Snoozers

I have two less-than-good scans for you on this Snoozer Sunday™ (both from July 1964). Aren't you excited?

Let's start with this view looking across part of Tom Sawyer Island toward the new and improved Indian Dance Circle - now with stadium-style seating, and in SENSURROUND! I am assuming that our photographer was standing on the top-most deck of the Mark Twain (the Hurricane Deck? Who has time to look this stuff up?). He was also wearing a long curly wig, but that's another story. Notice the Passenger Train just beyond the Dance Circle.

Speaking of Tom Sawyer Island, here's a look at one of the waterfalls that issued from the top of the hill - I believe that there were three different waterfalls. While it's not the most interesting photo in the world, you have to admit that it is something different.

More Photos From Jeff

Today I have another batch of scans from Jeff Zbornik, who graciously allowed me to share them with you! These are from his own family archives (all the photos were taken by Jeff's dad). 

We'll start with this neat shot of Reno, Nevada. Jeff said that this is from 1960, and it was taken (from inside the car) at the State line. Harvey's Resort Hotel is to the left, and Harrah's is to the right - Jeff pointed out that Jack Benny, Wayne Newton, and Louis Prima were all on the marquee for Harrah's. A pretty nice lineup! 

The next two are from a 1960 to Squaw Valley, California (now called Palisades, Tahoe). The Winter Olympics had been held in Squaw Valley in February of that year, and I've seen a few tourist slides from around that time, so Jeff's family was not alone in wanting to see this place. That's Jeff's mother next to the Ford Country Sedan (I love that car!). 

Next is this photo of the Squaw Valley Chapel (aka the Olympic Valley Chapel), very modern, as if it had been built for a World's Fair. It's still there today, and can be used for an assortment of occasions. You can't tell in the photo, but the stained glass depicts the four seasons.

And finally, one of my favorites, this great photo the pier in Ventura, California, circa 1966. I spent many years living in Ventura County, and while I didn't make it up to the pier very often, I still have fun memories of visiting, and seeing the fishermen bring in stingrays or other weird fish. Jeff didn't ID the people in the photo, but (based on other photos), I can only assume that it shows his mother, himself, and his brother Russ.

I found this relatively recent photo; in 1995 the pier was partially destroyed by a storm, which sheared off 400 feet. Which explains why there is no longer an angle, as is visible in Jeff's picture. Pre-1995, the Ventura Pier was the longest in California, at 1,958 feet long.

MANY THANKS to Jeff Zbornik for sharing photos from his family collection!

Beautiful Tomorrowland, September 1971

The ever-generous Sue B. sent me more scans of her dad's slides (Lou Perry, you know him!), this time they are from September, 1971. I liked some of them so much that I saved these for a Friday post. It's the equivalent of having your TV pilot (say, "The Major Pepperidge Variety Hour" with guest star Carol Burnett) set to air right after the Super Bowl. 

It's crazy for me to look at a beautiful photo like the one below, and think that it reminds me a little bit of when how I felt when I first saw color footage of the 1939 New York World's Fair. These are over 50 years old after all, and for anybody born in the late 1990s (or even in the 2000s), 1971 probably seems like ancient history. 

We find ourselves in a crowd of people heading in to Tomorrowland (is it late morning?). And not just Tomorrowland, but 1971 Tomorrowland, with those wonderful Peoplemover trains moving slowly overhead. The transportation of the future! If only I could see what those guests in the yellow train were seeing.

Oh, something like that! 15(ish) feet in the air, looking down toward the Plaza, which at this time was almost completely hidden by those Chinese elms and olive trees. Is there a castle to our right? Shrug. Notice that two Horse Drawn Streetcars are visible, one closer to us, and one on the opposite side of the Plaza - all things must be kept in perfect equilibrium. 

And last (but certainly not least) is another view of the entry into Tomorrowland this time from straight on. There's the GE logo from Carousel of Progress. The partial signage from Adventure Thru Inner Space. And of course the Rocket Jets, and even those nutty fountains to the right.

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

Special Guest Photos

Not long ago I received an email from Keith Schad, and he included some beautiful scans of Disneyland, circa 1958! Keith wrote: I've been viewing your blog for many years now and really enjoying it!

I have been in the process of scanning slides from my wife's family and among them are some of Disneyland.  I have two groups of slides: from 1958 and from late 1970 or early 1971. Best of all, Keith wants to share these family photos with all of us!

Let's start with this beautiful shot of the ticket booths and Main Street Station on a sunny day in 1958. Making cameo appearances: the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad (and the Kalamazoo handcar), as well as some attraction posters.

Of course there are pictures of Sleeping Beauty Castle, how can any photographer resist? Keith said... The backstory:  In the summer of 1958, my wife's great-grandpa and great-grandma, Harold and Caroline Hill, went on a trip from their home in Illinois to California and back.  From some of the photos they took on the way out to California, they probably followed the original Route 66 on the way out west.  The 3 women in "flying saucer" hats that appear on some of the pictures include my wife's great-grandma Caroline Hill, great-great grandma Helen Hill (Harold's mother) and Harold's sister, also Helen.  Harold took most of the photos.  Notice the sign for the brand-new Columbia to our right.

I love early shots of the Castle, especially with those large grass lawns that are long-gone, it gives the place an entirely different feel from the way it is today. 

The Alice in Wonderland attraction was brand-new in 1958. Keith again: I like the somewhat unusual angles Harold got on some of the shots.  There is another shot of the Alice in Wonderland ride from a similar angle to one you just posted a few days ago, which is pretty unusual. Wonderful!

MANY THANKS to Keith Schad for sharing these fantastic vintage Disneyland photos. There are LOTS more to come... as he mentioned, there's this group from 1958, and another big group from 1970/71. You're going to love them.

Two More From August 23, 1966

I love both of today's large (or maybe "medium-format"?) slides, the big size means more tomatoey flavor for the whole family. 

You all recognize the Suspension Bridge on Tom Sawyer Island. Not many people know that it was named after Harold P. Suspension (good friend of Albert Falls), who invented dental floss. The reason the bridge was named after him has been lost to history. You can see the smiles on the faces of many of the folks crossing the bridge. Below it, there is a dirt path (maybe for those who were afraid to cross?), with a dicey-looking wood plank over that cascade.

Next is this very nice view taken from the Swiss Family Treehouse, looking toward the impressive Columbia  as it began its six-month journey around the Rivers of America. Those nautical flags spell out something very naughty, but I won't repeat it here. We get a tiny bit of New Orleans Square below, and even our buddy Cascade Peak makes a special guest appearance. 

Miscellaneous Knott's

Hey everybody, without going into details, our friend Peter (aka DrGoat) could use some love and positive vibes right about now. I've exchanged many emails with Peter over the years, and he's such a good guy. He's going through a tough time, and he's told me that GDB is one of the places he still finds some fun and happiness. I'm sure he would appreciate hearing from the Junior Gorillas. THANK YOU. 

I sure do love Knott's Berry Farm, but today's photos are oddball leftuggies that I've managed to avoid sharing for a long,  long time. It seemed like I might as well take the plunge and post them today.

The first two are date-stamped "October, 1979"; where in the world was this photo taken There's a dilapidated covered wagon (sans cover), and a train car (at first I thought it was a school bus!), and... well, not much else that I recognize. You nutty Knott's experts will surely glean something of interest though.

Next is this view of the "Night Watch", can you call it that when it is broad daylight? I don't want to go to prison for false information. In the background we can see part of the Calico Mine Ride façade, and a smidgen of the 325-foot tall Sky Jump tower. The pink building looks familiar, but... no idea. In the lower left, Walter Knott's apartment.

Again, these are leftuggies, folks. That's why I'm including this September 1959 photo of the old Seal Pool. The seals loved fish, but they also enjoyed Vienna sausages, Space Food Sticks, and Chiclets. 

Two Leftuggies

Here's a pair of randos for you, from years apart! Let's start with this May 1981 view of Captain Hook's Pirate Ship. She's low in the water, meaning that her hold is probably full of tuna and mayonnaise, plundered from Her Majesty's ships as they passed through the straights. I'm sure the folks sitting nearby would be shocked to know that in about a year, the beautiful ship would be razed.

Next is this shot from May, 1969. We're relaxing at the Carnation Plaza Gardens, beneath the striped tent (one-a them fancy metal tents!), listening to the Disneyland Band. No less than six performers are playing flutes, which means that they were probably playing Wagner's "Flutey Fantasy No. 111". The most popular of all the Flutey Fantasies! 

Two Families, Two Sundays

Happy Easter, everybody! Back when I was a kid, I sure loved getting my Easter basket full of goodies. And those were the days when my parents would dutifully take us to church, which would be especially crowded. And then there was Sunday school, full of all kinds of fun stories. And yet I turned out LIKE THIS??

Our friend Sue B. came to the rescue once again and provided two fun vintage scans (not "Lou and Sue" photos) to accompany the occasion. In this case it's pictures of two kids in their Easter best, posing with two different women. This first one has Grandma, I presume, with her car (her TRUE pride and joy), and oh yeah, the kids might as well be in the photo too. It occurred to me that this scan is flopped, but I'm too lazy to fix it, so it is what it is.

And next, here's Mom, who doesn't like having her picture taken, so she hides behind the boys. Maybe they are outside for an exciting hunt for Easter eggs. The patch on the older boy's jacket probably means that he is going to Fauntleroy Academy. "Oh Papa, Easter will be ever so splendid!". Reminds me of myself, to be honest. THANK YOU for these fun scans, Sue!

And now, here are some of my own contributions!

I'm assuming that this was Easter Sunday, based on the store in the background with an advertisement for HAMS in the window - not to mention the purple plush bunny in the little boy's hand. Everyone is dressed in their finest on this apparently still-cool Spring day. I'm frustrated to not have more information, such as the location or exact year. But that's how it goes with vintage slides.

Another family - another Easter? This one's surprisingly similar to the first pic, though I have to give a round of applause to those massive polka-dotted Peter Pan collars on the two girls. It's a look! Grandma accidentally wore a brassier on her head again, but it's easier to just let her keep it on. We'll tell the folks at church that it's the latest style from Milan. I dig the old cars, though I couldn't tell you what they are. Gimme that two-tone station wagon!

Mystery Park

I have a group of scans featuring a mystery park or fair from some undated slides. There's not much to go on, but I thought that they were fun enough for an Anything Goes Saturday.

We've got ourselves a classic Tilt-A-Whirl in the foreground, but check  out that Flight to Mars dark ride to the left! Wow! They had something like it at the Century 21 Exposition (aka the 1962 Seattle World's Fair). Wouldn't you love to be able to ride that today?

I will be relying on the expertise of you fans of classic carnival rides when it comes to naming some of these, such as this variant of a double Ferris Wheel. Until corrected, I will call it "The Floopety Floop". 

Ducks! Why did it have to be ducks? (Or are they geese?).

Just lookit alla them carnival rides! I'd shake a stick at them, but... why? Again, I will leave it to the experts to figure out what's what, but it looks like there's quite an assortment of classics.

This could be a good old-fashioned girlie show, though there is no real nudity. Just some brief one-piece costumes with fringe. Let's not forget the feathers on their heads. I wonder what that sign said? "....O N D". I can't figure that one out.

Hmmm, another mystery ride. It looks like a teacups-style spinner, except that the turntable can tilt up at an angle. Along the wall are graphics with the names of various countries. I know one of you will know it!

Here's a roller coaster with the helpful sign in the upper right that says "Zyklon". Wikipedia says: The company, commonly known as Pinfari, was established in 1926 building Dodgem cars and buildings. Its first roller coaster was a wild mouse-style ride in 1954 called "bob-slide". In 1965 the company introduced a small portable coaster called Zyklon. These coasters proved very popular with traveling fairs and carnivals as wells as permanent amusement parks. Pinfari manufactured Zyklons in several variations and sizes, building over 200 since the ride's introduction.

Here's a cute little girl on the merry-go-round, there were lots of pictures of her in this lot! You don't need to see more than one though. Notice the "Trip to Mars" in the background.

Is this one called a Sky Wheel? Not sure! It's pretty impressive, like a giant toy. And with the neon lights glowing, you can tell that it's going to make for a spectacular display at night.

Sorry this post was short on information! If anybody has any information about the rides or even where this park was (unlikely, I know), I'd love to hear it!

Beautiful & Early Main Street Vehicles

I have two very nice early Disneyland slides to share with you today, featuring some of those beloved Main Street vehicles. No, not the Steamroller, and not the Paddy Wagon. Sorry.

Check out this wonderful look at the Chemical Wagon (aka the horse-drawn firetruck), from a slide that may or may not be from 1955. It's early, at any rate. The wagon is pulled by two tiny white horses, are they 5/8 scale?  It's late in the day (look at those long, slanting shadows), I wonder if they were just about to put the wagon away for the evening? The driver and his fellow fireman are discussing the latest gossip with a man on horseback. Who is he? Did he ride up and down Main Street back in those days? Did he wander over from Frontierland? Maybe he was the ghost of an Anaheim rancher from 100 years earlier. (Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you).

Next is a neat photo from July 20, 1960, featuring one of the Surreys (I believe that there were two, this one and a reddish brown example as well) in Town Square. Man, that thing is packed, like a can of sardines! Maybe it's an optical illusion, but the horses look a bit larger than the two that pulled the Chemical Wagon. Notice the little information booth to the left, and the Police Station to the right of that.

Two lucky kids get to ride up front with the driver! One young boy wears a Keppy Kap, it appears to be a rarer version (from what I can see).

Whenever I have an exact date on a slide, I love to refer to "Jason's Disneyland Almanac" for some fun facts. 7/20/1960 was a Wednesday; the park was open from 9:00 until midnight. Attendance was 28,563. And the high temperature was a blazing 107º! By the evening it cooled down to a more pleasant 65. Thank you, Jason's Almanac!