New York World's Fair, July 1964

To the Fair once more...

And we'll start things out with a bang! Isn't this a beauty? You all know it's the Tower of the Four Winds. "Meet Me Beneath the Tower of the Four Winds and Bring Me a Sammich While You're At It" was a popular slogan at the Fair. Walt Disney's Imagineers depleted the nation's critical supply of doohickeys when they built this thing, giving the commies a temporary advantage.


Where else would you find a replica of Grauman's Chinese Theater than at the "Hollywood USA" pavilion? "Visitors can be photographed in exact replicas of sets from Cleopatra and South Pacific, walk through a street scene from West Side Story and watch a duel on the 'Gunsmoke' set." I would have preferred a "Munsters" scene, but that's just me.


Have you ever seen a fountain surrounded by a giant fence of barbed wire? They had one at the Fair! The symbolism is lost on me, but if you call it the Astral Fountain it sounds friendlier. And from the looks of things, if the spikes didn't keep you away, the unpredictable water spray did. Unless you like that sort of thing. Toddlers and Swedes, I'm looking at you.

Fantasyland & Souvenir Booth, August 1958

I have a number of photos in my collection that are very similar to today's offering; we're looking down into the heart of Fantasyland from the Skyway. Teacups, the Carrousel, the Mickey Mouse Club Theater... yep, everything appears to be in order!


I am interested in that little souvenir booth, though... not sure it appears in any of my other pictures. Zooming in revealed only a few details, but they're fun; you can see stacks of Keppy Kaps in both white and yellow - boy were those things popular (I still need a yellow version in my collection)! I think I can make out some souvenir plates (?) and some felt pennants (somebody needs to document all of the various felt pennants that were available over the years). You could probably pick up some Kodak film there, I'll bet. And of course there's that postcard rack... I'll take three of each!

Walt Disney World, 1982/83

I decided to delve into my small group of Walt Disney World slides and share some of those vintage images with you. I'm not going to have much to add as far as my own commentary goes, because I've never been to Florida. So if anybody out there sees anything of interest, speak up! I should add that these photos aren't that vintage, being from the early 80's, but they're just the first to get scanned.

I have a friend who complains pretty negatively about Florida's Tomorrowland, but it looks cool to me. I love Disneyland and its intimate scale, but have to admit that the larger scale (particularly of Space Mountain) can't help but impress. And look, you can just see the WEDway Peoplemover, which is still there (lucky!). To the right you can see a bit of the Star Jets, placed at the top of the Peoplemover platform. I guess that this has been replaced with a version of the Astro Orbiter (and moved down to ground level) just like in Anaheim. Such a shame for a neat ride.


The Carrousel is a classic attraction, and an authentic 1917 ride that once graced Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey. In these days it was known as "Cinderella's Golden Carrousel", and for various lame reasons has been renamed "Prince Charming's Regal Carrousel".


Everybody loves Winnie the Pooh, wearing his jar of hunny (didn't there used to be a bumble bee?). Judging from Pooh's wonky eyes, he has suffered a recent head trauma. Tigger bounced him. Bounced him - with extreme prejudice.

More Dizzy World to come!

3 From Knott's, June 1963

Today's visit to the Berry Farm is spooky, each photo is entirely devoid of people. It's like a ghost town!

The Knott's builders had "rickety" down to a science. No board was too broken or weathered, no piece of metal too rusty. A busted wagon wheel was a thing of beauty to be put on display. Anyway, this fenced-off piece of real estate says it's the home of the "Dry Gulch Pack Train", so I can only assume that you could board a shiny late-model mule somewhere nearby for a ride around the property.


Even the area where you panned for gold is deserted. The troughs that hold the gold-laden dirt are covered and yes, padlocked - I'm sure that more than one guest (me for instance) had a bright idea about taking some of that dirt home so that it could be panned in the bathtub.


The Ghost Town Office appears to be closed today. They keep banker's hours here, probably. I'm getting some good decorating ideas here; a variety of skulls, horse collars, ox yokes, washboards, scythes and a little love, that's what makes a house a home. Maybe a throw-pillow or two as well.

Return to Madurodam

It's time for another visit to Madurodam! What was it? For more info, please see my previous posts here and here.

Here's a nice general view of the place... I think it's interesting that it was built in a sort of shallow bowl and then surrounded by trees. It blocks out the surrounding world in much the same way the berm does at Disneyland. My guess is that there are tall buildings all around it these days.


Check out this amazing miniature port, with berths for ships and boats of all kinds. There are cranes for loading cargo, and tiny trucks and vehicles, and even teeny-tiny people. One of the first photos I ever saw of Madurodam was in LIFE magazine (I think), and it had a man guiding a ship through the water very much like the soggy fellow in this photo. When no one is around he pretends he is the Green Gargantua.


More impressive details...


I'd like to see this place when it's been snowing!

Busch Gardens, 1966

Today I have two slides featuring my favorite family; the very first post on this blog had a photo of the mom and her son at Disneyland (sis was too young, or maybe not even born yet). We've also see them at Knott's, Santa's Village, and Jungleland.

Anyway, today we're visiting Busch Gardens in beautiful, glamorous Van Nuys, California. It's long gone, having closed in 1979 so that Anheuser Busch could make a few zillion more gallons of beer. We don't get a very good look at the park itself in these pictures, but that's OK! Here, mom and the kids are posing next to some monstrous ABC television cameras; what the heck is going on?


Hey, there's Dick Clark! He's America's Oldest Teenager! That's right, host of "American Bandstand", "$20,000 Pyramid", "New Year's Rockin' Eve", and those dumb bloopers shows (Ha! John Ritter flubbed his lines again!). I'm not sure what he was doing at Busch Gardens, but I'll bet one of you out there in blogger land might have an idea or two.

Skyway Views, March 1958

You might as well skip this blog today. I'm serious. Go ahead, I won't take it personally.

Still here? Well OK, don't say I didn't warn you. Here we are, in our luxurious Skyway bucket, looking through the Pirate Ship's tangle of masts, spars and ropes. There are no sails in this picture... those things must have rotted away in no time. Anyway, you can see the patchwork quilt of Storybook Land below, with Cinderella's castle to the left.


The most interesting thing in this picture is what is beyond the berm. Lots of weed-filled fields, a few outbuildings, and then a number of prefab warehouse-type structures which I can only assume were Disney-owned. Who knows what wonders went on in those modest buildings!

Moonliner & Matterhorn, January 1960

It's so strange to see Disneyland under cloudy gray skies, but that's what you get once in a while. At least it keeps the crowds away (sometimes). A few sprinkles? Even better! Tornados? No problem! In fact, the best time to be at the park is during a plague of locusts. "Peter Pan" is a walk-on.

Here's the rocket to the Moon in 1960, it wouldn't have the "TWA" on it much longer, although actor Kirk Douglas wouldn't put his name on it until 1962. What an ego! The Astro Jets are doin' their thang; the seats to our right look like the kind you might find in a grade-school classroom (see the little built-in tables?), but they were there for patrons of the Yacht Bar, or for freeloaders. If you look carefully you can see the giant golden thimble above the Thimble-drome Flight Circle.


The Matterhorn wasn't even a year old here. Love that waterfall that cascades past so many levels of the bobsled track. Does this 'fall even exist anymore?

A Fine Pair From March 1957

This first photo of the Jungle Cruise dock is very nice, and it yields some nice details if you look closely. Like the guys up in the observation tower! That must have been a nice job. Way to the right, next to the "Exit" sign, you can see a handy postcard rack in case you are overcome with the need to write home after your journey through the jungle. There are also plenty of fire extinguishers handy in case you need to hit a hippo over the head with something heavy.


And here's another detail... a Dumbo attraction poster. And to the left of that is a rare Red Wagon Inn poster (trust me!).


I love early views of the Autopia. This one is a partially-obscured view, kind of like when you were at that Cub's game and were stuck behind the column. Looks like some of those original orange trees are in the background.

Christmas in Disneyland, January 1966

Christmas is a fun time at Disneyland (minus the crowds that have been appearing in recent years). The lights, the decorations, the parades, the music - the whole deal. And back in the pre-1970's energy crisis days, the Matterhorn was topped with a giant star that was visible for miles. I have several photos of the star during the day, but was happy to find this one with the star blazing brightly. I think that (in past discussions) we have established that the star turned slowly too.


And just because, here's the castle!