Mark Twain & Stagecoach, April 1959

Here are more scans from a large lot of April 1959 slides! First up is this nice angle next to the docks for the Mark Twain and the Columbia - you can just see part of the raised ramp (to the right) that allowed guests to board the Columbia. Beyond the Mark Twain is the Plantation House, where you could not get fried possum, but you could get fried chicken. I don't understand why people have such an aversion to a whole possum, dipped in batter and deep fried, but I've learned to live with it.

Beyond the lush landscaping we can see a genuine Stagecoach trundling through the wilderness. I'm wondering if the photographer was on another Stagecoach? It could happen! Or maybe the picture was taken from the Disneyland RR. Hard to say.

Zooming in, we can see that the Stagecoach was carrying a full load of greenhorns. Hopefully the mountain lions and flying prairie dogs would pick them off one by one, leaving the folks inside the Stagecoach unharmed. On September 13th, 1959, the Rainbow Mountain Stagecoaches closed forever.

Adventureland, July 1969

Sunday. Snoozers. GO! I recently scanned a small batch of slides, about half of which were taken in Adventureland. And most of those were so blurry that they were completely unusable. The two I'm sharing today have their issues, but I figured that at least they had something worth looking at.

This first one was taken up in the Swiss Family Treehouse, our photographer took a quick (too quick) shot of his daughter (?) as she walked along the catwalks and staircases of the treehouse. I think she is about to view the "pinball room", where the Swiss Family has manufactured a dozen different pinball machines out of old ship's parts. Just because they were marooned on an island didn't mean that they forgot about fun.

You knew that we were going to see a Jungle Cruise image, didn't you? Ever since you volunteered for those experiments in college, you've sometimes had premonitions of the future! Real Stephen King stuff. "Somewhere, somebody will soon be eating a peanut butter and bologna sandwich". Is this ability a blessing, or a curse? Anyway, somebody took a photo of the Skipper, but he is almost lost in shadow. 
 

Freedomland, USA - July 1960

Welcome to Freedomland, USA - located in The Bronx, NY! It was an American history themed amusement park that debuted a month before today's photos were taken. The development of Freedomland had many ties to Disneyland - thanks to the success of the Anaheim park, lots of entrepreneurs hoped to cash in with their own parks. 

Today's slides are from stereo views, but you only get one of the frames, because 3 dimensions is one too many if you ask me. All I need is TWO, and when I'm feeling logy, one will do. 

Let's check out this first photo, showing "Little Old New York", which was supposed to represent the Big Apple circa 1850 through 1900. So... no mimes! The flags in the distance fly above the entrance to the park. Walk into R.H. Macy and get spritzed in the face with Chester A. Arthur perfume (it was called "Forgettable!"). 

If you liked Old New York, you're gonna love Old Chicago. There was a canoe ride - if there's one thing I associate with Chicago, it's canoes. They also had a Great Lakes Cruise with two steamboats. And of course everyone held hands while watching the recreation of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, one of the most-loved conflagrations of all time. But... there was no deep-dish pizza ride - only Walt Disney would have done something as brilliant as that.

Speaking of the Great Lakes, here are all of them. I've seen them on a map, and they are only about 2.5" long, so I don't know what all the fuss is about. The "Canadian" is one of the steamboats mentioned earlier (the other being the "American"), and it is puffing away in front of that little side-wheeler ("Totsie") - Freeedomland's answer to Disneyland's Keelboats, I suppose. Notice the Santa Fe Railroad passing by on that trestle bridge: The 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge Santa Fe Railroad traveled between the Chicago and San Francisco areas of the park. The ride was approximately six minutes in duration and consisted of a loop stretching about 1 mile (1.6 km). Two locomotives named Monson No. 3 and Monson No. 4, as well as passenger coaches and flatbeds, were leased from the Edaville Railroad in Massachusetts, and transported back to the Edaville Railroad via truck in between seasons.

Guess what? I have more Freedomland U.S.A. photos for you to come!

Magic Kingdom Parade, 1988

Today I am sharing the first of four blog posts featuring photos taken by Lou Perry during a 1988 visit to Walt Disney World. As we have seen previously, Lou loves parades! Take a look HERE and HERE to see some past examples. Of course I wanted to know the theme of this particular parade, and found that this one was called "Spirit of America". Apparently it started in 1987 and ran for approximately a year - this thing was elaborate, with many large, unique floats (though I suspect that some were repurposed from earlier parades). 

Whether he was at Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom, Lou liked to view his parades from the steps of Main Street Station. It eliminated the problem of having his views eclipsed by bouffant hairdos. This first image shows the Motorized Firetruck, with the hosts of "Good Morning Britain". Timmy Mallett is threatening the crowd with an oversized maul, while Mike Morris and Kay Burley pretend to not be embarrassed.

Next comes the marching band known as the Main Street Philharmonic, resplendent in red, white, and gold. They're followed by a float that appears to have a large graham cracker in front.

Say, that's no graham cracker! That's the U.S. Constitution. Could it be the biggest copy ever made? I'm going to say "yes", based on 0 minutes of research. These days such a thing might be printed on a giant inkjet printer (Really! They make billboards that way), but back then a squad of artisans must have painted it by hand.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse are wearing their finest colonial outfits, complete with powdered wigs. Just behind them is what must be the Liberty Bell. 

Next we have a float with a bunch of clean-cut singers in dazzling white. I watched a video of this parade to hear which patriotic song they might be singing, but it's a tune specifically composed for this event. They might have been lip-syncing the song, too.

A lighthouse brings to mind the rocky shores of Maine, perhaps. A-yuh. Unfortunately they did not play the deafening sound of a foghorn. Such a lost opportunity. Just behind the lighthouse is what I believe is a "little red schoolhouse". Let the whippings commence!

A silo brings to mind thousands of acres of rolling farmland. Those silos hold corn, wheat, oats, and all the things we need to make delicious pre-sweetened breakfast cereals. Sorry, I'm getting emotional...

If there's a silo, there's probably a barn right next to it. This is a barn that housed giraffes, a source of meat in the early days of this country's history. Say, who's that up in the hayloft?

Well I'll be! It's Clara Cluck. I'm always happy to see one of the old-time Disney characters, and Clara definitely qualifies. She debuted in 1934 in the Mickey Mouse short subject, Orphan's Benefit. Looking good, Clara!

Many thanks to Lou and Sue! Stay tuned for more "Spirit of America" in the coming weeks.

Two Beauties From May 1980

I love Main Street almost as much as I love short shorts, and that's saying something. Especially when it's "classic" Main Street! I will randomly assign "1980 and before" as "classic" because it suits my needs today. Ask me tomorrow and I will probably give you a different answer.

SO... 1980 was Disneyland's 25th Birthday. And that was 42 years ago. Look, I'm not happy about it, but you depend on me to state the facts. It's part of my journalistic integrity. 

Check out this beautiful late-afternoon photo looking north toward the castle. The Chinese Elms have gotten pretty tall, but they've obviously been given haircuts so that they don't block the view too much. (I originally mis-typed "Chinese Elmos", which is something else entirely). It's very busy for May, but gosh it looks so nice. I'll bet the air was starting to cool, and soon the lights would turn on, and the sky would continue to darken. What ride do we want to do first? It's never an easy decision.

We've walked through the castle, and into Fantasyland proper, with the Carrousel twinkling (always twinkling!). I am imagining the song "Once Upon a Dream" playing in that unique carrousel sound, smelling popcorn, watching the Skyway come and go in the distance... no wonder I loved Disneyland so much!

 

Lenticular Pinback Buttons

Say, have I ever told you about my Big Bag O' Buttons? It's big. And full of buttons. Pinback buttons, that is. Swimmin' pools. Movie stars. Due to my incompetence, I have had to move many posts around (hither, and also thither) so these were originally going to be seen by you, the Junior Gorillas, months from today. Oh well. Anyway, I will  be focusing on lenticular ("flasher") pins. I obviously liked those, because I have quite a few!

Well I'll be a.... A WHAT? A silly goose? WHAT WILL I BE?

Oh, a Monkey's Uncle! This one is (of course) from the 1965 Disney film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. (Yes, yes, I see that the button has a 1964 copyright, don't worry about it). You may be familiar with the theme song, sung by the Beach Boys before they'd made it big. Whoa-whoa!

John F. Kennedy? Say, I've heard of him.

Presumably this was produced during the dark days not long after JFK's assassination, which makes it historically interesting.

Remember the 1979 movie "The Black Hole"? It was Disney's answer to "Star Wars", with a plot that had many similarities to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Only with more goofy robots "hovering" on very visible wires. The last time I saw a portion of it on TV, I was astonished at how cheap some of the sets looked - a control panel with buttons and blinky lights appeared to be made of painted foam core. Yikes.

Still, I have a fondness for this movie, in spite of its many flaws. And so I am happy to have this flasher pin with the name of the movie swirling into the inexorable gravitational pull of THE BLACK HOLE!

After JFK's death, Lyndon B. Johnson became President. And of course his candidacy for the 1964 election would not go uncontested. Here we can see LBJ, his wife "Lady Bird" looking bewildered as they moved out of the White House.

And who was supposed to be moving in? Why, Barry Goldwater (Senator from Arizona) and his wife Margaret ("Peggy"), riding on a smiling yellow elephant. Peggy looks like Keely Smith! Turns out LBJ won the election in a landslide.

I've always liked Cap'n Crunch (did you know that his full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch?). More info: The character was created by Jay Ward and voiced by Daws Butler (in imitation of actor Charles Butterworth). Cap'n Crunch sailed the Milk Seas in the S.S. Guppy in search of adventure, joined by his loyal crew, Seadog, Alfie, Dave, Brunhilde, and Carlyle.  

In both 1985 and 1999, Cap'n Crunch went missing and the kids of the world had to find him. I'm not sure where he was eventually discovered, but I hope it wasn't one of those places that sailors tend to frequent. And by that I mean video arcades.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this batch; I have LOTS more pinback buttons to share with you.

Costumed Characters, April 1975

Here's a pair of fun scans featuring some costumed characters from the 1973 animated feature, "Robin Hood". Even though this was two years later, Disney wouldn't release "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" until 1977. So by some standards, it was still a relatively recent "classic". 

There's the scheming Prince John, I like his big nose and beady little eyes! He's hanging out next to a trash can, which is a bit odd. You're royalty, Prince John! Even if you are conniving and heartless. And probably stinky. Two young girls have been granted an audience with the Prince; check out that coat on the one to our left! Maybe it reflects her big personality. The girl on the right seems to be a bit more shy and demure.

Lovable Baloo - oops, I mean Little John - wears mostly green so that he can vanish into Sherwood Forest after robbing from the rich. I do that too! Maybe Baloo is a distant cousin? Kids seem to be drawn to him, though the one to the left (with the light blue shirt) is frustrated. "I'm Little John's biggest fan, and he doesn't even know I exist". Life is unfair, kid.

Omnibus, June 1970

If you're going to build a bus, and you want to carry more passengers, you might consider making your bus longer, or wider (or both). But you could also add a second story to your vehicle! GENIUS! Let's call it the "Omnibus", shall we? 

Here's a nice photo of an Omnibus as it passed the Swift Market House. Ironically, the market house just sat there, it wasn't swift at all. The folks on the upper level can see into the second story windows, I hope that the people inside are "decent". What if a child saw a bare ankle? There's nothing more shameful or traumatizing. Notice that C&H Sugar gets a mention on the Market House sign, they shared the space starting in 1965, but 1970 would be their final year. 

This next one is from a different lot, but is also dated "June, 1970". The bus is jam-packed! Those guests will ride all the way to the Plaza, while the rest of the suckers have to walk. Let's point at them and laugh, shall we? You can throw things too, just don't be too obvious about it.   

Snoozer Storybook Land, March 1962

Here are two very boring photos of Storybook Land. We don't even get half a Monstro! No canal boats either. When you consider all of the things that a photographer can capture at Disneyland, it's easy to wonder why our hero decided to take these pictures.

Well, at least we see a bit of the Casey Jr. Circus Train - just barely. Otherwise it's the Storybook Land sign, and some bare earth embankments. And a glimpse into "Never Never Land" to the right (though not a very good one).

This guy just loved that sign! I give it points for getting some of the old wood and chain link fencing that used to be common all over Fantasyland. And hey, I even like the exit turnstiles; just imagine the clicky noise they made as they counted each guest as they exited! Click - click - click. So satisfying.

Whew! It feels good to get these published so that I don't have to worry about them again.

Universal Studios 1950s

I recently found some slides of Universal Studios that are undated, but they seem to be from before it became a big tourist attraction (Wikipedia says that what we consider the "modern" studio tour began in July of 1964). I admit that I don't recognize a lot of these backlot locations - to the point where I started to wonder if these photos really were from Universal. But some additional scans (to be seen in a future post) confirmed it.

OK, I don't even have a guess as to what this massive structure is supposed to be. It's not exactly medieval, even though the towers have crenellations. Oh yeah, say it with me... CRENELLATIONS. But it also has those fancy spiral columns, and those Romanesque (?) arches. Maybe it's supposed to be Constantinople. Yeah, probably not.

There it is again, I could probably stitch the previous photo together with this one, but that involves effort. And you know how lazy I am! 

Universal Studios has suffered from several devastating fires over the decades, so much of what we might see in old photos is likely long-gone. Apparently there were fires in 1932, 1949, 1957, 1967, 1987, and another in 1997. Hey, where were YOU in 1997? Your eyes suddenly got very shifty! Anyhoo, this set appears to be set in France. Or Belgium. "Livres d'occasion", that means "Liver for every occasion". 

"Anselmo Fine Italian Foods"... so... little Italy? That building looks pretty fancy for Italian Foods. Where are the bricks and the fire escapes and the kids playing in the open fire hydrants? Those trailers are where astronauts spend weeks in quarantine, in case you were wondering.

Check out the houses to the right, up on the hill's ridge; I always thought it would be fun to overlook the studio, you never know what you might see. Charlton Heston punching a monkey? Steve McQueen driving irresponsibly? Audrey Hepburn wearing a floppy hat? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

I sure wish I knew what they were filming; Universal Studios is a real working movie/TV studio after all. This looks like Old Mexico, perhaps. "Vineria", that's where they sell Red Vines. I prefer Twizzlers. 

Well, I know that my commentary wasn't very edifying, but at least it was terse. Stay tuned for "part two", whenever I get around to it!