Omnibus and Keelboat, June 1958

Here's a nice photo of the good old Omnibus as it circles the hub (Tomorrowland is to our right, see the flagpoles?), and doing a good job of blocking the House of the Future. But that's OK, because we get a pretty good look at the banner that adorns the side, touting the opening of the brand-new "Alice In Wonderland" attraction. It's nice that the Omnibus could accommodate mothers with strollers, see that one on the back platform?


And just for the heck of it, howsabout this nice shot of the Gullywhumper? I've never seen a craft more suited to whumping gullys, and I'll wager that you haven't either. Sure do wish that the Keelboats were still there for a relaxing trip around the river.

Two From July 1959

Here are two slides dated July 1959, though of course that means they were developed in July, and could very well be from June. I only mention that because this photo of Main Street Station shows the station and the poster displays covered in flags and bunting that was almost certainly in place for the big party celebrating the opening of the Monorail, Matterhorn, and Submarines.


As if often the case, the gloom has burned off later in the day to reveal a glorious blue sky. Mom and sis pose on the corner... trust me, sis looks glum in every photo! There is something in a fancy frame in the window to the left... I can't tell what it is, but I get the feeling that it would be worth a lot of money today.

Matterhorn Christmas, 1972

Ah, the good old days, when a giant star sprouted from the peak of the Matterhorn each holiday season! From what I could glean on the interweb, the star was 24 feet high, and made its debut in December 1961. And it was made of marzipan. Look at that thing, it's just plain big. And since this photo is from nineteen sebenty foo, everyone in the picture is groovy. Groovy, do you hear??


Here's a closer look at the star from the Submarine Voyage queue. Notice the rectangular Skyway buckets, gliding rectangularly. Disneyland stopped using the star sometime in the 70's (I couldn't find the exact year, but I'll bet somebody else knows!) due to the "energy crisis". My guess is 1973 or '74. I can only imagine that with today's technology (fiber optics, LEDs), another star could be produced that would be even more spectacular, yet use much less energy.

It's a Wet World After All

I have a small batch of slides from March 1977, much more recent than I tend to post. But 31 years is still a long time! As we all know, it does rain on Disneyland once in a while. Here are three pictures of the "It's a Small World" exterior on a soggy day...

You can see most of the famous Mary Blair/Rolly Crump exterior in this picture... the lack of bright sunshine and a gray (rather than blue) sky does rob this attraction of some of its festive feel. There are only a few people in line; those dome-shaped plastic umbrellas were obviously in style at that time!


Here's a look at some of the details of the far-right edge of the IASW building...I spy a few stylized (but still recognizable) buildings from Pisa, Florence, and possibly Venice.


So gloomy! But if you hate long lines, than the rain is your friend! In the distance there is what appears to be a stage of some kind... does anybody have any idea if it WAS a stage, and if so, what went on there?

Random Saturday

All eyes are on the mighty "Mark Twain" as it gets underway for a tour of the Rivers of America! Except for the Indian guide at the front of that canoe, he is distracted. Only seconds after this photo was snapped, the canoe and all of its passengers were ground up into duck chow (chunky style).


Here's a nice detail of Cinderella's Castle from Storybook Land. It's a miniature, albiet a big one! You can still see it today, though I recommend a night visit.


And speaking of Storybook Land, here's a bird's-eye view of Monstro and the queue for that ride. Only two strollers to be seen, because in those days most people carried their babies in their back pockets. This view is pretty standard, although I do find that large empty space in the upper right to be interesting... I wonder if this was where the Junior Autopia was going to be built?

Posterama II

It's time for another look at a couple of fabulous vintage Disneyland attraction posters!

From 1956, this Skyway poster is one of my favorites. I bought this one from the Janzen brothers (of "E-Ticket Magazine" fame) for $300, which seemed cheap even then. Repros usually get the buttery yellow background completely wrong, using a much more harsh version of that hue. One particularly interesting feature of this poster is the depiction of the never-built "Air Boats" attraction over on the left; these were going to be large versions of the boats that are used to skim through the Everglades (see the giant propeller on the back?). Noisy and dangerous, and not particularly futuristic either! But part of me wishes that they really existed, if only for a little while.


Howard Lowery's auction catalogs often referred to this beautiful Submarine Voyage poster as "the Cadillac of attraction posters", and it's hard to argue the point. Such a wonderful design, and great bold colors. Mermaids are frolicking around the ruins of Atlantis, and there is a sunken wreck, probably full of pieces of eight (or even pieces of nine!), while each porthole of the submarine has a little face gazing out. The underside of the sub reflects the warm light of an open volcanic vent. The very first (and extremely rare) version of this poster mentions the sponsorship by General Dynamics, I have only seen one of them and still kick myself for not buying it (it was in rough condition).

Two From 1956

Today we're heading waaaay back to 1956! Starting with this great photo of Harper's Mill, on the southern point of Tom Sawyer Island. The mill didn't do anything (although the wheel turned - - it turned real good!), it wasn't an attraction really... it was just there to add to the show. The building had only been there a year, but it is pretty easy to imagine that it had been there a lot longer! I guess that this was considered a waste of real estate, and the old mill was removed. There is still a mill near the "Fantasmic!" stage, but the surroundings are so alien that it has lost a lot of its charm. By the way, I wonder if folks in the old days had a tendancy to put antlers on their roofs? I like putting hubcaps on my roof.


And here is a view of the Pirate Ship, Skyway, and Casey Jr. ticket booth. It must have been a warm day, folks are searching for any bit of shade that they can find!

Aboard the Jungle Cruise, June 1958

Photos of the Jungle Cruise have a tendency to be... well, sort of boring. At least after you've seen a zillion of them. Oooo, hippos! Lookit the elephants! Headhunters to port! But I do find myself to be drawn to photos like these, with people in the boat to help give a "you are there" experience. Imagine how exciting this ride was for the little boy in the red shirt.


See how those lions are watching over that sleeping Zebra?! The King of the Jungle is even smiling for the camera. For some reason I find it refreshing that a Disney ride actually acknowledges that animals eat each other!

Three From '57

All of you have been extra good this week, so I am posting three photos from 1957 as a reward!

When our photographer arrived, the sky was cloudy and gray, but that didn't get these visitors down... they're going to have a great time! The cars are so much fun here. Choose your favorite!


Obviously the haze burned off early, and the day turned out to be bright and sunny. This is a common (but nice) shot of a busy Fantasyland.


Back in Town Square, the sun is already on its way towards the horizon. We aren't going home already are we?? The Surrey is in the foreground, silhouetted against and brilliantly sunlit Opera House and Bank of America.

House of the Future & Skyway, August 1958

I wonder how many people would love to be able to own a cozy, plastic House of the Future these days? Sure, it's not very large, but it definitely has style. I would decorate mine with the very finest Herman Miller furniture, with maybe a Mondrian or Picasso to brighten things up. There would be a Giacometti sculpture in the entry, and a Henry Moore out front. If this photo was taken in a vertical format I could see it as a cover of an old "Sunset" magazine.


The Skyway vanishes into the distance as we wait in line for our trip to Tomorrowland (through the air!). In less than a year the Matterhorn would forever change this scene.