Entering Disneyland, October 1963

Disneyland has been surrounded (in large part) by unlovely chain link fence for decades. If it had been up to me, I would have had it electrified, but... nobody listens. A big metal fence is not the most welcoming thing in the world, so I like that Walt and his crew decided to soften its appearance by planting a whole bunch of roses along part of it. Plus, the thorns are yet another line of defense (all natural!) to keep sneaky teens from getting in for free.

There's the familiar old train station (well, only eight years old at this point), looking wonderful in the bright October sunshine. The sky could hardly be bluer. 

Amusement Parks, Tampa

All three of today's photos were taken in Tampa, Florida - more than a decade apart. 

The first two images show the "Trans-Veldt Railway" from Busch Gardens. I knew nothing about this li'l train, so I asked Mr. Google for some help, and he directed me to this helpful site... "Theme Park Trains". 

Here's a quote from that excellent website: The Busch Gardens Tampa Trans Veldt Railway was introduced in 1971, with custom built trains designed to reflect the African theme of the Wild Animal Kingdom. The two trains were designed to serve as transportation for park guests to get around the sprawling park as well as to offer unique views of the animal areas along the park's "Serengeti Plain".

It continues: The Trans Veldt Railway cost $1 million to build and featured two locomotives that were built by Crown Metal Products, using the standard chassis and boilers that most of the 36" Crown locomotives used. The African styling of the locomotives was created with details like European style buffers and cowcatchers, brass marker lamps, arch roofed cabs and round windows. The two locomotives were built nearly identically, with the #4 locomotive featuring 3 domes, and the #9 only featuring two initially, though a third was added in later years.

This next slide is from 1956 and was labeled "Bobby and Lisa - Tampa Fair". Notice the train in the background; the word "midway" can be seen; presumably this was some sort of traveling carnival, moving from town to town along via railway.

Wonderful Tomorrowland, 1957

Oh boy, it's time to visit vintage Tomorrowland. My favorite! Of all the entrances to the various lands, this one beckons me the most; Walt Disney's famous opening day speech refers to the "challenge and promise of the future", and the early Tomorrowland made that promise tangible, in a very mid-century manner that I find extremely appealing today. 

The Clock of the World, the Moonliner, the Hall of Chemistry, CIRCARAMA, and yes, those posters... what I wouldn't give to stroll along that flag-lined avenue.

Judging from those long shadows from the southeast, it must be relatively early, which might explain the low crowds. A rare "Art Corner" poster can be seen to the right, as well as a "Satellite View of America" poster (it's really an overprinted "Space Station X-1" poster) - I'd love to know if any of those still survive. If so, I will pay $50 cash for it!

Here's a nice shot of the Monsanto House of the Future, as neat as a pin. In a few years, the people who lived here got themselves a nice lawn ornament that looked like the Matterhorn! Makes my lawn gnomes look kind of sad.

Disneyland's "Summer '67" Guidebook, Part Three

It's time for part three in Ken Martinez's "Summer '67" Disneyland guidebook - one of the best guidebooks of all! Here's Ken:

Summer ’67 Disneyland U.S.A. – Part 3 Disneyland’s Adventures and Attractions

Today is the third post in a six part series featuring the “Summer ’67 Disneyland, U.S.A” booklet.  Featured today are the main attractions that were at the Park during this time.  I’ll let the booklet pages tell the story.

Disneyland Attractions and Adventures – I like this classic view of the original and very colorful Fantasyland.

I like the King Arthur Carrousel image with its pinkish horse. 

Anyone remember the sounds of the “Big Game Shooting Gallery” in Adventureland?  I miss those nighttime cruises aboard the Mark Twain on the Rivers of America.

The Old Mill on the Rivers of America looks great there.

Here we have Juan the “Enchanted Tiki Room” barker bird out front probably causing jam ups at the Adventureland gateway.

Is there anything in these images that is the same at Disneyland today?  Even the Jungle Cruise launch striped canopies have changed.

Next will be Part 4 featuring dining and shopping at Disneyland.  Hope you enjoyed today’s post.

THANK YOU, Ken Martinez!

A Potpourri of Snapshots

Today I am sharing four random snapshots, courtesy of GDB reader Irene and her brother (who took these photos). None of them are dated, but they are all likely from the mid-1990's.

First up is this photo of the Alice in Wonderland attraction, as seen (presumably) from the Monorail. I'm surprised it came out as clear as it did! As a kid I loved going down that winding vine pathway, with the feeling that our vehicle was about to plunge off of the edge. The old mushroom ticket booth was reduced to mere decoration (and storage, I'll wager), with a storybook-style sign on top. On one website, somebody wrote in amazement that the tree we see here is an actual living tree!

I have no idea what's going on here! There's a sign hanging in front of the Golden Horseshoe, announcing a "Mayoral Debate", while some performers stand nearby. The "young lady" in the frilly dress is having a good time; sometimes a person just wants to look pretty! Does anybody remember what this was all about?

This is a nice shot of the temple exterior from the Indiana Jones Adventure; it is a pretty convincing recreation of an archeological site that had once been swallowed by the jungle, to be forgotten for centuries, and now subject to intense scrutiny. This photo might have been taken before the attraction actually opened.

And finally, here's a look at old Cascade Peak; it had seen better days - I've seen photos as late as 1996 or 1997 in which the waterfalls were still roaring, but in this picture they've been shut off. Hey, those pumps cost money to run! If they were going for an abandoned look, then they succeeded. The peak was torn down in 1998.

Thank you to Irene and her brother!

Around the Hub, October 1962

Today's photos are kind of a snooze. I'll admit it! But who among us couldn't use a snooze now and then? Except for Nanook, who is half android - he requires no sleep. 

It's so hard to keep a camera level, what with the constant earthquakes. It was probably quaking just as this photo was shot - the people aren't reacting because they're so used to the ground shaking. But trust me, we have about 20 quakes a day. Some of those ladies are wearing bent paper hats - the latest thing in Milan. Where are the cargo shorts? The fanny packs? The muffin tops? 

The haze makes the Matterhorn look much more massive! Notice the smidgen of the Monsanto House of the Future, juuuust visible.

Even the horses are blondes in California. You never know when a cigar-smoking producer will happen by to pluck somebody out of their miserable lives into sizzling stardom. Like the lady on the bench - in just a few years everybody would know her name. Of course you recognize Oscar winner Faye Dunaway!

Random Photos, New York World's Fair

Here are a few nice photos featuring the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, taken by different photographers. 

This first one is my favorite, a lovely view of the Bell System building. The upper level was appropriately referred to as a "floating wing"  (clad in lightweight Fiberglas), and it housed a 15-minute ride that told the story of communication, "from tom-toms to Telstar". To the right was a 140 feet tall microwave tower "...equipped to handle incoming and outgoing television and data transmissions. Its base is glass-enclosed so fairgoers can see the control equipment and monitors presenting the programs being broadcast".

Just visible in the distance is the dome of the "Progressland" pavilion. Look at that beautiful sky!

I was sure that this next photo was taken before the Fair opened, as it was dated "April 1964", and shows the Switzerland building still under construction. But it turns out that the Fair debuted on April 22nd! So there must have been some hectic last-minute work to get everything ready for guests. 

The Switzerland pavilion had displays of clocks, watches, chocolates, and cheese. There was a "Time Center", with a Master Clock so accurate that it measured time down to a 100th of a second.

Nearby is a tower and some cables for the "Swiss Sky Ride", a Von Roll sky ride that eventually moved to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, where I believe it still operates.

And finally, here's a nice photo of the wonderful Unisphere as seen against the blue sky of a June day. 

Frontierland 1957

Here are two nice (but not amazing) photos from Frontierland in its early days! 

The Rivers of America really sold the illusion of a wilderness in the middle of Orange County. As the years went by, more and more developments popped up, including some of the best attractions in the park. The Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain, for instance! But those additions also made a ride on the Mark Twain feel less like a journey in to the unknown frontier, and more like a sight-seeing excursion. That's not a bad thing, it's just different.

Here's a nice shot of the burning settler's cabin, before some of the trees started to grow so big as to block some of the view. Of course the large trees contributed to that "frontier" illusion that I was just talking about!

School Days

For most kids, summer has ended, and they have returned to school. I remember my distress when the ads for "Back to School" sales began to pop up in August. Nooooo! There was the stress of a new teacher, and where your seat was, and would you remember your locker combination. But some aspects of the ritual were comforting, like the slightly institutional aroma of floor cleaner, the construction paper decorations on the walls, and of course, seeing some of your old friends again after several months. Today's vintage photos are school related, in case you hadn't guessed.

Here's one, undated but almost certainly from the 1950's. I admit that I am making a sort of educated guess here, but it looks like some young mothers are filling out forms in preparation for nursery school. Maybe. There's a small kitchen in the background (along with a man who must be the principal!) The table closest to us has some random camera equipment scattered about. But the main subject of this photo is the very glamorous and pretty woman in the center of the picture. She looks like a movie star!

This next one is also undated; it appears to be some sort of informal class picture. Some of the kid's faces seem to reveal a lot about their personalities. The kid with the green sweater (to the left) is looking less than thrilled to be there. The girl with the blue flowered dress seems confident and cheerful, while the girl with the pink skirt will probably be a teacher in another 15 years. And the boy in the black (dark blue?) t-shirt looks like he is cooking up something mischievous! 

Random Pix For Friday

Today I have two orphan photos - images that were not from a big lot of slides, but were all by themselves.

First up is this so-so shot of the yellow Monorail, circa 1962. There's some motion blur that spoils the picture a bit, but then again, how is anyone supposed to capture a crisp photo of something that is moving at a million glorps an hour? For some reason I like the tiny silhouetted heads seen through the monorail windows, resembling a dozen black and white TVs. 

Need to sit down? There are plenty of benches just waiting for you!

This next one is a really great shot (from a slide dated March, 1958) showing the Coffee Shop over at the Disneyland Hotel. I sure love those pierced steel "erector set" beams, as well as the mid-century look of the coffee shop, with its simple cubes and rectangles in charcoal gray, light gray, white, and accents of vermillion. Let's go in and get a crispy BLT, and perhaps a nice cold lemonade.