Two Beauties From July, 1964

I have two nice ones for you today, starting with this unusual interior from one of the Main Street shops. But which one? I think it might be from The Emporium, but am not certain. The tree with the face is pretty weird. Against the wall... hats galore! So... maybe this is from the Mad Hatter shop, which has been in at least two Main Street locations, and one Fantasyland location.

I never get tired of views looking into Tomorrowland - in this case from the edge of the Plaza. You've got posters, you've got flags from every State, you've got the Clock of the World, the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, the Douglas Moonliner, a balloon bouquet, and even the Telstar satellite model above "America the Beautiful" to the left. Sorry, JG, only one trashcan.

 

Fresh Air! Town Square! July 1959

Here's a pair of July, 1959 views of Town Square. They turned blue, something that happens with some old slides. It's annoying! And for some reason (probably my own lack of skill) I find it much harder to restore the color of slides that have turned blue (as opposed to magenta). 

Anyway, here's a look at Main Street Station as seen from the front of City Hall (or near there at least). There's a Horseless Carriage, and a Surrey - perhaps the people standing at the curb are waiting for a ride. Maybe if they showed a little leg they'd get better service. I always assume that the patriotic bunting is related to the 4th of July, but look how uncrowded it is! 

Next is this view looking toward the Opera House, which, as far as I am aware, was not being used for anything in 1959 (it had served as a lumber mill early on, and I believe that silkscreened attraction posters were made there as well). the "Babes in Toyland" exhibit wouldn't be there until 1961, and the Opera House also served as the Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters in 1964/1964. Note that folding chairs are under the awning, presumably the Disneyland Band performed there.

Last Two Snapshots From 1965

Here are the final two scans from a lot of photo prints, circa 1965. It was a good bunch! 

We'll start with this view taken from a Monorail as it zoomed from the Disneyland Hotel back to Tomorrowland; we get a brief glimpse of this area near the west exit, with some empty bike racks. Imagine being able to ride your bike to Disneyland! THE DREAM (at least when I was a kid). A locomotive (the Fred Gurley?) waits at the station, pulling the old yellow passenger cars behind it. That fence looks very hoppable!

Here's a view taken from one of the big boats on the Rivers of America, looking toward the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge. It's nice to get a look at some of the buildings that are a bit more to the northwest than we usually see; meanwhile a line of Pack Mules has just started heading into Nature's Wonderland.

The Fred Gurley, October 1971

I'm sure that many of you, like me, are fans of the Disneyland Railroad locomotives. What's not to love? And thanks to books like "Welcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad" by GDB friend Steve DeGaetano, my appreciation has only grown over the years.  Both of  today's scans are from October, 1971, and feature the "Fred Gurley". Ol' #3! Unlike the C.K. Holliday and the E.P. Ripley, the "Fred Gurley" is a genuine antique, built in 1894 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It went into service at Disneyland on March 28, 1958. 

The fellow in the cab is annoyed that a woman's foot is sticking out. Hasn't she heard the safety spiel? Doesn't she know that mountain lions could take that foot off in one chomp? Oh well, she was warned. I love seeing that Santa Fe was still the sponsor of the railroad - it would continue until September 30, 1974. Three more years after this photo was taken! 

Uggies. LEFTuggies, that is.

Leftuggies are so convenient, just heat and serve. They give hard-working (ha ha) bloggers a little break. 

This first one is from July, 1965, A speeding Firetruck almost flattened us, that driver will be hearing from my attorney (Lionel Hutz, esquire). Past the death truck we get a glimpse into Tomorrowland, including the Circarama Theatre, where "America the Beautiful" could be experienced. Atop the Circarama Theatre you can just see the folded-up arm that supported the Telstar satellite that could be seen around that time. Perhaps that was due to be removed soon? The Clock of the World can also just be seen beyond the Italian Cypresses.

Here's an old scan with a better look at the Telstar model.

Next is a photo from July, 1972, showing a very busy Frontierland. This is kind of how it looks and feels today! Still, it's nice to see the wooded shores, with the Mark Twain in the center, and Fowler's Harbor just visible to the left of it. 

OK-zles

What has the world come to? A world without Snoozles?? Alfred Einstein (Albert's third cousin) theorized about such a thing, but it only recently has been proven through scientific observation. In a folder of 140 scans, there are none that exhibit pronounced Snoozle characteristics. And so, Junior Gorillas, I must instead share scans that are totally OK. Not bad, not great - just OK.

This first one is dated August, 1969; it's a familiar view of the Matterhorn on an overcast day with a milky sky. IT'S TOTALLY OK! We've got a little Skyway action goin' on, and even a bobsled, sort of like a slice of jalapeño in some mac and cheese (yum). The lagoon's blue-green waters hide all kinds of sea life, including some bright orange critter that is probably covered in venomous spines. Notice the spire on top of the Matterhorn, a handy place to put a Christmas star.

Next is this photo dated "November 28, 1973", a perfectly OK look at the iconic Disneyland sign at night. How do I know it is nighttime? Just a hunch. Somebody needs to buy a few new fluorescent bulbs, passersby might not know where they are. Notice that the park was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, something hard to imagine now.

Union Station, Los Angeles - 1950s

By now, most of you know that I love me some Vintage L.A. Besides living in the general vicinity for much of my life, I used to enjoy listening to stories from my Grandmother, about all of the wonderful things that she and my Grandfather did when she moved out here in 1929. 1929, nothing interesting happened that year!

Anyhoo, I have some nice old shots (likely from about 1955) featuring wonderful Union Station on Alameda Street - L.A.'s main train station. It opened in 1939, and according to Wikipedia, is considered "the last of the great railway stations" in the U.S. This first picture is kind of amazing, showing the station before it was surrounded by any larger structures (not counting that large tank to the left, I have no idea what it was for, though I see a "Brew 102" sign on it - Brew 102 was a local brewery, with signage (and a huge factory near the Santa Ana freeway) familiar to Angelenos.

Here's a recent Google Maps screen grab. Those palm trees make for a nice entrance to the station, but... they also block our view. Dumb trees!

I personally love the clean deco lines and details. The structure combines Art Deco, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne style, with architectural details such as eight-pointed stars, and even elements of Dutch Colonial Revival architecture.

I always appreciate a good clock tower! 

You might see this nice lady again, since she shows up in a number of Vintage L.A. photos. It's a shame that there are no interior photos in this batch, because it is a beautiful place... go to the Wikipedia page to get an idea of what it's like.

I wondered if those tiles could be from Catalina Pottery, but that went defunct in 1937, so... I guess not. If you happen to ever go downtown to visit Olvera Street, or Chinatown, or Philippes (just up Alameda) for a French dip sandwich, it is worth the walk to visit Union Station!

Monorail and Alice, August 1969

Happy Birthday to GDB pal STU! And you just know that Sue B. has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and has provided a fun vintage birthday pic. A group of kids sits at a classic formica table (with matching chairs), enjoying an impressive cake. The kid to the right looks a little goofy, but then again, most kids do. Notice all of the clothing items piled on the radiator, perhaps it was a cold/rainy day and Mom was going to dry everything out before sending them home (after some "pin the tail on the donkey" and an hour of cartoons)

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Next I have some swell scans for you, starting with this beauty looking down from the Skyway (the image is impressively sharp and clear) at this wonderful scene. There's so much to dig, daddy-o! Do you like the Peoplemover? Check! How about the red Mark II Monorail? Check! We get the Autopia, along with a partial view of the Fantasyland Autopia sign (to the left); AND MORE!

Wowee, what a sight. I even enjoy seeing those three gas station signs poking up in the distance.

The colorful crowd is fun, and we get  TRIPLE GOOD LUCK with a trio of Matterhorn bobsleds. 

Was this photo taken from the Monorail? I labeled it "Alice from Skyway", but of course the Skyway is way above us. Whatever the case, it's a very nice view of the Alice in Wonderland attraction; all of the people who were in that first photo have gone home for liverwurst sammiches, there's hardly any other guests to be seen besides the ones aboard the snooty caterpillar. "Fan 2" is off to the right, as is the Pirate Ship.

Vintage Disneyland Ephemera

I picked two pieces of vintage Disneyland ephemera - perhaps an odd pairing, but you can handle it! I believe in you.

Way back in January of 1987 (37 years ago, folks), a little attraction called Star Tours debuted (Wikipedia says that the official opening was January 9th). Excitement from guests was off the charts! And the long lines stretched into the Pacific Ocean (needs verification). Amazingly, cast members got their own "premiere", lasting five nights in a row, from 7:00 PM until midnight, and they were given this folder that contained special tickets for the occasion.

My example has one ticket for each night, but I have no idea if that was standard; I'm happy to have one of each though, and they look swell together. I bought these many years ago (long before GDB was a twinkle in my eye) - I generally collect older Disneyland stuff, but it's hard to resist anything tied to a ride's opening.

Next is an odd item, a menu. It's not even that old. Well, I guess it is kind of old - it has a tiny "3/80" printed on the outside. 44 years ago, yikes. I bought this mostly because I'd never seen one like it before, and I have never seen another. It measures 15.5" X 7.25", and is laminated. It has that familiar, comfortable coffee-shop feel. It might even be bullet-proof.

I'm charmed by the "quilted" graphic style, which reminds me of the 1970s - and let's face it, the totally tubular neon 80s wouldn't come along for a few years. The menu offers a little bit of everything; hamburgers, salads, hot and cold sandwiches, omelettes, pot roast, jumbo shrimp... I'm getting hungry just reading it. 

Don't forget waffles, hot cakes, and french toast. With a side of bacon or sausage (or both). And you need a beverage to wash it all down, with a selection of juices, coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate. What more could you need?

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Mike Cozart sent a jpeg of a rare pre-opening Star Tours poster, I'd never seen it before! I did some Photoshopping on it, which might not be 100% accurate, but you get the idea.

Beautiful Frontierland, August 1960

I have a pair of very pretty Frontierland views from August, 1960. The photographer was standing on the western edge of Town Square, looking across the moat and toward the stockade gates and the guardhouse (perhaps it looks familiar). I wonder if that bunting on the gate is left over from the 4th of July? Above the entrance is a sign for the new Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland, which debuted on May 28th of this year. 

Next is this nice look at the Rivers of America; the slide was damaged (some of the emulsion had flaked off for some reason), so I just cropped that damage off. Draconian! But the scene is still great, with the Bertha Mae heading toward its dock on the western shore of the River. The Columbia is heading 'round the bend, and one raft is unloading at Tom Sawyer Island, while another waits to cross in the foreground. I wonder if that one will go to the raft landing visible just to the left of the Bertha Mae's bow?