POSTERAMA 5

It's attraction poster time again! Today I've got photos of two classic silk-screened posters from my collection.

This beautiful Matterhorn poster is the very first poster I ever bought; I was at a Howard Lowery auction, and was determined to bring home... something. The price was not too bad, especially by today's standards...

I just love the beautiful, dynamic design! The blues and whites really give an impression of snowy mountain heights, while your eye is drawn to the bobsleds and their riders with vivid yellows and reds.


And now we jump ahead to 1967, with the Peoplemover! Sponsored by Goodyear ("Go Go Goodyear!"). Two groups of clean cut kids (no hippies!) enjoy the smooth, quiet transportation of the future, taking in the sites from above. I've seen a variation of this poster that had "Tomorrowland" at the bottom instead of "Disneyland" - part of me wishes that I had that one instead. But I'm still pretty happy with this one!

Pirate Ship Dining Area, January 1962

For a slight change of pace, today's photo is not so much about the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship as it is about the dining area behind it. Skull Rock was added to Fantasyland in 1960, and along with it were cooling waterfalls, grottoes, and tropical plants.


You don't see many views of where you actually ate, so here is a detail to give you some idea. The pirates have rigged some spare sails for shade, and the tables and chairs have a nautical look, seemingly inspired by wooden ship's wheels.

Knott's Berry Farm Train, 1952

I love Disneyland's 5/8 scale, narrow-gauge steam trains, but there is something very impressive about the full-sized locomotives at Knott's Berry Farm. Those things are just huge! Here's old number 40, the "Gold Nugget", waiting by the water tower. This angle interests me because I'm not sure what that building in the distance is. Eventually the Calico Mine Train would be built there, but judging by the outdoor lights, that must be the old horse arena. Cool!


Here's another great photo of the same gleaming locomotive, but this time the family wants to be in the picture. I can't explain why, but I love these photos of people from that era. I try to imagine their daily lives, with all of the things that typical Americans did in those days. It was a different world!

Two From July 1962

Today's photos are from faded slides, but I am very fond of this first view, taken from a speeding Monorail. How that train caught Mono I will never know, and I'm not sure I want to. Anyway, I believe that we are running parallel to Harbor Boulevard, and looking at one of the many hotels and motels that sprang up around Disneyland (much to Walt's chagrin). I'm sure you'll agree that this view looks kind of charming more than 45 years later, with the tiny kidney-shaped pool (complete with thrilling slide!), minimal mid-century architecture, and some cool old cars as well. Check out the blue auto with the gigantic tail fins slightly to the left of center (near the top)! There is still a lot of farmland and stands of eucalyptus trees in Anaheim in 1962; all gone today of course.


Another slide from the same bunch shows this fun view of one of Huck Finn's rafts ferrying a full load of guests over to Tom Sawyer Island. It's July 1962, and there are very few (if any) crazy souvenir hats to be seen, what gives?

Jungle Cruise, September 1969

By 1969, Adventureland's jungle had matured into a convincingly lush and verdant tropical forest. The kind you could get lost in... forever! The only roads going through this wilderness are of the watery variety, but don't feel too safe; they are full of hippos, crocodiles, piranhas, and probably leeches (even though you never see the them, I know they're there!).

Oh, meanwhile there's a nice view of the loading dock.


The "Lost Safari" scene is a Jungle Cruise classic. In a way it was lucky that these guys only had to deal with a rhino. If it had been a vicious, flesh-eating giraffe, it would be all over!

Mark Twain and More, August 1958

Here's an interesting (and different) shot of the Mark Twain, taken from Tom Sawyer Island! This photo would have worked great as a stereo slide, but even so there is a nice feeling of depth, with the dark trees in the foreground, the girl standing on "ambush rock", and then the grand sternwheeler herself, complete with Vesey Walker and the Disneyland band performing on the bow. And after looking at ten zillion photos of the Mark Twain, this is the first time I've noticed the headlamp! D'oh. It's like the ones you see on the steam trains only much, muuuuch bigger.


This photographer really knew how to compose a picture... here is another one that would have worked will in 3-D. You've got the white picket fence up front, and then various crates, casks and bundles, then the Columbia herself, all framing a lovely scene with an Indian War Canoe on the big river. Beautiful!

Jungle Cruise, August 14, 1956

Today's photos are oldies, taken when Disneyland was only 13 months old. They have faded a bit, but they are still high in fiber and vitamin N (the nostalgia vitamin).

Here's one taken aboard a Jungle Cruise boat back when the jungle was still looking a lot less lush than we are used to today. There are two kids (one partially obscured) sitting right up front, I can just imagine how intensely they are searching for wild animals and hungry headhunters! There is some sort of electrical outlet on the front panel of the boat, was this for the searchlight used at night?


Now we're on the middle deck of the Mark Twain looking towards Tom Sawyer Island and Harper's Mill; beyond that is an undeveloped Frontierland. These slides have lost some of their color, and appear almost sepia tone; in this case, it gives them a warm, old-fashioned quality that I find very appealing.

NYWF, June 1964

NYWF, that's New York World's Fair to you!

There's the iconic Unisphere, symbol of the 1964/65 New York World's Fair. It was 140 feet tall (as tall as a 12 story building), and weighed 700,000 pounds (if you don't include the base). Useful information? Probably not. But I am a sucker for trivia. The dozens of flags add color and movement to the scene. Folks appear to be bundled up more than you might expect considering that this slide has a June date on it. My favorite detail... the family with the souvenir hats, each with a bright, ridiculous ostrich plume!


New York state's pavilion was distinctive due to the "world's largest suspension roof, made of translucent colored plastic and hung from sixteen 100-foot concrete columns." I wonder how many summers and winters those plastic roof panels would have survived? Another fun feature was the floor of this building, which was a huge terrazzo road map of the state. I'm sure that locals would immediately head for their town and snap a photo. Wouldn't you? In the background you can see the two towers, the tallest being the "observation tower" from which many photos were snapped. These are still standing, and visible as you drive by on the Long Island Expressway.


There's another one of those feathered hats! I just don't understand why that fashion statement didn't last longer. These two aren't speaking to each other, apparently! And what do you know, there's the Pepsi pavilion and the "Tower of the Four Winds" behind them. Don't go in if you suffer from pediophobia (fear of dolls)!

Alice & Storybook Land

This first image is from September 1958, when the "Alice In Wonderland" attraction was only a few months old (it opened in June). Here we see three guests riding their caterpillar vehicle towards the rabbit hole, where all kinds of craziness will ensue. I like the "eyes" on the back of the vehicle, they will protect the riders from hungry birds.


Now it's one year later, and here is a photo of the loading area for the Storybook Land canal boats. Nothin' much to say about it, except that it's pretty!

Tahitian Terrace, September 1962 - Part Two

Today I'm posting the rest of the photos from a performance at the Tahitian Terrace. Part one was just a few days ago, just scroll down!

Three ladies (one with a microphone) sit up by the cool waterfall; two of the ladies appear to be making graceful hand gestures, sort of a sit-down hula.


Here it is, 2009, and where can you go in Disneyland if you want to watch scantily clad babes dancing? Nowhere, that's where! The one with her arms crossed is hip-mo-tizing me!


I am not familiar with the show, but it looks like the ladies are taking their leave...


... to be replaced by a male dancer weilding a flaming baton. Don't try this at home, kids! The sun has set, making the moving flames more dramatic.


Gotta match, buddy? Ha, I crack myself up!


It's a shame that this wonderful show is no longer at the park, especially since Tiki culture has made a comeback in a big way. Who wouldn't love to sit beneath the stars, sip your Pepsi (sorry, no zombies or mai tais are served here!), and enjoy the sights and sounds of the exotic tropics!