Artists, 1960

Artists have taken over Center Street! The smocks and berets are a dead giveaway. The famous Art Corner in Tomorrowland closed in 1966, but there was a short-lived Main Street location as well. I don't have much information about it, but I can only assume that this was part of it. Since the date of this slide is 1960, they must have coexisted for a while. Several years ago, Howard Lowery auctioned off the sign that hung outside the Main Street location, what a great item. Any info about "the other Art Corner" would be appreciated!

Business looks slow, doesn't anybody want their portrait drawn in genuine pastels? It's interesting to see what was being sold...you could buy large paintings of the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship, Fort Wilderness, an Indian brave, or the Flower Mart (which was still on West Center Street, I assume). They are not exactly great art! But I sure would love to find one of them in a thrift shop. You know they just have to be out there.

Disneyland Band, Main Street

I think Main Street USA could be improved with some rock music instead of that corny old fashioned stuff. And put in a moving sidewalk so that I don't have to actually walk (and while they are at it, why can't they add a loop?) ;-)

But even I have to admit that this great vintage view is still pretty neat. The Disneyland Band is marching bravely down an uncrowded Main Street in their nice blue uniforms. I only recall seeing them in red or white (or a combination of the two). Maybe they spilled mustard on the blue ones, that stuff never comes out.

Do the guys in the Disneyland Band get babes?

Toad Exterior, October 1969

Some of my earliest Disneyland memories involve the Fantasyland dark rides, and Mr. Toad was always among my favorite experiences. I wasn't familiar with the "Wind in the Willows" featurette at all, but it didn't matter...most folks love the idea of driving and crashing their way through Toad Hall, across the countryside, and through the city. After a hasty trial, you are sent to prison...presumably you escape, and head towards and oncoming train, followed by the trip to HELL! Those googly devils and sudden blast of heat are still one of the best endings of any dark ride.

In this slide you get a good look at the old Medieval "tent" theme of the pre-1983 Fantasyland. I included an enlargement so that the mural out front can be seen (not too clearly unfortunately). While I miss some elements of the old Fantasyland, the new version, with its beautifully detailed buildings, is a big improvement.

Red Wagon Inn

Most Disneyland nuts know that the Plaza Inn was originally called the Red Wagon Inn. It was leased by Swift & Co., and "featured entrees of chicken pot pie, Swift's premium baked ham, Swiss steak, traditional chef's salad and a fruit plate." Mmmmm, fruit plate.....

There was a private VIP lounge in the back (complete with booze), as well as an employee dining area (no booze).

The top photo is an unusal shot of folks dining at the Inn, out on the covered patio area. From the smiles of their faces they are obviously eating premium ham (not that common back-alley ham served elsewhere). Sorry about the graininess, it was a very dark slide.

The second photo is a nice evening shot of the sign, with a sliver of Tomorrowland in the background. I'm not sure I've ever seen an exterior of the Red Wagon Inn in which the super-rare poster was in view, though it must have been there at some point.

Main Street, September 1960

In May of 1960, the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train became the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. This slightly fuzzy photo shows one of the banners that were often strung across Main Street, announcing the latest attractions (or to welcome special guests, such as the Directors of the Santa Fe RR).

Besides touting the shiny new Nature's Wonderland, you can see an additional plug for the Art of Animation exhibit which also made its debut in May of 1960.

At the other end of the banner there is a partially obscured segment...I am reasonably sure that it is advertising the new "America the Beautiful" Circarama film that was introduced only a few months before this photo was taken.

Sorry about the fuzziness, only puppies and kitties should be fuzzy!

New Orleans Square

Here are two considerably different views of the New Orleans Square area of Disneyland. In the first view, the Square hasn't actually been built yet. There is a big green construction wall (with attraction posters)...since this slide is undated, the wall might be hiding the steel and concrete foundations for the early walk-through pirate attraction. You get a good look at the loading area for the rafts as well. Yes, this is yet another photo taken from the Mark Twain!

The second slide was thrown in just for the heck of it. It is dated 1968, and you can see the distinctive cupola on top of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction building. I assume that all of that wrought iron is part of the Club 33 restaurant? The crowds are pretty heavy, I'm sure there was a lot of public interest after all of the hype. Check out those cool ornate benches, and the magnolia trees in bloom.

Frontierland Indians, August 1960

I sure have a lot of slides taken from the decks of the Mark Twain, and here is another one. 46 years ago (this very month), this was the scene in the Indian Village. Curious parents and kids are gathering to experience a taste of the Old West and witness the ceremonial dances of several American Indian tribes. Everybody knows that authentic Indian costumes included hot pink shirts (in postcards he also wears screaming purple).

It's fun to look at the kids waiting nearby to get a snapshot, while one dad (in his way-cool shorts) is probably getting the camera set.

1964 New York World's Fair Panorama

For a change of pace, I thought I'd post this interesting panorama of the 1964 New York World's Fair. I found some slides from that fair, and among them there was a sequence of images taken from the top of the Better Living Center (see the red dot on the black and white aerial photo). Although the photographer did not use a tripod, I was able to stitch four slides together in Photoshop. The results were pretty nice, with only a few areas of minor distortion. For a much larger image (around 500kb), click HERE.

At the extreme left, you can see the Tower of the Four winds, the wonderful kinetic sculpture in front of Pepsi Cola's "It's a Small World" (designed by Rolly Crump). Nearby, (with the giant photos on top) is the Eastman Kodak Pavilion, and a bit to the right of that you can see the distinctive "flying saucer" towers from the New York State Pavilion (they still stand today). Further to the right, there is the famous 140-foot-high Unisphere, designed by Harper Goff. And if you continue to the right (in the distance) you can see the Ford Pavilion, where Walt Disney's "Magic Skyway" was featured.

One of the best things about this image is that we get a good look at the beautiful "Carousel of Progress" building. Look at the line waiting to get in! I'm not the first person to wish that Disneyland's COP building had looked like this.

On the horizon, you can see the home of the Mets, Shea Stadium, built in 1964 (and where the Beatles played in August 1965). To the right of that, there's the giant "egg" on top of the IBM pavilion. The body of water was called the Pool of Industry, and it contained the Fountain of the Planets.

I hope you've enjoyed this slight detour away from Disneyland. I have some other slides taken from the top of the New York State Pavilion that might be stitchable, if folks seem interested I'll give it a shot one of these days.

Harper's Mill

Here's a nice early view of the mill on Tom Sawyer's Island (er...it IS Harper's Mill, isn't it?), taken from the Mark Twain. You can see the shadow of one of the smokestacks (or whatever they're called, since smoke doesn't come out of them)! It's a beautiful, sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. Folks are already exploring their brains out, mom is leading the way in the foreground. One thing that occurs to me is that, even though this mill can't be more than one or two years old, they've managed to somehow age the wood so that it looks like it has been there for many years. How?

I love the stuff in the distance, the Fort, the Keel Boat, and the Train. While the slide is undated, the foliage is pretty sparse out there...I'm guessing that this is around 1957.

Marvin & Phyllis, 1960

Meet Marvin and Phyllis. Phyllis....the wind whispers her name, her beauty haunts me like some fever dream. Marvin's standing a little too close, back off man!

Nobody looks better in a cardboard bonnet than Phyllis. Marvin is keeping their day organized by carefully checking off the attractions they've visited in his guidebook. In the background...more hats!

This tiki appeared in the very first photo I posted on Gorillas Don't Blog (waaay back in May), and therefore I love it.