The Clock of the World, 1956

Oh boy, vintage Tomorrowland! I never get weary of looking at it. Here's a sweet view of the Clock of the World (I think it says it is 3:53), America Motors' "Circarama", and the TWA Rocket to the Moon.  So nice!

Here's another view; in both photos the guests are wearing sweaters and coats, so let's just say this is winter, in spite of the bright sun and vivid blue sky. Go watch Circarama's "A Tour of the West", where it's nice and warm inside! 

As far as I'm aware, "A Tour of the West" is a lost film, though it could still be sitting in a film storage vault somewhere. I'd love to see it!

Jungle Cruise, September 1966

I know we're supposed to wave "goodbye" to each boatload of Disneyland guests as they vanish into the jungles of Adventureland, but I never do. I love those people too much. Each one of them has a story, and at least one of those stories is interesting. When a boat returns safely, I fall to my knees and praise the heavens. In other words, I like drama.

I've always enjoyed the strangeness of this scene; a pride of lions is feasting on their latest kill, a juicy delicious zebra. It's OK, it's the Circle of Life! But all of the other animals sit there, staring like spectators at a baseball game. Maybe it's time to head for ze hills.

A strange, giant yellow and orange striped amoeba is about to envelope the photographer just as he was going to snap a photo of the "lost safari". I saw that happen in "The Blob", and it is no joke. Hopefully the skipper has a CO2 fire extinguisher nearby, that'll teach that blob a lesson that it won't soon forget.

Fun in Adventureland, September 1959

For the third day in a row, we're looking at pictures from 1959. Normally I try to mix it up a bit more, but a life of debauchery has caused me to lose my grip. For instance, if I didn't know better, these two ladies appear to be posing with a giant chipmunk! Not again. Wait, let me rub my eyes with my curled up fists, like they do in cartoons. Yep, still looks like a giant chipmunk. Oh well, the important thing is that it is all consensual; and hey! this is America.

There's old Smiley. He's not really smiling, he's singing "Mack the Knife", which was a hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. That is one talented crocodile.

Alpine Views, November 18 1959

"Alpine Views" sounds a lot more exciting than "yet more pictures of the Matterhorn", doesn't it? I'm sorry if I mislead you, driving you to a life of drink and drugs. "El Zocalo", the Mexican-themed cluster of souvenir stands, can be seen in the lower left. The Frontierland Shooting Gallery can be seen to the right.

There aren't too many places you can stand in Disneyland and not see the Matterhorn; Here it looms loomily above the hub and the Main Street Fire Truck.

Frontierland, September 1959

Hmmm, somehow I screwed up this post and set it to publish at 10:48 in the (late) morning. Glad I caught it before then! Sorry for the delay.

Here's a cheerful look at old Frontierland, with the shop that sold Pendleton Woolen Goods right in the center. Did you know that The Beach Boys originally called themselves The Pendletons? No joke! You can look it up at your local liberry. Not too long after this photo was taken, The Beach Boys made Pendleton wool plaid shirts a fashion craze.

I particularly love this photo of a charming "Casa de Fritos" hostess. Her tray reminds me of the ones that "cigarette girls" in old movies carried around in nightclub scenes. She has Fritos and Cheetos (but no Doritos). Notice the ticket booth (and awesome sign) for the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train ride in the background.

It's a Small World, June 1969

Yeah, yeah, I know. As much as I love the elaborate façade of "It's a Small World", I feel like I've seen enough pictures of it to last me a lifetime. AND YET... to be honest I'm still not really sick of it. Look, it's like a giant popup book, or a crazy paper sculpture. It's sponsored by the Bank of America too, and America is where I happen to live.

I propose that the Imagineers release hundreds of feral monkeys into the ride for an added sense of surprise. Disney Company, please send a large check to "Major Pepperidge" (they know where I live, they've been scanning my thoughts using microwaves for years and years).

House of 1000 Animals, Lake Placid, New York

If you happened to be in upstate New York (in the beautiful Adirondacks), you could have taken a detour to the "House of 1000 Animals" (founded in 1915) on Route 86 near Lake Placid. This oddball roadside attraction was a sort of zoo, but you could also buy the furs of the wonderful animals that you would see there. Apparently there were lots of minks, some bears, deer, a mountain lion, a llama, a few monkeys, a chupacabra, and other assorted critters. If I was driving by, I would definitely want to stop and see what was going on.

In this picture you can see some of the black bears, which were able to climb a series of ramps and steps up to some platforms. You could even feed them - always a good idea. My favorite trick is to make them grab a marshmallow from a string around my throat. Hilarious!

Deer? Rats of the forest if you ask me. Hey, so THIS is the home of Buster Bear, I always wondered. He owes me $40. I realize that Lake Placid is near Canada, and I have nothing against Canadians (hey, Justin Bieber is Canadian, and he is totally rad!), but why is the Canadian flag on display?

Could that be Buster Bear himself? We can't see his eyes, and I would only be able to tell by that twinkle that only Buster possessed. After this, let's head over to the Chimpanzee Chimp arena. Chimps are 80% water just like us!

At some point the name changed to St. Nick's Animals (you can see part of the sign for Ausable Chasm, which was not far from Lake Placid). I need a full-length mink coat for job interviews, but unfortunately this roadside attraction seems to have closed in 1980; from what I can gather, there is now a restaurant (and/or a gardening center?) in this location.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the House of 1000 Animals!

Instamatic A G-Go 2

It's time for more Kodak Instamatic pix!

You may have noticed that I have a particular love for vintage Disneyland attraction posters. No, it's true! This photo appeals to me for obvious reasons (see a photo of my very own Nature's Wonderland poster here). I'm not entirely sure why they needed an attraction poster right in front of the very ride, but it looks so great that I can't complain. As usual, there appears to be virtually no line for the amazing mine train ride.

This one is a bit fuzzy, but that's part of the deal with Instamatics. I wonder if this was taken upon arrival or as my friend was leaving the park? The sun is on its way down. Notice the star atop the Matterhorn.

This is pretty much your standard Sleeping Beauty Castle photo; but, unlike my actual visits to Disneyland, I always like seeing a crowd in pictures. It adds a lot of energy and interest to the scene.

The Log Ride, Knott's - October 1975

I'm using up the last three pictures from a lot of 1975 images. There's the good ol' Log Ride, still one of my favorite attractions at Knott's. Thanks, Bud Hurlbut! Is that a shooting gallery over to the extreme right?

This part of Knott's still looks pretty rustic in these photos, probably due to the stands of eucalyptus trees. I'm so jealous of those folks heading down the flume!

Here's an odd one, showing a tableau of Native Americans (mom, dad, and child). It is based on a painting called "The Night Watch" (see a photo of it on Viewliner's wonderful blog). Is the building behind it the John Wayne Theater? I appreciate the fact that they attempted to make the wall less conspicuous by painting a big mural of a desert scene on it.

Monorail & Subs, June 1968

Sure, I'll go to Tomorrowland circa 1968. Thanks for offering! Those were good times - you still had the Carousel of Progress, the Skyway, and Flight to the Moon. Oh and Adventure Thru Inner Space! Notice the ticket booth (designed by Rolly Crump I believe). The lady in green has a mostly-used ticket book in her right hand.

Here's a familiar view, with only a few submarines over to the right, and no Peoplemover vehicles at all. This is almost how the lagoon looked for nine years after the original closure of the Submarine Voyage and before the opening of the new "Finding Nemo" subs.