School Days

Today's pictures bring back many memories (most of them good!) of my days as a kid in grade school. My navy family moved a lot, so I went to many different schools, and yet there was a sameness to them too, whether it was on the East or West coast.

Can't you just smell the industrial floor cleaner and chalk dust? Maybe some wet wool and the linseed oil smell of old linoleum too. All those kids are trying not to be fidgety. Finger paintings adorn the walls (there must have been a sale on red finger paint) - each one is a jewel worthy of exhibition. I assume that the lady in light blue is the teacher, but who are those women to the right? The animal cutouts are fun (a polar bear and a giraffe with a monkey passenger). That may or may not be a stack of new textbooks on the table in the foreground. 

I have no musical aptitude, despite years of piano lessons. But I was always a little bit envious of the kids in the school band; it just looked like fun. This 1950's slide was labeled "Junior Band - Ranch Days", which explains the occasional cowboy hat. 

Tomorrowland, November 1972

Here's a fun photo, taken near the silvery portals at the entrance to Tomorrowland (and beneath the soaring track of the Peoplemover - one blue pplmvr vehicle is just visible). The first thing that catches my eye is the grown man wearing mouse ears. You don't see that every day! I can imagine him as one of the original Mouseketeers all grown up. And in desperate need of attention. "Remember me? I'm Dickie! I used to tap dance and do magic tricks!". But he was probably just one of those "young at heart" visitors that you see at the park all the time. 

Goofy is nearby, and I love the attitude of the tiny child in the lower left, looking delighted and maybe just a bit apprehensive too.

This photo of the subs during a lagoon rehab is pretty swell. It looks like the workers haven't yet placed all of the seaweed, coral, giant clams, and anemonemonemones where they belong. It makes me sad to hear the rumors of this ride's demise; even with the known negatives (relatively low capacity, and the sheer expense to maintain it), it would really sadden me to see it gone - especially if it isn't replaced with something truly amazing and unique, like the subs have been for so many years.

Special Guest Photos

I am happy to present some nice photos from Ken Martinez's personal collection, featuring Disneyland at night. These are from 1995… check 'em out!

This first example is my favorite… what a beautiful image. It is bittersweet to see the now-gone Rocket Jets (which were removed in 1998), looking so awesome here. It was a rare rainy evening, as you can see by the clouds (and rain ponchos and umbrellas). The Coca Cola sign is still there (as Ken pointed out); and Space Mountain, which doesn't show up very often on this blog, looms in the distance.

Here's another beauty! We're on the Fantasyland side of the castle looking back toward the portal to Main Street USA. The lighting and color are great.

And finally, the castle as seen from the front. I am almost expecting fireworks, music, and maybe even a Tinker Bell fly-over!

THANKS to Ken Martinez for sharing these photos! There will be more neat stuff from him very soon.

The Matterhorn

Here are two very nice photos of the mighty Matterhorn, probably dating from around 1960. These were Ektachrome slides that had turned an obnoxious shade of pink, but they restored reasonably well. 

This first one almost looks like an old ad, or perhaps a photo from a vintage guidebook. The haze (also known as smog) makes the mountain look sort of dreamy and far away. It is astonishing to think that this massive attraction was built in about a year. (Check out that waterfall to the left, cascading a full five stories… very cool).

This view is taken over by Sleeping Beauty Castle; the old 3-car red Monorail zips past (surprisingly low to the ground, but at that point it is in an area where guests are not beneath it). 

AND NOW for some extra added details, as requested by GDB readers. This first one is for eagle-eyed Alonzo P. Hawk (I guess I should say "hawk-eyed"), who spotted "…something red and blue standing next to the waterfall toward the top". Well I'll be darned, there's a person up there!

Melissa wanted to get a better look at this lady's dress to see if she could tell what the pattern is. I don't think it's roosters, but I'll be damned if I can tell what it is.

Random Snapshots

Like the title of today's post says, we're going to be looking at some old snapshots today. Slides are always better, but the humble photo print can still be fun.

The clothing on the guests has changed, but otherwise this April 1977 shot doesn't look much different from similar pictures from the 50's. 

Here's one from the 1979 Christmas parade. Notice the Sunkist Citrus House in the background.

Finally, this black and white photo is dated "June 21 1970" and features a mural of some kind, with Goofy piloting a submarine. A note on the back says that this was in the Bell Telephone exhibit - I'll have to take their word for it since I have no memory of this at all.

Vintage Disney Decals

I love vintage travel decals - the kind you used to see on station wagons and campers. They were cheap, colorful mini-posters that let the world know where you'd been. See previous posts of decals here, here, and mebbe here.

This first example was found a few years ago at a paper show that is just a few miles from the Walt Disney Studio. I love the design! It reminds me of the WWII insignia designed by Hank Porter. There are similar decals over at the gas pumps and on some of the studio bicycles used by couriers - I always thought they were cool (and seemed old… possibly 1960's-era?) so I was very happy to find this one.

Here's a fairly common Bicentennial decal - the Mickey-Goofy-Donald artwork was used on a zillion pieces of merchandise in those days. "America on Parade" was a very big deal at the time, even getting a book devoted to it.

This decal is an early one, I believe; Tink is sprinkling some pixie dust over the castle, just like she did every week on "Walt Disney Presents".

Here's an odd one, also found at a paper show. This cute decal for the Orange County Press Club was designed by somebody at the studio in 1957. I wonder if it was given to club members for a single, specific event? This is probably another example of Walt volunteering his studio's services in the name of good relations with the folks in OC.

Many months ago (maybe years, now!), I sent a scan of the OC Press Club decal to Kevin Kidney, who discovered that the Press Club still used the same basic logo, though (for some reason) a badly-traced version is what you will find on the website. But the OCPC Facebook page uses a scan of my decal as the header!

Special Guest Photos - Main Street Electrical Parade, 1995

Today's "Special Guest" photos come from Ken Martinez, who took these great images of the Main Street Electrical Parade in 1995 (the parade would leave Main Street in November 1996). I'd have to say that the MSEP was is my favorite Disneyland parade - and I think a lot of other people felt the same way. When I find photos of it, they tend to be blurry and awful, but Ken's turned out great!

First up is the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. She's purdy! They could have just put her on a big float, but instead they made her dress enormous.

Elliott the dragon (from "Pete's Dragon") is possibly THE iconic float from the MSEP (to me, anyway). Fire extinguisher exhaust occasionally shot from his nostrils for added fun. Notice Pete himself up near Elliott's head.

The Seven Dwarfs have filled several mine carts full of gold and gems, because that's what they do. Like the swallows returning to Capistrano. 

Wowee, this patriotic float is pretty spectacular. Imagine how it looked in person! A giant bald eagle stands guard over an American flag, while 4th of July "fireworks" go off overhead. Cool.

I always particularly loved the little bugs that would zip around and spin, and go back and forth interacting with the people sitting on the curbs. They brought one out on stage at a Hollywood Bowl program celebrating Disneyland's 50th, and I was delighted.

Many thanks to Ken Martinez for sharing these great photos. He has more to share with GDB coming up!

SC Johnson Globe

Today's "Anything Goes Saturday" images started out as a fun mystery!

I have two vintage slides that intrigued me, since they were unlabeled and undated (though certainly from the 1950's). A woman stands in front of a large globe (hey, I live on that planet! It is the planet Urf) and she is pointing at something. Either where she is, or where she lives, or at the flying saucer that is just out of frame. I wonder what the globe is made of; my guess would be some kind of terrazzo (…a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments), polished to a high gloss.

In the second image, we can see that something special was going on in Racine, Wisconsin. Hey, the SC Johnson global headquarters is in Racine! You know SC Johnson, aka Johnson & Johnson, makers of baby shampoo and lots of other stuff . (Never mind, thanks for the correction to my dumb error, Nanook! Don't ever trust anything I write!) The Johnson campus is famous for a number of Frank Lloyd Wright structures, and it also has the "Golden Rondelle Theater" from the 1964 World's Fair.

Here's a modern picture of the SC Johnson campus; the research tower on our left is beautiful, but not one of Frank Lloyd Wright's best efforts technically (it is no longer in use for a variety of reasons). As for the globe, you can see that this one is different than the one in the old photos. According to the official SC Johnson gallery's tribute, "At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright", "….Wright envisioned a globe displayed on the SC Johnson campus. The first … globe was installed in 1952. Thirty four years later, employees banded together to present their Chairman, Sam Johnson, with a replacement that still stands today". I am assuming that the earlier globe fell victim to the elements, but could find no definitive information.

I need a giant globe!

Chemical Wagon, March 1958

I don't know about you, but I think this first photo of the old Chemical Wagon is pretty swell. Bright and colorful, well-composed, and completely free of high-fructose corn syrup. The lady on the bench can hardly believe her eyes! Isn't that wagon a sweet ride? In the 1970's, my uncle Scooby drove an old hearse he called the Chemical Wagon, but that's another story. The Monsanto Plastic Home of the Future was only about 9 months old, but I'm sure it had already seen millions of visitors.

Mere yards from the first photo's location (but much later in the day) three nice ladies pose on the bridge to Fantasyland. Sakes alive, they've never seen a place quite like Disneyland!

Last of the Knott's Pix from October 1967

It's a bittersweet day (for me, anyway); I have been nursing a group of images from Knott's Berry Farm circa October 1967 for what seems like years. And today's three are the last from that lot (though I do have more Knott's, so it's not a total catastrophe). Thanks, anonymous photographer, you did a good job!

This is a great shot of the Butterfield Stage Line, which, incredibly, still operates today. I've never been on it, and I feel like I should do it soon in case somebody decides to eliminate it. Maybe in the off season when the wait won't be so long. My understanding is that it goes pretty slow (I guess it will never tip over like Disneyland's did), but that's OK with me.

Here's another good one looking down into the area where you could pan for gold. At some point small roofs were added to provide shade, which was good for the employees and guests, but not so good for photos I suppose. Still, it's a great picture.

And finally, even though this one isn't a sharp as I'd like, I had to include the wonderful Calico Mine Ride, which is happily undergoing a massive refurbishment, including the addition of dozens of new animatronic figures. Knott's fans should rejoice!