Randos

Let's use up some RANDOS! Oddball slides that might be orphans or leftuggies. Beginning with this July, 1962 photo of Skull Rock. It's a nice 3/4 profile, really showing off the series of waterfalls that looked so great and made such a pleasant sound. I often think that a pool feature like this would be fun at one of my many mansions!

Next is this scan from June, 1962 featuring the Motorized Firetruck as it rounded the Plaza, where I assume that it dropped off some passengers, and took on a new batch to head back down to Town Square. The warm late-afternoon light and blue sky give this one a cheerful, colorful appearance.

I sure hope I'm having fun, wherever I am!

Jungle Cruise Snoozles™

There have been scores of Sunday blog posts featuring Jungle Cruise Snoozles; I've explained why before, and I always feel a little bit guilty taking it out of this beloved ride. But not-great photos are NOT GREAT. Or barely even "good". 

The only thing going for these is that they were likely taken within the first month of the park's opening - possibly even within the first two weeks. They were put into cardboard mounts by somebody who didn't care if they were flopped or not. And with these, it's hard to tell (for me anyway, probably not to TokyoMagic!). Anyway, as you can see, a rhinoceros looks up from eating a gorilla to watch us pass. The grass would eventually make it pretty hard to see the rhino, so this is about the best picture I have of him.

This is either a bull elephant, or his mother-in-law. I always assume that mother-in-law jokes came from Wally Boag, though I have no proof at all. You can't tell the bull from the MIL, they should have put a rolling pin in the trunk of the old battle axe to make it clearer. 

I'm on day 2 of my trip, and I'm probably eating lots of cheese.

Knott's Berry Farm, September 1970

Who's ready for a trip to sunny Knott's Berry Farm? Let's go! These are from September, 1970, which is right around the time when I was lucky enough to go to KBF relatively often. It was close to Huntington Beach, it was affordable (compared to Disneyland, which was a once-a-year or MAYBE twice park), and we loved it.

Let's start with this picture of the Calico Log Ride (later the "Timber Mountain Log Ride"), which had debuted just over a year earlier, on July 11th, 1969. Famously, John Wayne and his son Ethan were the first official guests to plummet down that flume. The arches of El Camino Real are to the right, as is the train depot (which I assume was moved when the Log Ride was added?).  

The Calico Mine Ride; it's not much of a hot take to say that this is one of my favorite rides at Knott's. During one visit, when my mom dropped me, my siblings, and assorted  friends off to fend for ourselves (!), we decided to do the Mine Ride three or four times in a row. NO REGRETS. The ride operators thought we were crazy. I loved the squeaky sound of the trains on those tight turns, and the slightly-grotesque figures inside. I also loved the "underground" waterfall and the glowing caverns!

In spite of the unfortunate colors, I'm happy to see old #41, the Red Cliff, as it passed right through Calico Square (stopping for passengers of course), without so much as an electrified fence to prevent guests from being flattened. And yet, somehow it worked without incident (as far as I am aware)! A log is about to take the plunge in the background, is anybody famous aboard??

I'm away from home, and away from the blog!

Two Beauties, October 19th, 1972

I recently scanned some batches of slides that had some real beauties in them, and I look forward to sharing them with you over the next few months! We'll begin with this pretty 1972 view taken from the Parking Lot, looking along the Monorail beam with the Disneyland Hotel in the distance. We are in lot J, that's J for... uh... "Jiminy Cricket"? "J. Worthington Foulfellow"? Sorry, there is no "Jafar" or "Jasmine" yet. I love those gorgeous October clouds. 

Next, a very nice picture of the ticket booths - not the tiny original booths, but the later examples, some of which still survive here and there (note: NOPE! They were torn down). Since these slides were hand-dated "October 19th, 1972", I can refer to Jason's Disneyland Almanac for some data: it was a Thursday, the park was open from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM (only eight hours??), and the high temperature was a mild 71º.

FYI, I will be heading out of town tomorrow morning, and will be gone for five days. That's longer than my usual trips abroad! I won't have much time to futz around on my iPad (or I might leave it at home), so just assume that you won't hear from me until I return. As usual there will be new posts for you every day. I look forward to talking to you all soon!

 

More Disneyland Hotel, 1980

We've been enjoying a series of Disneyland Hotel photos from Lou Perry, scanned by his daughter Sue B. Today will be the last four! It's been fun. 

The Marina was added to the Hotel in 1970, adding a general nautical/island theme; this dock had a number of different types of boats moored, along with the paddle boats. I wonder if those odd flat-bottomed boats with the decorative arches were available for weddings? You, your bride, a priest, and two guests! 

This corner of the Hotel property is not exactly beautiful - it resembles an industrial park. There's a banner pointing in the direction of "Seaports of the Pacific", which we've seen in previous photos. Other than that, this looks like an area to be avoided.

This nice old (?) streetcar (the "Orient Express") was used as a hotdog stand when things were busier. I don't think this was a former San Francisco cable car, but I'm sure one of you will have info about it. 

I don't see a kitchen area inside the streetcar, so maybe they boiled hotdogs in a saucepan full of funky water. Or better yet: microwave!  "Sir, my hotdog tastes weird". "That means it's gourmet!". The brass handles on either side of that door will allow me to hang on and sing "The Trolley Song" really loudly. All the other guests will love it.

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

Tomorrowland, June 1962

Here are more "perfectly OK" photos, nothing amazing, but good enough that they could theoretically be used in a brochure or booklet. 

There's the Moonliner, no longer sponsored by TWA. In just a year or so, Douglas will begin their three-year sponsorship... one of those subtle changes that really showed the evolution of Tomorrowland as it shed its 1950s past. Of course, by the end of 1966, the entire land was drastically altered, in the best possible way, with the New Tomorrowland opening in the summer of 1967.

I love the old gray submarines, and the sight of them gliding through the beautiful blue lagoon.

Pins From the Bag

I know that you all love Pins From the Bag, and anxiously await the next installment. Your anxiety and waiting have come to an end!

Did you know that 1961 was the year of Kansas' centennial? I sure didn't. I wasn't born yet, so I didn't get the memo. I also didn't know that Olney, England and Liberal, Kansas were rivals in Pancake Day Races (this would be the 12th International event), a sport that would soon eclipse the World Cup. 

I'm not a big fan of store-bought orange juice (though the frozen concentrate has its advantages). That's what I get for years of being spoiled by grandparents who had 40 citrus trees in their yard. Fresh-squeezed juice every morning, as much as you wanted! However, I like this button, with the charming character of "Tropic-Ana", girl from some sun-drenched island, carrying a banana leaf full of oranges on her head. The addition of that tiny dot representing a belly-button ("navel", get it?) was apparently a milestone.

I also love Reddy Kilowatt, the lightbulb-nosed mascot who was introduced in 1926 - 100 years ago! - he served as a corporate spokesman for electricity generation in the United States and other countries. This button was intended to have the name ("Hello My Name is Sherman") of a participant at some unknown event. There are some great RK advertising items that I covet, but they are very pricey. 

I thought that stale bread was great, until I tried Freihofer's fresh loaves! As you can see, there was a Code Cop to ensure that there was no funny-business going on. He'd hit each loaf with his billy club, and if it didn't spring right back, it went into the bin. Just grab a slice of Feirhofer's from the sanitary paper wrapper, and spread some soft butter on it. Delicious!

This one is not from THE BAG, but I included it because the Freihofer's name was familiar to me due to this Mickey Mouse Globe Trotters button (I do have one, but it was easier to just find a photo online). Various bakeries and dairies participated in the Mickey Mouse Globe Trotters promotion, I saw one collection of over 40 different varieties fetch over $1,800. The Freihofer's button seems to be among the most common.

Another pancake-related button! This time for Aunt Jemima's Pancake Club. Do people really need more encouragement to make pancakes? Try some with chocolate chips, you won't be sorry. Some like them with sliced bananas, but that's not my thing. My mom likes to put butter and raspberry jam on her pancakes, and I admit it's amazing. Pancake days are here again! 

And finally, another centennial celebration, this time for North English, Iowa. The town was named after the English river; Franklin Pierce was President at the time. As you can see, North English is in the southeastern corner of the state (about 20 miles southwest of Cedar Rapids), and in 2020 had a population of 1,065.  

I hope you have enjoyed today's Pins From the Bag!

Pooh For President Parade, October 1972

Parade photos. Yeesh. You know what I mean! It's like a twice-removed version of actually watching a parade that is mostly just an obstacle to be avoided. But I don't want to complain! Well, maybe a little. Today's images are from a "Pooh For President" parade from October, 1972. This was the Silly Old Bear's first run at the White House; GDB friend Chuck sent us some Pooh For President photos from 1976... see those HERE and HERE. 

Luckily, today's photographer managed some level of self-control, only taking four photos of this parade, instead of the dozen or so that might have happened. So let's take a look!

There's Goofy, he's gone rogue, leaving the parade path, shocking the nearby guests. "He's gone crazy!". "Somebody stop him!". I think we see the fuzzy feet of Pluto behind him, just think of the trouble they will cause together.

It's kind of fun to see King Leonidas from "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", which had debuted one year earlier. Do characters from that movie ever show up in the parks anymore? He's with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, two other characters who may be permanently retired. Say, who's that in the distance?

Why, it's Pooh himself! No fancy limo for him, he's a bear of the people, and will walk on his own two feet. His friends Eeyore and Tigger have come with him from the Hundred Acre Wood, hoping for plum appointments. Tigger wants to be ambassador to France. 

Pooh was over-marketed decades later, but how can you not love him? I like his Uncle Sam hat, though it should have a bee on it just like his old hunny pot. What if he'd won, instead of Nixon?? Makes ya think.

Tomorrowland Snoozles™

Today's Snoozles™ are examples of slides that  I was excited to scan, only to find that they were kind of blurry - to the extent that they were not going to work for a regular blog post. It's OK, now I can feature them as Snoozles, but these are ÜBERSNOOZLES! I'll bet you didn't know that there were so many subcategories, but that's how science works. 

This first one is from the early 1960s - a Skyway view (surprise surprise), in which we glare down upon Tomorrowland with our teeth clenched and veins in our necks throbbing. In other words, business as usual. The jaunty slanted roof of the Yacht Bar (pronounced "yaw-kkkkkkt bar") always brings joy to the little children of the world. There's plenty of seating available. There's the Moonliner of course, and the Astro Jets, and all kinds of other stuff  

Next, a similiarly-blurred photo that was apparently taken from the Disneyland Railroad as it chuffed into the station (or perhaps this was taken before Tomorrowland Station was built, since it didn't open until April of 1958). It's sort of an unusual view, with lots of delicious grass in the foreground, and colorful flowerbeds to beautify the Autopia freeway. The Tomorrowland Skyway terminal is to the left, and the Art Corner building is to the right.

Airplanes

It's Vintage Airplane Day on GDB!

I'm going to begin with a pair of undated photos, presumably from the 1950s, showing a beautiful Lockheed Constellation on the tarmac as a bunch of military types listen to a fellow at a microphone. A lone woman in a gray suit looks like a movie star, and who knows, maybe she was! 

I happened to show these scans to a man  (Greg) who is a particular fan of Constellations, and he added some pretty interesting information! Gen. Douglas MacArthur had named his personal aircraft, a Lockheed Constellation VC-121A '8613' transport "Bataan" (cn 2605).  However, this isn’t General MacArthur.  General Matthew Ridgway replaced General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. President Harry Truman relieved MacArthur of his commands on April 11, 1951, citing his disagreement with MacArthur's public criticism of administration policies. Ridgway assumed command of UN forces and the Allied occupation of Japan.   Note the 4 stars to the left of the passenger door.  Pictures I have found of General Ridgeway look like the 4-star General in your pictures.

Greg helpfully attached  this portrait of General Ridgeway, and the man with his back to the camera sure looks like him!

Greg also noticed that the two photos would merge together beautifully, and he attached this amazing panorama! Thanks, Greg! He added: I would have to say, this picture was taken in Japan right after General Ridgeway replaced General MacArthur in April of 1951…the same Constellation  “8613” remained as a Military transport before being used by NASA in the 1960s. 

 

This aircraft still survives today and has been fully restored as MacArthur’s “Bataan”.

Next is a photo of a sleek military jet on display for the public to admire. Luckily, the sign in the lower left informs us that this is an F-94C "Starfire" jet! Here's some basic info, which I got from Wikipedia:

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire is a first-generation jet powered all-weather day/night interceptor aircraft designed and produced by Lockheed Corporation. It was the first operational United States Air Force (USAF) fighter equipped with an afterburner as well as being the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War.

The F-94C Starfire was extensively modified from the early F-94 variants. In fact, it was initially designated F-97 before officials decided that it would be treated as a new version of the F-94 instead. To improve performance, a completely new and much thinner wing was designed, along with a swept tail surface.

The F-94C was the only variant to be officially named Starfire. With time, the entire F-94 family has adopted the name. The first production F-94C aircraft were delivered in July 1951, 387 examples being delivered before May 1954.

I hope you have enjoyed todays vintage airplanes!

 

Two Beauties - January, 1969

Sometimes a lot of slides might consist of 15 or 20 individual images. Or there can be only two! This was one of those two-slide lots, but they are both pretty darn nice.

The Pack Mules have been gone for over 50 years... I'm sure there are many younger Disneyland fans who would be surprised to learn that such an attraction ever existed! The idea of being able to ride a real pack mule definitely seems like a concept from another era; I can't imagine that the ride capacity was that high, and the cost of caring for the mules (all those apples and sugar cubes!) would be prohibitive. And so... I'm always happy to find any good photos of it.  

In a nice contrast, we now see the same boy aboard a Mark VI Autopia vehicle, in cool turquoise. The NASA guys are making sure that the kid is strapped in and knows all of the safety protocols, just like they would do for the astronauts of Apollo 10 in just a few months (it seems crazy that they were allowed to work at Disneyland sometimes, but that's just how it was). You could tell the real NASA guys because they used words like "nominal" and "outstanding" a lot.  

Randos

I've had today's randos rattling around in a folder for quite a long time, and decided to just post them already. This first one is dated "July, 1964" and shows the familiar Flower Market from the far end looking out toward Main Street. There are blossoms in all the colors of the rainbow, even "olive drab", which just looks odd. One fellow has just admired the Carnation Milk Truck ("Gosh, what a honey!"), but otherwise it's ladies who really loved this Disneyland feature.

Next is this scan from 1956 - a rather chaotic view Fantasyland. You've got yer flying elephants, you've got yer Skyway gondolas, you've got yer Pirate Ship (with striped sails unfurled), and the cute little ticket booth to the  right. The sky is as blue as can be!

 

Jungle Cruise, 1970s

As much as I love riding ("adventuring"?) on the Jungle Cruise, I'm always a bit disappointed when a group of slides has 8 or 9 photos from this ride. I suppose I can understand the guest's reaction, especially if this was their first trip to the park. But it's hard to get excited about pictures that look just like a million others. 

The hippoppoppotapoptamuses have always impressed me with their realistic appearance. The Imagineers even duplicated their aroma, which is (surprisingly) minty-fresh.

Ah, the mother in-law! You don't hear as many mother in-law jokes these days, they were a true staple of television. And probably Vaudeville. I'm actually not sure if this is the bull elephant or his wife's mother! The blurry arm of the Skipper is to the left.

Of course I have always had a special love for the old, odd-looking gorillas that you could see on the Jungle Cruise. I think there were 2 of them, and they would bob up and down in a display of aggression and codependence. Being mostly black, and often in the shadows, it was hard to get a good picture of these guys. I have heard that their chassis were used for the Abdominal Snowmen introduced in the Matterhorn in 1978.

A Pair From April, 1973

I have a pair of nice scans date-stamped "April, 1973". The colors are oddly subdued, but they still have a generally-pleasant appearance.

In this first one, we're looking north on Main Street USA, with the Market House to our right, the Hallmark Communication Center beyond that, and the GAF shop after that (replacing the Kodak shop). Usually people want to capture the unusual sight of a fairytale castle at the end of a turn-of-the-century American main street, but it barely squeaks into this image, so I am wondering if that group of folks directly in front of us could be the photographer's family?

Next, a nice look at the Rivers of America, with folks bustling about on shore. The Mark Twain is in Fowler's Harbor, having a Wankel engine installed. But don't worry, you can still ride The Columbia! It's a good thing I told you, you were about to cry, admit it. Being April, at least one Keelboat and one Raft are sitting unused, but another Raft is loading up to return to the mainland. Peter Fonda is enjoying his popcorn!

Omnibus, May 1972

I hope I never meet a person who hates the Omnibus. Talk about a red flag! "You, sir, are disturbed!". I walk up to at least six people a day to tell them that very thing. We've lost our Surreys, and the old Chemical Wagon is out of action inside the Firehouse, but by golly, we still have our Omnibuses. I finally rode one about two years ago, after one failed attempt (they don't let guests up to the top level if the steps on the spiral staircase are wet from rain). It was fun! As you can see, Donald Duck is aboard this Omnibus for a ride, much to the amusement of the guests (and even the sweeper). 

We get a great portrait of a nice family just before they deplaned, and we also get an excellent look at those beautiful mini-posters on the side. I'm not sure if those were silkscreened or hand-painted onto steel panels, but either way, they are awesome. They occasionally show up at auction, and fetch thousands of dollars apiece. I was going to pick a favorite, but realized that I just couldn't do it.

Jungle Cruise Snoozles™

It's BIRTHDAY TIME again, and this time we can send our good wishes in STU's direction! I feel a little guilty that today is a Snoozle day, but it's tradition, and Stu has a sense of humor about such things, so I don't think he'll be too upset. I'm really having a hard time guessing a date for the picture that Sue B. provided. 1970s? I guess there's aren't many clues. How about that "harvest gold" naugahyde upholstery? Sue thought that this picture might be flopped, but the girl and birthday boy are both using their right hands, so I'm guessing that it's OK. Unless they're lefties! The cake appears to have tropical trees snails on it, which provides some delightful crunch. And slime! Happy Birthday, Stu!

*****************************

The poor Jungle Cruise; it didn't do anything to hurt anyone. It brings people joy and happiness day after day. BUT... the fact remains that there are a LOT of Snoozles from that attraction. Today's scans come from a batch of slides that I am reasonably sure are from not long after Disneyland opened, based on clues from some of the other photos that you will see soon. As we've learned, the plants for the Jungle Cruise jungle were planted as early as possible in order to give them time to fill in and mature as much as possible. It looks pretty good, though of course it would only get better and better over the years. 

Why did the guest take this picture? Maybe they thought they saw a critter. But all they captured was some bamboo, various palms, and other assorted stuff. The eucalyptus trees in the distance really sell "tropical jungle"! For a "photo of nothing", it's actually sort of pretty.

Next is a mis-timed photo, although I could imagine somebody thinking that the flowering tree was novel enough that it was worth a precious film frame. Any idea what that plant is? Behind it is the abandoned temple with a golden idol. You can steal the idol, but because the temple is small, only a bowling ball-sized stone will roll out after you. Just hop out of the way! I like the sighting of a scruffy monkey up on the branches, those were only there for a short time; in old footage, we have seen that some of the monkeys would shake the branches, because that's what monkeys do.

Vintage Cars

As long-time readers of GDB might know, I am a big fan of vintage automobiles - but I don't know much about them! I just love the way they look, and the way certain styles from certain years evoke something about the culture and the nation. I chose three scans for today, but am going to have to rely on the expertise of the Junior Gorillas as far as ID-ing the cars. I made a bit of an effort, but got nowhere. 

First up is this 1950s photo of a station wagon down by the ocean. It sure looks like Florida, or somewhere  on the Gulf Coast. It also looks like a beer commercial. Perhaps the dock is where you could catch a fishing boat. Get out there and get some tarpon, or even a barracuda! Mmmm, toothy. 

Might as well stick with the "down by the water" theme; I think I see mangroves, so perhaps this is Florida again. I can imagine a family leaving their frozen home up north to enjoy the relative warmth of the south. 

And finally, a man poses with his pride and joy, a bulbous (yet streamlined!) beauty that I just couldn't ID, as much as I tried. The Indiana license plate is from 1948.