Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween! I pulled two Halloween-y Disneyland scans for you, along with some vintage photos of Trick-Or-Treaters, including a young Major Pepperidge.
The first two photos show the exterior of the Haunted Mansion circa October 1968; just under a year before the attraction opened to the public, to great acclaim. The antebellum house looks complete and ready to move into, and the grounds look beautiful. I'm wondering how our photographer got this photo - could he just aim his camera carefully through (or over) some wrought-iron gates?
These slides are a bit washed-out, but I still find the Anaheim Mansion to be the best. It's OK if you have a different opinion! I can't help wondering what we would have seen if we could have walked through the front door. Maybe a construction mess? Or it's possible that the entry area was mostly complete by then.
AND NOW... vintage Halloween pix! Starting with this 1970-ish photo from our house in Huntington Beach. That was peak Halloween for me! I had the best time trick-or-treating with neighbors and friends, and I remember that there were houses on our block that really went all-out, including a door that opened by itself when we rang the doorbell, and a coffin opened before our eyes, and Dracula climbed out to hand out candy! That's me to the right and my little brother to the left; the Frankenstein's monster mask was definitely my older brother's, but whoever is wearing it is too short to be him. Maybe it's my sister! Though at that age she always wanted to be a princess.
The next two are from 1968... location unknown. Four kids pose by the garage door, including Santa Claus, who was taking a break from the North Pole. Then there's a witch and a... um... er... what is that blonde "woman" supposed to be?? A middle-eastern maiden dazzles in silks.
Three more trick-or-treaters pose by the fireplace. A clown, a guy who looks just like me (including the mustache), and a boy dressed as a girl, which was a surprisingly common thing back then. The pumpkin is unusual - why carve one, when you can just draw on it with Magic Markers?
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
4 comments:
Major-
I must admit the Haunted mansion looks awfully grand and stately in these images - clearly a deception as to what one would find upon entering its haunted corridors.
Oh - those costumes-! Oddly-enough my eyes were immediately drawn to the "carved", repeating, pine tree 'reliefs' on the sectional garage door and the 'feminine-looking' [uncarved] pumpkin; and although it resembles not-at-all the colors or shape, I can't help but think of Alice Bluebonnet - maybe it's the eyelashes...
Thanks, Major - and Happy Halloween to all.
The first HM photo looks like a publicity picture that you would see in a Disneyland guide book. A teaser of what to expect when the attraction (finally) opens.
"I can't help wondering what we would have seen if we could have walked through the front door."
Ghosts! (obviously) ;-) The ghosts would be just milling around, not having been assigned to any specific area of the Mansion yet.
You little devil, you. :-p It's great hearing about how people used to go all out with their Halloween productions. I doubt that sort of thing happens anymore. For one thing, lots of kids don't go trick-r-treating these days, at least not like they did when we were kids. Now, kids mostly go to special events at malls... oh wait... most malls don't exist anymore either. Trick-r-treating was at its peak in the 1950s through 1970s.
The garage door pic is from an early, live version of "The Nightmare Before Christmas". The "blonde woman" looks like a mash-up of a clown and "She-Ra", sister of He-Man. Seems odd to have carved evergreen trees on a garage door.
I wonder if the 'transvestite' is supposed to be someone we should know, or just a random girl? Maybe they used felt pens on the pumpkin because mom is gonna cut the pumpkin up after Halloween and make pies out of it. I also wonder if your 'twin' with the mustache is supposed to be somebody famous? A French artist perhaps.
Thanks for the treats, Major.
In the first pic, we can see one of the large louvered panels that blocks guests from seeing into the Haunted Mansion's foyer. It's interesting to see that the panels were in place this far in advance of the attraction's opening. However, the large light fixtures that hang over both the first and second floor porches hadn't been installed yet.
Major, so I'm assuming that your dad or mom went into the house with you, in order to get the photo? My brother had that same Frankenstein mask one year!
The boy in the last pic should have bought his wig from the "Dolly Parton Wigs" catalogue.
Happy Hallowe’en, everybody!
Not sure if the slight overexposure of the slides is to blame here, but it doesn’t look like they were using countershading yet on the undersurfaces of details on the HM exterior to make the shadows appear deeper and make the place seem more foreboding. I have not been able to find any definitive material that says they darkened things up in the push towards the 1969 opening, so maybe it really is just an overexposure.
TM!, I did an AI search trying to find out when the louvered panels were added, and it told me that “Photographic records and historical accounts verify that the large louvered wooden screen structures framing the entryway on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion porch were installed between late 1963 and late 1967.” When I clicked on the reference link, it took me to the GDB post for Hallowe’en, 2020, in which I am answering your question about when the louvers were added. I never dreamed that anything I’ve written would become a standard reference work. I also never thought I’d find myself in an internet loop of circular reference, but here I am. Just waiting for Rod Serling to step into frame and finish the episode with some wry comment. I smell a burning cigarette just off camera, so I know it’s coming. Hey - when did everything turn black and white?
Loving the vintage costume photos! You really are a handsome devil.
I think the blonde in front of the garage door is supposed to be a harlequin. And I agree with JB - the presence of Santa along with the conifer motif on the garage door does give that a Nightmare Before Christmas sort of vibe. I’m OK with that here, but please get it out of my Haunted Mansion.
Nanook, forgive me, but the “artist” in the last photo has a “Kid Nanook” sort of look about him. It’s probably because we can see so little of his actual distinguishing facial features and my brain is filling in blanks it shouldn’t be. And speaking of invisible facial features…I’m wondering if the kid in the clown mask is actually smiling. Or…is he horribly disfigured from falling into a vat of chemicals and this is how he copes between criminal rampages and his ongoing feud with Batman and Robin? We may never know.
Looking forward to sitting in the driveway tonight in front of a portable fire pit and handing out candy to all the kostumed kiddos. Hope you all get plenty of treats and no tricks!
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