Parking Lot Tram, '57 & '56

To this day, the first ride that most people experience at Disneyland is the parking lot tram. These lucky people are visiting the park in 1957... what I wouldn't give to be there! This early version of the tram is charming, with the tiny tractor pulling the passenger cars... I believe that early on it pulled two cars, with a third added at some later date. Check out the groovy old automobiles in the background. Ladies are still wearing poofy skirts, but some have switched over to pedal pushers.


Here are two ladies waiting for (or did they just disembark?) a tram. The sun is on its way down, I am guessing they are going home. The bright carnival colors make the utilitarian tram fit in with the surroundings. Two bobby-soxers are hanging around out in front of the ticket booths...look at how many of the men are wearing sports coats. You don't see that any more!

Magic Mountain & More

Today I'm posting a few more photos from my personal archives (stored in the deepest level of my secret underground hideout, thousands of feet beneath the surface).

Here's one from Magic Mountain. My mom wrote "71" at the top, so I can only assume that she knows what she is talking about. The park opened that year, and we managed to visit it a few times before we had to move to the east coast. I think that these giant story books were over near the old "Billy the Squid" ride. Did you know that Arrow Development (responsible for designing many Disneyland attractions) was involved in many of Magic Mountain's rides? Anyway, there's my sister Mary, then me (in yet another Hang Ten shirt), and my brother Jim.


Here's another one from 1971 (I think), featuring the hippo paddleboats from Lion Country Safari in Irvine. That's my mom, along with my sister and Jim again.


I believe that this one has to be from 1972, even though my mom marked the back as "1970". It's from Busch Gardens in Van Nuys... notice how the flume ride boats look like beer kegs welded together! I remember seeing people walking around with small metal buckets of beer. Now that's an amusement park! The place never felt seedy or dirty though. On the contrary, it was known for its lush gardens, ponds, and tropical birds. From left to right: brother Jim, me, and Mary again. Anheuser Busch closed the amusement park in 1979, and now that land is all devoted to making zillions of gallons of beer! You can smell it from the 405 freeway when you drive past (which I still do, often).


And finally, here's a single blurry (but not as blurry as the others!) snapshot of Magic Mountain from its first year. I don't remember the park well enough to say what we are looking at, or even what vantage point it was taken from. Anybody know?

The New Establishment! 1969

After a busy morning of fighting the summer crowds, standing in long lines, escorting kids to the bathroom, and yes, riding the fabulous attractions, a typical Disneyland guest needs a break. Maybe lunch over at the Tomorrowland Terrace. As long as there is a chair, who cares! After settling in for an all-too-quick meal, the spaceage sculptures nearby start to rise into the air. What the?? Hey, there's a stage underneath, and a rock and roll band. Ladies and Gentlemen, The New Establishment!

You couldn't give this band a more perfect name. Hippies loathed "the establishment" but these far-out musicians promised a colorful and groovy NEW establishment. One can only guess at the kind of non-threatening songs that they performed. "Downtown", "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In", and maybe "Put a Little Love in Your Heart".


Here's a closer look (from the mosh pit!) at these rock and roll degenerates. Disgraceful!

New York World's Fair Selection

World's Fairs became obsolete when we first contacted our alien brethren and became part of the Intergalactic Federation. But they were still pretty cool in the 1960's! Today I pay tribute (yet again) to the 1964/65 New York World's Fair.

Here's a nice (and rare) interior picture from Ford's "Magic Skyway". The ride system seen here would eventually be adapted for the Peoplemover at Disneyland... only here you get to ride in brand new Ford convertibles! As you can see, some of the cars are heading out into one of the clear habitrail tunnels before viewing scenes of prehistoric man, dinosaurs, and other wonders.


Here's another unusual view taken from inside General Motors' "Futurama". This was an updated version of the legendary 1939 attraction, and like it's predecessor, it was one of the most visited pavilions at the fair. In this view you can see a skein of highways, lined with sponge trees. Highrise buildings (that don't look futuristic at all to my eyes) tower overhead, but there are no flying cars yet.


Looking across the Long Island Expressway (I think), we see the AMF Monorails coming and going. The rakishly angled station can be seen to the right, while the striped circus tents of something called the "Circus Museum": "The candy-striped pavilion had exhibits from the famous Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, Florida. The displays reconstructed the history of the circus, from the chariot contests in ancient Rome's Circus Maximus to the present, with particular emphasis on the flamboyant Barnum and Bailey period at the turn of the century."


And finally, a view from the front of the Africa pavilion. Fierce warriors wait to pose with you at the Kodak picture spot (I guess if you have Kodak, you'll have picture spots!). Aren't they afraid that their souls will be captured? I believe that the figure that looks like "Cousin Itt" from the Addams Family is actually another interesting African costume. It's warm in winter and cool in the summer!

Two from February 1962

Submitted for your approval: more support for my thinking that a busy Disneyland makes for a better photo! This is an OK picture of the Fantasyland Skyway station... it is obscured by a lot of pesky trees (I thought we outlawed trees years ago?!). Of course the lovely blue sky with floofy clouds helps. But for me, most of the fun is observing the people! Like Aunt Bee in the foreground (looking stylish!), or the lady next to her either blowing her nose or wiping the mustard from her face. Or the girl in blue sitting on the fence. There are still a few men with hats, they would be getting more and more scarce as the 60's rolled on. Even the folks waiting in line are great.

On a side note, now I can see that a photo taken from a Skyway bucket as it first leaves the station could really look something like this.


Population: 25,000,000! But where is everybody? This reminds me of the way things looked right after the Zombie War, some of you may be too young to recall. My point is - - look at how, um, lifeless this is without some people standing around!


Case closed!!

Yellowstone Coach 1955 etc

Most folks know about the Stagecoach that used to dust up the trails in Frontierland. And a lot of them know about the Conestoga Wagons too. But the Yellowstone Coach is much more obscure... it doesn't seem to have run much beyond 1955 or '56, for reasons unknown. As you can see in this 1955 photo, it certainly was an attractive conveyance, and provided unobstructed views compared to inside the Stagecoach. It doesn't look like it would have the problem of tipping over, either.


Here's a picture of an actual Yellowstone Coach, circa 1955. It's a little larger than the Disneyland version (one extra row of seats inside), with the added bonus of that precarious bench up on top (yikes!) and the "rumble seat" at the upper rear.


And just for some added fun(at no additional cost to you!), the August 15, 1955 issue of LIFE magazine has this photo (I've zoomed in for a better look) showing a buckboard fording the river in Frontierland. Other than a postcard or two, I don't recall ever seeing this vehicle again. It had to be something of a hazard, with nothing to prevent guests from tumbling off. Sorry about the broken arm, kid! Apparently there were real-live people playing Indians. A good job if you liked to stand around and work on your tan.

America the Beautiful, May 1968

Today's first image was a fun find; a scarce photo taken in the pre-show area of "America the Beautiful"! Overhead are colorful banners with the names of (presumably) all 50 states. I vaguely remember seeing this pre-show, and the thing that impressed me the most is that the hostess could tell everyone in the audience what their area code was no matter where they lived.


From the same lot is this fun "POV" shot on the Tomorrowland Auto-topia (as my grandma called it). I'm putting the pedal to the metal! I'm disabling the engine's governor! Ramming speed! It'll be just like "Red Pavement".

Adventureland, 1957

I don't spend nearly enough time in Adventureland. Granted, it only had a few attractions for many years (you don't need me to tell you what they are!), but it is still worth a look.

Like this great picture taken at the old Pavilion Lanai, showing a graceful hula dancer. She's smiling for the camera, what a pro! Strands of shell beads and the block-printed fabric of her dress add a touch of authenticity. The lunch crowd watches with interest (when they aren't actually eating)... I like the Easter egg girls, one in yellow and the other in blue, with a pink grandma to their left.


Well, I guess there used to be some sort of Jungle-themed boat ride in Adventureland. Who knew? In this photo, two of the launches are returning to civilization. The Pavilion Lanai is just visible in the background, with folks sitting at the umbrella covered tables.

Random Wednesday

Today I'm doing a bit of house cleaning, and am posting some slides that were just sort of floating around on my 'pooter. But that doesn't mean that they aren't great images!

Like this photo of the White Rabbit and a very pretty Alice. Now we can see where Flava Flav got the idea for the giant clock around his neck. This picture almost looks like an official publicity shot!


Or howsabout this nice one showing two kids about to fly over a moonlit London. Turn left at Albuquerque, then take the second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning. Assuming you want to go to Neverland, that is. Which I do. The Peter Pan dark ride is still extremely popular; it is super imaginative, not to mention just plain beautiful. Come on everybody, here we gooooooooo!


Somebody must have had a nice zoom lens to get this closeup of the burning settler's cabin. Lucky for him that he built it out of concrete and steel. Turns out that the arrow is just an extreme example of body modification... the settler died of ennui.

Fantasyland Fun, August 1958

Today's photos make me smile... they aren't extraordinary, but do feature two all-America girls (sisters I presume) having fun on some classic Fantasyland attractions.

This first one is a nice portrait of the gals aboard one of Dumbo's clones. Yet another attraction that I have never taken the time to ride. I rode the Rocket Jets many times, and figured "Why ride Dumbo? It's the same thing, only for little kids, girls, and old people!". I'm a horrible, horrible person, it's true.


Our photographer had a nice fast shutter speed, you can hardly tell that the teacups were whirling around and around and around and..... urp! But look at the faces of the guests, everybody is having a great time!