Two From August, 1961

Here are two "meh" images (can something be extremely "meh"?), because I want you to stay relaxed on this Sunday. You're welcome.

People who go to Disneyland often feel the irresistible urge to wear novelty hats; and over in Fantasyland, The Mad Hatter shop was the place to be. Mouse ears (custom embroidered!), caps with Donald Duck bills, Tyrolean hats with giant dyed ostrich feathers,  plastic Keppy Kaps, pith helmets (with embedded compass), "coolie hats", U.S. Cavalry hats, Union and Confederate kepis, paper and woven bonnets, turquoise-colored trilbys, coonskin caps, and many more. 

There was a hat for every noggin; I would love to know how much the park made from selling souvenir hats, because I have the feeling that it was an impressive amount. 

Sorry about this somewhat terrible photo of  the Sub Lagoon!

"Then and Now", USA!

It's time for more "Then and Now" fun, featuring two vintage images, along with contemporary views of the same locations.

This first one is was a mystery to me, although I knew it was from 1946, and very likely from Virginia (based on the license plate in the lower right). Luckily it did not take long to ID the location - a quick search for "Kidwell's Foodland" (the store to our left) yielded results right away! This is Bowling Green, Virginia - we're looking south on what was "Virginia Route 2" (now part of U.S. Route 301).

It's not the most exciting photo in the world, but it is still a great look at a typical sleepy small town, with some bitchin' old cars! Pay no attention to that man near "Annie's Ready to Wear".

According to Wikipedia, one of the first stage lines in America used this road regularly; Bowling Green was originally called "New Hope", named after the New Hope Tavern. 

Here's a Google Maps image; you can see the same hip-roofed building to the far right in both pictures. According to Bowling Green's web page, you can, "...Take a  walk along our tree-lined streets. Stroll through the historic district and see the Colonial and Victorian homes. Visit the Civil War Trails sites and view Sidney King's Union Occupation Mural on the lawn of the 1835 Jeffersonian Courthouse. Dine at one of the restaurants, shop with the merchants, and spend the night at one of the inns." Don't mind if I do!

This next one was unlabeled too, but it wasn't hard to recognize the famous Mormon Temple in the distance, with its pointy towers. The slide has the year "1955" written on it, so that's helpful. The photo was actually taken very near the Utah State Capitol, near the intersection of 300 North and North Main Street. The large white building that appears to be across the street from the Temple is Joseph Smith Memorial Building, formerly known as the "Hotel Utah", one of the finest buildings in the city.

As is so often the case, trees now obscure much of the vista, including the Temple. But, try as I might, I can't stay mad at trees!

I hope you have enjoyed today's "Then and Now" selections.

Monstro & Astro Jets, July 1958

Here are two very nice slides featuring scenes from Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, starting with this nice shot of Monstro. This poor whale was doomed from the start; how could he not be a grump with a name like "Monstro"? Perhaps he would have been more well-adjusted with a nice normal name like "Ralph", or "Mitch".  

As with most of the slides in this batch, I love the colors; even that green trash can looks great! Reds seem to "pop" more than usual.

Zooming in to the right, we can see that the door is open at the little lighthouse ticket booth; it looks like there is a shift change, with one lady about to replace another.

Next is this great photo of the Astro Jets at rest; I've always loved that simple, red or white star design on the rockets - it makes them look like big toys. The lady in the foreground looks like she's already about to hurl, but we know that she's just got that afternoon sun in her eyes. 

In the background, there's the Richfield eagle, the Autopia, and the Skyway.

Special Guest Post! Pontchartrain Beach, New Orleans

I am proud to present another "special guest post" today, courtesy of Ken Martinez, and his collection of vintage amusement park postcards. As usual, Ken has provided the commentary! Let's get to it:

Pontchartrain Beach - New Orleans, Louisiana

In this set of postcards today are images featuring Pontchartrain Beach amusement park in New Orleans. The park was located on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain at Elysian Fields and Lakeshore Drive. What I like about the cards are the classic flat rides and color mix of architecture on the midway. These are most likely from the 1960's or 70's as several of the flat rides shown here weren't introduced on U.S. midways until the mid-1960's and the standard chrome era for postcards seemed prevalent from the 1950's to the 1970's.

It looks like a busy summer day as fun seekers frolic on the midway. At center is a "Porky the Paper Eater" novelty trash bin which employed a vacuum suction device and a tape recorded vocal appeal to be "fed". Beyond the concessions to the left are two of the hills of the "Zephyr" wooden roller coaster designed by Edward A. Vettel.

The midway flat rides on view in this postcard from closest to furthest are: the entrance to "The Bug", a Harry Traver "Tumble Bug" ride, a Frank Hrubetz "Round-Up" ride called "Space Whirl" and a Chance "Trabant". The letter "G" on the "B-U-G" marquee recalls to mind a certain video game character from the 1980's.

The eerie two-level dark ride "The Haunted House" with its weathered façade consisting of shingle roof, worn clapboard siding, ghoulish characters in windows and huge skull peering down at guests was one of several "fun houses" that existed during the park's history. Not the colorful kiosk to the left.

Here we have the "Around the World in 18 Holes" miniature golf course. Inscribed on the back of the card: "One of the most novel and picturesque miniature golf courses in the country is this popular attraction at Pontchartrain Beach. Each hole is designed to represent a glamorous foreign land."

I'm not sure what the "Skooter" was, perhaps a bumper car ride, but the facades and signage in this image are another great example of the fanciful architecture found throughout the park. Note another great looking kiosk next to the pal. The beach is to the left.

Featured here are two more classic flat rides: A Frank Hrubetz "Paratrooper" (Hydraulic Arm model) and a Chance "Skydiver" wheel. The "Skydiver" with its rotating "barrel-roll" cage cars was one of those gargantuan flat rides that could be seen from faraway and added dramatically to any park's skyline whether at a county fair midway, or amusement parks like Pontchartrain Beach and Arizona's Legend City.

Pontchartrain Beach closed for good after its 1983 season. Well that's it! I hope you enjoyed your postcard visit to Pontchartrain Beach.

Information source material:

Funland U.S.A. copyright 1978 by Tim Onosko

Roller Coaster Database   www.rcdb.com

The Flat Joint   www.flatrides.com

A great big THANK YOU to Ken Martinez, for sharing more from his collection, and for taking the time and effort to research and write about Pontchartrain Beach!

Random Views From September 1971

Today's first photo shows the old "Court of Angels" in New Orleans Square. Like the Snow White Grotto, this was a place that one could go to find respite from the summer heat and jostling crowds. For most of its existence, the Court simply was; you didn't shop there, or dine there, or run up those steps to access an attraction. How many people never knew of its existence, or poked their heads in and walked away because there was "nothing to do"? 

Walt Disney clearly saw value in a place that was quiet and lovely, waiting to be discovered by anyone who was might happen upon it. Today the area is accessible only to Club 33 members and their guests.

Meanwhile, over on Main Street, we get this nice portrait of one of the horses as it pulled a streetcar. Is this one of the Belgian Draft Horses? Whatever he is, he has cheered me right up! I wish I had an apple to share with him.

Ken-L-Ration Dog Show, March 1957

Have you ever taken a jacket out of your closet and discovered a $20 bill in one of the pockets? Well, today's pictures are kind of like that! These scans are years old, stuck in a folder that I forgot about, until now. And they're pretty cool too. 

As you can see, a group of kids and dogs are posing in front of Ken-L-Land, where guests could keep their beloved pets during their day at Disneyland. Ken-L-Ration dog food sponsored the place, and in March of 1957, they also held a dog show at the park. This wasn't a show full of perfumed, beribboned "foofie" dogs, these were good old regular dogs, with names like Max, Trixie, Sport, and Waldo. Yes, Waldo! It's a perfectly good name for a dog!

Nearby, more kids receive cans of dee-licious Ken-L-Ration dog food from an actor named Richard Simmons (I know!), who portrayed Sergeant Preson of the Yukon on television from 1955 through 1958. Presumably Ken-L-Ration was one of the sponsors of the program. The famous Berm is very visible here.

Let's zoom in a bit for a better look at those magnificent pooches! Notice the little "ticket booth" (or whatever it is) in the background. If you look closely, you can see that some of the kids are wearing pinback buttons...

.... like this one! They aren't terribly hard to find, but I'd like to think that mine spent a day in 1957 in Disneyland.

Special Guest Post - Vintage Ad!

Today I have something completely different for you, courtesy of GDB reader Steve Stuart - you know him as "Nanook"!

Steve acquired this vintage ad for General Electric Mazda lamps some 25 or 30 years ago through an auction. It seems that this ad is from 1941 (according to an online source), and it shows a possibly-rabid Pluto accusing Mickey Mouse of being a "bulbsnatcher"! (When did Pluto start talking, anyway?). I love vintage Disneyana (the older the better), so I am happy to share this piece.

I can only assume that the pilfering of lightbulbs was common back in the 1930's and 1940's, though I had never heard of it until I saw this ad. Incidentally, "Mazda" was the trademarked name for incandescent lightbulbs used by General Electric until 1945 in the U.S. 

According to Wikipedia, "...the company chose the name due to its association with Ahura Mazda, the transcendental and universal God of Zoroastrianism, whose name means light of wisdom in the Avestan language". Well OK!

Somebody on eBay was selling a related ad that could be displayed inside a store.  I guess 10 cents was a lot of money in 1941. Maybe now that people are using expensive LED bulbs, snatching will become a thing again.

A search on Google Images yielded this vintage photo of a billboard with the same artwork as seen in photo #2. I'd like to think that those people just had lunch at a nearby automat. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, followed by pie and coffee.

Many thanks to Steve Stuart for sharing his rare, vintage Disney ad with us!

Mine Train & Desert, August 1961

Are you sick of photos of the Mine Train and the Living Desert yet?! I know I have been posting a LOT of them over the last few weeks, though I think the glut is just about over (for better or worse). 

Here's a view (not a great view, either) as if we were waiting in line to ride the Mine Train; we're definitely getting on this next vehicle! Dad came prepared with a cowboy hat - perfect for those hot August days. Notice the opera house in the background... not many people know that Disneyland used to have two opera houses.

Seeing this photo of the rock formations (some of those rocks are tumbling!), with the yuccas and saguaros, makes me wish I had the wherewithal to have a huge "backyard" railroad. It would probably grow and morph into an entire theme park - Gorillaland! 

Baseball Stadiums

Growing up, I was a real baseball fan. I loved watching games on TV with my dad, and once in a rare while we were able to go to see games played live. "Bat night" and "cap night" were my favorites! While my ardor for the game has cooled over the years, I still get a kick out of stuff having to do with vintage baseball. Like classic stadiums!

This first photo is from 1962, and shows a happy gent standing in front of Cleveland Municipal Stadium, also known as Lakefront Stadium - home of the Cleveland Indians. It opened in 1931, and, because it was located near Lake Erie, was famous for bitter cold winds, or (alternately) swarms of mayflies and midges. The Indians won the 1948 World Series here. The stadium was demolished in 1996, and pieces of the concrete were placed in the lake to form an artificial reef. 

Next comes this view (circa 1968) of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA - home of the Pirates! Forbes Field was first constructed in 1909, and it was one of the first to be built with steel and concrete (instead of sugar cubes and Elmer's glue). The Pirates won 3 World Series here (1909, 1925, and 1960). The stadium was closed in 1970, and demolished in 1971, replaced by Three Rivers Stadium - which has also been demolished! 

I couldn't help thinking of this famous photo from LIFE magazine! "University of Pittsburgh students cheer as they look down on Forbes Field from the top of their campus' Cathedral of Learning during the 1960 World Series between the Pirates and the Yankees. In Game 7, Bill Mazeroski hit the first walk-off home run in World Series history, a shot over the left-field fence that gave the Pirates a 10-9 win".

The Living Desert, August 1969

Today I have two unusual angles of the "Living Desert" portion of the classic "Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland" attraction. 

I tried to determine where this photo was shot from as the train chugged along the track, but couldn't quite nail it down. At first I thought it might be near the watering hole (and antelopes) that we've seen in other photos,  but now I am not so sure. Anyway, this feels surprisingly "real" looking at the plants and rock formations, with the mist from a geyser in the distance.

This next one is the most fun; it's a great "you are there" angle, as if you were sitting in one of the open-air trains (toward the back, it appears) with the rest of the passengers craning their necks to take in all of the strange sights. Those rocks are a-tumbling! I wish we could see a bit more of the train and the guests, but that's life for you.

Zooming in, you can see that the train's engineer is pointing upward... he must be doing the narration himself instead of using the famous recorded spiel by Dallas  McKennon. "Howdy, folks!".