Snoozles™

Here's a pair of Snoozles... not terrible by any means, but canted to the right a bit. Why? Maybe mom was taking the pictures, and her right arm also supported a weighty purse. This first one is dated "October, 1958", from the Plaza as a Horse Drawn Streetcar is about to stop, empty its load of passengers, perhaps take on new guests, and then head back to Town Square. I sure love old views of the park when there were expanses of grass and flowers.

A decade later (November, 1968) we get this shot of the French Market; perhaps those three people nearest to us just got off the Disneyland Railroad and were ready for lunch. The restaurant is now Tiana's Palace.

 

Airplanes

Oh boy, airplanes! They fly through the air using magic. I have two vintage examples for you today.

Let's start with this rather incredible jet, one of only two built - the North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie is a retired prototype version of the planned B-70 nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command. Designed in the late 1950s by North American Aviation (NAA) to replace the B-52 Stratofortress and B-58 Hustler, the six-engine, delta-winged Valkyrie could cruise for thousands of miles at Mach 3+ while flying at 70,000 feet. 

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie or TV show! To read more about the Valkyrie, see the article on Wikipedia HERE.

I was reminded of the Quest Jet/Dragonfly in Jonny Quest! Yes, I know that there are clear differences, just go along so that I don't freak out.

And... I wasn't looking for this, but here's a cool photo of a Valkyrie with its six engines glowing blue upon takeoff:

Next is this scan from a slide labeled "Japan 1949". Hmmm! Of course I had no idea what this airplane is, but that triangular tail is pretty distinctive. After a little research, I found out that it is a T-6 Texan - coincidentally, also from North American Aviation. The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is a single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Air Force, United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1970s.

The T-6 Texan remains a popular warbird used for airshow demonstrations and static displays. It has also been used many times to simulate various historical aircraft, including the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. A total of 15,495 T-6s of all variants were built.

Two From November 1968

Happy Friday! I have a pair of nice pix for you, starting with this view at the ticket booths; there are plenty of weirdos just arriving at 4:40 PM, they should all be observed for signs of extreme goofiness (drooling, excessive smiling, humming "Little Brown Jug", and so on). Maybe they were at Knott's for the first part of the day - people did that. In spite of it being November,  it looks like it was warm and a little breezy. No need for a coat. 

It's always interesting to see what the prices were back then. An adult "Big 10" ticket book was $4.75, while a "Deluxe 15" would run you $5.75. Only one dollar for five more rides? It's a no-brainer. The cost of a guided tour was $6.50.

There might be something wrong with me, because I've seen many photos of Tomorrowland, but a view like this still gets my heart pumping. I'm trying to figure out where the photographer was standing to get this elevated view, do you think he/she was on a just-launched Skyway gondola?

 

Vintage Los Angeles Postcards, Part 4

Here's PART 4 from Steve DeGaetano's scans of vintage Los Angeles postcards, purchased at the "One of a Kind" shop in New Orleans Square! As before, Steve included commentary; the card captions are in orange, and his comments are in blue.

LA-1: This card has no caption other than “Los Angeles Civic Center, Showing City Hall, State Building, Hall of Records, Hall of Justice.”

A-17: “Winter Scene in East Lake Park, Los Angeles, Cal.”  Steve said, “Sure, rub it in”!

LA-18: “The World Famous Cocoanut Grove, Los Angeles Ambassador.”

LA-19 This card is nearly identical to LA-07, and appears to have been taken from the exact same location. The main differences from LA-07 are that it appears to be an actual color photograph from a later time. Notice that there are now fountains on the square. The Biltmore hotel is on the left, and still exists, I believe. (The Biltmore definitely still exists, if you ever have a chance to go inside, you should! Talk about "old world elegance"). 

LA-20s: This is the same card as shown in LA-04, except that I scanned it framed with the decorative cardstock frame that it came in when purchased from the One of a Kind shop.

LA-21: This is the back of the frame in LA-20.

LA-22: This has no caption other than “Ramona’s Marriage Place, Patio and Garden, San Diego, CA.”

My comments: This is the only one in the batch not featuring Los Angeles, but it’s related and is interesting because of its subject. Ramona was an 1884 serialized novel by Helen Hunt Jackson that completely romanticized Southern California’s Spanish past, turning it into a hazy, dream-like romantic myth of red tile roofs and bougainvillea, “a land of beauty and memory and sunny afternoons,” as historian Kevin Starr noted. “Well into the 1930s the Ramona myth remained one of the essential elements by which Southern California identified itself, to itself and to others” wrote Starr. This affinity for the romantic Spanish past led to the movement to restore California’s Catholic missions.

A huge THANKS to Steve DeGaetano for digging out his postcards, scanning them, and providing the card captions as well as his own commentary! I thought this was a fun series. I have binders full of random non-Disney postcards, perhaps I will delve into those someday for future posts. 

Flower Market, September 1983

Way back in 1983, Lou Perry took a stroll around Disneyland. He took lots and lots of photos - you've seen a bunch of them here (thanks to his daughter, Sue B.)! It still blows my mind that 1983 was 42 years ago. Argh. I always wonder how many people realized that the flowers on display were not the real thing? Thanks to NASA, our fake-flower technology had grown by leaps and bounds.

Hey look, there's some white ones, and some red ones. I think roses, and some orchids, and... well that's about it for me.

Tulips and daisies and daffodils? 

Lillies, geraniums, crocuses... who knows.

If there's one thing I've learned today, it's that I know almost nothing about flowers. Shameful considering that my mother and grandmother were obsessed with their flower beds!

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

Frontierland Pix

Here's another selection of Frontierland slide scans, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor! We have a lot of cast members this time, perhaps somebody will recognize an old friend. 

First, this smiling woman who (apparently) worked at the Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island. I'm sorry this isn't a wider shot, it would be fun to see the whip that she used to help control those unruly guests. The whip had Davy Crockett's likeness on it, which made it OK. The CM is wearing dark glasses that are historically accurate, only in the 1880s they would have been carved out of horn.

"Howdy, young man, we could use somebody like you in the Cavalry! Would you like to join?". "I have to go potty!". 

I believe that this officer and the young man are standing on the Suspension Bridge. They are pointing and laughing because another guest on the nearby Pontoon Bridge just fell into the river. "If I had some pinecones, you and I could throw them at that guy". 

Speaking of the Suspension Bridge, this boy is somehow all by himself as he crossed the span. It turned out that he is a direct descendant of Huck Finn, which is why he never bathes, avoids school, and likes to sleep with the hogs.

A Cast Member aboard a Raft has exchanged hats with a young settler, knowing that he will need protection from the burning sun as he crosses the plains. "Don't let your oxen eat loco weed!", he said, helpfully. Those two kids could almost be my younger sister and brother. 

I'm willing to bet 1,000 golden pazoozas that this fellow worked the Rafts, since he is wearing a raggedy straw hat, the international symbol for "Raft Guy". I wish we could see his name tag.

MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor!

Vintage Disneyland Ephemera

You know how much I love Vintage Disneyland Ephemera. Here are two random items from my stash!

Let's start with this information brochure from the Spring of 1964. A family receives all of the most useful info from a clockwork (animatronic?) armored knight. Medieval ticker tape. If this item looks familiar, it's because the cover is nearly identical to a 1963 version that I shared HERE. I am all in on variations!

Disneyland is closed Monday and Tuesday, don't forget. Parking is 25¢! General admission for adults is a whopping $1.60 (of course that didn't include coupons for rides). They mention the Disneyland Hotel, but also "several motels in the immediate area", I wonder how Jack Wrather felt about that? Take a guided tour. Bu won't be there in 1962, but I'm sure you'll have a fine experience. "Spring Fling" was going on, an early example of an event in which the park was emptied out and Spring Fling participants were allowed back in - I wonder when they first started doing this type of thing?

Strollers, pet care, baby stations, cameras and film, they've thought of everything! Under "Restaurants" there is a mention of "Nesbitt Orange Drink Center", something I'm not sure I recall hearing about before. 

Next is this 1958 brochure insert advertising five days for the price of three. Such a deal! In fact, it's America's Greatest Vacation Value.

Check in Sunday, check out Friday! With five days, you would be able to enjoy all of the amenities. Stay away from the wading pool (little kids and pools, you know). And you'd even have time to venture out, away from Anaheim to fish for giant grouper, ride a horse, or hit the links. What are you waiting for?? My annoying watermark obscures a date stamp, "November 20, 1958".

 I hope you have enjoyed today's Vintage Disneyland Ephemera!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

GDB friend DW noticed that two photos from Friday's post looked like they could be merged into a panoramic view - so he went ahead and did it! It turned out remarkably well. THANKS, DW!

Mr. Worm Visits Disneyland, 1973

One day, Mr. and Mrs. Worm decided to visit Disneyland with their three children (Fern, Ned, and Boris). They stayed at the Disneyland Hotel the day before, enjoying one of the charming garden rooms, relaxing by the Olympic-size pool, and eating an early dinner at the Coffee Shop. You can be sure that Mrs. Worm did some preemptive Christmas shopping. And even though worms don't have eyes, Mr. Worm brought his camera long. It seems unusual, but you just never know with worms. 

A castle picture?! Well of course, it's practically required that every guest take a photo of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Mr. Worm knew it, and actually stood on a handy rock to get this elevated view (elevated for him, that is). Magnificent!

Boris actually took this photo (while his dad was in the Little Worm's Room); he is quite a scamp, but he shows some talent with a camera. Too bad there is not a single bobsled or climber present; though it's possible that there is a worm up there (with a red Tyrolean hat) that we humans can't detect.

 

Knott's Berry Farm, July 1964

Howsabout some more vintage Knott's Berry Farm? Put on your boysenberry-shaped hat and pull up a chair. 

Have I seen this "Welcome to Ghost Town" sign before? Hmmm, if so I don't recall it. It's a giant book carved from a whole sequoia tree. That's my story, anyway! Walter Knott wants you to know that about the rugged people who settled the West. Without government! Down below is the gold mine, where you could pan for REAL GOLD; I believe that the Covered Wagon Camp would be behind us, and the statue of Seldom Seen Slim was nearby.

The burro-powered merry-go-round was located near Old MacDonald's Farm, and this girl is having the time of her life. She keeps her emotions in check, but trust me, inside she's giggling. The only way to improve matters is if she had a menthol cigarette and a vodka gimlet. 

There she is again, with her not-dorky brother. I am so impressed with the way she hides her true feelings! Could she be part Vulcan? Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill find her aloof manner to be amusing.

Tomorrowland - August, 1967

I have two rather blue slide scans for you, but they are from the New Tomorrowland, back when it truly was new (having debuted on July 18th, just a few weeks before these pictures were taken). 

There's lots going on in this first one, with the Skyway and Peoplemover, the Autopia, the little ticket booth, and guests taking in the view from the upper level of the Carousel of Progress (that opened on July 2nd). Not to mention the famous Senegal palm - not quite as famous as the Dominguez palm, but it's up there. I was wondering about the marks on the slurry in the lower left, I assume that there were holes for stanchions at one time. Or they were meteorite impacts.

Panning to the right, there's the Tomorrowland Terrace stage (a cousin to the ticket booth in the previous image), the "Flight to the Moon" attraction, and more Peoplemover fun - along with the Rocket Jets way up high.