1950s Details

An anonymous photographer from the 1950s seemed to be interested in some of the smaller details in Disneyland. Sure, that castle is great, and how often do you see a moon rocket? But some folks have an eye for the little things that others don't. The Fantasyland Skyway chalet was a real showstopper, perched on its hill, surrounded by an Alpine forest, and replete with charming folk art details. Does the circular device show the signs of the zodiac? And all of those shields must represent various Swiss municipalities (or something).    

While aboard the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, our photographer looked up at the crow's nest, which is probably so small that only a monkey could look for distant sails (try not to think about scurvy monkeys). I have learned that the “lubber’s hole” into the crow’s nest is a shameful way for any true seaman to go up… a real “salt” will climb the outside. The rigging and sails all look mighty impressive!

A Pair From April, 1973

Here's an oddball pair from Spring of 1973. A fine time to visit the park! My family had moved to Pennsylvania by then, so I was looking at my copies of "Disney News" and counting the days before Summer, when we'd probably return to California to visit my grandparents (as it turns out, I did not get back to the park for three whole years!). 

There used to be a flowerbed smack-dab in the middle of The Plaza, and as you can see, it was full of colorful blossoms. I suppose that the powers-that-be considered this centrally-located piece of real estate to be way too significant. "What we need is a statue!". "What kind of a statue, boss?". "A metal one!". "Brilliant!". And that's why the "Partners" statue is there today. People love it, and that's not a bad thing.

I'm always happy to see the Swiss Family Treehouse in Adventureland. Jungle trees somehow manage to absorb sunlight, resulting in dark photos like this one. It's nice to see this attraction looking so busy. I'm noticing a lot of sweaters and coats - it must have been a bit cool, in spite of the bright sunshine.
 

EXTRA! EXTRA!

GDB pal DW found a caricature of himself that was done at Knott's Berry Farm "from around 1975-1977". Very fun! I love that he's at the controls of a locomotive - I didn't ask, but I assume DW must have told the artist that he liked trains? Most true railfans recommend riding a train atop the boiler, the way it was done in the old days. Considering that the artist had to quickly represent an old steam locomotive, and that he was probably not exactly an expert in those, I think his sketch is pretty fun. THANKS, DW!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Also from Knott's Berry Farm comes this caricature of Sue B. She said this was from my California trip in the summer of 1976.  I went to DL and KBF, while staying with relatives in California.  I'm positive I had this caricature done at KBF, but there's no KBF stamp???  I had just recently started dating Keith and he drove a 1969 Chevelle...I was a love-sick teenager, missing him while I was away. [Queue in the sappy love songs here.] THANKS, SUE!

Jungle Cruise Snoozles, September 1964

From the same batch of Instamatic slides as last Thursday's post come today's snooze-tastic Jungle Cruise pictures. Not the worst things you'll ever see, but far from the best, also.

It's that familiar African Veldt tableau, presumably an excuse to populate the Jungle Cruise with a significant number of critters. Why would they all be grouped into one rather small area? To watch one of their pals being eaten! It all makes sense now. "I feel bad, but at least it isn't ME". It's interesting that a worker of some sort (Maintenance? Landscaping?) is standing right in the middle of the scene in broad daylight. Perhaps he was only there for a moment, and just happened to get caught in this photo.

Next is a not-great photo of a scene that I always enjoyed, a bathing elephant who has found a wonderful natural shower cascading down those rocks. As a kid I envied him, who wouldn't want to play in that very spot?

 

Six Gun Territory, Silver Springs, Florida - 1970s

In a large box of slides, I found this group of photos from a defunct amusement park in Ocala, Florida - Six Gun Territory! There isn't a lot of information about this park on Wikipedia. The short version says Six Gun Territory was a Western-themed theme park in Ocala, Florida, United States. It opened on February 2, 1963 and closed on January 1, 1984. The rest of the article is about the Southern Railway & Six Gun, a narrow gauge heritage railroad that doesn't even appear in any of my slides (sadly).

The first three scans show a typical amusement park shootout. People love to watch men gunning each other down! It looks like that man up on the balcony might be narrating the events. Clearly that little girl with the turquoise cowboy hat is one of the desperados, ready for a fight!

What? It's over? I expected more protracted agony, maybe some screaming. I admit to feeling a little disappointed. Where's Sam Peckinpauh when you need him? By the way, these slides are undated, and I  guesstimated that they are from the 1970s, but perhaps they are from the 1980s?
 

Hmmm, perhaps this one should have been posted before that last one, since  the puff of smoke from a six-shooter is still hanging in the air. Or was the boy with the green shirt smoking a cigar? The kid with the yellow shirt was biting his nails in suspense! The lifeless body of the bad man will soon be buried in Boot Hill.

Next, a mother and son pose with a static "photo op" display, a wagon pulled by two glassy-eyed longhorn cattle. The livestock is not attached the wagon in any way, instead they pull the wagon using psychokinesis. Just like in the Old West. 

I was very happy that this photo of the modest Merry-Go-Round was in the bunch, since it helped me to ID the location. I wonder if it was the boy's birthday? He's now wearing a magnificent feathered Indian headdress.

Going around and around in circles never gets old! Especially when you are riding your genuine Honda motorcycle.

Or how about a dune buggy with four steering wheels? The fire engine looks pretty good too, maybe mom will let us ride twice.

And finally, Six Gun Territory had Native Americans performing tribal dances, beneath a roofed pavilion due (presumably) to frequent rain showers. 

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Six Gun Territory!

Nice Randos

After observing a large weather balloon (launched from the top of Mt. Everest), I have determined that this would be a good day to share some RANDOS. First up is this nice photo, date-stamped "August, 1967", featuring the entrance to Adventureland. There's the arched sign, made of bamboo and woven palm leaves in the finest "Gilligan's Island" manner. Ivory tusks might be seen as problematic, but they were careful to get them from an elephant who was a jerk. To the left, the wonderful Enchanted Tiki Room, where the birds sing words and the flowers croon! 

As most of you know, the attraction was sponsored by United Air Lines when it debuted on June 23, 1963, and continued to sponsor it until sometime in 1976 (when Dole took over). Frames outside the Tiki Room held posters, sometimes silkscreened attraction posters, and sometimes travel posters from UAL, encouraging guests to Fly the Friendly Skies.

The poster to the left is this bold design with the Statue of Liberty. 

And the poster to the right of that showed a beautiful lady welcoming you to Hawaii!

The next Rando is the last slide from a batch of 50s images that were very faded. Luckily, it was nothing that Photoshop couldn't handle. As you can see, guests explored the Hurricane Deck of the Mark Twain, which afforded great views of Frontierland and the River.

If you happened to be only three feet tall like that little kid, you mostly just saw walls! The brave and resourceful pilot is looking right at us, he can tell that we are the kind of passenger that he likes.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

GDB friend KS recently had a scare when brush fires threatened his Oregon home - which is bad enough (I've been through this in California), but KS also raises & cares for horses on his ranch. All of them had to be evacuated! Luckily, brave fire crews (including some from other countries) kept the home and ranch safe (and generous friends took in the horses). KS sent along this photo, and said, "We are all back and fine, though some are still adjusting". I'm so glad that it all worked out for him!!

More Lion Country Safari, 1973

Way back on May 27th of this year, I shared some 1973 photos taken by Lou Perry from a visit to SoCal's now-defunct Lion Country Safari. After a too-long wait, here is Part 2!

You can tell that these antelope feel pretty safe on this faux veldt, they could hardly be more relaxed. Some might not be alive, who can tell? My memories of LCS are mostly of animals half-asleep in the Irvine heat.

It's a loaf of Rhinocerworsts! Didn't you know that a group of them is called a "loaf"? There might be a reason for that.

As a kid I got a kick out of the official park Jeeps, painted in zebra stripes. If they didn't sell toy versions of these, they were leaving millions on the table.

Yep, this is about how I remember things. Sleeping animals seeking the cooler shade beneath some scrawny trees. "Honk the horn, ma! Rile the critters up!". This is about when I'd get out of the car for a selfie with the cheetahs. I invented selfies!

I believe that those are lions sleeping near those palms. As I mentioned in the first post, commercials always showed a station wagon with a lion on their hood, but I'm not sure I ever saw one even walking.

I always love to see elephants, such huge, strange-looking animals, though we're used to them now. On the other hand, I sometimes feel bad seeing them cooped up in zoos, but at least they are protected from poachers. And at Lion Country Safari, they had room to wander.

And finally, another look at a giraffe (see the first installment), a creature that seems like one of those odd extinct animals that we know only from fossilized skeletons (like giant sloths) - except that they are real and alive! If you give a giraffe a piece of beef jerky, it will be your friend for life. 

MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!

Main Street & Adventureland Entrance, 1950s

If your Spidey Senses were tingling this morning, it might mean that:

A) You were bitten by a radioactive spider, and/or

B) You knew that it is Steve DeGaetano's birthday.

As always, Sue B. has something for the occasion, and undated photo of a vintage birthday party. 3 elves with pointy blue hats sit in a basement (?) at a card table with a magnificent tablecloth, and the finest, most comfortable metal folding chairs. Putting kids in the basement is wise, they can blow on those noisemakers all they want, and folks in the rest of the house won't be disturbed. I like the birthday boy's bow tie! A clip-on, presumably. The boy to the right is hoping that a clown was not engaged for this party. Happy Birthday, Steve!

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Today's photos remind me of "Pepperidge's Third Law", which posits that: "Early photos of Disneyland are just generally more interesting than most because of their earliosity". I'm trying to get this carved into the walls of the Lincoln Memorial, but so far it's all been roadblocks and red tape. 

What do you do when standing on the steps up to Main Street Station? Well, you can continue up and ride the train, or you can do an interpretive dance about how you are feeling at that precise moment. "Look Mabel, that man is experiencing a combination of happiness and muscle spasms!". "Land sakes!".

Town Square and Main Street look pretty busy, it must have been summer vacation (the patriotic bunting might be a clue). It looks "June Gloom-ish", but we've had some June Gloom in September, so you never know. 

The gray skies kept things cool and pleasant, but pictures like these contain 11% less joy than a bright sunny pic. Still, there's enough happiness to keep me content! I love this photo looking across part of the moat (aka the "dark water system"), with guests coming and going across the bridge to Frontierland. I don't know how long those tree stumps were there by the entrance, I'll bet the trees were cut down by teenagers. You know how they are! 

 

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.

See some of JG's family photos HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE!

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.

Bobsleds, October 1968

Here's a fun pair of scans featuring two friends who were aboard a Matterhorn bobsled, preparing for their thrilling ride through the icy slopes and caves! A Cast Member ("George") appears to be telling our riders how to behave. Keep your hands inside the vehicle! Don't stand up! No smoking! No spitting or cursing! And so on. I like his shirt and need one to wear every day. Imagine if they sold nice copies of these old costumes (or at least the shirts) in the shops! They'd make a ton of money! 

Did they just return from their trip? It's hard to tell. The lady with the pale yellow top looks like she's getting ready to exit her bobsled. Notice the Alice in Wonderland attraction in the distance.

Snoozles From March, 1961

Unlike a box of chocolates, you pretty much know what to expect from Snoozles™. Bad pictures!

I understand that guests aboard a Skyway gondola had limited mobility and not a lot of control of their view inside that tiny bucket, but having a photo perfectly bisected by one of the gondola's supports is pretty bad. It's too bad, otherwise it would be a decent picture.

From the same batch comes this photo taken from a Storybook Land canal boat; maybe our photographer liked the passing Casey Jr. Circus Train? Or the Matterhorn looming in the distance? Or gramps' hat? Whatever the case, this is a C- photo.

Walt Disney World, March 1976

Let's head on down to Orlando, Florida, to visit Walt Disney World, circa March 1976. The park had been open for less than five years at that point! As I've said before, I sure wish I could have seen it in its early state, but... I still haven't visited. D'oh. Today's images are from a small batch of only five slides.

First up is this view from near Cinderella Castle, which I assume is more or less behind the photographer (?), with part of the moat in front of us, and a pretty bridge crossing over the water. Notice the flowers on the lawn to the right, making a Bicentennial graphic. 

OK, I'm going to need your help with this one, because I have NO idea what this restaurant is; it looks like it's in Fantasyland, though it also has some odd architectural details that might be Adventureland-ish too.  

This next one appears to have been taken from a Monorail, which was either leaving or arriving at the A-frame Contemporary Hotel. Our photographer grabbed a quick shot looking out at the Seven Seas Lagoon (I believe). Look at how flat Florida is! But it always has those pretty clouds. I would imagine that a similar photo taken today would show a lot more hotels and other development surrounding the lagoon.

This next one is pretty great, a beautiful view of Space Mountain, which had debuted on January 15th, 1975. The Skyway is overhead, adding color and kinetic movement.

And finally, we have this shot of the Sunshine Tower located outside the Tropical Serenade, (aka The Tiki Room). Just look at those light crowds! I'll bet March was a great time to be outdoors in Florida, though I've heard that daily rain showers were (and still are) frequent.

I hope you have enjoyed these photos from Walt Disney World!

Beautiful Views From September 1959

Here's a pair of especially nice photos of Disneyland, circa September 1959. Only about three months after the Matterhorn, Monorail, and Submarines debuted, which was an exciting time! 

It seems that the photographer was attempting to capture the general ambiance of Tomorrowland in a single photo, with the Mark I Monorail ("Li'l Stubby"), the crowds waiting for their Voyage Through Liquid Space, and the venerable Skyway overhead (with a cameo by the Astro Jets to the right). I usually think of September as being hot in SoCal, but there are more than a few coats and sweaters seen here, which seems odd. Still, it's a fun image; the crowds add color and implied energy.

Next, we're in Fantasyland, since we see the Matterhorn Chalet to the right. There'd never been any roller coaster like the Matterhorn, and it looks like there were plenty of guests anxious to experience it for themselves. A rather unimpressive, earless red balloon floats nearby. The passing "Big Blue" Monorail is fun, it appears that one girl is looking right at us from her window. 

Nice Main Street, 1960s

Here are two pretty nice photos from Main Street, USA - undated, and probably from the early 1960s.

Here's Vesey Walker and the Disneyland Band performing in front of the Opera House, which was not used for much until the sets from "Babes in Toyland" were exhibited (1961 through 1963). Since we can see the attraction posters for the Submarine Voyage and the Monorail, we know that this photo is post-1959, and I am surmising that it is also pre-1961. Just a guess! A small group of guests looks on curiously as they pass by, it might be a family with a few of the kid's friends. 

When I think of the Flower Market on West Center Street (which I do all the time!) I generally imagine it looking just like this next photo. But it did evolve somewhat over the years, with the colors of the artificial blooms changing, and new offerings of things like wind chimes and garden figurines, and other tchotchkes.

A Pair From July 1962

Here are two slide scans, both date-stamped "July 1962", though they are not from the same batch. 

Huggable Pluto stands in front of the turnstiles to greet guests (but only after they have purchased their tickets); he strikes a Napoleonic pose, if only he had a bicorne hat. He would have looked like he escaped from Elba, or perhaps the Funny Farm. Could it be that our guest was just showing up at almost 5:30? It is beyond comprehension. Perhaps they were there to watch one of the great Big Bands at the Plaza Gardens, such as Snoot Doodle and his Kit and Caboodle.

Next is this nice photo taken from the Indian Village - the one that guests could visit, and where they could watch performances of traditional dances, and where they could get a look at the kinds of arts, crafts, and dwellings that some tribes enjoyed. The passing Columbia sailing ship is packed with guests standing at the rail, possibly due to sea sickness as they began their exciting voyage. TO DEVIL'S ISLAND!