.
In the last pic, the wings and rear stabilizers on that airplane ride look like they can be rotated by the riders. Though I don't see how that would affect the upsy-downsiness of the planes. Not that it matters; the planes are clearly rocket-propelled! On the extreme left we can see an Eyerly Octopus.
I love these random amusement Saturdays. Thanks, Major.
Off hand I cannot think of the manufacturer of that roller coster / but they sold thousands of them. The SANTA CRUZ (ca) SKY FOREST (ca) and DUNDEE ( Illinois) chain used it for the “BOBSLED” , “SANTA’S BOBSLED”.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thing about saloon doors : very few saloons of the 19th century ever used them. They were expensive and didn’t work in boomtowns with cold weather. Often bigger city saloons in Denver, St. Louis , Kansas City , San Francisco used them inside to separate a hotel lobby from the saloon or gaming parlor . More typically saloon entry doors led to a vestibule that led to swinging doors that lead to the actual saloon. Like how neon became associated with undesirable establishments after the depression , saloon doors became associated with offensive establishments or disorderly houses and fell out of favor with licensed saloon establishments. They became ubiquitous because of Hollywood Westerns .
I left out SANTAS VILLAGE in my comment about the roller coaster
ReplyDeleteEven though we can't see the rest of that coaster, I'm pretty sure I rode one just like it multiple times at local carnivals. In fact, that was the very first roller coaster I ever experienced. And I remember the operator making the car go around several times per ride, like JG stated.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major!
I'm pretty sure if I was in charge of setting up that coaster, I'd have a bucket of nuts and bolts left over every time! No worries! That just adds to the excitement! And every rider (or their next of kin) could get a random bolt after their ride as a keepsake! (While supplies last, void where prohibited by law)
ReplyDeleteNice work on Rockerville, Major! I had never heard of it except forgetting your earlier post. Thanks for these pics! There was a theater too, I can see the Snidely Whiplash character, but can’t make out the show or theater name.
ReplyDeleteLittle known fact: Gluek beer was named so after the the “gluek gluek” sound it makes when poured. It was also a measurement method, “Barkeep, I’ll have four glueks of beer!”
I agree, that little coaster looks so familiar, I’m sure one like it made the rounds of the county fairs of my youth.
In the last, that’s Mother and Daughter looking through the fence in matching plaid clothes of different pattern scales. I wish Melissa could tell us more about those. I think it’s a mountainous location, the weather “feels” cold for June.
JB, thanks for noticing my feeble joke yesterday. That was my favorite movie when I was in the Austrian Navy Submarine Service.
Mike, thanks for the follow-up with the Main Street buildings too, much appreciated.
JG
Excellent sleuthificationizing, Major! You rock(erville)!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the swinging doors, Mike. The local cafe my dad and sister frequent has a regular door to the outside world that leads into a vestibule that is separated from the dining room by swinging doors. Always thought it was an unnecessary element, but now I understand its historic pedigree.
My first coaster ride was probably a clone of this one. I think it was at Cedar Point. I was probably 5 or 6 and it took a while to build up the courage to ride it. My kids’ first coaster was the Gemini Jr, also at Cedar Point. They were 2 and 4, and that experience pretty much sealed the younger one’s love of coasters and the older one’s hatred of the same.
Thanks, Major!
JG, be thankful you weren’t in the Austrian Navy Undersea Service. I understand that’s a really crappy place to work.
ReplyDeleteNanook, I like that cool Ansco thermometer, but I don’t like slides on Ansco film. I guess it’s good for people who like greenish images?
ReplyDeleteJB, I think you’re right about the postcard being earlier - the screen door in my photo has to have been added later, maybe just to keep flies out? Good point about the “regular door” that might (must?) have been there, you’d think they’d want to be able to close and lock up a building at night. I read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Hound” in junior high, and still have “My Darling Clementine” stuck in my head. I’m sure that little coaster was fun, it probably went pretty fast, and sometimes that’s enough. Not all people are lucky enough to have a Disneyland, or even a Six Flags near them. While away I noticed the French flags in that last photo (not sure how I didn’t notice them before); there’s also a sign in the distance that appears to be in English. Could this be somewhere in Quebec?
Mike Cozart, those coasters look like they would have been relatively easy to assemble, and to ship all over the country. I’d have one in my living room if I could. I feel like the classic movie saloon doors are usually in Westerns that are in the hot, arid Southwest. Tumbleweeds and such. I never thought about how neon became associated with seedy places - sometimes it was used for wonderful signs, but you’re right, I think it was mostly tied to bars and seedy hotels.
Mike Cozart, that definitely looks like a ride that could have been at a Santa’s Village.
TokyoMagic!, I believe that you rode one of those coasters, that’s why your hair is completely white from terror!
Stu29573, ha, now I wonder if that ever happened! The person who was supposed to put the little coaster together just threw the extra nuts and bolts in a nearby trashcan!
JG, I have since found one or two other slides from Rockerville in my collection, strangely. It looks like it was a little, and somewhat remote place, and yet people went there. Maybe they even planned their whole summer trip around going there! Gluek beer was named so after the the “gluek gluek” sound it makes when poured.. I believe it! I don’t think I’ve seen one of those little coasters, except for the one in Toontown that really does look very similar. I was hoping that maybe we’d start hearing from Melissa on a semi-regular basis again, but so far it hasn’t happened. I’ll have to go back and see your “feeble joke” from yesterday!
Chuck, I remember thinking that swinging saloon doors were cool when I was a kid. “Why aren’t these on every building??”. Door knobs are so overrated. If I ever have a daughter, I will namer her “Vestibule”. I think my first coaster was at the LA County Fair, and it was part tiny coaster, part dark ride. I remember that the fast parts were surprisingly fun! I wish I could recall what the ride was called. The Matterhorn is the first one that I remember most vividly, because my grandpa was with me, and he laughed the whole time!
Chuck, D’OH
I thought the Golden Eagle signs in the third photo looked like a gas station... and it checks out
ReplyDeletenice misc Major, thanks
oops, that was me, LTL
DeleteThe second picture is of a B.A. Schiff and Associates kiddie coaster. Hundreds of rides in this style by Schiff and other manufacturers have been built. The coaster in the background of the third photo was built by Miler Manufacturing out of Portland, Oregon. Miler built kiddie coasters as well, but the one in this picture was their self-proclaimed "World's Largest Portable Roller Coaster" that was the next step up. Playland at the Beach in San Francisco had one of these models. This looks like a great carnival! We can see an Eyerly Aircraft-manufactured Octopus ride on the left, and the Eyerly Fly-O-Plane on the right. The Fly-O-Plane has kind of achieved a "holy grail" status because there are none left operating, though a few are in storage or recently abandoned. Here's a video of how the ride operates. You can definitely tell it was built by a company that also manufactured training devices for pilots!
ReplyDeleteNobody goes on a coaster just because it has the slogan, "contains all of the bolts provided by the manufacturer"
ReplyDeleteTokyo!, Major will be pleased to note that he isn't the only one who types "JG" instead of "JB" (and vice versa) from time to time. ;-)
ReplyDeleteChuck's joke: Ohhh myyyy.
Major (welcome back), Ha! I almost included a bit in my comment using “My Darling Clementine”.
Andrew, that Fly-o-plane looks awesome. Thanks for that link!
ReplyDeleteLTL, nice! I’ve never heard of Golden Eagle gas stations, your link says that there are still some in Florida, amazingly.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I knew you’d know about that coaster! Thank you for the info. Your knowledge is impressive. I used to have some slides of Playland At the Beach in San Francisco, and I think you could see the coaster you mentioned, but I accidentally put them in a box of slides that I sold. ARGH. I actually thought I recognized the Fly-O-Plane (thanks to you and the other Junior Gorillas), I hope that the surviving examples that are in storage aren’t scrapped. I guess people don’t place any historical value on old amusement park rides, sadly. Thanks for the video link, it really does look like a kooky kind of flight simulator!
Dean Finder, if they used hot glue to assemble the coaster, there would be no problem with nuts and bolts.
JB, I apologize for my mis-typings, but sometimes my fingers just do what they are gonna do!
Chuck, I wonder why that ride seems to have fallen out of favor?