River Construction And More

GDB friend Huck Caton has come through again, with more neat photos of the Rivers of America (from October 9th, 1991) - sans river, as well as a little bit more construction on Tom Sawyer Island.

We can see just a bit of the Mark Twain to our right, which was at rest near the Canoe landing (as seen in these photos). Across the riverbed is Fort Wilderness, tucked behind trees and shrubs. It would be easy for a nefarious person to climb a nearby tree, and drop into the fort at night for a scalpathon! 

The Hungry Bear restaurant is to our left - one of my favorite places to eat, or at least it used to be. I haven't been since they widened the walkway so that folks can walk to Galaxy's Edge. That poor bear looks like he could use a hot meal and a soft bed. 

I'm not exactly sure where this was taken, to be honest. I think it is more toward the southern end of Tom Sawyer Island, where so much work was being done in preparation for the Fantasmic show. Look at all those wooden pilings, holding back the hillside. 

Here's another odd view that I can't quite place - I think the Mark Twain landing is in the distance, with the flags on top as always. A few vehicles are parked in the dry river, and hard-hatted fellows are talking about their favorite beef jerky. 

Huck had only a single photo from Tomorrowland, and I wasn't sure where to put it, so I am just including it as an extra goodie today. Mission to Mars was closed at this time, though it's permanent closure wasn't yet announced. There's the Peoplemover, and we can see a sign for "Captain EO" (sponsored by Kodak). Trash cans seem to be blocking the Speedramp up to Space Mountain's queue. And hey, pay phones to our left! Are there any pay phones in Disneyland these days?

Thanks a million to Huck for sharing his personal photos with us!

Instamatics From Mr. X

I have two scans of Instamatic negatives that I scanned quite a long time ago, but am only getting around to posting now (obviously). These photos were taken by Mr. X when he was but a lad, back around 1965, when he visited the park with his good friend Greg. X is a very private person and I didn't want to post anything that might be too personal, but he gave me permission to share these, so here we go.

We're in Adventureland, with the Bazaar in the background. The entrance to the Jungle Cruise would be behind us, more or less. Notice that Greg is holding his complimentary INA guidebook. I think there was a 1966 and 1967 version with this particular design, but the earliest is from 1965, and that's what I am assuming is in the photo.

Here's a better look:

Meanwhile, back in Town Square... Greg has hopped on to the back of the Motorized Fire Truck (love that sign in the upper right corner!), ready to help out if a conflagration breaks out. At the very least he can ring the heck out of that brass bell. 

Small details include the pink/red bag that Greg is holding; City Hall and the Police Station; and a balloon vendor and the DLRR Combine, which you can now see at Travel Town in Griffith Park (California).

As always, many thanks to Mr. X for his generosity, there is more to come!

"Where Did We Park?"

Disney's California Adventure was built where the old Disneyland parking lot used to be (as all of you know); I still remember the excitement at the prospect of a second gate in Anaheim - a whole new park of quality Disney rides. But when it debuted in 2001, fans were disappointed and felt betrayed - to the degree that many people said  they wished that they had the parking lot back. Sick burn!

The Dream Team of Irene, Bruce, and James have some photos of the old parking lot to share with us.  You can almost feel the heat rising off the asphalt and smell the car exhaust. 

There's the Pinocchio lot, which actually survived until 2018 as a second massive multi-story parking structure was being built. Farewell, little wooden head. The building to the right is the former "Emerald of Anaheim" hotel, which became the Pan Pacific Hotel, Anaheim; Disney bought the hotel in 1995 and it because the Disney Pacific Hotel, and in 2000 it because Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. 

I know you care. 

Oh Eeyore, your crushing depression and low self-esteem was always the source of much laughter. I believe you can see this sign (or one like it) hidden in the dark recesses of the Indiana Jones ride, which was partially built on Eeyore's domain.

Donald doesn't want anybody to loiter or trespass! Donald's lot was especially primo, if you parked there you only had a short walk to the ticket booths/entry gates.

See what I mean? (Map image from the Werner Weiss' excellent Yesterland website, which you need to check out if you haven't already).

Yay, Jiminy Cricket, perhaps my all-time favorite Disney character. I know that he will watch over my automobile, protecting it from errant shopping carts (it could happen!), hippies, and bird poop. 

Occasionally these parking lot signs have been available for purchase; a "Kanga" sign sold for over $3,000 in Van Eaton Galleries' "That's From Disneyland" auction. FYI, each side of the sign is 30", so these suckers are big. And heavy.

Bambi used to like the meadow, but now he likes a big convenient lot for his cars, with easy access to local freeways, and plenty of motels and chain restaurants nearby.

Thank you to Irene, Bruce, and James!

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Extra! Extra! DrGoat generously shared a photo of a "Pinocchio" lot sign that he owns. I think it's nicer than the big blue blocks, and maybe easier to display - though if somebody offered me one of the blocky ones I wouldn't say no. Thank you, DrGoat!

Sleeping Beauty Castle, May 1961

Here are two perfectly nice photos of Sleeping Beauty Castle, circa 1961. Blue skies, a notable absence of "Barbie pink", low crowds... I wouldn't mind being there on that day at all. One unusual detail is that the Firetruck appears to be parked to the left, and filled with bouquets of flowers! Were the gardeners using it to transport new blossoms that were going to be planted that day?

Let's take 15 steps forward and take another photo! If you're the boy to the right, you must play an invisible trombone. Two grannies are making a beeline to see the swans - the only reason they came to the park. 

Men At Work

Once in a while I have found slides of people at their places of work from decades ago, and sometimes I actually find them to be interesting!

Look at this guy, he'd be comfortable at the helm of the Space Shuttle. There are knobs and dials aplenty (analog as heck!). "Hmmm, the variances in wavelength seem to be within nominal tolerances. Wait'll I tell the guys!". At least that's what I would say, who knows what this gentleman is thinking. 

Any idea what all those gizmos are for? Does this man own the best Hi-fi system in the universe? You can't tell, but this man was into the early punk rock scene. I am especially curious about that odd device just the right of the man, it looks like some kind of robot space baby.

This one is pretty dark, but it sure is impressive. I kind of like that greenish tint, which I attribute to the comforting fluorescent lighting. 

There's more dials, but not as many knobs. Lots of swtiches though, maybe even one that says "SELF DESTRUCT". Do you think this could be a power station of some kind? Maybe even NUKULAR? They use that broom to tap on the controls when they get "sticky". One gentleman is wearing shorts to work, so he is living the life.

I hope you have enjoyed today's Men At Work. I have more factories and such, if you are interested.

Before and After, June 1974

I have some fun "before and after" examples for you today, from a batch of 1974 slides that had turned very pink.

Here's how the unaltered scan looked; the scanner's color-correction software got it from "very pink" to this kind of smoggy gray/violet. Not the worst thing I've ever seen, but not great either.

Thanks to Photoshop, I was able to bring it back to its original glory! I love that gleaming white rocket against the vivid blue sky. And of course there's the Peoplemover vehicles, adding a dash of additional color.

Next is a view as seen from the Peoplemover, looking in a southwesterly direction. We're on the other side of the Rocket Jets (which are all in the air, always a plus). Again, the scanner got this image from "yuck" to a shrug.

Without the deep blue sky of the first slide, the color difference isn't as drastic, but we've rinsed all that grungy pinkish-gray away revealing the true colors. Notice the rainbow stage, where the (new) Mouseketeers would perform. 

I hope you've enjoyed today's "before and after" pix!

Indian Dance Circle, July 1969

In 1966, the Ceremonial Dance Circle where Native Americans performed traditional dances had been  transformed, with "stadium-style seating" added making it easier to see for large crowds, and providing shade. The kids in this 1969 picture don't care about shade though, they want to be right up front! (Actually, I believe that kids were asked to come down to the front so that they could all participate in the final dance). 

Love the souvenir hats; bucket hats, sailor hats, cowboy hats, beanies, and Donald Duck hats. Next show: 2:30.

You probably think that you've seen this photo of the Columbia before, but I swear, this is a new one!

A Selection From the New York World's Fair

For lack of a better idea, let's go to the World's Fair! New York, that is. 1965.

The Bell System pavilion is one of the more striking buildings at the Fair, and that's saying something. It almost looks like a hovering spaceship. The upper story of the pavilion, which houses the ride, is a gigantic "floating wing" that rests on four pylons. Below is an exhibit hall devoted to the technology of communications. Nearby rises a 140-foot microwave tower which transmits TV shows originating at the Fair.  

Next to it rises one of the tallest structures at the Fair, a 140-foot microwave tower through which TV shows originating at the Fair are transmitted.

Notice the man crossing the causeway in the middle of the "Pool of Industry", where the "Fountain of the Planets", largest in the world, shoots 10,000 tons of water as high as 150 feet into the air in ever-changing patterns. Rockets are fired from 464 launchers; lights totaling 150 million candlepower cast their brilliant colors at water and sky; and music plays over loudspeakers.

"What a funny place for a bathroom!", the man chuckled to himself.

This restaurant was part of the Switzerland pavilion. Get yourself a bratwurst on a bun, and have them add some sauerkraut and spicy mustard. To the right you can see a sliver of the "Tent of Tomorrow" from the New York pavilion.

Welcome to DuPont's "Wonderful World of Chemistry", encircled by round lamps that have "electrons" orbiting them. I love those. To the left is the 7-Up tower (107 feet tall), and to the right is the 120-foot Coca Cola tower that held an electric carillon with 610 bells.

I have a whole series of photos showing that DuPont sign being constructed, they're interesting, but there's a LOT of pix. I'll have to go through them and see what's worth sharing here.

And finally, here's a group of folks relaxing in an area that I couldn't quite ID. There's a sign that says "Antique Fair" but that didn't help much. It might be near the "Bourbon Street" area, notice the "wrought iron" on the building in the background. I think the standing lady is eating one of the famous Belgian waffles with whipped cream and strawberries!

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the 1965 New York World's Fair! There's lots more to come from here.

Monorail! September 1966

It's too bad that Monorails never really caught on as a transportation system outside of amusement parks. Sure, there are examples here and there, but I guess they were just not quite right for real-world use. But folks in Disneyland could enjoy the coolest Monorail of them all!

Here's "Old Bluie" gliding into the station in Tomorrowland. Bubble dome! The new rectangular Skyway gondolas are overhead. Note the white construction walls, in preparation for the massive redo of Tomorrowland 1967. 

Here's a very unusual shot, presumably taken from the Disneyland Railroad. Thanks to a few bits to our right, we know that we are near "It's a Small World", which had been open since May 28, 1966. I wish I could somehow find a modern shot from this exact angle to show how things have changed, but that's not in the cards for today.

More From 1937Fan!

Many of the slide scans that 1937Fan has shared with us have been from the 1960's, but there were a few from the 1970's that are just as fun.

Like this colorful example! I don't know who the pretty lady in blue might be, but she's cute and has polka dots, so what's not to like? This is actually kind of an unusal photo, taken at more of a distance than is typical, but that lets us see lots and lots of other guests. The accents of bright hues is very cheerful and fun.

I have no specific dates for these photos, but I would imagine that the Haunted Mansion had only been open a few years at this point. I have always loved the Disneyland version, even though many think that the Florida Mansion is better. Apples and oranges, I guess. Somehow this late-afternoon photo with the ever-growing shadows evokes an appropriate mood.

And... you know it, you love it (well, most of you anyway), it's the "It's a Small World" clock. Hey, maybe they could make a small working table-top clock that looked just like this. They'd make a fortune!

Thanks so much to 1937Fan!