Girlie Show, 1940 New York World's Fair

Today's post is rated PG-13 - parental guidance is suggested! 

Waaaay back in 1939-1940, there was an awesome World's Fair in New York (North America, Earth). And over in the Amusement Zone, there was a full-size replica of the Potala Temple in Jehol, Manchuria (built in 1767). It was originally displayed at the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair; here's how it looked there:

Pretty neat, huh? So anyway, when it went to New York in 1939, it didn't get much buzz; in order to help attract bigger crowds in 1940, somebody had the bright idea of adding a girlie show. BRILLIANT! I was lucky enough to find a small group of color slides from the 1940 World's Fair, and among them were 7 images from this girlie show. Because this is (in theory) a "family blog", I have pixelated some of the naughtier bits (sorry!). Use your imagination. As you can see, the show had a ridiculous "Shangri-La" theme.

Amazingly, a man who worked at this exhibit when he was 19 (Herbert Taffae) recalled his spiel word for word back in 2007 - over 60 years later! Here's it is in all of its wordy glory:

It might sound strange and a trifle incongruous having lovely girls in front of the million-dollar temple of Jehol, whose gold leaf roof you can see over the top of this façade, but the fact is that we have a girlie show in here and a good one.

The author of the book "Forbidden Tibet", Horizon Hunters and technical advisor of the picture "Lost Horizon", he doesn't want his good name associated with this scandalous enterprise as brought back from the land of the lost horizon, those Terpsichordion aphrodisiacs, the love temptation dancers from the lamaseries of Tibet. A lama is a Buddhist priest and as such he must remain celibate. He must be deaf to the calls of the flesh, immune to the pangs of passion, and adverse to the charms of beautiful women. In other words, he must not marry or anything. Once a year he is given a test. The questions of which are the unquestionable figures of questionable young ladies, courtesans brought from the outside world to corrupt the young lama and seduce him from his holy way of life.

The spiel continues: Now ladies, this show has been approved by Good Housekeeping, but in case a stray moron seeking a racy spicy girl show is in this otherwise obviously intellectual audience, he too can go in there and not know the difference, but you, you lovers of art will surely recognize this show to be the apogee oriental choreography. The whole thing rises to a climax when Sasha and her hilarious horde of vivacious vestal virgins unite in that unclad climax, that orgiastic ecstasy at the tail end of our performance, the passion dance of love. It's terrific.

Now once inside, sit down as long as you like and admire the bare beautiful temple but those beautiful bare forms and I say are not too formal. Go on right away. This being the first show of the afternoon, I am going to cut the price of admission in half. Everybody goes.

Those were the days! I hope that you have enjoyed your visit to the Bendix Lama Temple!

Golden Horseshoe Revue, November 1972

I have a few unusual interiors from the Golden Horseshoe! By 1972, the Revue had been running for 17 years, and it still had another 14 years to go! Wow. 

This first picture was taken from the balcony, with Fulton Burley fronting a bevy of beauties who have walked right off of the cover of the "Police Gazette". Any idea what Fulton would have been singing at this point in the show? Maybe "Beautiful Dreamer"? 

Before the show, when the house lights were on, our photographer snapped this shot looking toward the bar, where guests could get an ice cold Pepsi ("Put it in a dirty glass!").

Knott's Pitchur Gallery

The "Pitchur Gallery" was at Knott's Berry Farm for many years, and was a popular spot for creating a unique, humorous souvenir. I sometimes think it would be fun to try to find as many different scenes as possible, but then I remember that I have to pay for all of them. Anyway, here is a fun selection!

I love this first one; Sad Eye Joe probably wasn't crazy about sharing his cell, but nobody said that prison was fun. The lady looks dazed, she is regretting her life of crime. Her husband is unrepentant, and is already plotting his next bank holdup. I wonder what ever happened to that hand-carved Sad Eye Joe head (and did experts know that there was more than one Joe at the park)?

This young couple posed as newlyweds, he in his topcoat (bowler hat in hand), she in the frilliest wedding gown. Isn't she pretty?

And finally, my favorite of the bunch. Sometimes you don't have many choices when you're looking for a place to board, but this couple doesn't seem to mind the fact that they are staying in Goldie's Joint. I love that the lady has her leg out the side window, just like the kicking leg that is still visible today!

America Squawks, August 1982

"America Sings" is one of those fondly-remembered attractions from way back when; it replaced the Carousel of Progress in 1974, and the show celebrated the history of American music from the colonial days up to rock and roll!

Here's a shot of the "Geese Quartet", which performed a number of songs during several musical eras. This one is clearly an "old west" theme.

Here's a slightly closer look; they were probably in the middle of their medley of three songs, "Drill, Ye Texas Terriers, Drill", "I've Been Working on the Railroad", and "Fireball Mail". Before the attraction closed in 1988, two of the geese were removed, stripped of their polyvinyl skins, and turned into robots for Star Tours (which debuted in 1987). 

This is a fun photo from the "Gay '90's" portion of the show. There's a pig, a fox, a bird in a gilded cage, storks on penny-farthing bicycles, and four geese performing "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay". I still remember the arthritic can-can dancers!

Leftuggies, 1996-style

We're getting down to the last of the photos from 1996, which explains why today's selection is kind of random.

Next to the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor, you would find this charming outdoor dining area, accented with red and white umbrellas. There's something so festive about red and white, isn't there? It must be early, there's not a soul to be seen. Notice the dalmatians in the window display under the Carnation sign. Probably advertising some new dog-flavored ice cream. What else could it be?

Here's an unusual angle showing the Plaza Inn. I wish I could be sitting under one of those umbrellas right now, relaxing and taking in the scenery. I love the striped flower beds that lead to the entrance to Tomorrowland.

And finally, a photo that could could have been snapped yesterday, with the Mark Twain heading into the wilderness. The landscape looks so lush and green and inviting!

Jungleland U.S.A., August 1963

I am always happy to find slides of Jungleland U.S.A., located in Thousand Oaks, California (about 30 minutes North of Los Angeles).

Performing animals were one of the main attractions at Jungleland! Mabel Stark was an old lady by 1963, but she was world-famous for her work with big cats. Here she is (barely visible) surrounded by 5 beautiful, dangerous tigers! Those hills in the distance are so familiar to me, having lived in Thousand Oaks years later.

Hollywood studios often used the animals at Jungleland in movies and TV shows, I wouldn't be surprised if this pachyderm showed up in an episode of "Gilligan's Island" (or whatever)! 

Some animal shows didn't require steel cages, so this amphitheater was for tamer acts, like parrots riding tiny tricycles, and sure-footed goats performing feats of wonder. 

There will be more Jungleland images to come!

At The Old Mill, May 1973

Wulp, today is Sunday, and that means that millions and millions (OK, 9 out of the 11) of GDB readers are taking a day of rest. "Goofing off" is more accurate! That's why I am posting two snooze-tastic pictures.

The old days. If this is what they used to grind corn, just imagine what they must have used to make donuts - that machine must have been enormous. I wonder what mom has in her cool and colorful Disneyland bag? I am guessing that it is an article of clothing. Inside the mill, guests are given free spoonfuls of flour to taste. The first one to be able to whistle the Davy Crockett theme wins a second spoonful!

I can tell from the look on this girl's face; she really wants to throw something into the water. A penny, a camera, the car keys, it doesn't really matter.

Vintage Los Angeles - Broadway, 1958

I am a sucker for vintage L.A., and while I don't have nearly as many photos of the city as I'd like, I still have a few worth sharing.

This first one is from the corner of Broadway and 7th (that's Broadway running left to right). On the corner is the Loew's State Theater, which I would imagine had seen better days by 1958, like so many other movie palaces. It opened in 1921and showed movies and vaudeville acts (such as Judy Garland, as one of the Gumm sisters). Above the marquee (showing "How to Make a Monster" and "Teenage Caveman") you can barely see a banner featuring an ad for the L.A. County Fair; the mascot is a pig named "Thummer", because he is hitch-hiking!

In 1998, the State stopped showing movies, and the space now operates as a Spanish language church. 

We're still on Broadway, this time just north of 6th Street. My favorite details are the many movie theaters visible. The Arcade is showing "Loving You" starring Elvis Presley (only his second film), along with "Operation Mad Ball" with Jack Lemmon and Mickey Rooney. The Cameo is showing "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" starring Robert Mitchum, on a double bill with "Man Without a Star" featuring Kirk Douglas (these were not new movies in 1958). And the Roxie has "The Bravados" with Gregory Peck, along with "Tank Force" starring Victor Mature.

This is about as close as I could get to replicating the same view using Google Maps' Street View. The area looks fairly neat and clean, but lacks all of the vitality seen in the previous picture.

Ye Olde Autopia, December 1998

Today we are continuing our look at the Autopia from before 1999's temporary closure for major refurbishments that changed the look of the attraction forever. 

Here's a beautiful (and unusual) picture, taken from an Autopia vehicle. What a great view of the sub lagoon, normally seen from above. Although I am on the record as not being too crazy about these Mark V Monorail trains, this one does look pretty neat. Notice the subs in the distance, with their yellow paint jobs... the Submarine Voyage had closed in September of 1998. As you know, it finally reopened as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in June 2007.

In most of these photos, I am impressed by the lush landscaping; plenty of trees and shrubs help to soften and beautify what could have been acres of concrete and blacktop.

Lastly (for today) we get this nice low-to-the-ground look at those cool Corvette-style cars passing us in the opposite direction. If I could own one of those cars (sure, that'll happen), which color would I want? Decisions, decisions. 

More Photos From The Early 1970's

Today we'll be looking at more stereo slides (in non-stereo) from the early 70's. I hope you are all wearing your bell bottoms. 

Here's a nice shot of a canoe as it passes a little shack on Tom Sawyer Island. Did this shack serve any purpose, or was it just there for atmosphere? Out photographer labeled this slide "Indian War Canoes" - this is a clue! The attraction actually was called the Indian War Canoes until the name was changed to "Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes" in May of 1971. Could that help us narrow down the date? Another photo shows a "GAF picture Trail", and GAF had taken over from Kodak in 1970.

Unfortunately, our photographer was not very reliable with his labels. For instance, this one says "The River Queen Ride". Phooey.

And finally how about a too-dark picture of the Swiss Family Treehouse (or as the label says, "Fancy Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse")? I am happy to report that the rest of the photos in this series (about 10 more) are not dark, and we even get some parking lot views - always popular with the readers!