Two From April 1973

Here's a pair of "OK" images from Fantasyland, circa 1973 - starting with a familiar view of It's a Small World's busy façade. There are more strollers than we typically see in old photos! Of course, IASW is a very "toddler-friendly" attraction, so it makes sense. Still, you can sense that the stroller takeover was beginning! 

Next, a photo taken from the Disneyland Railroad, which was at rest at Tomorrowland Station, presumably. I'm guessing that this is the "Holiday Green" set of cars, though they could be the "Holiday Blue" cars I assume. Both went into service in 1966.   

 

Merlin's Magic Shop & Adventureland Bazaar, August 1962

It seems like it's been a while since we've had a good look at Merlin's Magic Shop, located in the courtyard of Fantasyland, right near the castle. Unlike most other original 1955 Fantasyland buildings, Merlin's is beautifully detailed, with hand-hewn half-timbers, steep swooping rooflines, crooked rain gutters, odd little windows, multiple chimneys... it's pretty swell.

Zooming in on one window, we can just make out a few items; the gorilla mask, what looks like several Randotti skulls, and packaged novelty items (A joy buzzer? Soap that turns your hands black? Hot chewing gum?); I have no idea what that oversized key is for (as if it was for a human-sized toy robot). If you can identify anything else, let me know!

In the other window, there is not much to ID - I assume some of those colorful shapes are magic paraphernalia. There's a ventriloquist dummy that resembles Jerry Mahoney - it's that bright red hair.

"Help! I'm stuck in this magic shop!".

Next, we're outside the Bazaar in Adventureland, our photographer seems to have been very interested in the architectural details, and maybe some of the "stuff" on the upper story - metal pans, clay pots, and that saltwater taffy machine.

Fantasyland Scenes, March 1961

Here's a couple of "different" photos from Fantasyland. They're not amazing, but at this point I'll happily take different.

I never really thought about it, but I honestly can't remember any other photos in my collection taken from aboard a Storybook Land Canal Boat just as it was about to be eaten by Monstro. The woman has been swallowed by whales dozens of times, this is no big deal.

Just west of Monstro you'd find Skull Rock; here's another "different" view, an interesting side angle from the pathway that led back to the dining area behind the Pirate Ship. We get a good look at the profile (such as it is) of Skully, a bit of that dining area, and even Cinderella's Castle from Storybook Land.

Goofy and Pluto, August 1981

The walk-around characters of Disneyland are real rock stars, everyone sees them and wants a piece of them. They remember their innocent, early days, before they knew of the double-edged sword of celebrity. Well, boo-hoo! That's what I have to say about it. In fact, that's what I have to say about everything. 

There's Goofy, attracting hoards of fans outside the American Egg House (formerly the Hills Bros. Coffee House). Is the man with the pale shirt-and-tie behind him his "handler"? When a guest becomes particularly enthusiastic, he might have to use his electric cattle prod. Don't worry, they hardly feel it through their thick hides! Cattle, I mean; it hurts like heck if you're a hu-man.  

Nearby, a grown woman has knocked over three children so that she can have her photo taken with Pluto, one of the most huggable characters. Two boys to the left prefer lampposts anyway - always have, always will. There's a woman to the right...

... somehow she reminds me of Gladys Kravitz from "Bewitched"!

 

Semi-Snoozles

After careful analysis, I have determined that today's slide scans DO qualify as Snoozles™. But just barely! This first one is from August, 1962; we see a salty sea dog up in the rigging of the Columbia. He's whistling the Old Spice jingle, as was traditional in the 18th century. Based on this fellow's expression, he's spied a sea cow, but he's been at sea for so long that he thinks it's a beautiful mermaid. 

Next, it's July 1963, and we have this partially-obstructed view of the Submarine Lagoon. Why the photographer didn't lean forward so that the gondola safety bars were out of frame, I'll never know. I guess the brain edited them out. Still, if you just look within the upper "window", it's a nice look at the yellow Monorail, the last of the Mark IIs (introduced in 1961).  

 

Vintage Los Angeles

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you have a nice picnic lunch with hotdogs, potato salad, and corn on the cob.

I decided to pay tribute to Vintage Los Angeles today - for the heck of it - with two nice old views. This first scan is from "sometime in the 50s", looking North on Vine Street in Hollywood (Sunset Blvd. is behind us). There's the old NBC Studio to our right. Other fun details, ABC/KXCA Studio to the left (CBS was just around the corner on Hollywood Boulevard), the Santa Fe offices, and if you look closely, you can see the sign for the Brown Derby above the gentleman in the white jacket. One interesting note... I frequent the "Vintage LA" Facebook page, and the woman who runs it owns the fraternal twin to this slide - taken moments apart, same cars on the curb, same clouds in the sky. Hers is better! Still, I'm happy to have this one.

Next is this unassuming photo of a place called the "Sidewalk Coffee Corner". Looking it up, I discovered that it was from the venerable Robinson's department store at Seventh, Hope, and Broadway. Robinson’s food service in its flagship store included the aforementioned roof-top tearoom, which was remodeled in 1955 and renamed The California Room. In 1954, a quick-service restaurant was built on the seventh floor and named The Round Robin, playing on its circular design reminiscent of a birdcage, and the store’s name as well.  The California Room and Round Robin were exported to several of the branch stores as well.  The downtown store also had a “Sidewalk Coffee Corner” for light snacks. I had to color-correct this one, with limited success, but I'm happy to have this rare interior from one of Vintage LA's important stores.

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EXTRA! EXTRA! I recently had lunch with my friend Mr. X, we met at the Smokehouse in Burbank. A good old-fashioned place with dark wood and red leatherette booths. X showed up carrying a long cardboard box. He then pulled out a genuine silkscreened attraction poster - America the Beautiful (circa 1967). And then he GAVE it to me! Incredible. It's one that I never owned. I can't even remember how long it's been since I acquired an attraction poster. Many years, for sure. Take a look, it's a beauty. I am very grateful to Mr. X for his generosity! And it's perfect for the 4th of July.

Mark VI Autopia, June 1967

There's just something about the classic Autopia; I love the various styles that Bob Gurr cooked up over the years (even though versions he dislike, such as the Mark V cars), I love the winding miniature highways, and the often-smiling faces on kids and adults alike. 

Big Sis is returning to the Autopia load area, based on her expression I'd say she had fun. I'm a little confused about the fact that we are seeing Mark VI cars in June of '67, since the familiar Mark VII cars were introduced this year - but we all know that date stamps can lie. Perhaps the photos were taken many month earlier. It's also a bit strange that the cars are slightly different shades of blue. Where are the yellows, the greens, the candy-apple reds? Looking in the distance we can see...

...Kid Sister, in her "Peter Max"-colored dress and proper white cardigan. She's not smiling, perhaps she had a premonition of the future, since it feels like the Autopia's days might be numbered. I hope I'm wrong! Hey look, a white car, what an exciting color variation!

The Mark VI cars always remind me a bit of manta rays.

Pack Mules and Gullywhumper, August 1962

I have a few nice slides from August, 1962, starting with this fun look at Pack Mules as they returned from their trip through Nature's Wonderland to the safety of Rainbow Ridge. A few lesser-seen buildings are visible here. This attraction looks SO appealing to me now - sure, the Mine Train was incredible, but you could see Nature's Wonderland from different angles, such as from a "natural arch" bridge.

Next, the Gullywhumper loads up with a new load of passengers. Sitting up top would be great, but how about the two crates at the bow? There's a gun for warding off rabid elk (don't worry, the gun didn't hurt them, it was filled with puffed rice). 

Dining at the Disneyland Hotel

I have a very fun piece of vintage paper ephemera for you today - a little foldout flyer (only about 5" X 3" when closed) touting the surprising number of places where guests could go to drink and dine. Everything from a casual coffee shop to something a little more sophisticated and "grownup". I really love this one!

There's the cover, with a stylized Sun, perhaps evoking an "endless summer" in SoCal. "The whole family will enjoy the California Dining Room". At the bottom, a "special menu for children" is mentioned, you can find these quite easily, a menu that doubled as a paper mask of Mickey's smiling face (they also had a Pinocchio mask at some point). I used to have several of them, until my visiting cousins decided that they were junk. Into the trash they went!

The item unfolds to reveal six panels on each side, each featuring a different establishment for refreshment and relaxation. I had no idea that the Disneyland Hotel had so many options!

Next to the aforementioned cover is the Monorail Bar (not to be confused with the Monorail Cafe), and the Crown and Pillow, where "you'll have a jolly good time". Many of these places emphasize the availability of alcohol, clearly something that the parents and conventioneers demanded after a long day. 

All of the graphics are great, but I especially like the art for the Disneyland Hotel Lounge. The Coffee House sounds like a place I'd want to go, perhaps to enjoy a nice club sandwich and maybe a milkshake. Next, take the "Looking Glass Elevator" (I've never heard that before) up to the "Top of the Park" in the Sierra Tower. So... was the elevator mirrored??

The obverse features six more cafes and restaurants.

Several mentions of the Marina help to date this flyer to post-Spring 1970, when that feature debuted. More cocktails could be had at the Palm Court Lounge and the Shipyard Inn, along with seafood, more English atmosphere, and even dancing in the Oak Room. I wonder if Anaheim locals ever went to these places even if they weren't staying at the Hotel? 

And the last three, starting with Blum's of San Francisco, the Sailmaker's Den (love some of these names), and The Country Kitchen, which had Mediterranean cuisine (surprisingly).

Somebody was selling a different version of this flyer on eBay a year or so ago; maybe someday I'll get one of these (because I love variations), but I'm very happy with the one I have.

More Stuff From the Box

Hey hey! It's time for more STUFF FROM THE BOX! The award winning-feature that the Kardashians are talking about. "What awards, Major??". BIG ONES, don't worry about it.

On many occasions, I've mentioned my fondness for old employee pins and badges. What I can't do is explain why I like them, but why even try? These first two were given out to Texaco employees, "Safe Driver" pins - perhaps these fellows drove the big trucks full of volatile gasoline? I actually like the "14 Years" pin more than the "21 Years", you'd think that by 21 years they'd add something fancy like a diamond chip or a photo of Marilyn Monroe.

I saw this Easter Seals badge at a collector's show in Glendale (CA), and the "Space Ranger" theme appealed to me. I'm assuming it is from the 1950s. Easter Seals (now "Easterseals") is a non-profit organization that provides services to people with disabilities and their families.

Next is a tiny (roughly .75" high plastic button - not a pinback button, but a button that could be sewn on to your shirt. It'll help keep your shirt closed so that you don't look like a slob. I've seen other buttons from the 1939 New York World's Fair, but this is the first time I've ever seen this particular variety - not that I have looked very hard.

Another employee pin! Given out for 15 years of service with the Westinghouse Corporation. The fact that I have previously shared a photo of a similar pin, only it was for 25 years of service, takes the wind out of this one's sails a little bit.

Yet another sub-category of collectibles that I like is airline-related pins. Many employee pins can go for big money, so I don't have those - as a rule. The two below were surely worn by employees, maybe flight attendants. I find them visually appealing, my favorite is the one on the left, just because the red enamel is so striking. but the blue one on the right is nice too! The "five" probably meant that the employee could eat five lobsters in one sitting.

And finally, here's a nice brass pin featuring the Shmoo, from Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" comic strip.  Shmoos are among the stranger concepts in any comic: The unusual creature loved humans. A Shmoo laid eggs and bottles of Grade A milk in an instant, and would gladly die and change itself into a sizzling steak if its owner merely looked at it hungrily. Its skin was fine leather, its eyes made perfect buttons and even its whiskers made excellent toothpicks. Shmoos multiplied much faster than rabbits, so owning a pair of Shmoos meant that any family was self-sufficient. There is another larger brass Shmoo pin that I will share here if I can ever find my example.

I hope you have enjoyed today's STUFF FROM THE BOX!