Run Silent, Run Not So Deep

Check out the sub, bub! I also call it a hoagie. I love the elaborate rock work, the beautiful waterfalls, the blue-green water, and the leprechaun. You see him, don't you? I'm not crazy.

I'm not sure if my brain is feeding me a false memory, but I associate the smell of diesel fumes with the Submarine Voyage. Which means that I am often made very happy while walking around Los Angeles.

Jungeland - Thousand Oaks - April 1959

Today I am posting the remaining batch of Jungleland photos from April 1959 (see the other installment here).

I get a kick out of these because the hillsides in the background are so familiar to me, having lived in Thousand Oaks for many years. And because I have fuzzy (but fond) memories of Jungleland from when I was a tiny tot.

I wish I knew more about the performers seen in these photos. From the looks of things, they were just passing through with their trailers. Maybe they were only at Jungleland for a week or so, who knows. As you can see, a crowd has gathered 'round to watch the antics of a performing chimpanzee.

Man, that chimp is talented! I can't do that pose standing on the ground, much less atop a pole. Believe me, I've tried and tried, especially at funerals and job interviews.

It's an elephant conga line! At least I hope that's what it is.

Until I saw these photos, I never knew that there were trapeze artists at Jungleland. But I can't be too surprised, since the park straddled the line between zoo and circus.

They fly through the air with the greatest of ease. You may think they are using a safety net, but that is actually a net made of piano wire. One slip and they will be reduced to meat cubes. Lions love meat cubes.

Man, I gotta get into that trapeze racket, check out the babes! Don't worry, I respect them for their minds, which makes me awesome.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to JUNGLELAND U.S.A.!

Nature's Wonderland, August 1960

It's always a pleasure to spend a few moments revisiting Nature's Wonderland... especially when the photos are not the same old thing. Incidentally, Nature's Wonderland had only opened about three months before these photos were taken.

This first one is my favorite, a "you are there" scene as we ride in a bright yellow mine car through the Painted Desert, amidst strange rock formations shaped by wind and water. Some boulders are precariously balanced on top of those spires, and the rumbling of the train causes them to spin and tumble. Up above us, a bobcat looks down as if ready to pounce!

Over in Beaver Valley we see a flock of (what else?) beavers! These large, semi-aquatic rodents are renown for their industry, building dams and lodges and even a few motels. Sadly, beaver populations declined drastically when unicorns became more popular.

2 From February 20 1960

Every once in a while I post photos that are so lame that I feel guilty about doing so. And I am a sociopath! Anyway, today is one of those days. Hey, howsabout a picture of a tree trunk in Frontierland? I guess it is interesting as tree trunks go, and I haven't seen lots of other pictures just like it, but yeesh. Sorry, homies.

This one is maybe not as lame, but it is not particularly interesting either. I like the spinning teacups just fine, only I have many other better pictures of it. 

Come back tomorrow, I promise it will be much mo' better.

Welcome to Indiana

Today we're going to visit the Hoosier state - Indiana! Why? Because I had these two cool photos, that's why!

I know basically nothing about car racing, but even as a tadpole I was aware of the Indianapolis 500. You can watch those Indy cars go 'round and 'round, 200 laps (for a total of 500 miles, of course).  It sounds a bit monotonous to me, but my sister went one year and said that the energy of the crowd and the roar of the engines (none of which you get on TV) adds a lot to the experience. I'll take her word for it! I'll always root for the car with the "Tide" advertisements, just because I like those graphics. And hey, an exciting accident (with no injuries) will always spice things up, am I right?

Meanwhile, check out this fun photos (from sometime in the 1950's) showing the entrance to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The lady's red skirt is just the accent this picture needs!

Thanks to that license plate, we can date this photo to 1949. That kid is about as all-American as they get! I hope he is planning on changing his clothes before tearing around with that football. Mom doesn't need to deal with grass stains.

More Vintage Disneyland Wardrobe Department!

Here is the last of the vintage scans from the Disneyland Wardrobe Department - for now! I thought this was really the last of them, and then Huck (who has been sharing these with all of us) revealed that he had more, but just hasn't had time to clean them up. So, think of this as a hiatus.

Arrrr! Here's our friend Sandy in her June 1970 Pirates of the Caribbean ensemble. I'm not so sure about the white pants (even the ladies get "floods"!), those don't feel very "piratey". Maybe she's one of the pirates that goes to a lot of garden parties or works in real estate.

Since this is the 13th VDWD post, it is only appropriate that we get to take a look at the costumes from the Haunted Mansion! Here is what the women's outfits would have looked like back in June of 1969. Not terribly different from today, if I'm not mistaken. Nice doily on her head! I love the bat in the hat.

What does a submarine skipper do when he retires from the service? In this case, he becomes a butler. A creeeeeeepy butler! "You rang?". Suddenly I realized that the thing that has been missing in my life is a purple vest.

I would like to thank Huck for sharing his collection of vintage Disneyland Wardrobe Department photos, and for all of his efforts in cleaning up the scans and doing considerable color adjustments, which I know took him a lot of time.

Random Thursday

Sometimes the random selections on GDB can be pretty great. But not every time! I give these two a B-minus average.

If you happened to board the Monorail at the Disneyland Hotel (and were sitting on the port side of your Monorail) in 1964, and you turned your noggin to the left at just the right moment, you might have seen a view very similar to the one below. 

Even grownups love to ride a carrousel once in a while. It's more fun than doing taxes!

Wiggle Vision Extravaganza

You can have your Panavision, and Vistavision, and even your Circlevision... I prefer the brain-splitting splendiferousness of Wiggle Vision! Today I have three animated gifs made from stereo slides, just for you. If you happen to be more sensitive to the these "moving" pictures, you might want to skip GDB and come back tomorrow. I'll understand!

First the regular non-wiggly version of this great shot of the Douglas moon rocket...

... and here's the wiggly version! I made about 10 animated gifs from various slides, with varying degrees of success. Some of them just look strangely rubbery. But this one gives a pretty decent 3-D illusion, in my opinion.

Check out this wonderful shot of the Hall of Chemistry!

While this animated gif has some of that strange stretchy "elasticity" that I mentioned before, it still has pretty nice depth to it.

Monsanto again, this time with their all plastic, all fantastic House of the Future.

Wiggle, darn you, wiggle like you've never wiggled before!

I know some of you won't be digging the animated gifs (for understandable reasons), so let me know if you'd like to see more or if this is more than enough!

Two From September 1966

I try to see something unique and fun in every photo that I post here on GDB, but my gob, it can get tricky when it comes to yet another photo of the Mark Twain. I think I'll concentrate on the out-of-focus family in the foreground, with the petrified tree stump to the right. Walt gave the stump to Lillian as an anniversary present; I guess she should consider herself lucky that he didn't give her fossilized dinosaur poo.

Skull Rock! Skull Rock! After I have built my exact replica of the House of the Future (to live in), I will build my second home to look just like skull rock. It will have to be scaled up, King Kong-style. The eyes will be the windows from the master bedroom, and there will be a Slurpee machine on every floor.

Instamatic Installment

It's time for more Kodak Instamatic goodness! My pal "Mr. X" took these when he was a teenager, and generously gave the negatives to me. He's somewhat dismissive of them, but I think that he got a lot of interesting, different photographs!

I really like this unusual view, taken from the parking lot tram as it passes under the Monorail beamway. The 4-car blue Monorail train is returning to the park with a full load of happy Disneyland Hotel guests. 

The Disneyland Band appears to be leaderless as it marches through Tomorrowland. In the background is the 20,000 Leagues walk-thru; the many folding chairs imply that a musical act (Count Basie? Woody Herman?) will be performing there later.

Here's a nice photo of a Horse-drawn Streetcar on Main Street, just as the track splits into two (to allow two-way traffic when necessary). I'm not a "horse person" really, but that is a really neat animal!