Nice Randos

Here are two fun RANDOS for you today, starting with this particularly pretty photo of Skull Rock, from an image marked "November 1961". The photographer must have had a decent camera, this picture is very sharp and clear, and the warm late-afternoon lighting is not only pleasing to the eye, but it enhances the details. Skull Rock had debuted in December, 1960 - just under a year before, and the trees and plants still look newly-planted.

This next one (dated "July 1958") was a fun find; I'm wondering how many of you recognize actor Andy Devine? He's greeting a fan in Adventureland. He had a long career as a character actor in many films and TV shows, and was best-known for his scratchy voice.

Just for yucks, I'll highlight some of Andy's better-known films. Here he is in 1937's "A Star is Born", starring Frederic March and Janet Gaynor.

Next, a cast photo from John Ford's 1939 classic, "Stagecoach".

In 1962, Andy was in another John Ford masterpiece, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". 

Some of you might remember him in "The Twilight Zone", as tall-tale-teller Somerset Frisby in the episode titled, "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby". Ol' Archimedes Frisby!

Another highlight from Andy's career is the 1962 epic western, "How the West Was Won", in CINERAMA.

Two From August, 1970

Judging from this first scan, August 1970 was a very busy time to visit Disneyland. Just look at all those people! I looked to see if something was going on in front of the Castle, perhaps some characters were gathered there, or something. But no, it just appears to be a Summer crowd. I also checked "Jason's Disneyland Almanac" to see if any big events happened around that time, but all I found was the "Country Music Jubilee" on Sundays. The Yippees invaded the park on August 6th of 1970, but it seems unlikely that this was the same day.

Not far from the first photo is the Snow White Grotto, often a nice place to get away from the mob and relax. Listen to Snow White's voice, and the sound of the waterfalls, throw a quarter into the wishing well, and feel at peace.

Two From November 28, 1973

I'm using up the last two scans from November 28, 1973. Let's start with a view shot from the Monorail as it zoomed shooshingly passed the entry to the park, allowing a nice look at the Mickey Mouse floral portrait, and a train waiting at the station. A loudspeaker is on top of that structure, presumably pumping out a selection of Disney melodies.

Over in Tomorrowland the Rocket Jets have blasted off, and guests are graying out from the excessive g-forces. The classic Peoplemover colors are so appealing, I love seeing those hues. I'm surprised that the Space Bar on the bottom level is closed; Thanksgiving had been six days earlier, maybe the brief spike in attendance had already abated?
 

Two From July, 1958

Here's a pair from the Summer of 1958, starting with this nice one taken by somebody who'd hiked to the top of Holiday Hill (without supplemental oxygen). Say! The view is pretty swell! We get a nice panorama looking toward Sleeping Beauty Castle, with some green awnings to the left that were outside the Monsanto House of the Future. The stacks of the Mark Twain can be seen, and way in the distance is the Holidayland tent. 

Next, we're aboard one of the river craft, perhaps a Keelboat? We're low in the water, but our photographer could have been seated at the bow of the Mark Twain of course. The Canoe loading docks are to the left, and a Raft to Tom Sawyer Island is just returning to the mainland. The Indian Village looks busy!

Even More Knott's Berry Farm RR Postcards

Whoo-hoo! It's time for a FIFTH "Knott's Berry Farm railroad on postcards" blog post, courtesy of GDB pal Steve DeGaetano! If you want to know something about steam locomotives, he's the guy to ask. I was going to write more, but Steve has done all the hard work (as usual), so let's get to his text!

I’ve been telling the Major for months now that I don’t think there are any more Knott’s Berry Farm Calico & Ghost Town Railroad postcards to add to my collection. Boy, was I wrong. I’ve got five new-to-me postcards today, a couple I’ve seen before, but the last three seem pretty rare, and the final one blew my socks off.

The first one was graciously donated to me by Junior Gorilla Mike Cozart. Obviously, this one differs completely from all the previous and subsequent postcards in that it is an illustration, but its sole focus is the “Calico Railroad,” and it definitely needs to be here for the sake of completeness. Obviously featuring Red Cliff in all her brown, blue and yellow glory. I’m sure Chuck has this one in his collection.

To be honest, the stagecoach “robbery” is the focus of the caption on the back of this card, noting that the “old narrow gauge passenger train escaped this time.” But I think it’s a nice-enough head-on view of No. 40 to merit inclusion in my collection.

Now we’re getting into some more rarified territory. Also obtained from Mr. Cozart is this nice view of No. 40 stopped in Calico Square. Former parlor car “Chama,” coupled to the engine, has been converted into a combination baggage/passenger car. Locomotive Gold Nugget has features I had not noticed before—a reddish cab roof and yellow-painted window muntins on the cab window (I think I’m using that term correctly. I’m afraid to say I went down the mullion/muntin rabbit hole for this post). While an older photo, the card appears to have been made in the 1980s, sharing its gold border with two other cards posted previously. A larger version of this picture appears in Christopher Merrit’s seminal work, “Knott’s Preserved,” which is selling on Amazon now for the low, low price of $346.14

This next card popped up in my eBay search just a few days ago, and I have never seen it before. It’s a pretty dramatic shot of the Ghost Town & Calico’s second locomotive, now wearing her original 1881 name, Green River, and D&RGW number, 340.  With her headlight blazing during daylight (not a normal practice), floating on a cloud of steam from her cylinders, and a complete lack of park guests, it’s a shot unlike any others I’ve seen. I’m guessing this is one of Knott’s newer offerings, judging by the very prototypical paint scheme and the fancy gold Knott’s lettering in the upper right corner.

Finally, the last card—and a true unicorn when it comes to the Ghost Town and Calico Railroad. I apologize for the extra wordiness, but this really needs a bit of explaining. 

What you see below is one of the true oddities of GT&C history. This scalloped-edged card features a 1903 Baldwin-built locomotive called a “K-27,” a locomotive with two small wheels in front, eight “drive wheels,” and a small set of two wheels under the cab. It’s one of only two such locomotives in existence. It has about 10,000 more pounds of “tractive effort” than the two smaller Knott’s engines, so it is really huge. The back of the card says Knott’s purchased this engine in in 1971, but most on-line sources say it was 1973. Colloquially known as a “Mud Hen,” Knott’s rebuilt the engine and converted it from coal fuel to diesel oil. The only giveaway that it’s an “amusement park” locomotive are the two brass boiler bands—otherwise it’s in a very prototypical paint scheme. What makes this card so special is that Knott’s hardly ever used this locomotive—Wikipedia says “it saw little or no use” at Knott’s (this postcard showing it in operation notwithstanding), so being captured on a postcard makes it quite unusual. It was simply too large and too heavy to manage Knott’s pretty-tight curves. It’s unique in that the frame of the locomotive is outside the wheels—Imagine a bike wheel in a fork—opposed to a car wheel. Realizing it could never operate safely on the GT&C, it was sold to the Huckleberry Railroad near Flint, Michigan in 1981, currently awaiting an overhaul.

Okay, that’s all I have for now. Knott’s was always very proud of their little railroad, featuring it in more postcard images than even the Disneyland trains! I’ll be keeping my eye out for any more that may turn up, so maybe down the road there will be another installment featuring the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad.

THANKS SO MUCH to Steve DeGaetano for sharing his increasingly-rare postcards, and for taking the time to do research and share what he has learned with all of us. I know I will happily welcome a "part six", should that ever happen!

Snoozles™

It's Sunday, and you know what that means. SNOOZLES. Someday perhaps I will have no more Snoozles, but I don't want to raise your hopes too much. This first one is hand-dated "3-15-1957", and would be a pretty nice look at the fanciful rock formations in the Rainbow Desert - if the durned thing was more in-focus. Still, I am charmed by the rather crude rock work, and I always get a kick out of the tiny pueblos atop some of the rocks, especially the "tumbling" rock to our left. The itty-bitty people in that pueblo must have been very dizzy.

Next, from "the 50s" comes this too-dark photo of the Davy Crockett Frontier Arcade, near the entrance to Frontierland. In addition to selling classic merchandise such as coonskin caps and toy rifles, there was an actual shooting gallery. I believe (but am not certain) that there were other arcade games as well, customized to the "frontier" theme.

 

Cherokee, North Carolina

We've visited the tourist destination of Cherokee, North Carolina before on GDB, take a look HERE and HERE. Cherokee is about 20 miles south off Pigeon Forge, and about 5 miles west of Maggie Valley - both places that we have also visited. But it's been a while, and I'm ready to buy some quality souvenirs, starting with this April 1964 pic. The hills aren't quite as lush and green as they would be in a few months, but I'm sure this still felt pretty great to folks from the Frozen North. "The Indian Store", with the twin tepees on top, was one of the more popular photo subjects, and it's no wonder. Zooming in, there are plenty of bows, arrows, and rubber-tipped spears for all of us. I wonder what else they had, further back in the shop? Blankets? Tom-toms? Bead-worked moccasins? "Peace pipes"? I'll bet I'm not too far off.

Next, it's April, 1965, a mere year after the first picture was taken. This particular shop has a small selection of bows and arrows, but the lad in the red sweater only has eyes for the array of whips. You'll put your eye out, kid. The only thing worth doing with a whip (besides using it to swing across a chasm) is to make it CRACK as loud as possible, and mom is realizing this fact right about now. 
 

Fun Gals, June 1960

I've been sharing scans from a batch of June 1960 slides over the past few months, but the two I'm presenting today are two of my favorites from the bunch.

It's 10:16 AM, and our group of fun-loving gals has arrived, ready for anything. The two older ladies are clearly related (sisters?), and I'm pretty sure the younger woman is part of the family too.  Many wonderful posters can be seen in the background! On the ticket booth to our left, prices amaze. It appears that just admission for an adult was one dollar. A ten-adventure ticket book was $3.50 for adults, and a 15-adventure book was $4.50. Such a deal!

Next, let's skip on over to Fantasyland, and enjoy a ride on the Motorboat Cruise. I hope the women don't fight over who gets to steer (not that it ultimately mattered). Actually, now that I'm paying more attention, it looks like they might have just returned to the dock, which explains why they look so relaxed. For just a second I thought that a horse was in line in the background. 

HOODOOS!

Here is another selection of Frontierland photos, shared with us by the Mysterious Benefactor! We're continuing our look at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, sort of an unintentional continuation from yesterday's images.

The tallest "hoodoo" is an impressive landmark on the east side of the Rivers of America, the rock work is top-notch. I especially like the way it looks at night, bathed in a soft reddish light.

Here's a trippy view; was this achieved by zooming in (or out) with the shutter open? Or did the photographer use a special lens? "Peyotevision". 

More artsy stuff! I believe those clouds make what is known as a "buttermilk sky", which makes me want to listen to Hoagy Carmichael (especially the "Yabba Dabba Doo" song). 

More rocks!

I like the attention to the landscape, with nice greenery to soften the harsh desert landscape. I wonder if they ever decide that a tree has gotten too big and needs to be replaced with a smaller one?

This picture is quite nice, with the wooden buildings looking appropriately blasted by years of exposure to the elements. 

We're just starting to delve into the Big Thunder pix, with the next 50+ all featuring scenes from that ride! Although the next batch will concentrate on the cast members, so that will mix things up a little bit. THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Around Frontierland, August 1970

Here are two standard views of Frontierland, circa August 1970. Perhaps I was in the park, causing trouble! It was a cry for attention.

Until I saw this picture, I'd forgotten that you could go inside the Old Mill on Tom Sawyer Island. My theory is that the mill was yet another one of Walt's Apartments. "Just bring a raft over for me in the morning, boys!", he'd tell his staff. There's nothing like sleeping in an old mill to shake off the stresses of modern life. He had a grilled cheese sandwich press (painted to look like it was made of weathered wood) and plenty of cans of chili beans. Would he be in a great mood the next morning? You bet!

Next is this fun image from Tom Sawyer Island; there are two kids to the right, but we mostly see adults here. They secretly want an island with caves, climbable rocks, swaying suspension bridges, and even a frontier fort, just as much as children do. Walt must have known that. The Columbia looks impressive in the background.

 

1950s Pix

Here's a pair of Disneyland views, featuring a lady (visiting from the midwest?) as she checked things out.

Assuming that our heroine just arrived, walked up Main Street into the Castle forecourt without much dilly-dallying in between, she arrived pretty late in the day. Those sun is already sinking in the west! But that's how folks sometimes did it back then, allowing only a few hours for their visit. I just scanned some slides from another batch with a woman who went to Disneyland and Knott's in the same day (well, she's wearing the same dress at both places, at any rate). Perhaps folks like her only had one free day to see the amusement parks?

It must have been Ladies Day! Men were welcome, but they'd better be nice. Or it's the rolling pin for them! This group has just walked into Adventureland, strolling past the Bazaar, full of wondrous souvenirs. I hope that they were heading to the Jungle Cruise, that should put a smile on their faces.
 

Nice Randos

I love Randos! Today's first example is date-stamped "June 1971"' we're in New Orleans Square, there's the Creole Cafe right in front of us. Disneyland can't serve spicy food, so they just add a lot of salt. Works for me! I like the mother and daughter in matching polka-dot dresses - they aren't twins, but they still make me think of Melissa. I'd love to sit on that balcony above the restaurant, except that the chair is tiny, and the balcony is probably not even 2' deep.

Next is this very nice view from Main Street, dated July, 1963, which probably explains the patriotic bunting. An Omnibus is heading up to the Plaza, the Castle is mostly obscured here. I don't have a lot to say about this photo, but I find it to be very pleasing.

I'm happy to say that I will be back with you REAL SOON!

Blurzles From March, 1961

We all remember the Blues song, "Too Many Blurzles", from the 1930s. I'll pause while you put your scratchy 78 rpm disc (with an RCA "Bluebird" label) on your Victrola to give it another listen. Be sure to use a fresh stylus!

There, now you're ready to view some Blurzles, of which I have (no surprise) too many. But the Blues is all about dealing with life's misfortunes. Let's begin with this scan of a photo looking northward from Town Square; the Wurlitzer store is to our right, I like to go inside and show off my chops, playing Gershwin, or maybe Rachmaninoff on a rinky-dink electric organ. "He's a genius! We are lucky to be in his presence!".  Main Street is practically deserted in March, Grandma and the kids will have an amazing time.

There is a lot of stuff packed into this corner of Fantasyland, the old Pirate Ship, the Skyway overhead, Casey Jr.'s ticket booth (and the Storybook Land lighthouse in the distance), along with Dumbo, he and his indentical siblings love nothing more than flying around and around in circles. 

I'm still in the sanitorium... I mean, on vacation!

Stagecoaches

I always enjoy finding vintage slides featuring amusement parks that I am unfamiliar with; today I have photos of fun stagecoaches from two different parks.

First up is this one, dated "October, 1970"; a boy holds imaginary reins as he drives the stagecoach through some of the harshest lands imaginable. "Tweetsie Stage Lines" helps us to place us in North Carolina (between Blowing Rock and Boone, if you must know). The Tweetsie Railroad is particularly famous, completing its first trip as a tourist attraction on July 4, 1954... (it) quickly evolved into the first theme park in North Carolina — and one of the first in the nation. A western town and saloon were built around the original depot area. A train robbery and cowboy-and-Indian show were added to the train ride, playing off the Wild West theme that was very popular at the time on television and in motion pictures. In 1961, a chairlift and amusement ride area was constructed on the central mountain inside the rail loop, and over the decades the park has been expanded with additional rides, attractions, shops, zoo and restaurants.

Next, an undated slide featuring another more crude (but lovable) stagecoach - "Grand Island Stage" steers us in the right direction. This is from a park called "Fantasy Island", near Niagara Falls, New York. Fantasy Island was founded by real estate developer Lawrence Grant, and was opened on July 1, 1961. It was planned by co-financier and local jeweler Gerald Birzon with buildings designed by Milton Milstein & Associates. The ownership group was formed under the name Fantasy Land, Inc. before changing soon after to Fantasy Island, Inc. The group had originally planned to call the park Fantasy Land, but changed the name for legal reasons after finding out there was already an area of Disneyland called Fantasyland.

Upon opening, the park occupied only 12 acres of land that was divided into five themed areas: Action Town, Animal Kingdom, Garden of Fables, Indian Village and Western Town. Action Town featured amusement rides, Animal Kingdom featured a petting zoo, Garden of Fables featured explorable recreations of fairy tale scenes, Indian Village featured Native American dancers, and Western Town featured a live Wild West show.

The park still exists, though it has evolved and changed owners many times - it is now known as "Niagara Amusement & Splash World".

Just a reminder that I am away for the weekend!

 

Randos

Going through a box of slides, I found one hand-labeled, "Disneyland, August, 1964". Eureka! Hey, wait a minute... this isn't Disneyland! It's that crazy World's Fair in New York. I'm walkin' here! Perhaps the person who wrote the label held the slide up to a nearby window, saw Alice and the White Rabbit and that was enough to make an ID. But we know that this group is in front of the UNICEF/Pepsi pavilion, where "It's a Small World" drew in millions of guests (a tiny bit of the supports for the Tower of the Four Winds can barely be seen). The Schaefer Center is to the left in the background.

Next is this nice perspective (dated "October, 1959") showing the vehicle load area for the Matterhorn, with NINE bobsled's, for a cornucopia of good luck. I love the different colors on the bobsleds. I see what appears to be a black and white-striped trashcan (oil barrel?), was that the ticket stub receptacle? 

I'll be out of town and away from my computer for the next few days. There will be new posts for you, as always, and I'll talk to you all when I get back!

 

Main Street, August 1969

Here's a pair of good Main Street views from 1969. Starting with this view looking into West Center Street, where the Flower Market used to be. It makes sense that the Carnation truck would want to be near the flowers, Walt thought of everything. It's fun to look at the people, such as the little girl riding on the back of her brother's stroller, the kids in the Carnation truck (and the other kids, perhaps waiting for their turn), and even the lady with the green shorts holding a souvenir wall map.

And here's a very nice look down Main Street on a busy (but not too busy) August day. The clock tells us that it is 2:30. It sure looks like a lot of people are already heading toward the exit! Hey, there's still plenty of time to visit the attractions that we want to do. In fact, a dedicated guest could probably hit every attraction (I think) before the park closed at 1:00 AM. The lady in the tree shadow to the right appears to be pursuing her complimentary INA guidebook. 

 

Pins From the Bag

Hey, what's in that bag? Why, it's a bunch of old PINS!

This first pin (or button) is fun, from the days when SoCal had the only Universal Studios. Most people know that there was a walk-around Frankenstein's Monster, but for a while there was a Baby Frankenstein! I'm unsure of the exact time, though I think "the 70s" would be at least partially correct (Google says BF was there into the 90s, much to my astonishment). There are a few Baby Frankenstein toys (plush dolls, at least), and I've seen souvenir slides showing Baby Frank, but so far I've haven't seen any that were taken by guests. I sure would love to have one!

Just for fun, here's a scan of a postcard with Baby Frankenstein:

Speaking of babies, in the 1950s your milk would be delivered to your doorstep by babies wearing hats. Things were screwy after the war. My dad used to talk about opening a bottle of milk and finding the layer of cream that had risen to the top, but that never happened once it was HOMOGENIZED. You get the good with the bad. 

I don't believe I ever went to a Piggly Wiggly market, even though my family moved a lot. I do remember going to the A&P in Pennsylvania! And the Rainbow Market (?) in Minnesota. Anyway, I love this employee name badge with the cheerful piggy himself, paper hat at a jaunty angle.

I've mentioned the many pins that I purchased when I would visit a particular antiques store in the midwest, from states such as Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, and so on. I love the small-town celebrations; in this case, it's Benson, Minnesota's "Kid Day", circa 1958! The little girl with the tiara looks like the ideal midwest sweetheart, the Queen of Kids, perhaps. 

I did not buy this one in that antiques store - I've had this one for decades. "Land in Cleveland Ohio In '36". Don't mind if I do! Back in the early days of the 20th Century, many cities hoped to lure folks to their fair land (via colorful pinback buttons), to start businesses, work in the local factories, and stimulate the local economy in various other ways. Find happiness and prosperity in Cleveland!

And finally, something a bit more modern. I think I bought it because I remember when McDonalds introduced Shamrock Shakes (in 1970)... going to McD's as a kid was a real treat (possibly not for my mom and dad, though). In my memory, Shamrock Shakes were just vanilla flavor with green food coloring added. My understanding is that they have been mint-flavored for many years, but I haven't had one of those shakes since I was under 10 years old.

That's it for this installment of PINS FROM THE BAG!