Airplanes

It's Vintage Airplane Day on GDB!

I'm going to begin with a pair of undated photos, presumably from the 1950s, showing a beautiful Lockheed Constellation on the tarmac as a bunch of military types listen to a fellow at a microphone. A lone woman in a gray suit looks like a movie star, and who knows, maybe she was! 

I happened to show these scans to a man  (Greg) who is a particular fan of Constellations, and he added some pretty interesting information! Gen. Douglas MacArthur had named his personal aircraft, a Lockheed Constellation VC-121A '8613' transport "Bataan" (cn 2605).  However, this isn’t General MacArthur.  General Matthew Ridgway replaced General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. President Harry Truman relieved MacArthur of his commands on April 11, 1951, citing his disagreement with MacArthur's public criticism of administration policies. Ridgway assumed command of UN forces and the Allied occupation of Japan.   Note the 4 stars to the left of the passenger door.  Pictures I have found of General Ridgeway look like the 4-star General in your pictures.

Greg helpfully attached  this portrait of General Ridgeway, and the man with his back to the camera sure looks like him!

Greg also noticed that the two photos would merge together beautifully, and he attached this amazing panorama! Thanks, Greg! He added: I would have to say, this picture was taken in Japan right after General Ridgeway replaced General MacArthur in April of 1951…the same Constellation  “8613” remained as a Military transport before being used by NASA in the 1960s. 

 

This aircraft still survives today and has been fully restored as MacArthur’s “Bataan”.

Next is a photo of a sleek military jet on display for the public to admire. Luckily, the sign in the lower left informs us that this is an F-94C "Starfire" jet! Here's some basic info, which I got from Wikipedia:

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire is a first-generation jet powered all-weather day/night interceptor aircraft designed and produced by Lockheed Corporation. It was the first operational United States Air Force (USAF) fighter equipped with an afterburner as well as being the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War.

The F-94C Starfire was extensively modified from the early F-94 variants. In fact, it was initially designated F-97 before officials decided that it would be treated as a new version of the F-94 instead. To improve performance, a completely new and much thinner wing was designed, along with a swept tail surface.

The F-94C was the only variant to be officially named Starfire. With time, the entire F-94 family has adopted the name. The first production F-94C aircraft were delivered in July 1951, 387 examples being delivered before May 1954.

I hope you have enjoyed todays vintage airplanes!

 

Two Beauties - January, 1969

Sometimes a lot of slides might consist of 15 or 20 individual images. Or there can be only two! This was one of those two-slide lots, but they are both pretty darn nice.

The Pack Mules have been gone for over 50 years... I'm sure there are many younger Disneyland fans who would be surprised to learn that such an attraction ever existed! The idea of being able to ride a real pack mule definitely seems like a concept from another era; I can't imagine that the ride capacity was that high, and the cost of caring for the mules (all those apples and sugar cubes!) would be prohibitive. And so... I'm always happy to find any good photos of it.  

In a nice contrast, we now see the same boy aboard a Mark VI Autopia vehicle, in cool turquoise. The NASA guys are making sure that the kid is strapped in and knows all of the safety protocols, just like they would do for the astronauts of Apollo 10 in just a few months (it seems crazy that they were allowed to work at Disneyland sometimes, but that's just how it was). You could tell the real NASA guys because they used words like "nominal" and "outstanding" a lot.  

Randos

I've had today's randos rattling around in a folder for quite a long time, and decided to just post them already. This first one is dated "July, 1964" and shows the familiar Flower Market from the far end looking out toward Main Street. There are blossoms in all the colors of the rainbow, even "olive drab", which just looks odd. One fellow has just admired the Carnation Milk Truck ("Gosh, what a honey!"), but otherwise it's ladies who really loved this Disneyland feature.

Next is this scan from 1956 - a rather chaotic view Fantasyland. You've got yer flying elephants, you've got yer Skyway gondolas, you've got yer Pirate Ship (with striped sails unfurled), and the cute little ticket booth to the  right. The sky is as blue as can be!

 

Jungle Cruise, 1970s

As much as I love riding ("adventuring"?) on the Jungle Cruise, I'm always a bit disappointed when a group of slides has 8 or 9 photos from this ride. I suppose I can understand the guest's reaction, especially if this was their first trip to the park. But it's hard to get excited about pictures that look just like a million others. 

The hippoppoppotapoptamuses have always impressed me with their realistic appearance. The Imagineers even duplicated their aroma, which is (surprisingly) minty-fresh.

Ah, the mother in-law! You don't hear as many mother in-law jokes these days, they were a true staple of television. And probably Vaudeville. I'm actually not sure if this is the bull elephant or his wife's mother! The blurry arm of the Skipper is to the left.

Of course I have always had a special love for the old, odd-looking gorillas that you could see on the Jungle Cruise. I think there were 2 of them, and they would bob up and down in a display of aggression and codependence. Being mostly black, and often in the shadows, it was hard to get a good picture of these guys. I have heard that their chassis were used for the Abdominal Snowmen introduced in the Matterhorn in 1978.

A Pair From April, 1973

I have a pair of nice scans date-stamped "April, 1973". The colors are oddly subdued, but they still have a generally-pleasant appearance.

In this first one, we're looking north on Main Street USA, with the Market House to our right, the Hallmark Communication Center beyond that, and the GAF shop after that (replacing the Kodak shop). Usually people want to capture the unusual sight of a fairytale castle at the end of a turn-of-the-century American main street, but it barely squeaks into this image, so I am wondering if that group of folks directly in front of us could be the photographer's family?

Next, a nice look at the Rivers of America, with folks bustling about on shore. The Mark Twain is in Fowler's Harbor, having a Wankel engine installed. But don't worry, you can still ride The Columbia! It's a good thing I told you, you were about to cry, admit it. Being April, at least one Keelboat and one Raft are sitting unused, but another Raft is loading up to return to the mainland. Peter Fonda is enjoying his popcorn!

Omnibus, May 1972

I hope I never meet a person who hates the Omnibus. Talk about a red flag! "You, sir, are disturbed!". I walk up to at least six people a day to tell them that very thing. We've lost our Surreys, and the old Chemical Wagon is out of action inside the Firehouse, but by golly, we still have our Omnibuses. I finally rode one about two years ago, after one failed attempt (they don't let guests up to the top level if the steps on the spiral staircase are wet from rain). It was fun! As you can see, Donald Duck is aboard this Omnibus for a ride, much to the amusement of the guests (and even the sweeper). 

We get a great portrait of a nice family just before they deplaned, and we also get an excellent look at those beautiful mini-posters on the side. I'm not sure if those were silkscreened or hand-painted onto steel panels, but either way, they are awesome. They occasionally show up at auction, and fetch thousands of dollars apiece. I was going to pick a favorite, but realized that I just couldn't do it.

Jungle Cruise Snoozles™

It's BIRTHDAY TIME again, and this time we can send our good wishes in STU's direction! I feel a little guilty that today is a Snoozle day, but it's tradition, and Stu has a sense of humor about such things, so I don't think he'll be too upset. I'm really having a hard time guessing a date for the picture that Sue B. provided. 1970s? I guess there's aren't many clues. How about that "harvest gold" naugahyde upholstery? Sue thought that this picture might be flopped, but the girl and birthday boy are both using their right hands, so I'm guessing that it's OK. Unless they're lefties! The cake appears to have tropical trees snails on it, which provides some delightful crunch. And slime! Happy Birthday, Stu!

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The poor Jungle Cruise; it didn't do anything to hurt anyone. It brings people joy and happiness day after day. BUT... the fact remains that there are a LOT of Snoozles from that attraction. Today's scans come from a batch of slides that I am reasonably sure are from not long after Disneyland opened, based on clues from some of the other photos that you will see soon. As we've learned, the plants for the Jungle Cruise jungle were planted as early as possible in order to give them time to fill in and mature as much as possible. It looks pretty good, though of course it would only get better and better over the years. 

Why did the guest take this picture? Maybe they thought they saw a critter. But all they captured was some bamboo, various palms, and other assorted stuff. The eucalyptus trees in the distance really sell "tropical jungle"! For a "photo of nothing", it's actually sort of pretty.

Next is a mis-timed photo, although I could imagine somebody thinking that the flowering tree was novel enough that it was worth a precious film frame. Any idea what that plant is? Behind it is the abandoned temple with a golden idol. You can steal the idol, but because the temple is small, only a bowling ball-sized stone will roll out after you. Just hop out of the way! I like the sighting of a scruffy monkey up on the branches, those were only there for a short time; in old footage, we have seen that some of the monkeys would shake the branches, because that's what monkeys do.

Vintage Cars

As long-time readers of GDB might know, I am a big fan of vintage automobiles - but I don't know much about them! I just love the way they look, and the way certain styles from certain years evoke something about the culture and the nation. I chose three scans for today, but am going to have to rely on the expertise of the Junior Gorillas as far as ID-ing the cars. I made a bit of an effort, but got nowhere. 

First up is this 1950s photo of a station wagon down by the ocean. It sure looks like Florida, or somewhere  on the Gulf Coast. It also looks like a beer commercial. Perhaps the dock is where you could catch a fishing boat. Get out there and get some tarpon, or even a barracuda! Mmmm, toothy. 

Might as well stick with the "down by the water" theme; I think I see mangroves, so perhaps this is Florida again. I can imagine a family leaving their frozen home up north to enjoy the relative warmth of the south. 

And finally, a man poses with his pride and joy, a bulbous (yet streamlined!) beauty that I just couldn't ID, as much as I tried. The Indiana license plate is from 1948. 

Nice Tomorrowland, April 1962

Boy, I sure love some vintage Tomorrowland pictures, yessiree Bob! I was just saying so to my Aunt Florence, and she agreed. 

 SO... I labeled these files as being from "April, 1972", which is clearly wrong. Sure, I could dig them out and check again, but I assume that the year should have been 1962. Notice the old round Skyway gondolas; seeing how tiny those get as they near the Matterhorn really helps convey the size of that structure. It looks like it was a pretty busy day, perhaps it was Spring Break? Or just a weekend, I suppose. I'm wondering where our photographer would have been standing in order to get this elevated view, do you have any ideas?

Speaking of the Skyway, now we are aboard our own gondola, and are helping other people get a sense of the size of the Matterhorn (it's nice to be helpful). The Yacht Bar is bustling, though I do see a few empty seats. That funny little bandstand where The Yachtsmen would often perform is silent, though I hope the musicians will show up later in the day. "Sloop John B! Sloop John B!". That's what I would yell, while waving a churro that doesn't exist yet.  

Two 1950s Views

I don't have a ton of pictures of the old Midget Autopia (is it the ride with the most unfortunate name?), so I'm always happy to see it. A little girl has just gone through the yellow garage's crash doors, which I believe was the grand finale of this strictly-for-kids Autopia - in mere moments, she would be back at the load-unload area.

The same girl holds her classic popcorn box with a kung-fu grip. Just try to pry it from her, I dare you! Her family got prime seats at the prow of the Mark Twain which was about to return to the dock in Frontierland. I'm looking at the pattern on that woman's dress. What the heck is it? Luggage? Furniture? She holds a 1957 guidebook (it has to be 1957, because that's the year that the Midget Autopia opened, and the design changed in 1958).