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!
2 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.
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