Two Leftuggies™

Someday I'm going to make a fortune with my trademarked Leftuggies™. I just need to monetize them. BUT HOW?

Speaking of Leftuggies™,  I have two of them for you right now! This first one is dated "September, 1959", and shows a nice lady posing in Tomorrowland. There's the mysterious UN logo, presumably placed there for United Nations Day. Children all over the world placed tinsel on their Rand McNally globes, and they drank warm buttermilk with a cinnamon stick placed in the mug. They also watched lots of TV, but they did that every day. The lady gets two extra points for not folding her souvenir guidebook, but then one point is subtracted because her sweaty hands will cause the paper to warp.

Next, from what I am guessing is "sometime in the 1970s" (look at those sideburns) is this picture of the Dapper Dans, serenading us with a lively song. Perhaps "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo'bye)!"?  Whatever the tune was, they are having a lot of fun, and so are WE.

 

Two Pix From April, 1974

I have to be honest, part of me will be glad when I have used up all of the "too dark" scans from the April, 1974 lot. The kids at school are laughing at me! My mom said that they are "laughing toward me", but it still stings.

It's always nice to see one of those big Belgian Draft Horses (do they like Belgian draft beer?), they appear to be gentle in spite of their strength. "I've seen it all!". I'm looking at the man to our left, he's got crutches. Maybe he just sprained his ankle? It's going to be a long day, hobbling around for hours and hours. "You go ahead without me, I'll just lie down in the middle of Main Street". Notice the kid to the right with the patriotic hat - Bicentennial Fever was already starting to take hold in 1974. "America Sings" would open in Disneyland on June 29th of this year.

I'm sure our photographer was going for a view of the Matterhorn, but the fun part is looking at the guests in their 1974 fashions.  Which are surprisingly "normal", except for Mom, who has a long-sleeved red shirt, and then an oddly-patterned shirt over that, with a giant Peter Pan collar. 

SNOOZLES™

It's the Crumbs of the Crop! Snoozles, that is. This first one is either a double-exposure, or the photographer was moving between multiverses. I hate when that happens. If we stand on our heads (go ahead, I'll wait), we can see the façade of "It's a Small World", and the exterior of the Alice in Wonderland ride, with the snooty caterpillars and giant leaves. This is how things look when you drink that stuff from that little bottle on Alice's table.

Next is a "fine but very boring" photo of the African Veldt scene from The Jungle Cruise, taken on a gray and sad-looking day. The Skipper is wondering why his entire boatload of passengers was weeping!

Los Angeles Miscellaneous - Internet to the Rescue

As a fan of vintage slides, I especially like views of Los Angeles from long ago. The trouble is, so do lots of other people - a particularly nice view of Wilshire Boulevard from the 1940s or 1950s can fetch well over $100. Those aren't for me! I don't even search for LA slides very often, but once in a while I'll think of it, and do a search - and sometimes I'll win one. Today I am sharing two such slides, along with the story of how the Internet helped me to figure out the locations in surprising ways.

We'll start with this one, from July 1959; a cute green car (help, Nanook!) is parked on an unidentified, rather nondescript street. Beyond the wall and oleanders is a giant "T" for Thriftymart. But there were LOTS of Thriftymarts, so that didn't help a lot. Was this even California? Just above the roof of the car we can see a business... COLEMAN CL...; "Coleman Cleaners", perhaps? Let's look it up!

After a brief Google search, I found THIS THREAD on  SkyscraperPage.com, as part of the "noirish”  LA" discussion. It was all about the slide I'd won! It's pretty fascinating. I recommend following the thread if you are at all interested. A very clever person suggested that the location was 12210 Santa Monica Boulevard. Looking at Google Maps Street View shows this - I am certain that it is indeed the same location, even the giant "T" is still there, though the store is now a Smart and Final. Pay no attention to the tents for the homeless. 

Next is this photo dated "January, 1959" showing a downtown area that sure looks like "old LA" to me. But I didn't really know where it was. The store "Nothing But Ties" seems to be a good place to start investigating. 
 

Once again, Google took me to SkyscraperPage.com, and a discussion about an image that was clearly taken by the same photographer as the one I own. There's "Nothing But Ties"! To find the discussion, you'll have to scroll down, but I think that people who read this blog will enjoy it.

Here's a recent view of 628 1/2 South Hill Street, in downtown Los Angeles; that little sandwich stand is still there, though it is now a Mark Broumand jewelry store. I'm surprised how little this scene has changed over the past 70-ish years. I can't even truly say that it looks much worse than it did back in the old days!

I hope you have enjoyed today's Miscellaneous Photos and the Internet info!

Randos!

I am a humble blogger, and my needs are simple. Sure, rare views of Disneyland are great, and I enjoy getting bags of money in the mail from my Hollywood friends, but I can appreciate the charms of more modest things too. Like today's RANDOS. 

First up is this scan from July, 1967, showing a bustling Fantasyland. Dumbo is Dumboing, the Skyway is Skywaying, and all is right in the world. I like the splashes of color from bright clothing, and think that the lady in chartreuse is pretty daring with her bare midriff - seems pretty saucy for '67.

It's funny, this next picture is from only 8 months earlier (the slide is dated "November, 1966"), and yet it  somehow feels a lot older. Maybe it's partly due to the cooler weather, leading to more subdued long-sleeves, sweaters, and coats. The park still looks lovely though, with blue skies, and bright flowers around the flagpole. The trees have either been recently trimmed, or they were replaced completely. 

Three kids pose near the sugarless drinking fountain, and the park looks pleasantly busy (but not too busy). A Cast Member hurries in from the left, maybe he drove a Horse Drawn Streetcar or an Omnibus. If he's late one more time, he'll be in big trouble.

Main Street, 1970s

I have two slides from two separate lots that look like they were taken on the same day. And maybe they were! There's no way to be sure. As you can see, both were taken on evenings with dark clouds scudding across the sky. Scudding, do you hear?? 

The sun hasn't set, but those rain-adjacent clouds are making it feel later, so many of the lights on Main Street have been turned on already. This first one his helpfully dated "March 1973", and that feels about right. There's plenty of cold-weather clothing (California-style) on display. The leaves on the trees are pretty sparse, but that just gives us a better look at everything.

This next scan is from an undated slide, but like I said, it almost feels like it could have been taken mere moments from the previous image. Look at the flags, there's a stiff breeze blowing. Everyone loves wind! It's only about 4:35, but it gets dark early. Maybe the park closed at 8:00 PM, something that would leave me outraged!

Gold Mine, Knott's Berry Farm - July 1974

Somebody thought that the Gold Mine at Knott's Berry Farm was the cat's meow. They took four pictures of it! Seems a bit much, if you ask me, even though I loved the Gold Mine as a kid; it was always one of my favorite activities. 

I think it's interesting that they put the Gold Mine below ground level, digging down 8 feet or so. Was it meant to resemble an eroded creek bed, sort of like a well-worked placer mine? I appreciate that they went to the extra effort to make the area more interesting.

I have the feeling that a lot of the details on this stony hillside were not consciously noticed, but they still made an impression. Like that small forced-perspective mine tunnel. And all the splintery wooden structures, quickly built to provide minimal shelter for the hard-working miners. 

A family tries its luck panning for GOLD! I like how the prospector who helps them stands on a boardwalk above a creek; the water looks milky, like glacial runoff. Be sure to buy your ticket at the Nugget Shack! Notice the lanterns, for nighttime panning. 

As a kid I think I bought the fantasy of the Gold Mine completely. Look, you can see where the water comes from (an underground spring?), guided by that sluice to the water wheel. Guests paid a mere fifty cents, a bargain!

Bupix - Featuring BU!

I am happy to present a trio of BUPIX - photos from the personal collection of GDB friend Bu. The photos themselves are fun, but Bu has graciously provided text to go with each picture, and that makes all the difference. You'll see what I mean! All the text in orange is from Bu:

Photo one with balloons: #1: you could see how fresh those balloons were: nice and shiny.  As the latex heats up: they get a matte finish.  This photo was from probably 1981.   It was a photo shoot for a more MUCH PUBLICIZED version of this photo with my fellow “model” Lisa: and you’ve posted that photo previously. It was used A LOT..and I was of course, green with envy.  It was even used in the “this is Disneyland” campaign…and it is still memorialized at the Disneyland Hotel “Memories” display case in the lobby.

Later I made it into several other publications, so I wasn’t too wound up.  These off-spring kids I think belonged to my random guest.  And yes…they were random.  Plucked off the streets of Disneyland, and given comps to come back for their troubles after signing a waiver.   Renie Bardeau took this photo, along with taking “Footsteps” a few decades earlier with the famous one whose name appears on the sign on Harbor.

You can see the flaws in my photo: so I can understand why they liked the blonde better.   This is when I used to carry my wallet in my back pocket: when I went to plaid: no more lumps.  It’s distracting. It’s also not wise with the proliferation of pick pockets everywhere.    I remember that woman could absolutely not grab the balloon string correctly: you got to hold onto it woman!  She was kind of wooden, while the kids were very natural.  So many things structurally wrong with this photo: arms in front of the pig…etc etc.   I look pretty dashing if I do say so myself, in the days of a 28 inch waist.  Yellows were a fun costume, and I still love the color yellow.

Photo number two: The best thing about the Disneyland State Fair was closing the park: there were vendors in town square selling cotton candy, etc etc….and they would give all the leftovers to us as we passed.  I LOVE cotton candy: pure sugar!  Kellie has been in photos before: looking crazy: here she looks great.  Tall and nordic with big hair.  The other one…”Holly” maybe (?)  memory is fuzzy.  Maybe she will see herself and weigh in.  I don’t have a jacket on, which is weird.  

I must have been working a lead shift and was opening the next morning, and just left my jacket on my chair in the office.  It was odd for me to not wear a coat.  I am also seeing that this photo was after they homogenized male TG costumes.  We had them sized for us, and then suddenly: they ripped all of our names out of them, put sizes on them…and put them in the rack….no more “personal” costumes.   I had a lot of feedback about that.  It looks like I have poopy pants in this photo because they are not tailored to me.  That metal box that “Holly” is holding, is how we transacted cash in City Hall.  Yes…that box.  Just like a cigar box, but metal.  It was full of cash and ticket media: all needed to be returned to Cash Control at the end of the day.

Photo number three: This was super early in my Disneyland Career…I am a puppy.  Was I even shaving then?  This was the photo set up at the then “Polaroid” shop.  Girl in red was my trainer: Cathy…other one: I really have to dig and see if I can remember her name.  We were all in ODV.  Cathy taught me how to make Popcorn.  I don’t remember my training for balloons or ice cream….but I very much remember my first day at work: at “Popcorn 6” in New Orleans Square.   I’m trying to think about where we took breaks at that location…the “Pit” or “DEC” below Pirates (employee cafeteria) seemed a little far: and a maze of stairs and walkways…but we would get free drinks there.  Maybe Frontierland.

We had to take our trash away during our break…and there was that smelly dumpster there.  Getting your costume for the first time was rather daunting task…since you really didn’t know what you were getting on day one, or how it was supposed to be worn: and NO ONE is going to help you through it.  It got easier after that.  In 24 hours you get a whopping dose of “Disneyland Working” vs “A Day at Disneyland”.  The experiences are vastly different.  Fun things like taking this photo on Main St. and all the other things/shenanigans were the perks for the military style work lifestyle.

Extra, extra! Here's a last-minute addition, emailed to me by Bu! No commentary, but I think he bumped his head.

MANY THANKS to Bu for sharing these photos and for providing the detailed commentary!

Knott's Pitchur Gallery

It has been over a year since we last visited Pitchur Gallery photos from Knott's Berry Farm.  Let's look at some NOW!

All of these are from Knott's Berry PLACE, which means they are from 1946 or before. This first one certainly feels like the 1940s. Two sweethearts pose in a pastoral scene; rolling hills, trees, a rustic fence, and a big sky full of puffy clouds. Love that pinstriped suit! The guy should be flipping a quarter and ending every sentence with the word "See?". I wonder if he was back from the war ("What war??") and was anxious to marry his gal?

This one is interesting, mostly because we have seen this same tableau before, with the Drug Store in the background. Except that every other time we've seen it, there was a guest or two posing with a burro. As you can see, a grandma and her granddaughter are about to be hugged by a black bear. Aw, so fuzzy!

I love the folks in this picture, they  remind me of my family in the Midwest. And like the first photo, it really feels like the 1940s. I'm not sure I've shared a Pitchur Gallery photo with this particular scene before; there's not much to it, but it works for larger groups. 

I have more Pitchur Gallery photos coming up!

SNOOZLES™

I guess that, as SNOOZLES go, these are not the worst examples. They don't cause bleeding from the eyes. Probably. But they still have their flaws. Like all of us!

First up - this "blah" photo of Cinderella's castle (from June, 1962) as seen from - well, I would guess the photo was taken from a Storybook Land Canal Boat, but I suppose it could have been taken from Casey Jr. The sky was gray, and the colors are subdued and brownish. It probably looked prettier to the eye. The "cross-stitch" shapes always look like bones to me.

Next is this photo from August, 1966. "It's a Small World" had debuted only three months earlier, which is cool, but this image is a little out of focus, and too much like scores of others that we've seen over the years.