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.
31 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.
Tokyo!, I see in your caricature that you are about to go over a cliff, a la Wile E. Coyote. Did you survive? :-D
Bu, YES! The Great Gazoo (or Kazoo?)! I knew JG's caricature reminded me of something. Now I know!
Major, from what I recall, the Mickie Finn show consisted mostly of honky-tonk piano and Dixieland music. Must've been more to it than that though, right?
KS, nice to hear from you! Um, did your house and property make it through the wildfire?
I was going to bad-mouth Bing Crosby too. But I see Tokyo! already did an excellent job!
JB, I think I mentioned this in my post, but they drew that "cliff" at the very last moment. My friend also had his caricature done during that visit. The artist drew him with a basketball, shooting a basket, but at the last minute they drew him standing on top of a ladder in order to make the shot. My friend wasn't a huge basketball fan or player. They just didn't ask you anything! It's nice that they asked JG. I might have told them that Disneyland or "Disney Stuff" was my hobby. That would have been neat if they drew me with a character or in a DL vehicle. A "Bob Gurr DL vehicle" would have been even better! Or showing me in the widow of the Firehouse, "flicking chili beans down on passersby" alongside Walt would have been pretty cool! Oh well! I think I only did the caricature because my friend was doing it. I never had a "Portrait in Pastel" done, but I did have a silhouette cut of me as an adult. I did it "just to do it." The shop had been there as far back as I can remember, and I thought it might finally be time to do it. Plus, I remember being very surprised at the time by the price. I can't remember what it cost, but it didn't seem outrageous at that time. I bet today, they charge an arm and a leg....and maybe your first born, too. And I bet they don't even give you a Zinger to enjoy while you sit for it!
NANOOK : no that is a different sign . The one I’m referring to has the red boarder and “flash” at the top. I think the one you show was an earlier announcement sign… and map have been too cryptic .
That was me.
JB. Yes, we are all put together and almost caught up on things. Also had friends in Spokane evacuate. Their home survived with the fire 3 blocks away. Now have family in Reno at Level 2. I am sitting here in Redmond under the flight path of tankers taking off 200 feet above me
KS
JG, thanks for sharing your amazing souvenir! Ha, I think there are people who do collect old greeting cards. Maybe bag them up and take them to the Goodwill! Unless you don’t want personal things like that out there, which I totally get. Gosh, in 1965 I’m not sure where a caricature artist might be. There was a place near IASW, years later, and I think I’ve seen one in New Orleans Square recently. I’m not sure how I knew about the Flying Saucer announcement, but I have friends and acquaintances who are collectors, and in most cases those people have collections much better than mine. But it’s a work in progress! Cool that your daughter is a graphic designer, I have some other smaller Disneyland table tents that I will share in the future.
Melissa, I have no idea what I would have chosen when I was a kid, even though I did love the space program. I guess “movie monster” wouldn’t have worked. I’ve listened to many old Jack Benny shows, but I don’t think I ever heard any with Bob Crosby. I’ll have to go to the Internet Archive and download a few! I’m not sure how management felt about the Flying Saucers, but I believe that they were always fraught with problems.
Chuck, it’s just that JGs body was 7/8ths scale! The Great Gazoo was very intellectual, not everyone “got him”! ;-) Maybe some of those managers who walked past the Flying Saucers felt a sense of rage whenever they saw it??
KS, OK, so it was ragtime music. I guess perhaps there was on “Old Tyme” fad in the 60’s and into the 70s.
TokyoMagic!, ah, thanks for that picture, I see the big projector screen. I’m sure that guests walking by would stop to watch the drawing quickly form, as if by magic. I’m sorry that Chuck doesn’t like the Great Gazoo, and I admit that the Flintstones were less good as the seasons progressed, but as a kid I liked him. And I still like the way he looks. Was there ever a Gazoo toy of any kind? It’s funny, no surprise that I would have zero interest in recreations of the ILL sets. It would be weird to see them in color, probably. I think I remember the Universal Studios Tour showing Lucy’s bungalow, but I’m not sure. It rings a bell. Hey, share any Universal photos that you have, I’d love to see them. And as insane as it seems, 1996 can be considered “vintage” 30 years later. I remember in those Crosby biographies, he had a very strong and very religious mother, but I don’t remember her being physically abusive. Bing seemed to have this deep seated fear that his boys would grow up as privileged “Hollywood” kids, and I guess he thought that by beating them and treating them like crap, they would be “normal”? Makes perfect sense to me!
TokyoMagic!, yes, I am used to seeing that building in yellow and orange (or red). I’m sure I watched that Danny Kaye/Adam Rich show when it came out, but all those old Disney specials were so terrible, I even thought so at the time. “How can they make Disneyland so uninteresting and corny?”.
JB, the “going over the cliff” reminds me of my sister’s caricature, with the “BOYS” sign. Like one more hilarious gag! As I said to KS, I know there was a fad for those old fashioned songs, costumes, and graphics (usually enhanced with bright 70s colors). My dad probably would have liked the Mickie Finn show, in fact I wonder if he saw them?
TokyoMagic!, ha, I actually didn’t notice the cliff until JB pointed it out. But everyone should know that when I met you in person you were shredding on an electric guitar, riding a skateboard, and wearing a backwards baseball cap. I was in awe. I kind of like that the artists sometimes just went, “to hell with it” and didn’t even ask what the customer was interested in. “This kid probably likes math because he’s a nerd! I’ll draw him getting punched by a bigger kid!”. I can’t imagine sitting for any kind of portrait, though the silhouettes are kind of neat. I still don’t want one though!
Mike Cozart (I read ahead), oh huh, I think I was thinking of the one that Nanook showed, but maybe not? I wish I could find the other one you mentioned.
TokyoMagic!, yes, Tommy Tsunami is from the Devlin family. But KS did comment, and he was threatened by fires recently.
I never had a caricature or portrait done at a theme park like JB and TM! (and TM!'s friend), but my Mom recently found the silhouette my Kindergarten teacher did, in a box of stuff she was decluttering. After we did some minor restoration work, it's framed and sitting on my piano.
I was never the biggest fan of the Great Gazoo, either; I thought he was a little camp for Bedrock. I was just remembering the other day when they added the Shmoo from Li'l Abner to the Flintstones in the early 80s, and how weird that was. There's an old family story that one day my Grandma was mixing the dye tablets into a plastic bag of margarine (back in the days when the dairy lobby got laws passed that it couldn't be sold pre-dyed, so real butter would look more appetizing by comparison) when Grandpa walked in the kitchen door. She held up the bag and said, "Look, it's the Shmoo!" and it immediately burst, showering both of them in margarine.
Boy, a LOT of topics and celebrities covered today. Fun and interesting comments, as always.
I especially love JG's caricature portrait. Astronauts and rockets were especially hot interests in the 60s....like cowboys and westerns in the 50s.
During my summer 1976 trip to California, I went to DL and KBF, and had my caricature portrait done at KBF. At least I THINK it was done at KBF. Maybe someone can confirm whether or not Knott's also did them (TokyoMagic??). I'll try to find mine and scan it for a future GDB post.
Thanks, Major.
KS, glad you're home, safe and sound. Am so sorry to hear about all the other fires that are still raging.
Sue, I don't remember a caricature artist at Knott's, during my time there in the 80s. The "Portraits In Pastel" shop was still there, which was founded and run by Claude Bell. He's the artist that created the Nell and Belle/Marilyn and Cecilia and Handsome Brady and Whisky Bill statues that sit on benches in the Ghost Town. He also sculpted the "Miner and Burro" statues that used to be on the Knott's signage, and the "Night Watch" Native American family that used to be above Boot Hill. He also created the replica of the Liberty Bell, inside Knott's Independence Hall, and sculpted a bust of Walter Knott, which is also over at I.H. He painted the portraits of Walter and Cordelia that used to hang in the Candy Parlour, and which now hang in the Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
But as for caricature artists, the A.I. response from the internet says no, but when I searched on ebay, this came up. This is actually the ONLY Knott's one that came up when I searched for Knott's caricature. But when I searched for Disneyland caricature, over a thousand came up! So maybe Knott's didn't have a caricature artist for very long. Maybe Claude Bell ran them out of Ghost Town.....on a rail because he didn't want the competition. I'm only kidding, just in case Claude Bell's daughter reads this!
I think the "Knott's" logo on this caricature is from the late sixties/early seventies:
Gee, I have been having so much trouble lately, with typing out links!
Here it is again:
Knott's Caricature On Ebay
The third time is a charm?
Knott's Berry Farm Caricature
Claude Bell created the replica of the Liberty Bell at Knott's? I always assumed that was created by Claude Liberty!
Thank you, thank you, I'm so sorry.
And joining Sue in relief that all the Junior Gorillas are safe from the latest round of wildfires.
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