Frontierland Views, June 1958

Every batch of slides will have a few better-than-average photos, some "decent but not exciting" photos, and a few that are hardly worth mentioning. Today I have two that fall into the latter category!

This isn't a terrible photo, by any means - it's just that we've seen a jillion pictures of the Burning Settler's Cabin by now, and this one doesn't stand out, really. I suppose one could admire the landscaping, which is still years a bit scraggly, having only been planted a few years earlier. And the cabin is blazing away cheerily. Otherwise... meh.

Next up is this photo of the landing for the Mark Twain and the Columbia; it's kind of a long shot, so we can't see too many details. I like the stacks of crates and casks, and there are a lot of bales of cotton. The small blue-green structure was known as the ice house. The Golden Horseshoe is way in the distance, as is the roof of the Red Wagon Inn. 

British Airways Concorde - 1975

Today's "Anything Goes Saturday" photos should be fun for fans of airplanes - I have some neat shots of a "Concorde" - a British Airways Supersonic transport ("SST"), on display for curious onlookers at some unnamed airport; the slides are date-stamped "August 1975". One website states that this particular aircraft (the F-WTSA) appeared at the Paris air show in May of 1975, I suppose it is possible that these photos were taken there. 

Or, if the photographer was really lazy about taking his film to the Photomat, this could have been taken in October of 1974, when this SST embarked on a sales tour of the U.S. Pacific coast, which included Mexico City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Palmas. Somehow this seems more likely to me.

This was the fourth Concorde to be built (out of an eventual total of 20). In 1973, several trial flights were done, such as Toulouse to Iceland - 3,728 miles in 3 hours, 27 minutes. Concorde entered service in 1976 (though they had been testing them since 1969), achieving speeds of just over Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound), cutting travel time in half compared to standard jets. Plus they LOOKED COOL!

As many of you know, Concorde (no "the" article in front of it!) was a joint venture between British Airways and Air France (the Soviets developed their suspiciously-similar "Tupolev Tu-144" at around the same time). You had to have deep pockets to fly Concorde - a round-trip ticket would cost roughly $12,500 (adjusted for inflation). The aircraft could carry about 100 passengers.

All was not perfect, though; the aircraft were very expensive to build, very heavy, cost a lot to maintain, used lots of fuel, and the sonic booms restricted the number of airports willing to deal with the disturbance. 

In July of 2000, Air France flight 4590 crashed on takeoff after running over some runway debris (which punctured a fuel tank and blew a tyre), killing everyone aboard. It was the only Concorde accident with fatalities - until then it was considered one of the safest planes in the world.

The crash, the 9-11 attack in 2001, and the general economic downturn all contributed toward the eventual retirement of all Concorde aircraft on October 24, 2003.

I believe that the F-WTSA is currently on display at Orly airport Paris. It sits outside exposed to the elements, and has been vandalized by taggers at least twice; and of course it is showing the effects of water and age. I hope that it will be preserved for people to admire for years to come!

Views From The Sierra Tower, August 1964

Both of today's photos were taken from an upper floor (or possibly the roof?) of the Disneyland Hotel's "Sierra Tower", which was only 2 years old in '64. Do these qualify as "aerial" views? Maybe not. But they're still kind of cool.

Let's start with this one, showing the vast parking lot; the blue Monorail kind of blends in with blacktop (cloaking technology?!), but you can just see it as it pulls in to the station at the Hotel (the tracks had been extended to the Hotel in 1961). 

This zoom got pretty grainy, but you can just see a parking lot tram coming in from the right side. The colorful rectangles are the back of the "Disneyland Hotel" sign. The building in the distance with the cone-shaped roof is the Melodyland Theater, which had opened in 1963. It later became a church, but was eventually torn down in 2003.

A second photo is pointed more toward the park, with the mighty Matterhorn looming over all. We can also see a few taller landmarks, like Main Street Station, the Opera House, and the Douglas Moonliner. 

The yellow Monorail is zipping along the beamway through what was left from the old "Holidayland" picnic area, although that officially closed in '61. To the left is a structure that was part of the early construction for the Haunted Mansion. 

The Sierra Tower was renamed the "Dreams Tower" (pee-yew!) in 2007.

Presented By Wonder Bread!

I know a lot of Disneyland fans miss the old "Country Bear Jamboree" (closed since 2001); perhaps I was just at the wrong age to love it when I saw it (somewhere in my obnoxious teenage years). After my one viewing, I never went back, so I can't say that I miss it. But I know most people do!

Somebody took a series of photos while in the CBJ theater, circa 1979; by then the attraction had been in Disneyland for 7 years; debuting without a sponsor, Wonder Bread signed on in 1975. Wonder Bread, the softest, squishiest, most-fortified bread ever! While I generally prefer a good sourdough, whole wheat, or oat nut bread, the six year-old in me still loves some Wonder Bread once in a while.

I am posting these in the order in which they were taken (based on the number stamps), but that doesn't help much when trying to figure out what song the bears are playing. It might be the classic "Bear Band Serenade". Who can name all the bears? I sure can't!

I know enough to declare with 47% certainty that the bear just out of frame to our left is Henry, the host. And after 15 seconds of research, I can also tell you that the bear to our right is Wendell. Which means that the song "Mama, Don't Whip Little Buford" is what we would be hearing if we hadn't fallen asleep.

Uh oh - it's those guys again. Did I somehow mess up the order of the photos?

There's the "Sun Bonnet Trio"! Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah. They actually rise from beneath the stage, hankies in hand - which means it's time for some tears. The song is "All The Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down". 

I only wish that this attraction had survived until today so that it could receive a "Star Wars" or Marvel overlay!

Coming Soon!

Today's photos come to us courtesy of GDB friends Irene and her brother Bruce. All four of the images are related to the debut of the "Indiana Jones Adventure", which opened in March of 1995. If my math is correct that is 73 years ago (metric years, of course).

I love this first photo, taken from the old parking lot. I can't say I'm too nuts about those cars! Where's the fun, where's the style? They all look like they could have been owned by my grandparents.

In the background is the large building that contains the "Indy" attraction. It is painted in two shades of "go away green" (why, it's practically invisible!), along with what appears to be some sort of applied strips of faux stone texture. 

Here's a cool "photo op" scene set up in the plaza, in front of the ticket booths. You didn't even need to pay admission to enjoy this feature! In fact, why go in the park at all? Just stand out by the plywood cutouts for 8 or 9 hours, and then drive home. Nobody will complain.

Meanwhile, inside Disneyland... I hope you didn't have your heart set on enjoying the Jungle Cruise; it was closed while the river was rerouted, and a new two-story boathouse was built. This was one of several different signs to let folks know that they'll just have to come back in '95. We'll see pictures of a few more signs in an upcoming post, thanks to Bruce.

And finally... from this angle, the Indy ride looks ready to go, but that barrier shows that they still need to be sure that this ancient dig is safe for guests. This is a very nice example of Imagineering setting the mood.

Thanks as always to Irene and Bruce for sharing these neat photos!

Beautiful Walt Disney World, November 1971

Here are four more nice photos from Walt Disney World, circa November 1917, and courtesy of my friend Mr. X.

Check out this lovely twilight view of the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner. Just look at all of that architectural detail. Minimal Christmas decorations remind us that it is the holiday season. Go in to the Coke Corner and order a Pepsi, I dare ya. Apparently this was a good place to grab a hot dog. It became "Casey's Corner" in 1995

I've posted several nice night shots from inside the Contemporary Hotel's Grand Canyon Concourse, and here is one more. I think it looks pretty impressive today, so it must have been really stunning back in 1971. Notice the escalator bringing guests up to the level of the Monorail platform. I wonder how late you could eat dinner down below? 

And... I posted a similar photo of the GAF Camera Center a few weeks ago. You can read all about it HERE, if you are so inclined. 

There is a kid with blinding red, white, and blue patterned pants on near the curb - he is my fashion hero. 

This one is not the most exciting thing in the world, but I do appreciate that it shows Tom Sawyer Island before it was a destination for guests. All they could do is look, which made it much more mysterioso! With Disneyland's river having been recently truncated, it would be nice to take a boat around the still-pristine river at The Magic Kingdom.

Thank you, Mr. X!

Nice Frontierland, 1967

Here are four more lovely images of Frontierland - as I have mentioned, these scans are from a group of many hundreds that were graciously shared by an anonymous donor.

Check out this unusual view, looking at the Mark Twain from Cascade Peak! Not the tippy-top of Cascade Peak, I am assuming. Such a beautiful image - look at that glassy water. Of course that north end of the river has now been changed forever...

Here's another unusual view, possibly taken from the Disneyland Railroad, but it is possible that a publicity photographer was allowed to walk around on western shore of the river, sneaking up on Chief Wavy. Notice the Indian Village with the later additions of Northwestern Indian structures.

The next two scenes are very familiar to Disneyland fans; like the lazy (but definitely not dead!) settler taking a siesta next to his burning cabin. You'd think that the sapling right in front of us would be removed to allow a better view of the carnage.

And there he is, the Chief, with his faithful pony. I just gave the pony a name: Potato. Genius! Notice the light at the feet of Potato so that guests could see the chief at night.

Thanks as always to the mysterious donor!

Randos From March, 1978

Here are two less-than-inspiring photos for a sleepy Sunday. 

First up, we have this shot of a distinctly non-pink Sleeping Beauty Castle; the morning sun is shining brightly, but there are clouds in the sky. Maybe they will burn off as the day goes on. The most "70's" person in the photo might be the guy in the brown leather coat. There's still ivy on the castle, I wonder when it was removed for good?

Hint to photographers: unless the sky is full of spectacular clouds, don't make it take up 2/3 of your photo! We've got the old mill on the south end of Tom Sawyer Island - it is in danger of being overwhelmed by greenery. In the distance, the Mark Twain rests in Fowler's Harbor, having some work done - notice that the tall black stacks are surrounded by scaffolding. 

Enchanted Forest, Maryland - July 1959

Today I am presenting a selection of photos from "Enchanted Forest" - a defunct amusement park in Ellicott City, Maryland. These are from 1959, when the park was only four years old - it had debuted in August of 1955, just a month after Disneyland opened.

I love this shot of the parking lot and entrance; a plump king (King Midas? Old King Cole? Mattress King?) points the way to a day of happiness. Look at those beauteous cars!

Here is a 1985 photo from Wikipedia - it looks just the same as it did in 1959!

How about an antique auto ride for the kids? The tires are dirty, and the cars are on a track, so I assume that they actually were drivable. As for the rest of the park, Wikipedia says: The park featured fairy tale buildings and characters, but no mechanical rides originally. Track rides were added later, including the Alice in Wonderland ride with teacup-shaped cars, a Cinderella's castle ride with mice for the cars, the "Little Toot" boat that took children to Mount Vesuvius for giant slides, and the Jungleland Safari which was driven by open Land Rover-type vehicles.

Humpty Dumpty, you fool! Just look at that naughty expression; it was only a matter of time before he was going to get into trouble. Some eggs are their own worst enemies.

I think it is interesting that... "Unlike many other attractions of the time, the Enchanted Forest was integrated from the day it opened". Pretty progressive for 1955.

Papa Bear enjoys a fragrant pipe just before dinner, especially when dinner consists of "crunchy child". In the background, three men in a tub. 

More from Wikipedia: Admission cost one dollar for adults and fifty cents for children. The park expanded from 20 acres (81,000 m2) to 52 acres (210,000 m2). At its peak, the Enchanted Forest welcomed 300,000 children per summer season.

The crooked man and his crooked house are always good for a photo op. Never mind the giant and the beanstalk in the distance - it's just business as usual in the Enchanted Forest.

Apparently a scene from John Waters' "Cry-Baby" (showing the entrance) was filmed here, which makes sense, as Waters was based in Baltimore.

Jack and Jill want to be known for their excellent grooming, posture, and perfect school attendance, but all anybody cares about is that they fell down a hill.  

As is often the case with these charming old parks, Enchanted Forest closed forever (in 1995). Attempts to preserve what was left of the structures were not very successful - only a "cinder block castle" (was that the castle seen in photo #1?) was moved and saved, while everything else was demolished.

Slides 9-1-1

It's time for more "Adventures In Restoration", brought to you by the American Celery Group. Celery: it's what's for dinner.

The original Fantasyland was the most "Disney" of all the lands, according to a Gallup poll that I just made up. All of your favorite cartoon characters lived there (unless you liked Woody Woodpecker, in which case I can do nothing to help).

Don't look at that pinky-orange version, look at this new, improved version! You can practically feel your eyeballs relaxing. There's so much going on in this photo; the Mad Tea Party, King Arthur's Carrousel, and Snow White's Scary Adventures, and the Welch's Grape Juice stand has been thrown in for one low, low price. Let's make up little stories about the people!

Cinderella's Castle predated the more famous version in Florida by 15 years. I sure have a lot of pictures of it.

The rosy hues of the setting sun make the rocky promontory glow. I was going to say it glowed pinkly, but "pinkly" isn't a word. Don't you think it should be, though? It looks as if the pumpkin coach isn't on the stony path. Bummer.