WDW Guide, 1979 (Part 2)

Hey folks, here is PART DEUX of Ken Martinez's article featuring a 1979 WDW guide!

Walt Disney World Guide – The Vacation Kingdom 1979 (Part 2)

Here’s the second half of the guide from my second trip to Walt Disney World.  As I mentioned before, my first visit was in 1978. I visited again in 1979, 1983 and 1984.  My experience outside the gates of the Magic Kingdom was somewhat limited, but I did see a few things during those visits to the Florida property during its early years.

This is the map I remember during my visits to Walt Disney World.  As you can see, the property was pretty manageable as far as being able to see much of what there was to offer.  Later during the Eisner era there was so much added that it would be pretty impossible to see everything in a single vacation.

Of course since the guide booklet was by Polaroid, there would be pages on how to take pictures and movies of Walt Disney World.  I’m trying to remember if they had picture spots like Disneyland did.  Does anyone know?

On the complimentary attractions I do remember going on “If You Had Wings” several times, but only went on Carousel of Progress once.  I didn’t go on Monsanto’s America the Beautiful which I now think is strange because it was also free.  Back in the early days they still utilized ticket system and I spent most of my energy buying extra ‘E’ tickets and riding those attractions.

I saw both the Main Street Electrical Parade and the Electrical Water Pageant.  I remember upon my first visit, I took the monorail from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom in the early morning, but in the evening after watching the Electrical Parade and Fantasy in the Sky, I returned to the TTC via ferryboat.  That is when I saw the Electrical Water Pageant.  It was definitely a magical experience for me.

I never stayed at any Disney Hotel, but instead off-property.  It was just too expensive for my budget.  I was only 18 years old when I first visited Magic Kingdom and I was on my own.  I did walk through the lobbies of both the Contemporary and Polynesian Resort hotels and investigated the grounds a little bit, but that was it.

As for the Gold Resort Hotel and Fort Wilderness Campground, I didn’t see either of those on any of the trips I took to Walt Disney World except in the distance.  Love the image of the Fort Wilderness Railroad train (Wilderness Line).

In Lake Buena Vista Village I visited The Walt DIsney World Shopping Village.  The place was very much removed from the core of Walt Disney World at the time.

Don’t know what I can say about the Villas as I never saw them.  Funny thing about the ad for their films here is that around this time (1979) I lost interest in Disney Studio output.  The only films I remember watching in the theater during that time were “The Black Hole” and ‘Tron”.  I wouldn’t bother with Disney movies again until Eisner came on board and brought the studio to current times.  

And of course there’s a Polaroid ad on the back cover because the guide is sponsored by Polaroid.  At least that’s how I think it works.

That concludes “The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom” (1979).  I hope you enjoyed the images and recollections of my early visits to the Florida property.  As I said before, I haven’t been back in over 30 years and I know it’s not the same as those early years.  Next stop…  EPCOT Center!

THANK YOU to Ken Martinez for all of his time and effort ( I know these take a lot of time ) in putting these posts together, I am very appreciative of all of his hard work.

Wizard of Blahs

What's a person to do with scans of slides that are kind of lousy? Throw them away? That would be wasteful. Share them on a Sunday, when hardly anyone looks at the blog? Good idea!

Both of today's scans come from a lot of slides from February, 1961. There are some goodies in the batch, but these kind of lousy. 

Like this one, showing a still fairly new Cascade Peak, as seen from the deck of the Columbia. I just want to scurry up those ropes in the foreground. For some reason this photo is very gray and ugly, even though (in theory) I have hardly met a photo of Cascade Peak that I haven't liked. 

This might not be the worst photo of Mickey Mouse's floral portrait, but it is definitely in the running. Not quite in focus, out of plumb, and just sort of "ugh". 

Kids!

Today's "Anything Goes Saturday" scans are fun images of kids being kids! Like this first one, with two brothers, listening to their "It's a Small World" album while flipping through the full-color illustrated booklet - I had my own copy of that very same album, and listened to it so many times. The comforting narration by Winston Hibler was so great! Perhaps my love of that album is why the endless song from that attraction doesn't drive me crazy. 

Notice the model of a Junkers Ju 87 (?) in the corner - my older brother used to build all kinds of plastic models of WWII airplanes (I did too, but I was lame at it), and they hung from our bedroom ceiling in eternal aerial combat. 

Here's the cover of the album - how many of you had this one? Unfortunately I sold all of my Disneyland vinyl albums on eBay last year, otherwise I would have scanned the entire interior booklet.

Next up is this fun shot of two girls (sisters?) playing their Barbie dolls, along with their considerable collection of accoutrements - including a shotgun?! The girl in red is making Barbie and Ken (or whoever those dolls are) kiss - typical mushy girl stuff. Besides their impressive assortment of dresses, wigs, hats, and other cool stuff is Barbie's "dream car", introduced in 1962.

Here's a better look at one - it was an Austin-Healy 3000 MKI convertible roadster. There was a bubblegum-pink version, and an "orange-brown" version with a turquoise interior. That's a pretty sweet ride for a stewardess/dentist/fashion model/gymnast!

More Bear Country Construction!

I have more scans of snapshots showing "Bear Country" under construction. 

This first one is interesting because the Disneyland Railroad was able to pass right through the middle of the chaos - it's amazing that they were OK with that. Maybe they even thought of it as a kind of attraction, like they did in 1959 - the "Greatest Construction Show on Earth"! Perhaps today they would put up some sort of barriers? Or those painted/printed scrims? A Keelboat is in the foreground - we love ya, little Keelboat.

It would be more fun if I knew what these skeletal structures would eventually become! No such luck. If anybody has an idea, please chime in; we can see the arched front of one building, to our left - that one is fairly distinctive.

You can really see how massive the famous berm is - I would guess that it's around 20 feet high at this point. That's a lot of dirt! Beyond it is acres of parking lot, and the Disneyland Hotel of course.

There are only three more from this bunch!

Huck Returns!

Long-time readers of GDB are familiar with Huck Caton, who has contributed many wonderful images for everyone to enjoy. Well, Huck is back, and this time he is sharing some beautiful photos that he took back on April 18th, 1995. That was a Tuesday, just two days after Easter, and from the look of things, it was a beautiful day.

I'll be posting these in a random manner; let's start out with this nice shot of a sign outside Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room - sponsored by Dole, which has sponsored the attraction since 1976. As you can see, Uti (the Goddess of fishing) was still there on her outrigger canoe, which is very cool. By January 2000 she was removed after a collapse due to poor maintenance (and she eventually vanished mysteriously). She was designed by Rolly Crump, and the sign also has a very Crumpish face painted on it.

Here's a very unusual angle looking at the load area for the Canoes - clearly not in service in the off-season of April. It is swell to see a Keel Boat still on the river! Across the water is a pre-"Pirate's Lair" Tom Sawyer Island.

And lastly (for today), here's a shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle as seen from Fantasyland's courtyard. That castle needs to be much more pink!  To the right we can just see a guest entering the doorway that led to the inner passageways where the dioramas featuring scenes from Sleeping Beauty could be seen. The castle walk-thru was closed in 2001, but was restored and reopened in November of 2008, better than ever. It's one of my favorite things at Disneyland.

Many thanks to Huck! Stay tuned for more from him in future installments.

Cast Member, September 1974

A few weeks ago I acquired today's fun images of a Disneyland cast member, circa 1974. As we can see from her tag, her name was "Karin". After doing a bit of research and asking friends in the know, I think that Karin worked in Fantasyland for "Outdoor Foods" (ice cream/popcorn). You might recall the many photos of costumed employees that were posted here on GDB (graciously provided by Huck Caton); this is a nice addition to that record. Styles had certainly changed by this time... that multicolored bumblebee pattern is all kinds of 1974 awesome.

Here's Karin again; there's the Fantasyland Autopia in the background (that familiar fencing is barely visible). To her right (our left) is a Monorail pylon.

What are the odds that Karin, or somebody that knew her, could see these photos? It would be cool to hear from her!

Main Street, 1959

Over the years I have gained a much greater appreciation of Main Street U.S.A., compared to when I was a callow youth. And while I still get very excited when I find an especially great slide showing Tomorrowland or Fantasyland, some of my favorite images are the ones that show a bustling, beautiful Main Street in its heyday.

Like this great one! First of all, there's one of the more famous flagpoles in the world (think about it!) with its ornate base - previously a street light in Los Angeles. The middle of Town Square had benches and shady areas to enjoy, along with tidy grass, and (in this case) newly-planted flowers. Notice the old water fountain!

A Horse Drawn Streetcar carries three cast members, including one daredevil who appears to have jumped on while the vehicle was still moving. What a showoff.

I have pointed out how much I like seeing the Santa Fe logo in the park. First of all, it's a great logo! And it harkens back to the days when the Disneyland Railroad was sponsored by that legendary company. 

The Mickey Mouse flag is pretty great too.

Rediscovered Photos, 1960's

While looking through boxes of previously-scanned slides, I found these two images (undated) that had never been scanned. I don't know if it was just an oversight, or if I thought that they were too boring at the time. The color was fine, so that wasn't why I skipped them. Whatever the case was, I like them now!

I'm guessing that this nice couple was brought to the park by their grown up kid (a daughter, I'd wager). Who not go to the Happiest Place on Earth? Of course a photo had to be taken in front of the Mickey floral portrait. Bonus points for the yellow passenger cars of the Disneyland Railroad in the background, not to mention the Kalamazoo Hand Car.

We can just see that it is around 10:20 - the park probably opened at 10 o'clock, so there was plenty of time to do everything.

I'll bet those two were childhood sweethearts! They hadn't gone very far before it was time for another portrait, this time in Town Square. There's lots of fun details, the popcorn wagon, the cannon, the Streetcar, and even the distinctive white metal chairs from the Hills Bros. Coffee House. 

Random Stuff, October 1961

If you love bad photos of Disneyland, then today's your lucky day!

In this first one, Tomorrowland is behind us (because who wants to take a picture of that place?), Frontierland is in front of us, but mostly there's a whole lotta flowers. At first I thought they might be poinsettias, but that would kind of odd for October. Who am I, Mr. Flower-knowing Guy? All I do know is that they are very red. This is where the "Partners" statue would eventually go. I'm not crazy about it, but nobody asked me, for some reason.

Look out! Those sparrows look rabid!

There they are: swans. "Chickens of the Moat". Roasted, baked, broiled or fried, they are delicious. If only I could somehow have music by Swans (the band) play automatically, I would. Unfortunately most of my audience would leave GDB forever.

Saturday Stuff

I feel terrible that I did not produce anything silly for this April 1st post; as I explained yesterday, it was a case of lack of inspiration, and my few attempts not really working out. SO, that means that this will be just another "Anything Goes" Saturday. Looking through a folder of already-scanned stuff, I decided that I should share a variety of random ephemera. I mean really random. No Disneyland stuff! Just items that are in one of several boxes of junk.

I'll start out with this "Honorary Engineer" pass for Freedomland U.S.A.'s Santa Fe Railway - presumably given out by Santa Fe, though I suppose guests could have received these at Freedomland. The front looks like a typical souvenir pass, while the back is a tiny advertisement for dining on the Super Chief (Whoo-whoo! Anyone? Anyone?). I love this type of souvenir... the kind that mostly wound up in the landfill.

This next piece is a pin made of die cut card stock (with a safety pin on the back), from the 1964 New York World's Fair. The pointing blue finger is similar to signs seen around the Chrysler pavilion - "fingerboards", literally - indicating which way to go to see particular features. 

I don't know if these were given out to anyone who wanted one (the cheap nature of their manufacture makes me think that that's the case) or if they truly were given to people deemed to be Very Important.  Like Pinky Lee.

I love this striking bumper sticker from the early 1960's, advertising Weeki Wachee Springs. What a striking design! I really think it's pretty spectacular, and the sticker itself is larger than your typical bumper decor. Of course Weeki Wachee was famous for its underwater performances by "mermaids", as well as thrilling water skiing demonstrations.

There's something about humble felt pennants that I like, though I generally don't collect them; I have a few, but it's almost like they materialized accidentally. Except for the tiny 6-inch pennant below, from the last day of the original New York World's Fair, which ran from April to October in both 1939 and 1940. So sad that it had to end.

And now for something completely different... how about a paper hat for employees of Kentucky Friend Chicken restaurants, circa 1954? Despite being made of paper, it is fairly sturdy, almost cloth-like; it was probably made from a space age material developed for NACA (the predecessor of NASA), and likely could withstand the heat of reentry. This elegant hat is suitable for many occasions; the opera, town hall meetings, standing behind an "on the scene" newscaster and waving, and so on. Everyone loves the Colonel!

And finally, I have a scan of a scarce-ish flyer from Knott's Berry Farm from the odd, short-lived "Bewitched Village". This feature was located roughly where folks now wait in line for the Calico Mine Train. lasted from about 1956 to 1959; the conceit was that some Ghost Town residents  drank from a magic well and turned into animals. But they still acted like people! Oooooh-Kay. They wore clothes, walked on their hind legs, microwaved some pizza rolls... all the things that you and I do.

You've seen them on Jack Parr, Gary Moore, Johnny Carson, etcetera! Maybe you've even read about them in Colliers. That Raccoon shooting hoops was with the Baltimore Bullets for three seasons! 

I miss the days when a place like Knott's could have such a weird little attraction.

Well, that's all for today. Have a happy April 1st, everyone! I hope you've enjoyed all of this random stuff.