The Magic Kingdom, Christmas 1972

Today seemed like a good day to use some scans from the Magic Kingdom, from slides date-stamped "January 1973" - so I feel pretty confident assuming that they were taken in December of 1972... the park's second Christmas season. Who among ye dare to disagree?! 

First up is City Hall, looking unbelievably huge and grand. This town is obviously very prosperous, they must have sold early versions of fidget spinners (only they were made of gutta percha, iron, and horse hair). I want to climb up to the cupola and pretend I'm an old-timey King Kong. Just like regular Kong, only wearing a straw boater.

Those crazy teenagers, they put a big tree in Town Square! Why don't they get haircuts?! Well, at least it is pretty, and I'm grateful that they didn't use a giant redwood tree. I've heard it can get chilly in Florida at that time of year, but the young woman in pink is dressed for warm weather. while the gentleman to the right of the tree is wearing a plaid flannel coat. The only way to solve this dilemma is to have them rassle.

Garlands and wreaths (purchased at "Wreaths 'n Stuff") add a festive look to Main Street. And like most midwestern streets, there is a giant castle at the end, where they stored grain. Most people stayed on the sidewalks, but those two hoodlums walking toward us are probably carrying switchblades. Don't make eye contact!

Guests were encourage to try to spit their gum through the wreaths, and if they did it, they won a year's supply of Lemon Pledge (for some reason, hey I didn't make the rules). We can see a "Borden's" logo on the ice cream parlor sign to our right, while good old Coca Cola's logo is to our left (the Florida version of the "Coke Corner"?). They should sell edibles and CBD oil on Main Street now, to keep up with the times. Great idea, right?

And, as the sun slowly sets into the north (or whoever it sets), let's take one last look at the tree!

Ho ho ho!

Randos

Here are two random scans to start your weekend off right! Let's start with this Skyway shot of Storybook Land, as seen in January of 1966. It's a nice view, but fairly standard. I like that we can see one of the Casey Jr. Circus Trains, and the folks in line are bundled up against the January chill. It's at times like this that Monstro appreciates a hot meal. But what's that in the upper right?

Construction is well under way for "it's a small world", which would open in on May 28th, 1966 - a mere five months after this photo was taken.  Considering that the version at the New York World's Fair was built in a very short amount of time (being a relatively late addition to Walt's slate of design challenges) I guess it's not that surprising that it wouldn't be long before that dark building would be full of color and light and music.

This next one is from March of 1969, and it's a very nice view of the "Flight to the Moon" attraction. It started out as "Rocket to the Moon", and was changed to "Flight to the Moon" on July 2, 1967. It was still sponsored by McDonnell-Douglas at this point, and I believe it continued its sponsorship all the way through the change to "Mission to Mars", which finally closed on November 2, 1992.  

Tomorrowland, May 1960

I love these old photos of Tomorrowland - they are date-stamped "May 1960", but I'll bet they were actually taken months before that. In any case, they have a clear wintery feel that I like very much.

Oh boy, it's Li'l Stubby, the blue three-car Mark I Monorail, gliding almost silently above the Autopia's multi-level roadway. The Bob Gurr design of the Monorail is very "Buck Rogers", which is probably why it appeals to people so much - it's simultaneously "retro" and futuristic. Notice the sign indicating "running children"; is that a European-type sign?

A cream-colored Mark V Autopia car looks like is returning to the Tomorrowland load area, with half-a-dozen others not far behind. Strange that we only see cream and coral colors for those vehicles! I'm pretty sure there was a sapphire-blue as well; maybe there were only three hues? Meanwhile, that girl to the right has come directly from the Great Plains, and is still wearing her bonnet and matching skirt. "My land! If only we could have crossed the frontier in one of these!".

A Tale of Two Monorails, March 1962

I have two sweet Monorail photos for you, both from March 1962, though they are from different lots of slides. 

We'll start with this photo of the Mark II red Monorail (bubble dome!) as it returns to the station above the Submarine Voyage queue; by this time the Monorail could leave the park and head all the way to the Disneyland Hotel, which is pretty cool. There's just something so exciting about seeing these sleek, quiet trains!

Next we have this unusual shot of the Mark II "old bluie" at rest, the doors are open, waiting to swallow a new batch of guests. 

We can see two photos mounted inside the Monorail cars (we can see the Kodak logo on the nearest picture), but I'll be darned if I can figure out what they depict. Maybe you guys will have better luck!

1950 Hopalong Cassidy Badges

It's time for yet another GDB Digression! As you are well aware, I am fond of old stuff, especially pop-culture ephemera. And at some point I acquired a number of little tin-litho badges that I knew nothing about. They rattled around in a cigar box for years, until I discovered that they were part of a set of 12 Hopalong Cassidy badges, released in boxes of Post's Raisin Bran way back in 1950. Neat! 

I have a thing for "complete sets", it doesn't have to be something important, I just want "all of them". I'm not proud of it. But I decided to acquire the other badges (I think I needed 9 of them). They aren't terribly rare, or even very expensive,  though I wanted the little tabs to be unbent, and wanted the lithography to be in pretty good condition.

First up is the RODEO TRICK RIDER. The "rope" decorative edging is a nice touch. Hey, Bub, don't stand up on your horse, you could fall and have an owie. You have been warned.

Strangely, this Hopalong Cassidy badge is one of the hardest to find. "Hoppy" was portrayed by actor William Boyd, who became a matinee idol, making $100,000 a year in 1925.

Just in case you were wondering, here's the back of Hoppy's badge.

RANCH BOSS! "I'm the man in charge 'round here". 

ANNIE OAKELY, the famous sharpshooter who gained fame with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Her nickname was "Little Sure Shot".

"CHIEF SITTING BULL" was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. The portrait here is loosely based on a photo of the real man.

ROPING CHAMP, git that dogie!

WILD BILL HICKOCK was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself.

BULL DOGGING CHAMP. Bulldogging is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by grabbing its horns and pulling it off-balance so that it falls to the ground.

GENERAL CUSTER; he fought in the Civil War, and gained fame in the Indian Wars. Wikipedia says: His dramatic end was as controversial as the rest of his career, and reaction to his life and career remains deeply divided. His legend was partly of his own fabrication through his extensive journalism, and perhaps more through the energetic lobbying of his widow.

CALAMITY JANE; Martha Jane Cannary was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and raconteur. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Late in her life, she appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. She is said to have exhibited compassion to others, especially to the sick and needy.

If I wasn't so worried about condition, I would wear this Sheriff badge everywhere!

BUFFALO BILL; bison hunter and showman. One of the most famous and well-known figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill's legend began to spread when he was only 23. Shortly thereafter he started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars. He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Great Britain and continental Europe.

Here are the graphics from a vintage box of Post's Raisin Bran. Hey Partners! "You'll want every badge!". Truer words were never spoken.

And here's a vintage newspaper ad. 

Don't they look great as a set? I'm not crazy!!

I love the way these simple tin badges evoke America's obsession with the Wild West, and think they are fun artifacts from the golden age of cereal giveaways. I hope you have enjoyed these Hopalong Cassidy Badges!

More Columbia Details, May 1979

IT'S TIME! For more photos from the Mysterious Benefactor. And wouldn't you know it, I have more details of the Columbia sailing ship for you! Yes, there are a lot of them, and I have skipped many (examples that were too dark, or minor variations of views that I am actually sharing with you). But I think we'll be past the Columbia stuff pretty soon.

By golly, those ropes are as neat as can be. Give Stinky Joe an extra measure of grog, and some extra weevils in his biscuit.

Nautical flags, so colorful, and yet so impenetrable. Nobody knows what they mean, though some say that they are messages to our alien visitors.

More pulleys. It's a pulley-pallooza.  

"Cap'n, should we paint flames on the bow of our ship?". "Flames? Why, it's oak leaves and acorns I want! And don't skimp on the acorns!". (The crewmen look at each other and make circular motions at their temples with their fingers). To this day, "Don't skimp on the acorns" is a phrase that all sailors say to each other.

Ship's anchors were modeled after those designs on sailor's biceps. Some folks think it was the other way around, but they don't know nothin'. 

THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor!

Jungle Cruise 1950s

Who's in the mood for some Snoozers™? Nobody is raising their hand, but I don't have anything else for you! Oh well, it's Snoozers for everyone.

Sometimes I feel guilty about relegating so many Jungle Cruise photos to the Sunday spot. It's nothing personal! It's just that a lot of sub-par photos were taken by guests - ranging from "too dark" to "bad composition" to "a big head is in the way". This particular photo is not terrible, but it doesn't show very much beyond a small part of the dock, and (the part I like) the mysterious jungle. You could easily get lost forever!

And (you knew it was going to happen), here's a hippo, surprisingly close to the boat. I don't remember them being this close, so I assume that at some point they were moved back a bit - I wouldn't be surprised if some guests tried to touch the hippo's nose.

 

Vintage Kids

I was going to do a post featuring photos of Meddling Kids, but I didn't actually have many scans of that variety of youngster. So I had to zig and look for Vintage Kids instead. 

Here's a cute portrait of four pals; based on other photos, it's possible that the boy and girl in the middle are siblings. And it's possible that the girl with the yellow top is the same as the one in this photo. Yes, I have a lot of photos of her.

I think that the girl to the left and the boy to the right are in the previous photo, what do you think? I wonder if they owned this horse, or if they were visiting a friend or neighbor who owned it? Questions! It still blows me away to think that my own mother owned a horse when she was a girl, but that was in the days when the San Fernando Valley was still largely farms and orchards.

These boys look like they came direct from Central Casting. "Wanted: boys who think girls are mushy and Stan Musial is the greatest. If they like Jerry Lewis, it won't count against them". Why do I imagine these kids speaking with a Brooklyn accent?

Beauties from 1956

I have two great scans for you today, from Disneyland's second year of operation, starting with this very nice shot taken from the then-new Skyway, as our gondola headed  toward Fantasyland. In moments we will pass that tower (the future site of the Matterhorn) but for now it's known as Holiday Hill. Holidays are fun, and so is that hill! Why, I'm chuckling to myself just looking at it. I wasn't sure if guests were always allowed to hike along those trails, but we can see some railings to the right of the tower, presumably to prevent people from tumbling down the slope. 

A few landmarks can be seen in the distance, including the Pirate Ship, the Fantasyland Skyway Chalet, Cinderella Castle, the roof of the "Fan 2" restaurant, and even the lighthouse that was near Monstro.

Meanwhile, over in the Plaza, a family has stopped to get popcorn, or at least to pose next to the old-timey popcorn cart. The vendor feels used. "I'm not just a monkey performing for you! I'm a human being!". But aren't we all dancing monkeys? Think about it. 

Main Street Pix, 1973

I have another nice selection of photos from good ol' Mr. X, pictures that he personally took back in 1973  with his new Nikon. We're getting to the last few from this batch, but don't worry, there are still some real beauties to come.

I love this nice photo of the Opera House, which was featuring "The Walt Disney Story" (which debuted in '73), and not "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln". Hey, what gives?

As much as people loved Walt Disney, they were upset at the removal of Lincoln, and there was a real public outcry. He returned to the stage in 1975 as part of "The Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln and Poochie". 

Love the bell-bottoms on the lady in blue!

Strollers parked out front are clues that at least some people were inside enjoying the show, or at least enjoying the air-conditioning.

Over to the right is a window display, all I can really discern is the name "Cinderella".

Meanwhile, in the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner (up the street a spell) you might find Rod Miller tickling the ivories as guests enjoyed their hotdogs and beef Wellington.

Many thanks to Mr. X!