Knott's Berry Farm "Pitchur Gallery"

It's time for some more delights from the "Pitchur Gallery" at Knott's Berry Farm! 

Here's an unusual tableau, with two lovely young women (sisters, clearly) sitting by a well; I don't see this scene often (or ever, to be honest). This one is from "Knott's Berry Place", so... pre-1946.

Guess what? This one is also from Knott's Berry Place. I love that the girl is wearing a turban, just like I do when I have to make a quick jaunt to the store. Who has time to do their hair? I love the note at the bottom: "Who is the tramp? The donkey's big load". I'll bet that was written by the mom, who sounds like she was a regular Don Rickles.

Same scene, different people. If that guy to the left wasn't a salesman, I'll eat my hat.

And now for some SPECIAL GUEST PHOTOS! At no additional cost to you. GDB pal Chuck Hansen sent this picture of him and his wife taken on October 2nd, 1995. Judging from Chuck's stern countenance, he was on a brief furlough before heading back to the Civil War battlefields; his wife was doing her best to be brave under the circumstances. 

Chuck said that he and his wife wanted a photo that resembled something from 150 years ago, so they opted against the silly plywood cutouts. 

Next is a series of photos taken inside the Pitchur Gallery by our friend TokyoMagic! a few years ago. They had framed samples to entice guests who were on the fence about posing. "You know, I would look good on a bucking bronc!". 

That pretty gal on the back of the bronc is as happy as can be, she can't be riled by a mere untamed horse. She shot three quail as they flew through the air, too, so those fish sticks can stay in the freezer.

TokyoMagic! also took two photos of the bucking horse without any rider; as he observed, the horse was replaced several times over the decades. I understand that they probably didn't need the publicity of killing a horse for a silly photo op, but maybe they could use one that died of old age while eating carrots and watching "Mr. Ed" on TV. Not a bad way to go.

Watch out for them hooves! They're razor sharp, and coated in a rare South American poison for some reason. TM had to sneak these pictures, because there were signs saying, "Absolutely NO photos allowed with your own camera!". But you don't tell TokyoMagic! how to live his life, not if you like having all your teeth.

MANY MANY thanks to Chuck Hansen and TokyoMagic! for sharing their personal photos from Knott's Berry Farm's Pitchur Gallery!!

Pirate Ship, May 1961

I have two beautiful photos of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship for you today, from a beautiful, clear May day in 1961. 

This first one is from an unusual angle, surprisingly; the composition is very nice, with the people walking back and forth on that "gangplank" above the water. All guns are ready to fire - pirates can't be too careful. I just love all of the details, including the Richfield Eagle (from the Fantasyland Autopia) in the distance.

Stepping back a ways gives us an even better look at this area. Four smart people are taking advantage of an empty bench. Overhead is the Skyway, as always; notice what appears to be a little bit of scaffolding on the hip of the Matterhorn, I wonder what that was for?

More From Lou And Sue

It's time for more stuff from Sue B., who has been sharing photos taken by her dad, Lou Perry. Today's pix are from March, 1985. Disneyland was just a few months shy of turning 30. All of the photos feature Main Street Station.

There it is! You know it, you love it. The "population" is a surprisingly specific number: 241,310,337 (I think, it's a little hard to decipher). Did they change it daily? Why not just round it off to 240,000,000? The last population number that I could find was 650,000,000 and that was actually from a few years ago.

Lou loved the little details that most folks didn't notice. Like this end of the station with the little dormers. They even have a "DISNEYLAND" sign in case you haven't figured out where you are yet.

Lou grabbed two shots of the E.P. Ripley as it waited at the station; the DLRR is always a treat. As I've said before, I love all of the Disneyland locomotives, but the two (the C.K. Holliday and the E.P. Ripley) were built at the Disney Studio by Rogger Broggie and a bunch of train enthusiasts. They did such a beautiful job! Do you think they would have imagined that their trains would still be going strong over 60 years later?

Howdy, mister! I hope that guy knows that he has one of the coolest jobs at Disneyland (although the sweeps might argue the point... I've heard that in the good old days, being a sweep was a great job).

Well hey, who's that fella? Sue says When I was looking through these photos, I thought, "Why did my dad snap pictures of another crazy photographer?!" . . . then I realized it's my cousin Mark (who's also now a shutterbug, thanks to my dad).  Mark lived near Disneyland, at that time, and my dad probably brought his latest camera/toy for both of them to play with.  

Sue continues... About two hours before a parade, my dad would usually park his equipment (and self) up on the train platform area so that he would have a good view.  With my cousin there, it obviously freed up my dad to wander and take other pictures, and it kept my cousin occupied (sort of like giving a kid a coloring book and crayons, to keep them quiet.)  I wonder if I can locate the parade photos they took . . .

FYI, Sue did give me some parade photos, though I am not positive if they are the examples she was trying to locate when she originally sent that email to me.

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

Storybook Land, June 1974

Happy Easter, everybody! I'm sorry today's photos are not more fun, but you know... it's Sunday!

At first glance I would classify this first scan as a dud, and would almost certainly have rejected it. But looking more closely (in spite of feeling like I am in a paddy wagon on the way to the Big House), I think it's kind of a neat angle with the Pirate Ship in the distance, and even a bit of the Carrousel tent and Sleeping Beauty Castle. Down below is the village where Alice lived when she wasn't in Wonderland.

I'm not proud, and will freely admit that this is an ugly photo of Cinderella's Castle. It looks like a badly hand-tinted black and white picture from the 1900's.

Las Vegas

It's time for some vintage Las Vegas photos! Not super vintage, but perhaps old enough to be of interest I hope.

First is this 1975 photo of the Landmark Hotel and Casino, which opened in 1969. The design was inspired by Seattle's Space Needle, though it lacks any of that structure's graceful elegance. Still, it's hard not to love a building with a "flying saucer" on top. The Landmark had a tumultuous existence, and never really thrived - ownership changed many times. It was imploded in 1990, and footage of the event was used in Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks" (in which the hotel is destroyed by alien attack).

Next is this 1974 view of the Las Vegas Strip; not exactly the most inspiring sight ever! There's Denny's, I need that Grand Slam breakfast for my hangover. And why stay at Caesar's Palace or the Flamingo when you can stay at TraveLodge? I wonder if the deserted street is due to the recession that plagued the U.S. (Wikipedia says that recession lasted from November 1973 to March 1975)?

Also along the Strip is the Sands Hotel and Casino, with its massive sign. Go see Lena Horne and Rich Little! On a side note, I'm always astonished at Rich Little's showbiz success, he was everywhere in the 70's. Maybe it's just me, but his impersonations were OK at best. As you can see, some of the coming acts included Wayne Newton and Milton Berle.

I love that "Souvenir Center", managing some fun mid-century touches in spite of its humble nature.

The next two images (from 1963) are not great, but I figured I'd include them, because what the heck. Somebody took a few quick snapshots out the car window, with middling results. This first view is from along the Strip - note the sign for the Hacienda Hotel and Casino, featuring Sid and Marty Krofft's "Les Poupées de Paris" show. A naughty puppet show for adults! Of course Sid and Marty went on to children's television fame with shows such as "H.R. Pufnstuf", "Lidsville", and "Sigmund the Seasick Sea Monster", "The Bugaloos", and "Land of the Lost".

There's a motion-blurred shot of the Dunes Hotel and Casino with its giant sultan statue. After midnight he comes to life and rampages through the desert! I am unsure of what is being built to our right - I thought it might be "The Oasis" (part of the Dunes resort), but that wasn't built until 1984. Any ideas?

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Las Vegas!

Motor Boat Cruise, June 1974

I recently scanned a batch of slides that had all turned pink to various degrees. It's a bummer to see them so faded and ugly (frankly), but I decided to give them the old Photoshop treatment, and was extremely pleased with the results - it was worth the extra effort! It seems that folks like to see the "before" and "after" versions, and I was glad that I saved jpegs of each for you (I usually forget to save the unaltered version).

So, here we go... June, 1974, aboard the gentle Motor Boat Cruise. Sure, we've all had some laughs at the expense of this ride, but what I wouldn't give to be able to experience it today! Rest your feet, maybe sit with someone special, and take in the beautiful scenery. There are worse ways to spend 10 minutes! Here's the unfortunate pink version of the scan.

Boy oh boy, even I was surprised at just how good this restored version turned out. The colors came back as rich and bright as could be hoped for. I don't know if there's another Disney park that looked as pretty as this. You can almost imagine the warm sunshine (perhaps a slight breeze), feel the gentle motion of a boat on water, and hear the putt-putt sound of the boats. Peoplemover at 12 o'clock!

Next is this wonderful picture of a herd of motorboats going through some wicked, rocky rapids. Definitely a "6" on the International Scale of River Difficulty! Those rocks could rip a hole in your hull, and all would be lost.

And here's the restored version, looking mighty fine. I love this unusual "you are there" perspective heading through the rapids, definitely a unique view in my collection. 

I hope you have enjoyed these photos! I'll have more "before and after" restorations for you coming up.

More Peoplemover Views, November 1975

I've enjoyed sharing this series of photos taken from the Peoplemover, but sometimes they are not that exciting. It's bound to happen! 

This first skewed photo shows the Tomorrowland Terrace (looking pretty sleepy), with the Peoplemover load area and Rocket Jets (notice all the empty rockets!). On the ground level is the Space Bar - sorry, you won't be getting your Space Mist there today. Notice the arched stage to our left. And what's with that group of folks wearing bright red? Coincidence, or were they cast members?

I think somebody forgot to turn on the waterfalls. This is a nice enough view, just very familiar. If you'll recall, the Submarine Voyage seemed to be closed for maintenance, you can see what looks like a hose used for cleaning swimming pools, partly submerged (sort of in the middle of the picture).

The Ethan Allen is tied to that Monorail pylon for some reason; normally the subs were moored near their loading dock if they weren't being used, but we already know that some sort of cleanup was being done on the lagoon. Probably another infestation of flying vampire leeches. 

Fantasyland Details, 1956

Here are two nice slides featuring some great details from Fantasyland. Maybe you've heard of it? 

Let's start with this picture of the sculpted bas-relief on the stern the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. I'm not sure when this sculpture was eventually painted to be more colorful, but in this 1956 view it almost looks like wood darkened by the elements, or even bronze. The photographer cut off the head of the mermaid, which is almost unforgivable!

Before there was "Tinkerbell's Toy Shop" (1957 to 2002), there was "Fantasy of Disneyland". I love that our photographer was interested enough in this sign to use a precious frame of Kodachrome. And I can see why, since it's a beauty, with that genuine wrought iron. I can't tell if the paint on the iron is actually weathered, or if it has been artfully painted to look old. 

It's fun to see the patterns and colors of the Peter Pan attraction in the background.

Details at Knott's, February 1961

Among my latest Knott's Berry Farm scans are some images that are, shall we say, less than captivating. But they do show some fun details that we don't necessarily see that often, so let's take a look!

First up (and most conventional of the bunch) is this photo of Goldie's Place, with its saucy leg dangling out the upper window - shield your child's eyes from the way it wiggles in a "come hither" manner! Goldie knows what men like.

There was a time when flamingoes were the "must have" ornament to any locale, and that included Knott's Berry Farm. Walter Knott provided a pond just for these graceful (but odd) birds.

I'm going to have to rely on the expertise of my well-informed readers (TokyoMagic!) for any information relating to this building. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that this was near the Gold Mine where guests could pan for real gold. The building is about as rustic as can be.

Our photographer was mighty impressed with the door latch fashioned from a few naturally-bent branches and some nails. It'll keep the bears out, don't you worry!

Stay tuned for more Knott's photos.

The Old Parking Lot

Here are three photo scans from Irene, Bruce, and James, featuring a look at the old Disneyland parking lot when it was being transformed into "Disney's California Adventure" (and the plaza in between that park and Disneyland). Presumably these were taken around the year 2000.

Look at that sea of dirt! Such a strange sight. We're looking in the general direction of the Anaheim Convention Center, with a bit of what I think is now the Paradise Pier Hotel (Emerald of Anaheim) to the extreme right. 

See that ramp that heads underground? What the heck is it? Is it still there?

I'm not even sure if this is the same underpass (or whatever it is), but just the other end, or is it yet another subterranean tunnel? It's nice to see the Disneyland Sign in the distance. 

And here's another shot (I think all three photos were taken from the Monorail); look at all those trams - they're so lonely.

Many thanks as always to the Dream Team!