Vintage Ephemera!
It's time for some Vintage Disneyland Ephemera! I have three good ones for you, starting with this wonderful caricature, shared with us by GDB pal JG. He said I was going through yet another old box of stuff that hadn't been moved for 25 years, much less opened. No idea what I would find, and there this was... A caricature portrait of me in 1965. This has to have been made on the same trip as all the pictures I shared with you some time back, the same trip where Mom and Dad gave me the 20K Leagues storybook.
The drawing is on clear acetate film and it is held in a paper folder. The brown marks are from the old cellophane tape that used to hold the acetate square in the frame. I think it's funny that I'm drawn as the Spaceman in a bubble helmet when I would eventually use a photo of that guy as my avatar years later. My avatar pic was taken in 1968 in New Tomorrowland though.
I love this, especially the fact that JG has himself riding a rocket into outer space - much cooler than most Disneyland caricatures I've seen. THANKS for sharing, JG!
Next is a true rarity, a card that was presumably handed out to guests as they entered the park (not sure if that means at the ticket booths), for the legendary Flying Saucers attraction, which debuted on August 6, 1961. The card is graphically minimal, I'm kind of surprised that it is essentially all typography, with no fun illustration of somebody controlling their own saucer. I looked for one of these for a long time, and was thrilled when I finally got one.
And finally, from September 1970 comes this groovy table "standee" advertising Dixieland at Disneyland. This is printed on die-cut rigid cardboard, with a fold-out easel backing so that it could be placed on a table or counter in a lunchroom (or wherever). It's 14.5" from top to bottom, so... larger than most Disneyland paper items. Bob Crosby was the star of this iteration of Dixieland at Disneyland; you may have heard of his older brother, Bing!
I hope you have enjoyed today's Vintage Disneyland Ephemera.
16 comments:
Major-
Gotta love JG's great souvenir, especially surviving after all this time. (I'm jealous of the rocket and 'bubble helmet'). Très chic-!
Boy, talk about a spartan gate handout-! It looks more suitable as a first project in junior high school Print Shop-! The Dixieland at Disneyland handout is more what guests are used to seeing.
Thanks, Major (& JG).
JG, apparently, you had a HUGE head back in 1965! I also see that you're about to enter the Saturnian system. And not a single trashcan in sight!
Hmm, I gotta say, the "FLASH!" card is kind of a yawner for me. It just doesn't rise to the Disney standards that we've come to expect. That said (sorry homeless orphans), it IS rare, and probably expensive, and you're pleased to have acquired it. And that's what counts.
Gotta love the pink-on-pink typography (hellooo seventies!). I'm getting a Yellow Submarine/Sgt. Pepper vibe from the illustration. That movie came out in '68, so it's possible the art style was intentionally similar. I remember watching the Mickie Finn show on TV back in the day. I don't remember too much about it other than the music; which I liked. Dang! Shooting Galleries are not included. Well that's a deal breaker for me! ;-)
Thanks to JG and Major for today's dose of Disney ephemera.
JG, I like your caricature so much better than the one I got in the 1970s. I never even owned a skateboard. Maybe they should have asked kids what the interests or hobbies were, first! Here's mine, in a very similar paper frame:
TokyoMagic's Disneyland Caricature Minus the White Oval
I don't know if I ever knew about Bob Crosby. I knew about Norm Crosby, but I guess he wasn't related. I wonder if Bing Crosby used to his his brother repeatedly with his heavy metal-studded leather belt?
Thanks for today's fun ephemera, JG and Major!
That should read, "used to hit his brother......." According to his son Gary Crosby, his father was nothing like the his Hollywood persona that he portrayed on camera.
The FLYING SAUCERS gate announcement “Flyer” is a close replica to a pre-opening billboard that stood in Tomorrowland announcing the attraction was coming :
“FLASH!! FLYING SAUCERS ARE LANDING IN TOMORROWLAND SOON!!”
Thanks, JG! All my kids have them though I never got one when I was a kid. My kids will probably find theirs, too, in a box some years from now.
I was lucky that we happened to go to Disneyland during this short period of time that the the flying saucers were there. I wasn't very heavy so I had a hard time making them move.
Thanks, major!
Zach
Showing my age here, Turk Murphy played at my wedding reception. Seems like only yesterday.
6.00 for a night of all attractions and lots of entertaiment...I view this as nostalgia, as quite frankly...even for $600 I'm not sure you would get the same thing today. What a value it was back then, even though my parents and others thought "expensive", and I suppose to the average bear back then, well...it wasn't "cheap", but the Park wasn't "cheap" either....that didn't happen until later....ooops...my inside voice came out. That said: JG: you are giving off some hard core "THE GREAT KAZOO" vibes....I loved those episodes with Kazoo, even animated shows get a "Cousin Oliver"!...although Kazoo is about 1000000000000 times cooler than Robbie Rist...sorry Robbie: you are cool in your own right...but back then: well...even as a kid I knew it was the beginning of the end. OK....for those of you who post date the Brady's those are references from the Flintstones and Brady Bunch...and I suppose in retrospect, they are both "Modern Stone Age Fa-mi-leeeeees". I think I've told the story where I got an invitation to a tour of the Brady House in the Valley....for $425 (?) Um...it's unmistakably groovy....but it's kind of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame...it's nice to see the names...but it's not like the people are underneath them....and the Brady reconstruction: very well done I must say. $425....which...in comparison....is about the price of a "good" seat at a Broadway show....but I'd rather get a train to Celeron NY, and see recreated sets from the show that is not mentioned. Which: looks cool in photos...I wonder if they are...moving on... to Disneyland's Newest Adventure! It's kind of exciting to see...I'm wondering how long this piece of paper was given out before they figured out the ride was so plagued with issues? Even so: I'm sure it is incredibly rare, and I wonder how many other pieces of these types of ephemera are out there in peoples closets that we don't even know exist? I'm sure I have my share of them too! I think Major has my Caricature from WDW....but I"m thinking now that I actually got it at the "Village" shopping center...or whatever it was called back then: but I remember it was calm...and now called "Disney Springs" which is anything but calm... I drove into once to see what it was all about...and only got to the parking lot and said to myself...oh HECK no...!!!!! A coworker had told me that Guy Fieri's chicken place had the best chicken sandwich she ever had...so I wanted to try it....and then I ran the tape of the painful evening....and that turned into "back to the Ritz Carlton please..." Which just FYI is so much nicer than any Disney property would ever be, and the perception is that it's so expensive that your typical families don't really "take over". The reality is that the Disney Hotels are comparable in price and usually more. And sometimes in life, you need some lovely sheets, a fluffy robe, and 24 hour REAL room service (like a very well constructed Steak Frites at 3am)...and charming and friendly chaps in crisp uniforms, and 1984 Disneyland haircuts... to park your car...or drive you to wherever you want...an indulgence for sure. Wow...that was a trip down several rabbit holes, And if you made it...thanks for reading. Thanks Major.
@ MIKE-
"The FLYING SAUCERS gate announcement “Flyer” is a close replica to a pre-opening billboard that stood in Tomorrowland announcing the attraction was coming..."
You mean something like THIS-?
Nanook, yes, a PERSONAL Disneyland souvenir, pretty awesome. And definitely amazing that it survived since 1965. I love the Flying Saucer item, mostly because of its scarcity and the fact that it is related to that nearly-forgotten ride. But it could be more exciting!
JB, I feel like rule #1 for those amusement park caricatures is “Make the person’s head enormous”. Uh oh, I’ve heard that the orphans are being moved back into that factory, I hope this is just a rumor! Disneyland graphics often reflect the styles of the day, and vaguely psychedelic art like the stuff from Peter Max was in the zeitgeist. I actually have no idea what the Mickie Finn show was, was it rock music? I feel sorry for the poor soul who went to Disneyland and just wanted to go to the shooting galleries.
TokyoMagic!, ha ha, I’m surprised that your caricaturist put you on a skateboard without even asking what you liked to do! “I enjoy taxidermy”. My sister lied to her artist and told him she played tennis, so he drew her holding a racket and running in the direction of a sign that says “BOYS”. So, did they draw these on clear acetate so passing guests could watch as it was projected from an overhead projector? A friend loaned me a two-part biography about Bing Crosy, the man was unbelievably popular and beloved, but WOW did he have a dark side when it came to how he treated his boys. It’s bizarre.
TokyoMagic!, in those books, if Bing liked you, he’d be the best friend you ever had. If he felt that you’d slighted him, he could be a cold SOB.
Mike Cozart, I was thinking that I’d seen a photo of the sign you mentioned, but I tried to find a jpeg online and couldn’t. Thanks for verifying!
zach, I’ll bet your kids will smile when they see those caricatures after so many years. My older brother says he remembers the Flying Saucers, but doesn’t think that we ever rode them.
Tommy Tsunami, wow, that’s pretty amazing!
Bu, I’ll bet $6.00 seemed like a lot of money to people back then. We adjust for inflation and it’s around $50 in today’s money. Which seems cheap to those of us conditioned to pay well over $100. But back then it was probably outrageous. I’ve read justifications from people such as, “A ticket to the Superbowl costs $4000!”. Are we seriously comparing a trip to Disneyland to going to the Superbowl, as if they are the same thing? I loved the Great Gazoo (sorry to be pedantic), did you know he was voice by Harvey Korman? I used to want a good animation cel of Gazoo, but never got one, and now I’m over it. I’ve seen many photos of the Brady house on the Vintage LA Facebook group, I can’t say I’m very interested in going there in person. I watched the show when I was a kid; maybe years ago I would have felt differently about visiting. Not surprisingly, I would have zero interest in seeing recreations of sets from ILL, but there was an art exhibit in LA years ago, they had a perfect recreation of the bedroom that Dave Bowman was in at the end of 2001, with the backlit white floor and everything. It was incredible. I forget if they put a big monolith there. I wish I’d gone to see that. The Ritz Carlton, to rich for my blood, but my friend Mr. X loves to stay in hotels like that. When he travels, he does it right. I mostly just want a clean bed and a shower, I won’t be in the room all day anyway.
Nanook, THAT’S IT!
Major, thanks for posting that caricature. I’m glad the Junior Gorillas are enjoying it. There wasn’t much else in that box, bunches of old clothes and every get-well card my Mom ever received. If anyone out there collects 1950’s greeting cards, LMK, I have hundreds heading to recycle.
As I recall, the artist did ask me how I wanted to be portrayed, and of course then I would have said “an astronaut”. But I don’t remember where the artist was set up. Anyone with an idea where in the Park this might have been, LMK.
Re the Flying Saucer announcement, Major, how do you even know something like this exists in order to crave it? Are there catalogs listing these things? My mind boggles at the potential universe of paper goodies available to collect.
Re the band ad, our daughter is a graphic designer and used to work for a big Napa winemaker. Little things similar to this were made for restaurants, listing special wines available for your meal. She called them “table tents”, but they are printed on both sides.
Great stuff today, Major. Thank you and all the Junior Gorillas.
JG
Aww, look at Little JG! Or, I should probably say, little jg (in "it's a small world" style.) So adorable! I would have chosen "astronaut" at that age, too!
I've always liked Bob Crosby. He was Jack Benny's bandleader after Phil Harris (who also voiced Baloo and Little John for Disney) moved on. I guess he specialized in following hard acts. I also love the late 60s/early 70s color scheme and pseudopsychadelic art style of the Dixieland standee. Reminds me of the floral blouse the lady in yesterday's Bobsled picture was wearing.
Do you ever get the idea the management never truly believed in the Flying Saucers?
JG, I love that caricature, even if it does appear that you are suffering from macrocephaly!
(TM!, I love yours, too, inexplicable skateboard and all.)
I got to a point in childhood where I couldn't stand the Great Gazoo. Not sure why. We're cool now.
Melissa, "Do you ever get the idea the management never truly believed in the Flying Saucers?" Not really. I mean, they probably walked past it every day.
Thanks, Major (your ephemera is cool, too)!
And Fred and Mickie Finn. They put on a show. Made it on TV a few times and would come up from their own nightclub in San Diego. Lots of ragtime fun. KS
"So, did they draw these on clear acetate so passing guests could watch as it was projected from an overhead projector?"
Major, yes! I posted my caricature in a "Vintage Trip Report" back in August of 2021, and I also included this picture from the defunct "Disney On Parole" blog. It shows the little caricature stand which we haave seen in many of your photos, but we usually see it only from the air (from the Skyway) or the side of it in pics taken from ground level. In THIS PHOTO of it, we can see the giant screen that displayed the caricatures as they were being drawn, with the use of an overhead projector.
Bu, the Great Gazoo had is own comic book in the seventies. I still have a few of them from my childhood! And I have driven past the Brady house over the years at various stages of ownership and appearance. I have a friend who did the tour a couple weeks ago and his photos looked incredible. I'm kind of like Major, I watched the show as a child and really enjoyed it. And I can and will still watch it today when clicking by it. I know I would enjoy seeing the faithful recreation of it (at least the exterior was the actual one used!), but I just wouldn't pay that price. My friend is a HUGE fan of the show, so he just HAD to do it.
Major, I think I saw some pics of those I.L.L. room recreations. I think there have been a few over the years. They always seem to be a temporary exhibit. Maybe it's the same ones and they travel around. The "L Tribute Museum" (see, I won't even type her full name, for fear of scarring you!) at Universal Studios had an abbreviated recreation of the living room I took a pic, and it may end up on my blog at some point (I will be SURE and send you the link to that one....ha, ha!). I took the pic on the same day that I experienced the then brand new (only days-old) Jurassic Park ride, so I may do a vintage trip report for Universal Studios one day. Yikes! How can 1996 be considered "vintage"? Maybe it's not. Maybe it's only "old school." To me, it seems like just a few years ago......a decade at the most. Oh, well!
I wish they had adapted Gary Crosby's biography into a film. Faye Dunaway could have played Bing!!!! And Diana Scarwid could have played the older "Gary." It would have been a hoot! But seriously speaking, Bing must have been really sick in the head. He even pulled a "Joan Crawford" stunt with his will, where he stipulated that his sons from his first marriage wouldn't receive any of their inheritance, until they turned 65 years old! What a sick twisted bastard! Two of those sons committed suicide before they turned 65 and Gary Crosby died of lung cancer at the age of 63. Sad! At least Mary Crosby (a daughter from his second marriage, and the person who actually shot J.R. Ewing.....sorry, a 48 year-old spoiler alert) didn't have to wait for her inheritance.
I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to give a link to that entire post of mine.....just the photo showing the caricature stand. Here is the link to just the photo of the stand, itself
In most of Major's pics of the stand, it is painted mostly in yellow and orange. In later years, it was painted with a different color scheme, before being removed altogether. I think I've mentioned this before, but they used it in that DL 25th anniversary TV special with Danny Kaye and Adam Rich. They had it dressed as a "Wardrobe" department site, where the character costumes were distributed. I think they even had a Toy Soldier head hanging in the background (along with other more familiar characters, I think). Now that I think of it, that is surprising because they were spoiling it for children who think the characters are real. Heck, from the number of videos that flood my F.B. page, I think some of the adults today believe that the characters are real.
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