More Miscellaneous Amusements

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). 

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.

A Pair From August, 1981

I'm a bit disgruntled, because I have well over 100 scans ready to share with you folks. Usually there is a mix of the "usual stuff", with some nicer-than-average images sprinkled in. But there really aren't many extra-special views in the bunch! It's bound to happen sometimes, but still, it's aggravating. And so... here are some perfectly-nice photos from 1981 - 44 years ago. Somehow.

In spite of this one being taken in 1981, it really doesn't look that different from others taken 15 years earlier. With the exception of the people wearing shorts! All is well in Town Square, the Popcorn Vendor is waiting for business to pick up, and the Global Van Lines building has its original (and better) façade. 

This one's a bit more interesting (to me, anyway), I'm assuming that it was taken from the Disneyland Railroad, as it sat at Main Street Station. Or maybe as it just got underway (to see the Grand Canyon Diorama)? I don't remember those trees partially blocking our view in any other photos. I like the details of the rectangular Skyway gondolas so relatively low to the ground (to the left),  providing bright spots of color along with the Peoplemover and Autopia cars. The shrubs covered in pink blossoms add a lot of warmth and beauty to the scene.

Vintage Christmas

Merry Christmas! It's time to take a break from eating Christmas cookies and drinking eggnog. Now that I am more health-conscious, I drink non-dairy organic soy nog. It's terrible! But I do feel healthier. 

As per GDB tradition, I have some vintage Christmas photos to share with you, starting with three that are from Sue B's collection (since these are not "Lou and Sue" photos, she asked me to use the GDB watermark, in case you were wondering). 

Here are four brothers, posing with a globe of the Urf for some reason. One is pointing to Florida, the other to... Illinois? "Here are the latest sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker!". It looks like the youngest boy is around 7, while the oldest might be 18. And when you are 7, an 18 year-old might as well be 30. The boys should have worn their ugly sweaters, there's not much  of that holiday spirit in the pic.

Next is a cute picture of a girl gazing lovingly at her new doll, which even came with a fancy stroller so that she can practice parking it at Disneyland. I was always jealous of my friends who had tinsel on their Christmas trees, but my mom had a fear that somehow the tinsel might cause a fire (shorting out the electric lights or something). I also think she didn't want to deal with putting it on the tree and dealing with more mess. 

This next one is from the same household, but with a different cute kid - this girl is playing with some unidentifiable game of skill. I can't quite tell what the other items are under the tree, but there is a creepy doll glaring at us from the background. Did it just blink??

Next I have three scans from my own stash of vintage slides. This first one is from 1963 - at first I thought that the boy looked like he is about to burst into tears, but then figured that he is probably squinting from Dad's bright lights set up just for the photo. No, I really do think he's about to cry. Well, Christmas can be an overwhelming experience for a kid. He got a Monkey Gun and that sweet red toy convertible, so he's done alright for himself. I hope that castle was for a younger sibling.

From the 50s comes this scan that was a bit too dark, but it's still worth a gander. There's a nice stack of boxes beneath the tree, but nothing's been opened yet. Some of those boxes look suspiciously like clothing. Which I realize is actually a lovely and practical thing to give, but... not much fun for a kid. It's dark outside, maybe this family opened one gift on Christmas Eve like mine does (or used to do)? 

And finally, from 1960 we see this fun photo of a happy boy trying out his desktop chalkboard, complete with an abacus (?). He is not only wearing a feathered headdress (genuine turkey feathers, I believe), but has a cowboy hat on the chair nearby. I love the old TV with the crèche on top, and the homey mid-century furniture.

I hope that all of you enjoy a warm, wonderful Christmas day!

(I'm still out of town, but will be back real soon)

Christmas At Disneyland

Well, I didn't manage to post all of my scanned Disneyland/Christmas photos this season, but that just means that I can use them next year. Meanwhile, here are three more fun images to get you in the mood.

First is this picture from December, 1965 looking down a very crowded Main Street - possibly just before  a Christmas parade, since there seems to be a lot of folks sitting or standing on the curb. Tarped spotlights can be seen on top of some of the nearby buildings for the night version of the parade. 

Right in the middle of this closeup, there is a woman holding her 1965 souvenir guidebook (of which you can view every page (courtesy of JG!). Check out PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, and PART FOUR by clicking on the links.

Or just look at the cover!

Next, from December 1960 we see a Christmas parade in progress. The Plaza is full of happy guests who love the silly reindeer, I particularly love the smile on the little girl in the white sweater. To the left, a girl in a red coat reaches out in the hopes of touching one of the reindeer.

And finally, here's a pretty view of the Matterhorn (from November of 1968) topped with the giant star, as seen from the Disneyland RR and Tomorrowland Station. Spots of bright color are provided by the Skyway gondolas, the Autopia cars, the Monorail, and the Peoplemover.

I'll be out of town for the next few days. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Sub Lagoon, September, 1964

I just scanned a small group of 126-format slides, and most were not that interesting, but today's examples are pretty good, even though the color is a little wonky (these are date-stamped "September 1964"). 

This first one appears to have been taken from the top of the Speed Ramp that led up to the Monorail platform. It's actually kind of an unusual angle, looking back with the Yacht Bar to our left. The round Skyway gondolas were not long for this world, they'd be replaced with the dodecahedron-shaped gondolas in 1965. (I just wanted to say "dodecahedron"). You can see a "Picture Spot" sign near the Yacht Bar. At first I thought there was a CM wheeling something heavy to the right of that Monorail pylon, but it's just a man behind a lady. Sorry, ma'am! The Sub Lagoon waters are bubbling and churning, evidence of deep-sea volcanic activity.

Next is a fairly standard (but still nice) view from the Skyway, looking down on the Lagoon, while the new-kew-lar sub the Sea Snert begins its journey through liquid space. There's not a single bobsled in either photo, and now I must weep.

Hey! I just noticed that there IS a bobsled, the nose of one is visible in photo #2, on the right edge of the Matterhorn, near the top edge of the picture. Hooray!

Holiday Time, 1950s

I Have two 1950s Christmas-ish scans from Disneyland for you today, starting with this first shot looking along West Center Street, and at the Carnation Milk Truck. The garland and wreath overhead is the only real indicator that it was Christmastime. It's strange to see West Center Street before the Flower Market was added... it looks like a dead-end - which of course it was. I'm assuming that this was taken as the park was closing, since there is a notable absence of people.

To the left, in front of that one façade, we see a map of Main Street, illuminated by an overhead lamp (which is why I think this is evening rather than early morning). To the left of that is a sign with Mickey's likeness; it's hard to read, but says something about "XMAS FUN" at the Mickey Mouse Theater in Fantasyland.

This next one shows the Emporium, along with Town Square and Main Street adorned in fairly minimal Christmas decor... some garlands, some red bells, a small tree in the middle of the square (was there a larger tree out of frame??), and if you look closely, some plywood cutouts above the entry to the Emporium, used only in 1956, I believe (please correct me if I am mistaken). 

Snoozles™July, 1962

It's a Snoozle Extravaganza today. Buy one, get three free! The first two scans are from July, 1962, and went way too dark. So dark that I am scared. This wouldn't be a bad photo of the Monorail, if the aperture had been open a lot more. 

I always love a good photo with the old Skyway buckets and the classic Fantasyland. But not this one!

These next two are from a Christmas parade in December, 1976. They were so "meh" that I almost just dragged the scans to the trash. BUT WAIT! Sometimes trash can be fun! Shakespeare said it, so it must be true. Here's Grumpy sitting at his pipe organ (well, OK, he's standing); was there another character pumping the bellows? Grumpy seems to be bathed in a pink spotlight.

And here is another from the same parade; the wonderful toy soldiers are marching past; judging from the low angle, I wonder if this was taken by a child? Those lights in the background look like they could be someplace in Tomorrowland, possibly.

Miscellaneous Amusements

Hooray for MISCELLANEOUS AMUSEMENTS! This first one is dated "August, 1964", and is from Dinosaur Park, in Rapid City, South Dakota. Dinosaur Park (was) dedicated on May 22, 1936, it contains seven dinosaur sculptures on a hill overlooking the city, created to capitalize on the tourists coming to the Black Hills to see Mount Rushmore. Constructed by the City of Rapid City and the Works Progress Administration, WPA Project #960's dinosaurs were designed by Emmet Sullivan. Sullivan also designed the Apatosaurus at Wall Drug nearby in Wall, South Dakota.

The park is located at 940 Skyline Drive and is maintained by the City of Rapid City. Admission is free. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1990.  I'm so glad that Dinosaur Park is still with us!

From August, 1961 comes this photo of two sisters (?) at the wheels of a pretty nice little car ride - much fancier than the ones on steel track set on boards in a worn grass field. I have no idea where this was located, however, if you do, please chime in!

And finally, from August, 1965 we see this view of a fair from a very faded, filthy, and damaged slide. It doesn't look that great now, and I spent quite a while trying to restore it before I lost patience and stopped. Anyway, the fair looks like the kind of thing you'd find in 1965 in a nicer town. Signs helpfully identify rides such as "Tip Top" and the "Twister", can you ID any others?

 

December, 1976 - Hudson Brothers In Fantasyland

I found these first two photos to be interesting; they show the Hudson Brothers playing on the Small World Stage in Fantasyland. As a kid, I remember the The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show on Saturday mornings (1974 - 1975). Looking on Wikipedia, I see that they'd previously had a prime-time TV series that was a popular summer replacement for The Sonny and Cher Show. Today's photos are from 1976 when they had a number of singles on the Billboard Top 100 charts.

The Hudson name lives on thanks to the fame of band member Bill Hudson's daughter, actress Kate Hudson ("Almost Famous"), from his marriage to Goldie Hawn. While viewing these scans, I had the feeling that I'd seen something about the Hudson Brothers at Disneyland in a brochure.

This brochure!

As you can see, the Brothers performed on the Small World Stage on December 18th and 19th - 49 years ago today (or yesterday)! You could also see Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. ("You Don't Have To Be A Star [To Be In My Show]), or Elvin Bishop ("Fooled Around And Fell In Love"); or go see Disneyland regulars like Sunshine Balloon, Teddy Buckner and His All Stars, or even the Dickens Carolers.

Oh man, Space Mountain was going to debut the following year - it actually opened on May 27, 1977!

Christmas, The Magic Kingdom, December 1983

It's LOU AND SUE time! Sue B. scanned some of her dad's (Lou Perry) slides from a visit to The Magic Kingdom in December, 1983. Let's take a look!

We're looking south along Main Street USA, with what seems to be light attendance - maybe this was typical of those days. Is somebody boarding the Horse Drawn Streetcar? If so... weird. You'd think that everyone would be required to be seated. The Sweepers are out in force, dealing with some horse apples. The tree in the distance must be a good 50 feet tall!

Speaking of trees! I like the way the lower branches have been pruned to leave plenty of room for presents for ME. I want a Thingmaker from Mattel, and a Corgi Yellow Submarine. And a pony. No, two ponies, so they can keep each other company.

A similar view to the first one, only that Streetcar got in the way, so I am going to Sue the Disney Company for ten million dollars. See you on the beaches of Rio!

Cinderella Castle is so big. I know there is a restaurant inside it ("Walt's Slurp and Burp"), but is there anything in the upper levels? A private apartment for when I eventually visit?

Where is the fake snow, the artificial icicles? Where are the LED lights that cycle through all the colors of the rainbow? How am I supposed to know that it is Christmastime? 

Once a day, a young child was given a bow and arrow, and if he could fire a flaming arrow through all of the wreaths, he would be arrested for arson. Luckily, most kids are klutzes.  

As the sun sinks slowly into the west, let's take one final look at the Town Square Christmas Tree. Notice the larger ornaments at the bottom, with others getting smaller and smaller on the way up. This helped protect the tree from predators. Near the watermark we can see several men in shirtsleeves and ties (accompanied by a lady), maybe they are Cast Members?

THANKS SO MUCH, Lou and Sue!

Magic Kingdom Emporium Windows, December 1983

Today I have the third installment of 1983 photos shared with us by Sue B, and taken by her dad, Lou Perry. These are especially great because Lou took pictures of the windows of The Emporium (I believe), which featured wonderful dioramas of scenes from the new animated featurette, "Mickey's Christmas Carol" - a film that I quite like (it's hard to ruin the Dickens classic). This was the first original film starring Mickey Mouse since 1953! I really enjoy the way other characters from the Disney library are used throughout the story.

First up we see Mickey and Morty Mouse (as Tiny Tim). They are poor, but happy! 

Ebenezer is visited by Jacob Marley one fateful night. It was not a fragment of undigested potato, but a real (and goofy) ghost!

Over in Scrooge's counting house, Bob Cratchit (Mickey) and Fred (Donald) plan for their day off and big Christmas bonuses!

Scrooge was in love with Isabelle (Daisy Duck) in his younger days. But Scrooge loved money even more!

Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim walk the snowy streets of London. 

Morty was always a forgotten character, it's nice that he got a plum role as Tiny Tim in the film.

I guess we skipped some of the other windows (I've seen photos of them elsewhere), like the famous Kung Fu fight, but it looks like we're at the happy ending. Tiny Tim will live! A single strand of threaded popcorn adorns the spindly tree.

Scrooge has learned his lesson, and brings gifts and food, along with a raise and promotion for Bob Cratchit.

I love seeing these fantastic Emporium windows! THANK YOU to Lou and Sue for sharing these!

More Stuff From the Box

SAY! Howsabout more STUFF FROM THE BOX? This time the box, after exposure to gamma radiation, has morphed into a small 3X3X2 (inches) box that once held a Westinghouse Automobile Lamp Kit. Being so tiny, it doesn't hold a lot. Maybe I'll get four or five posts out of it.

Let's start with this high-relief sterling silver charm/pendant from Disneyland. Naturally there's no date on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is from the 1960s, or possibly the 1970s. They've included such features as Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn, the Mark Twain, the Monorail, and a Submarine. 

This tiny "play money" cent is a mystery to me; but it has FDR's likeness on it - my guess is that this was before his profile would grace the US dime (in which he is facing to the left). These are not rare, but I can't find any information about the origin.

This next one is pretty neat (and appropriate for mid-December) - it's a "Merry Christmas" badge from the Ford Motor Company, with Santa and his eight tiny reindeer. This badge is about 2.5" across, and stamped from surprisingly sturdy brass. The fact that the tab hasn't been bent is a bonus. Looking for info about these, one person online said that it could be from 1952, and the car outline is a '52 Ford Crestline Victoria (so maybe the badge is from 1951?).

Comparing the outline to this photo, it seems to check out!

Here's another mystery; I bought this at an antiques store, and the seller thought that the W/U stood for "Western Union", but I doubt it. After all, it has those atoms (our friends), and a red bolt of lightning. Willoughby's Uranium? Whitaker's Utilities? If you know, please tell me! Incidentally, this badge thingy has a back on it unlike anything I've seen before, perhaps it was supposed to fit into a lapel button hole.

And finally, here's a nice little employee pin celebrating somebody's 30 years of service. Impressive! This pin is only a bit larger than a dime, and is made of enameled brass. "Can I have a raise instead of this pin, boss?". Boss: HAHAHAHAHA!

Stay tuned for more STUFF FROM THE BOX!