Two From November 27, 1968

I have two nice scans from November 27th, 1968 for you today. It was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving! "Jason's Disneyland Almanac" tells us that the park was open from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM, the day got up to a pleasant 71º. Sorry, no attendance numbers are available.

First up, we see the stately C.K. Holliday as it returns to Main Street Station, hopefully no dinosaurs snuck on board to wreak havoc on Anaheim later that evening. Could the man in the overalls be an employee? He doesn't look very official, and it doesn't seem like he should be standing on the platform. Seize him! "But who will take care of my grandchildren??". "They will become wards of Disneyland". Could be worse. I believe that the head to the extreme left is a Tour Guide. In the distance... Denny's!

Next is this pretty late-afternoon view in Tomorrowland, with Rolly Crump's stylish Central Ticket Booth right in front of us; it looks like it was designed to slot together as if made of pieces of card stock. The Carousel of Progress has its embedded lights on, which is cool. Overhead, a yellow Peoplemover is about to enter the building, where riders could preview the giant model of Progress City.

August 1961

Hooray, it's BIRTHDAY TIME! We can send our best wishes to KS on his special day. Sue B. has been scouring the internet for vintage birthday photos, to the point where they have become rare and valuable. In today's example, you can see a curly-haired boy blowing out the candles on his cake, while Gramps (?) holds him so that he doesn't fall and suffer an icing injury (happens all the time). Snoopy, or some other random dog, holds a red candle, which means something. BUT WHAT?

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When I've posted all the slides in a batch, but have two left over, you can usually count on them being mismatched. But it's OK! My socks are mismatched and they are just as comfy anyway. 

I rarely get very excited about Jungle Cruise photos, just because they tend to be views that we've all seen before. But this first scan is historic, if nothing else, because it shows a group of dancing headhunters as the celebrate something that has happened, or something that is going to happen. All of the were removed from the attraction in 2021 because they were deemed insensitive; I admit that they might not have aged that well over the past 70-ish years. The scenes that replaced these generally had rampaging monkeys, and they are fine, if not amazing.

Next is this a nice photo of the Mark II Monorail zipping along its beam as it returned to the park from a stop at the new station in front of the Disneyland Hotel (visible in the distance, as is the iconic Disneyland sign). Bubble dome! I guess the photo isn't that nice, but the subject matter is. Too bad the sky is so gray, but what can you do? I enjoy seeing a rare "Art of Animation" exhibit poster affixed to that Monorail pylon nearest to us.

The Disney Look - PART THREE

Here is the third and final post featuring scans from Sue B's 1987 copy of "The Disney Look", where long hair, long fingernails, long earrings, long mustaches, and other long things are VERBOTEN! 

The drawings look like men you might see in an old Sears catalog. Which is probably essentially the appearance they were going for, neat and tidy, appealing to middle America. I'll miss my big mutton chops, but hey, I can always grow them back when I become President.

Oh-oh! I don't like the looks of these guys, especially Lex Luthor. He's no good! I can hardly imagine a cast member with a full shaved head at the park, and yet... it might be acceptable today. 

If you were lucky enough to work in an office rather than "onstage" you still had rules to follow. The pink jacket on the lady in the lower photo is a little too daring, if you ask me! What's wrong with gray? Or brown? I'll accept ecru in a pinch. I guess 1987 was a bit late for me to wear my Nehru jacket, but it would have slayed. Bu, did you know any of the people on this page or the next?

I guess Smiley Guy is an ad man. "We'll tell folks that United Air Lines is the best way to come to Anaheim! Is my grin trustworthy?". I'm relieved that the ladies are not wearing earrings that dangle; think of the children!

I suppose that a place like Disneyland that regularly employs many hundreds of people a year (and thousands over a limited span of time) has to establish hard and fast rules so that there can be no argument or discussion. "This is how it is. If you don't like it, you can work at Knott's Berry Farm, where it is Hell on Earth!". Because people like to see how much they can get away with! Especially young people, am I right? And maybe they appreciate the discipline on some level, since it applies to everyone. 

Is that a Sklarquote?? Or did Walt really say that?

I was going to omit this nearly-blank page, except that it shows that it is from 1987, in case you needed proof.

Many thanks to Lou and Sue for scanning all these pages (and doing such a nice job, I didn't have to crop them or anything!), I hope all of you enjoyed reading about The Disney Look.

Main Street at Night, December 1976

I don't know about you, but on September 7th, I'm already decorating for Christmas. It's only 3.6 months away! (I have to confess that I never took off my ugly Christmas sweater). So this seemed like a good time to share some Christmas Snoozles™. Both are rare night shots  from 1976; while I admire the sheer audacity of somebody trying to capture the sparkle and glow of Main Street at night, the results were only partially successful. It's clear that the photographer set his (I'm pretty sure it was a guy) camera on a handy trashcan, set the timer and shutter speed, and hoped for the best. We're looking from the Plaza southward, there's the Christmas tree, and Main Street Station, if only he'd place the camera farther forward on the trashcan so that there wasn't so much reflecty metal.

This next one is only marginally better, there's still the reflections taking up 1/3 of the image. But we're a bit closer to Main Street proper, and we can glean a few more details, such as the INA Carefree Corner to the left, and the Coca Cola Refreshment Corner to our right.

Miniature Locomotives

It's Melissa's birthday! As I write this, many months before you are reading it, Melissa has been absent for a while, and we all miss her. I hope that by September of 2025, she will be back with us. In the meantime, Sue B. provided some vintage scans for the occasion. A young girl is having a birthday party at what appears to be a Ferrell's, or something Ferrell's-adjacent, anyway. Straw boaters! Red flocked wallpaper! Leg garters! Etcetera. The birthday girl seems to be very happy to be the center of attention.

I'm guess she is around seven years old, and let's face it, that's right in the sweet spot of maximum birthday fun. The girl is enjoying a Coke, and the sugar and caffeine are kicking in big time. It's like she's touched an electric socket.

It looks like there's a snare drum behind her, just the thing to bang on when the employees wanted to make a scene. Such as when a customer ordered (or consumed?) one of their bigger offerings. I seem to remember one at Farrell's called something like "The Trough", and you would get a certificate verifying that "I made a pig of myself at Ferrell's". 

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Little Locomotives! Tiny Trains! Walt Disney liked them, therefore you should too. I have three undated (1970s? 1960s?) slides from an unnamed location, but there are at least some clues to point us in the right direction.

First up is this swell steam loco, the Peshastin Great Western, carrying the brave engineer and three unashamed adult men. And why should they be ashamed, I ask?? No reason at all! I'm sure the aroma of coal exhaust was like Hai Karate to those guys. Peshastin is a small unincorporated community in central Washington, about 80 miles (as the crow flies) east of Seattle.

Next, an even smaller locomotive, belonging to the Spokane Falls Lumber Co. It is hauling logs from grand old trees that were at least 20 feet tall! Spokane? Hey, that's in Washington too.

And finally, another tiny locomotive, it appears to be of the same scale as the previous one, though it sports and old-fashioned diamond stack. It bears the name "Elk River Lumber Company". Well, there are a number of Elk Rivers around the nation, but there is one in Washington State, near the west coast. So I'm assuming that these live steam enthusiasts were located somewhere in the 42nd State of the Union. Beyond that, I have no idea. Perhaps one of you can narrow it down. Follow these exciting clues: houses. A hill. Dirt. Trees. Those should help!

Leftuggies For Friday

Before we continue with our regularly-scheduled blog post, let's wish GDB friend Grant a very Happy Birthday! And as per usual, Sue B. has provided a vintage photo from somebody's birthday (some kid named Brett). At first I thought the rosy-cheeked boy to the right might be the honoree, but now I don't think so. What a party, cupcakes AND a sheet cake. After that, cake for dessert? Don't forget orange and grape sodas for additional sugar (doctors recommend sugar, it gives people energy). Check out those G.I. Joe cups, an unopened pack of those would probably fetch a tidy sum today. 

Now let's look at some randos. First up is this very pretty shot looking into Tomorrowland from the Plaza, a rain shower had obviously passed through, making the paths glossy and wet, just like in a noir movie. "Forget it Jake, it's Tomorrowland". The focus is a tiny bit soft, but it's still such a lovely image, this is one of my favorites among my more recent scans.

Next is this 1967 (I think) photo of ol' #4, the Ernest S. Marsh. It looks suitably beautiful on this sunny day as it sits at Main Street Station. The passengers are mostly lost in the shadows, but it looks like a full compliment of guests, ready to take the Grand Circle Tour. My younger brother often called the Disneyland Railroad "the dinosaur ride", which tells you something. To our right, the Kalamazoo Handcar sits, waiting for a silent film star to take it for a spin. In the distance - Denny's!

 

Pacific Ocean Park Stuff

I have a few scans featuring souvenir items from Pacific Ocean Park (in Santa Monica, CA), a place that was designed to compete with Disneyland. It opened on July 28, 1958, and things looked good. At first.

Souvenirs from this park are not super common, not surprising since it was only around for about 9 years, so I am happy with the relatively few items that I own. This first example is a souvenir "fun photo", much like the kind you'd find at both Knott's and Disneyland. A family of four has been thrown into the hoosegow for jaywalking and expectorating (at the same time). Crime doesn't pay! 

Do you want to know more about this photo? Just read the back! It's a Polaroid print, probably still something of a miracle in 1960(ish). Knott's used conventional negatives for their fun photos, but Disneyland used Polaroids, though they didn't advertise the fact like this POP souvenir did.

Next is this brochure from 1961, a somewhat typical amusement park brochure from that era, printed in orange and black ink on yellow paper. The cover art represents the iconic "Ocean Skyway" attraction, in which guests were suspended in "bubbles" that passed above the pier and the ocean. We also see "Neptune's Gate", the entry structure that resembles a skeletal barnacle (or something).

Maps! I love maps. This one is not dissimilar to one that we saw in another brochure in THIS POST from 2016. Looking at the many details, it makes me a bit sad that I never visited POP, though it was in serious decline by the time I would have been old enough to remember it. It's astonishing to consider that there is not so much as one tiny portion of this park remaining today - not even a plaque to commemorate where it used to be.

And here's the flip side; admission was a mere $1.75. Such a bargain! In fact, the bargain is so amazing  that I am surmising that low attendance was already a serious issue only three years after the park opened. 

I hope you have enjoyed today's POP souvenirs!

A Random Pair From August, 1960

I have just a few scans left from a lot from August, 1960, and I can't really make much of a theme out of these orts, but that's OK. Orts are orts! To quote Kipling (Scott Kipling, my best friend in the third grade). 

Here's a nice-but-standard look at the Sub Lagoon, with blue-green water that the Ty-D-Bol Man would enjoy. "There's no maelstrom's today! Aaaar!". That's how he talks. I can't quite read the name of the submarine, I think it might say "Abe Vigoda". The saltiest sailor that ever pooped a deck! Screechy the Iggle says "bonjour" to the passing blue Monorail. Hey, look! There are merms to the right!

When you think about it, cowboys were the sailors of the West. I think this large crowd has gathered in front of the Shooting Gallery in Frontierland. I'm not sure what is going on exactly, it looks like there was a gunfight (smoke from the six-shooter still lingers), and some kids covered their ears to protect them from the loud BANG. One fella seems to be greeting the guests, while another seems to be pointing his gun at his back? Is this a Shakespearean betrayal?? If so, kids love shooting and betrayal based on their smiles.

 

Disneyland Band at the Plaza Gardens, February, 1977

If you're like me, you've never liked the incessant, juvenile caterwauling of rock and roll and pop music. Give me a brass band any time (or an accordion as a last resort)! If it ain't John Philip Sousa, I don't want to hear it (was he the Taylor Swift of 19th Century?). I believe that the gentleman leading the band is Stan Freese, according to Wikipedia he started at Walt Disney World and transferred to Disneyland in the Spring of 1974. 

Here's a bit more info about Mr. Freese (not Mr. Freeze): As leader of the Disneyland Band, Freese modernized the band's repertoire, giving the musicians more variety. In 1983, Freese became a talent booking director at Disneyland—auditioning and hiring musicians and bands for work in the park and special events, as well as forming bands and musical acts based on operational needs. Freese continued as a talent booking director for most of the rest of his Disney career, except for temporary assignments. He also served as a show director and entertainment producer at both Disneyland and the Queen Mary (Disney operated the Queen Mary for a short period in the 1980s and 1990s). In 1990, Freese returned to leading the Disneyland Band for two years, until Art Dragon was selected as the new leader. Freese was also instrumental in forming Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, a fan-favorite bluegrass band that performed at Disneyland from 1987 to 2014. In 2001, Freese became the talent booker and show director for the Downtown Disney shopping complex at the Disneyland Resort, organizing the atmosphere entertainment program. Perhaps our friend Bu knew Stan Freese?

Two From June 1969

  Here's a pair from June, 1969 - one "different" view (but not that amazing), and one "OK" view. Let's start with the "different" photo, with two little girls quenching their thirst at two classic Disneyland water fountains (one is tall, one is short). The bags of C&H Sugar have been stolen by teenagers, I'm sorry to say. The girl with the blue jacket is all ready to do a spit-take when somebody tells a joke. It looks like we are right near the Haunted Mansion, though I as unsure if it is back there at the upper portion of the frame or not.

Next is this shot of Mr. Toad's palatial manor in Storybook Land. Toady really lived it up! Is the architectural style "Georgian"? Down by the water we can see Ratty's house, complete with a little rowboat. In the foreground is a little girl sporting mouse ears.