Vintage Halloween

Happy Halloween! It's one of the most popular holidays (?) on Urf, its influence continues to grow like the mutagenic mushrooms in the 1963 Japanese horror movie, "Matango" (that one used to freak me out when I was a kid!). With Halloween being on a Friday, I have the feeling that it's going to be extra crazy for some folks. I have a few vintage Halloween-related slide scans to share with you.

First is a fun and very vintage photo scan contributed by Sue B. We don't know much about this image, besides the fact that it has a group of children wearing costumes - it might not be a Halloween photo at all. But I like it, so I'm including it! Is that gray line in the background the ocean? Now that I see that, I can't "unsee" it. The girl to the left has a paper hat that seems to read "Fireman (?)", and she definitely dresses the same as the Los Angeles Fire Department. Another girl wears a holster and brandishes her six-shooter. I'd hoped that I could read the sign held by that girl near the middle, but Photoshop couldn't help. Thanks for the fun photo, Sue!

Sue wanted to include this next photo because, on the surface, it is just a nice picture of the Castle Moat. BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE KILLER SWANS? Not the usual white swans either, but black swans. Those are extra-explosive!

Next, from my scans is this one from 1962; we see this sister and brother posed on their weird sofa. "We made the back small and passed the saving on to YOU!". I'm assuming that this was taken before trick-or-treats, since that plastic bag looks empty - although there is what appears to be a big fat paper bag right next to it. Mysterious. The older boy is dressed as Yogi Bear,  who would rather have a pic-a-nic basket. His little sister is dressed as a pink rabbit, which is also my costume this year.

The next two are undated, but from a party from the 1970s (I believe). There's quite a gathering of kids. As is often the case, girls use the occasion to get extra dolled-up. Sweaters and jackets hint that this is somewhere chilly - I remember trick-or-treating in the snow when I lived in Pennsylvania. Boys always love to look scary or silly, but I particularly like that astronaut costume. If you happened to be wearing one a few years ago, you probably could have boarded the Space Shuttle with no problem.

Same party, different kids! You've got your classics like Raggedy Ann and a Devil, a young boy who has his minimal "Lone Ranger" mask, and then a few others I can't identify. Is the girl in the lower left supposed to be a Sea Monkey?? The two "twins" with the long blonde hair are weird. The girl touching her face - no idea.

 I hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Haunted Mansion Snoozles??

When going through a batch of slides, there are the inevitable few photos that will be crummy, for one reason or another. We know them as "Snoozles". And, as you know, I'll share a lot of those on Sundays, just in case they provide some tiny amount of entertainment value. BUT, when scanning a batch from December, 1976, I found two photos from inside the Haunted Mansion that were barely-acceptable. I almost threw my computer into the Grand Canyon. But then I decided that they weren't such bad little slides after all!

Yep, that's a chandelier alright. I wonder if this prop had been used in Hollywood movies? Those big prop houses have everything.  Of course this is from the big ballroom scene, one of the most spectacular sights in almost any ride at the time (and maybe even still). There are some ghosties having fun up among the crystals, but you can barely see them here.

Here's a contemporary photo of the scene, scrounged from the Internet. Look at those crazy ghosts! There's one of Cleopatra's handmaidens, and she's flirting with a fellow who might be a serf from medieval days? Please correct me, I know I'm wrong. A Dickensian fellow has had five too many, but it's not like he's going to get hurt.

Next is this mysterious and abstract image, with blurry blobs of color. TERRIFYING blobs of color! It wasn't very difficult to place this scene, but it was still fun to do the research.

Here we go! This is another photo picked from the Internet, I'm sorry I did not keep track of where it is from. But you can see that we're in the graveyard scene, where spirits from many eras seem to be enjoying a spot o' tea, while others ride bicycles in endless circles. 

I hope you've enjoyed these Haunted Mansion Snoozles™!

Frontierland Publicity Pix

Here's another batch of vintage publicity photos, shared with us by the Mysterious Benefactor! He's not as spooky as he sounds.

A band of scurvy pirates disguised as suburban nerds (what a great name for a band) looks hungrily at the Mark Twain, dreaming of seizing it for their own evil purposes. "We'll take it out on the high seas! Aaaar!", said the girl in the red velvet dress. Mom obviously thinks that it's a great idea, she has already knit eye patches for everyone.

If you build a fake rock, kids will climb it. "Gorilla's Law". That girl is at the top, because she is the most ruthless and bloodthirsty of all the children. Do you think she won't use nunchucks to repel the boys? Think again.

Well, it's pretty clear who's in charge now. Look at that girl, laughing scornfully! The boys (and one younger girl) are trying to put on brave faces. 

We all remember the time when a pack of Newsies invaded Tom Sawyer Island. All of the regular guests who happened to be on the island were forced to read giant old-fashioned newspapers from front to back -  even the comic strip "Momma" (by Mel). But it's OK because the Newsies then sang and danced their way into their hearts.  

And finally - well, I already educated you about "Gorilla's Law". Those kids can't stay away! In this case they are climbing Castle Rock, I don't ever remember seeing it surrounded by trees as it is here, but then again, most photos that I have are 20 or 30 years older. I hope there are no Newsies at the top of Castle Rock.

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

 

Two Randos

Randos. You know the drill by now! Let's start with this view of some topiaries, as seen in a backstage area visible from the Disneyland Railroad. This one is from October 1965, which is from about seven months before It's a Small World would debut on March 30, 1966 in Fantasyland. If you remember, we had another view of topiaries in the same area, only from about two year earlier - it amazed me that they were already working on them for Disneyland before IASW had opened at the New York World's Fair.

On a side note, GDB friend MS sent me a link to an episode of the old "Disneyland" TV show - all about "Disneyland '61". The whole thing is a fun blast to the past, hosted by Walt himself. If you skip to 1:45 into the episode, you'll see Walt present a fairly amazing concept for topiaries that never came to pass. Many thanks to MS for sharing this with me (and by extension, with you)!

Speaking of 1961, here's a scan from a slide dated "October, 1961", it almost feels like an "oops" photo. "Dangit! I didn't mean to press the button!". And yet it is still kind of fun, with the yellow Monorail's tail cone in the extreme foreground - that boy has a great seat, and you can tell he's pretty happy about it. In the distance is the classic "Old Tomorrowland".

A Pair From July 1962

It's a mixed bag today - one nice scan, and one "meh" scan. But we must carry on. 

First up is this look at some boys (it's ALL boys) waiting for their turn to ride the Tomorrowland Autopia. Based on the date, those should be the Mark V vehicles (in case you are keeping a tally). Just visible in the distance (and through the trees) are the yellow passenger cars of the Disneyland Railroad. It's too bad one of the Monorails wasn't passing overhead, that would have made this an extra-great pic! 

Next is this somewhat mundane look at the Matterhorn and Skyway. Both of these slides had shifted to blue, and as usual, I seem to have a tough time restoring those to anything that resembles normal colors. I'm sorry that we didn't get a bobsled sighting.

Snoozles, August 1970

Here's a pair of Snoozles™, with "issues" that are typical with these less-than-wonderful photos. Both are from August, 1970.

I enjoy a nice Keelboat photo, especially when the boat is passing the waterfalls of Cascade Peak. Both the Keelboats and Cascade Peak are long gone, sadly. This isn't even a terrible photo, some of the focus is off, though small portions are relatively clear, which is due to Dark Energy. If you look carefully, you can see some guests on their Pack Mules in the upper right.

In general, don't point your camera at somebody when the sun is practically in the frame with them! I learned this from Alfie Adams (Ansel's evil twin brother). A woman is posing near the top of Castle Rock, but we can barely see her. Sure, she has her cloaking device turned to 50%, but even so.

Vintage Trains

Oh yeah, vintage trains. Or locomotives, as they call them in Par-ee. These are old-timers, but in both cases they were in use at tourist destinations. 

First up is this shot of the 1246 from the Canadian Pacific Railway; as per Wikipedia, No. 1246 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in Montreal, Quebec in June 1946. It rolled out of the Shops on June 29, 1946 as the fourteenth member of the Canadian Pacific Railway's (CP) G5c class. It was initially assigned by the CP to operate in Alberta and Saskatchewan in Western Canada, and it travelled for 655,773 miles during its revenue career between July 1946 and March 1958. Despite having a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, No. 1246 was primarily used for freight service, and records only show the locomotive hauling passengers for a combined total of thirteen months. The G5c was overhauled for the sixth and final time by the CP at Winnipeg, coming out of Weston Shops on June 15, 1958. However, the locomotive never operated for the CP again after the overhaul. Yeah, yeah, that loco is great, but how can they compete with that display of beautiful lawn mowers?? Meanwhile, In June 1967, Canadian Pacific 1246 was transferred to the Green Mountain Railroad (GMRR) with the intention of restoring it to operate on their trackage. The locomotive was restored in 1969, and it was modified with a visor headlight and a mounted bell above the smokebox, and it was given a nameplate with the lettering “F. Nelson Blount” to pay tribute to Blount's passing two years prior. No. 1246 was used by the GMRR to pull multiple excursion trains between Bellows Falls and Chester. You can read more about the locomotive if you click the Wikipedia link above.

This next one is dated "July 1965", and shows a beautiful steam locomotive - somewhere. Looking for a train with the number "1880" was frustrating, because steam trains were a big deal in 1880, and it was hard to find this specific example. But, finally, I got it - it's from the Black Hills Central Railroad! Hey, Wikipedia, do my work for me! The Black Hills Central Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates in Keystone, South Dakota, United States. The railroad was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 5, 2003.

It currently operates the 1880 Train on the former Keystone Branch of the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) between Hill City, South Dakota and Keystone, South Dakota. This railroad line was originally built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) to serve mining and timber interests in the Black Hills. It reached Keystone on January 20, 1900 and was later used to haul equipment for carving nearby Mount Rushmore.

The Black Hills Central Railroad restores early twentieth century-era locomotives and train cars and has been featured on television shows such as the Gunsmoke episode "Snow Train", General Hospital and the TNT mini-series Into the West. It also appeared in the movie Orphan Train.

Out Front

I always enjoy a look at the entrance to Disneyland from just outside the gates - they evoke just a bit of that anticipation that I felt as a child. At this point we were so close! I'm sure that we could already hear the "area music", as well as other sounds that I love to this day.

This first one is dated "July, 1962"; it looks like we've purchased out ticket books (Jumbo 15s, of course) and the view of Main Street Station with the Disneyland Railroad's freight train is so impressive that we've already fired off one photo. The chain link fence isn't so great, but it was practical, and you could see through it for the most part. I like the bright flower beds, long-gone today. There's what I believe is a souvenir booth that seems to be zipped up to lock in freshness. And you know that I'm all about freshness! I can see a rare Flying Saucers poster to the left, can you see it too?

One year later (yes, July 1963) somebody took this pretty photo - it's interesting how different the colors look. Different film stock? Look at all those dang flowers! We're actually just outside the EXIT, though I have no doubt that our photographer had just come from the parking lot and was headed toward the ticket booths. Unless they were one of those psychopaths who left the park at 2:00 in the afternoon. The chain link fence has been gussied up with beautiful red roses, but watch out for that barbed wire on top! 

Zooming in, we can see some bike racks, with five or six bicycles parked - did kids even have to lock them up back then? There's also a group of men in suits gathered at what I believe was an entrance for people with "special admission" tickets or some such thing. Are they all Disney executives? 

The Deranged Tea Party

Here are two more 120-format transparencies from the 1950s (meaning that each transparency is 120 feet by 120 feet) - both of these feature aerial views of the Mad Tea Party; in this first example, the photo was taken from the Skyway (so it is from at least 1956 and from before the year 6,244).  There's the theater where guests could watch the Mickey Mouse Club 3D Jamboree, the Mouseketeers were IN YOUR FACE! Man, that Cubby, he thinks he's so great. There's the "Fan 1" snack bar with stripes of olive and pimiento, and beyond that the in-park berm that separated The Rainbow Desert from Fantasyland (some of the rocky formations of the desert can just be seen).

Next, another day, another donut (as the saying goes) - we're a bit further east, and no longer in the Skyway, but on the poop deck (heh heh) of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. Avast there, mateys! Stuff is going on in Fantasyland. For one thing, there are ladders between the Mr. Toad and Peter Pan rides, and another up to the roof of the Castle. Perhaps workmen are touching up the paint? But most notably, the Mad Tea Party is down for maintenance, all of the teacups are in the cupboard, and the turntables are gone. Skilled technicians from MIT wear radiation jumpsuits as they clamber in and out of the holes, trying to figure out why some guests disappear into the sixth dimension.

Why, it's a regular beehive of activity!

Knott's Pitchur Gallery

Gosh, I sure do have a lot of souvenir photos from Knott's Berry Farm's "Pitchur Gallery". I know they might get a bit redundant for some of you, which causes me great emotional pain. OK, not really. I wish I understood hu-man emotions, but they are not a part of my programming. 

Here's a familiar scene, taken in a crude town that still smelled of fresh lumber (and other less pleasant things). Two young girls have decided to try their luck at striking it rich, one rides a donkey, while the other leads the way while carrying a heavy pack - you can tell that she's the one with GOLD FEVER.

I believe that the next example is the only one of its kind in my collection; two women (sisters, presumably) hold hands while sitting on a fence in front of a sparse and spooky landscape. 

Next is another familiar scene, two couples dance the night away while dressed in their finest outfits. There's Roy and Orva (Orva??), an unnamed woman who labeled the photo ("Me"), and her beau ("Gid" - short for "Gideon"? Or perhaps "Gidfrunkel"?). 

Oh yes, I have more Pitchur Gallery photos for you!

Old Snapshots, 1965-ish

A while ago, somebody put a group of old snapshots/photo prints on eBay. They weren't particularly remarkable - except for one. This first one! It's the only shot I've ever seen taken inside the short-lived "Fashion and Fabrics Through the Ages" exhibit in Tomorrowland (1965-66). This exhibit was an odd fit for Tomorrowland, but that's how it went sometimes. The dress on the mannequin to our left was worn by the wife (Lucretia!) of President James A. Garfield (the 20th President of the USA) at his inauguration, while I believe that the dress seen to the right was one worn by the wife (presumably Julia Gardiner Tyler, wife #2) of John Tyler, the 10th President.

Back in 2018, I shared scans of the souvenir flyer/brochure thingy, check it out HERE.

As I said, the rest of the photos are not that inspiring, but I scanned them, so you are stuck with them! I should add that I originally thought that all of them were from 1965, but realized that the lot contained photos from a number of visits, so it's hard to say for sure when any particular image was taken.

Here's a fella posing with the good old Monsanto House of the Future, it almost looks to be hovering above the green shrubbery. Shrubbery! 

Next, a somewhat interesting view taken from the Swiss Family Treehouse, looking down upon the Rivers of the World and a single jungle launch as it passed a ruined temple guarded by chocodiles. Note the red leaves of the tree in the foreground - red from BLOOD.

Stay tuned for more scans from this batch of snapshots.

More Disneyland Hotel, 1980

Let's check out four more 1980 views from the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel, taken by Lou Perry, and scanned by his daughter, Sue B! I don't think too many people would have taken photos of these features, but Lou did! He was ahead of the curve. As I've said before, my knowledge of the Hotel is limited, so if you (yes, YOU) have anything of interest to share, please do!

The California Wine Cellar sounds like a classy place to relax after a day at the park. I would feel very comfortable showing off my expertise. Here's a tip: just say that you detect "subtle undertones of dried cherries, some vegetal notes, and with some hints of Mountain Dew Baja Blast", and the sommelier say, "VERY good, sir". He knows he'll never be as cool as you.

Sea Port of the Pacific, judging by the sign to the left, this was another restaurant, and not a shop full of imported goods, which would have been my first guess. You know, knickknacks made with seashells and coconuts, hats woven from palm leaves, Aloha shirts, that sort of thing. November must have truly been the off season in 1980, somehow Lou managed to avoid any other people. THE DREAM.

Well. Here's a view from the other side of the Seaports of the Pacific, and it doesn't look like much of a restaurant. Maybe it was a place where nerds could play D&D? "I'm an orc with digestion issues!". "I'm a sleepwalking wizard!". "I'm an annoying elf!". Some fun.

As you can see, Lou set the timer on his camera, and tossed it up into the air. He knew how to toss it just so, and look at the picture he got! I threw my camera up into the air once, and a seagull took it. We're looking down upon the California Wine Cellar, which happens to have a British phone booth - a relic of the Wrather's ties to the Queen Mary? 

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue, stay tuned for more from this series!

Snoozles, April 1973

After a few days of frantic scanning (accompanied by the music from the opening credits of "Psycho") I was a bit perturbed to find so many Snoozles™ in the mix. As a rule, many tended to be too dark for some reason. I have enough Snoozles to satisfy the nation's demand for several months (let's try to find that silver lining)!

Here's a perfect example. Who wouldn't want a cute photo of Pooh-bear in the plaza in front of the park? He's everybody's pal! But seeing him lurking in the shadows, shrouded in semi-darkness, he looks a little scary. At first I thought that he had a knife in his right hand. Behind him is a souvenir stand full of wondrous treasures, but we can't really tell what's what.

Mickey Mouse avoids the direct sunshine, indicating that he is probably a "daywalker" - a vampire who can go to the dry cleaners and 7-11, as long as he steers clear of direct sunlight. Right after this photo was taken, his hand slipped out of the shadows, and there was a distinct sizzling sound, and the aroma of fried mouse. But he carried on like a trouper! At first I thought he was in front of the Bank of America, but that round window to the right can only be in front of the Hills Bros. Coffee House.

Salt Lake City, Utah

I happened to have two vintage slides that are from Salt Lake City. So I have a theme!

First up is this great 1940 shot of the Mormon Temple in SLC. Strangely, this single Utah image was mixed in with some previously-shared photos from Allentown, Pennsylvania. It's not like PA and UT are right next to each other, but slides have a way of getting mixed up. Anyway, the temple is fairly easy to identify, so there was not much confusion on my part (for a change). I love this 85 year-old view!

Using Google Maps' Street View, I grabbed this relatively contemporary view as seen from Main Street (at the corner of South Temple Street. Wondering about the construction (other views show the temple completely encased in scaffolding, I discovered that the temple was closed in December 2019 for a general remodeling and seismic renovations, which were initially estimated to take approximately four years. That's a statue of Brigham Young to the right.

Next is this interesting 1969 photo of the Matterhorn after a weight loss regimen. It turns out that this is an image from the International Peace Gardens - something I'd never heard of. The garden was conceived in 1939 and dedicated in 1952. (It) is under the direction of the Salt Lake Council of Women Past Presidents Council. Each participating Utah-based nation group is allotted a plot in which to create a garden with native plantings, garden architecture, and statues of world peace leaders typical of its homeland and culture. The Peace Gardens currently represents the cultural diversity of 28 nations. 

Roy Williams, January 1960

I have a pair of extra-fun scans for you today - both featuring Roy Williams, aka "The Big Mooseketeer", drawing Disney characters and signing autographs for children in Frontierland. Roy was hired by Walt in 1930, and was not only an artist but a prolific "gag man". Director Jack Kinney, a friend of Roy's, described him as a "big fat balding hot-headed unpredictable bastard", but hugely admired his prolific talent, saying that he could "sit down and grunt out a few pounds of gags as if it were nothing". 

Roy gained a certain level of fame once he became a part of the Mickey Mouse Club TV show, which had ended its four-year run in 1958, but I believe the show was still being shown in syndication in 1960. Former Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr called Williams "a warm guy, who liked kids, always had time for kids, and always helped us any way he could."

I've had opportunities to acquire some of Roy's sketches/autographs, but somehow never bit. So I scrounged two examples from the Internet, these are typical of what he produced. I assume he would ask each child who their favorite character was, and probably knocked one of these out in a matter of seconds.

Eeyore & Pooh, August 1981

We all like to dress up like giant fuzzy cartoon characters (for "reasons"), but other people - the smart people - get paid to do it! I don't know if Disneyland was the first amusement park to have walk-around characters to meet and hug - probably not. But the Disney characters are iconic and beloved.

Who doesn't love Eeyore? Autocorrect wants to call him "eyesore", but he's not that bad. The tack holding his tail in has always been a source of unease for me, but maybe it helps me understand Eyesore's mournful demeanor. I think that kids have a natural desire to let Eyesore know that they love him. 

And then there's Pooh! He doesn't have any emotional issues, in fact he's generally pretty cheerful, especially when wearing a jar of hunny on his head (wouldn't you be?). I believe that the 1980s were the beginning of "peak Pooh", when the bear's popularity grew and grew, until some people worried that he had eclipsed Mickey Mouse himself. 

Or was this photo supposed to feature the lady with the mint-green pants?

 

Frontierland at Dusk, June 1962

After a day of stomping around Disneyland beneath the bright sun, one can feel a real change in atmosphere when evening approaches. There's no more squinting, no more feeling the urge to sit on a hot rock (this is for the lizards who read GDB), and generally feeling more relaxed. Both of today's photos were taken during the last hour (or so) of daylight.

A mother and daughter hold hands as they head toward the queue structure for the Columbia sailing ship (or the Mark Twain). "I want to see the shiny boy on the canoe!", the girl laughs. "I like the burning settler's cabin!", says the mother (who might be a budding arsonist). There is truly something for everyone. Editor's note: I just happen to be wearing pink pants today. HARD FACTS.

After a brief wait in line, guests would find themselves standing at the edge of the load dock, and this is the view you might expect to see. It's very pretty! We can see the distinctive oval sign of the French Market across the water, as well as the tops of some of the buildings in New Orleans Square. I like the fact that some of the lamps are lit. Some of the magnolia trees appear to be full of large white blossoms (magnolias were my grandmother's favorite tree). I also like the way shirts that are yellow or red seem to "pop" especially.