Very Merry Christmas Parade, Part 3

Here is PART 3 in a series of photos from our friends Irene, Bruce, and James, featuring a look at Disneyland's "Very Merry Christmas Parade". Date unknown. But possibly from the late 1970's?

The toy train that we saw at the end of last weeks post seems to have some balloon leakage. It happens to everyone, nothing to be ashamed of. Those balloons are going straight to the Pacific Ocean, where they will be eaten by whales and sea turtles. Yum!

J. Worthington Foulfellow (or "Honest John") is spreading some Christmas cheer, but is also secretly looking for children to turn into donkeys. It's a living! I always like seeing adults in the crowd (like the ones to the right) who seem to be enjoying the parade as much as the children.

I'm sure I have the order of these photos all jumbled up, but that's how we do things here at Gorilla HQ. It keeps the competition guessing! A large drum festooned with a giant wreath, some garlands, and some big candles wishes us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The sign coming up is for "Dumbo's Circus", which I believe was its own separate parade in Florida a few years earlier.

It's neat to see a real live tiger, but I can't help feeling a little sad for this fellow. I hope he was treated with a little love and kindness when he wasn't in that cage. I wonder if he was sedated at all, just in case anybody decided to stick their hand through the bars?

Oh boy, trained seals! The lovely lady has a stack of rings and balls, which happen to be the things that seals love most of all (after sardines, of course). The penguins from "Mary Poppins" are helping out, taking a nibble of sardine for themselves once in a while. In the background, a bathtub clown terrorizes innocent people.

These are NAUTICAL clowns, the most feared of all professional jesters. One is riding a genuine 200 year-old Galapagos tortoise, while another has a pelican sidekick.

More clowns! Ruuuuuunnnnnn! You know, each clown designs his appearance in order to be unique. Some also sharpen their teeth with a rusty file, the better to tear off large chunks of flesh. 

The float behind the clowns has some jugglers aboard. I don't want to brag, but I can juggle four tennis balls at once.

Thanks to Irene, Bruce, and James for these wonderful Christmas parade photos!

River Belle Terrace, May 1978

Among the many scans that were kindly sent to me by the Mysterious Benefactor, there are lots of rare views taken inside many of the restaurants, including the kitchen areas that were off limits to mere mortals. You'll see some of those kitchen images very soon, but today we are inside the River Belle Terrace, just hanging around the cash register and generally being a nuisance. 

Meet Jennifer. Isn't she pretty? 

The River Belle Terrace was formerly Aunt Jemima's Pancake House. Notice Jennifer's "Oscar Mayer" badge - they sponsored the restaurant at its opening in 1971. At some point Hormel took over sponsorship, and then Sunkist, but in 1978 it was still Oscar Mayer.

Here's a nice general view of the restaurant, it must have been peak lunchtime! I'm admiring the impressive woodwork of that napkin/cutlery/payment station - I'll bet the craftsman of the time could build stuff like that in their sleep.

The flash worked this time, lighting up the far reaches, and allowing us a clear view of that magnificent bucket hat (did that guy bring it with him, or did he buy it in the park?). The lady with the tray has pancakes smothered in whipped cream, which would hit the spot right now.

Thank you as always, Mysterious Benefactor!

On the Skyway With Lou and Sue

Today I am sharing a series of photos taken from the Skyway (circa 1992), courtesy of Lou and Sue. I still think of the 90's as being "not that long ago", and yet... these are from nearly 30 years ago!

This first image is the most spectacular - there's so much to see! Skyway gondolas, the Matterhorn, the busy corridor below, the Autopia (with that cool sign in the lower right), the Peoplemover, and the Monorail Station with the zig-zag roof. This one is "souvenir guidebook worthy".

Lou panned a bit to his left, where you can see a bit of the ramp from the Carousel Theater.

Now we're aboard the Skyway, having boarded at the Fantasyland chalet terminal - you can see part of the Casey Jr. track below. 

It was exciting to get closer and closer to the Matterhorn every second! 

So dark. I hope I don't feel the powerful hands of the ferocious Yeti around my neck.

Many thanks to Lou and Sue for these wonderful photos!

Fun Horsies, May 1978

If you're a parent and you have gone to the trouble of taking your very small child to Disneyland, you'll probably want to get a photo or two over at King Arthur's Carrousel. It's traditional, and it's the perfect thing to send to grandma and grandpa. 

It's a good thing they have this tot securely strapped in, I could just imagine things going slippy-slidey once the ride started turning. And nobody wants that.

Yes, much easier to take pictures when the thing isn't going. I used to try to catch my niece as she went around and around, and it didn't go well.

Westwood Village, Los Angeles

I have two nice vintage views of beautiful Westwood Village, in Los Angeles (I like to pronounce it "Ang-ga-leez"). We've been there before - HERE and HERE. 

Both of today's examples are undated, but certainly mid-1950's. The photographer was standing in the middle of Westwood Boulevard facing north toward the domed Bank of America building. Westwood Blvd. curves to the right; straight ahead of us, up Broxton Avenue, is the wonderful Fox Village Theater, which opened in 1931. If you saw Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", Sharon Tate went there to see the audience reaction to one of her movies. To our left is Desmond's department store,  which opened in 1930.

This photo was the reason I decided to visit Westwood Village today; I love those classic mid-century Christmas decorations along the boulevard. Sparkly garlands and festive red bells, along with stylized poinsettias. Any idea what "Taffy's" was (to our right)? I would guess it was a women's clothing store, but have had no luck finding info about it online.

Very Merry Christmas Parade, Part 2

Here is PART 2 in a series of photos from our friends Irene, Bruce, and James, featuring a look at Disneyland's "Very Merry Christmas Parade". Date unknown. I suspect that these photos are older than the other examples from the Dream Team - possibly even from the late 1970's - but I just don't know for sure.

I guess I should have posted this one last week - but oh well. On the back of this float an nice old lady who may or may not be Mrs. Claus holds a tray of candy. LOTS of candy. Her whole darn cottage is made of the stuff. She has many fillings in her teeth. Closer to us, an merry elf carries a tray of sweets; at first I thought she might be tossing some into the crowd, but now I'm not so sure. On the back of the float we can see chef Chip (or Dale).  

This float looks like it was made of Tinker Toys; baby Chernabog would have played with the big version like this. Up on the float, partially obscured, is Stromboli, the villainous puppeteer from Pinocchio. He is controlling various girl puppets, including one that looks like she is dressed for the Golden Horseshoe Saloon (to the left). 

Next is the Agoura High School marching band. I've been to Agoura many times! I just did a hike in the hills a few weeks ago. The man in the tan sweater knows that all eyes are on him.

I wonder if the band was playing a Disney song, or a Christmas tune, or a song by Parliament Funkadelic? 

Br'er Fox has mended is mischievous ways, and instead of catching and eating Br'er Rabbit, he is happy to shake hands with the crowd. I need a yellow shirt with a green vest! Behind him we see Donald Duck and the lovely Daisy. Donald is a balloon vendor apparently. Behind the ducks is Goofy, at the wheel of his jalopy.

I like this colorful toy train (is he related to Casey Jr.?), pulling a load of presents just for me. Hopefully Santa brought me that "Pong" game that I can play on my very own TV (which will be in a separate box)! There will never be another computer game as exciting as Pong. 

Alrighty, that does it for part two. Stay tuned for part three, coming soon. Thank you as always to Irene, Bruce, and James.

Vintage Snapshots

I have a group of vintage Disneyland photo prints for you today!

Let's start with this shot of a lovely CM named Karin. Some of you might remember her from another post back in 2017. It sort of looks like Karin is speaking into an invisible walkie-talkie. I'm not sure where this ice cream cart was located, but if I had to guess I'd say that the Rivers of America were behind her. What do you think?

The next two are from separate lots, and both are undated, which is a bit frustrating. Some iteration of the Mouseketeers is performing; I believe that these were taken before the more famous 1977 "New Mouseketeers" came along - for one thing the '77 mice wore colorful ears and outfits. But I could be wrong! 

I have to hand it to those kids, they are performing their hearts out. If there were multiple shows every day, did Disney have to provide them with special schooling? Maybe the show was only done during the summer months.

While doing a little research, I learned that the Mouseketeers were part of Superbowl VI's halftime show in 1977; that seems like a bad idea to me, but perhaps it was great. I'd rather see Prince, or Gaga, or Paul McCartney, personally! 

Historic Fire Station, Phoenix, AZ

Today I have a series of photos that were sent to me from GDB friend Scott Heinz; you probably know him better as "Alonzo P. Hawk" in the comments. Scott happened to be driving along North 7th Avenue in Phoenix (Arizona, that is) when he saw that Historic Fire Station #8 had some beautiful vintage vehicles on display. Being a quick thinker (and a great dancer), he snapped these pictures. Hooray!

Here's some info from the DPJ (Downtown Phoenix Journal) website: This quaint, Mission-style building on 7th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard appears as just another fine residence in the Willo Historic District, but its nearly 70-year history shows its civic roll in the expansion of the city center in the World War II era boom of the region.

Built in 1942 and renovated several times, the building has been a single-family residence, a glorified storage unit, an office space and the City of Phoenix Fire Station #8. It was perhaps the city’s most unique-looking fire station, and rightly so. All the signs of Mission architecture are in plain sight: a hipped, clay tile roof with exposed rafters; stucco sheathing covering brick walls on a concrete foundation; wood casement windows; and an offset entry featuring a multiple wood panel door.

A stone marker indicating the building's historic status, carved thousands of years ago. Probably?

I tried to find information about this wonderful Firetruck, and it was tough going. But I believe that this is a 1941 Chevy-Pirsch pumper. If anybody knows more (or has a correction) please chime in! I love that impressive chrome grille.

Someone on Twitter referred to this as the "fire chief's car", but I have no idea if that's accurate. It sure is all kinds of 70's amazing. I'll bet it had some serious horsepower. Does anybody know the make and model? 

More from the DPJ website: Take note of the two-leaf bi-fold garage door, still in excellent condition. It was the vision of original resident E.B. Smerdon, who lived in the home from its completion until 1947, when it was converted to Station #8.

An unlikely candidate for a fire station, yes, but today the building is a perfect representation of the need for rapid fire station expansion following World War II, as the “suburbs” (a centralized historic district today) sprouted quickly.

Scott also included a few old images that he found online; I wonder if those four guys were the entire company for Station #8? They had a dalmatian puppy to help at least.

Here's another set of historic photos (with one repeat).

Thanks to Scott Heinz for sharing these fun photos of Historic Fire Station #8 in Phoenix, Arizona!

Last two from Fun Dad

Today's images are the last two scans from our hero, Fun Dad. But there's no cause for sadness; just think of all the joy his photos have brought us over many months! 

The first scan is from a photo of the parking lot (circa 1972), with a Mark III Monorail ("Old Bluie"!) zipping past on a partly-cloudy day. Don't forget where you parked; there's a helpful sign, we're in section "J". That's J for Jiminy Cricket! Whew, I almost couldn't think of a character that started with "J". Can you think of any others? I am disqualifying "Little John" or "Honest John" for obvious reasons. Is there a character named "Jacques" in something? 

The Mark III Monorails were notable because of their five-car length and much larger windows. I like seeing all the little silhouetted people inside - many of the kids are probably hoping to spot the family car. "Look, father, there's our Rolls Royce! How droll". 

And finally, from April 1969 comes this look from the Peoplemover, looking past flowers and  grass and trees toward Sleeping Beauty Castle. I'd love to see what this same view would look like today - my guess is that there would be a lot less green. Looking closely, you can see slivers of features such as the red and white-striped umbrellas from the Carnation Plaza Garden, or the white, blue, and red tented roof over the Carrousel. There's even a Skyway tower.

OK, I sort of fibbed; I'm saving one of Fun Dad's photos for a special occasion. Maybe my 14th anniversary? Or my 5000th post? So, someday, if you are all very well behaved, you will enjoy the true final scan from FD. It'll be worth the wait.

More From Lou and Sue!

Today I am presenting a random mix of photo scans from Lou and Sue; many of the scans belong in groups, but Sue sent a few that were all by themselves. Let's put them together!

First up is this December, 1986 photo of a sign over at EPCOT. I sure haven't posted many photos from that park! This one is especially interesting because it advertises the upcoming SPAIN pavilion, which was never built. I think there have been quite a few never-realized World Showcase pavilions, but the one for Spain must have gone pretty far for them to install this sign.

Here's Sleeping Beauty Castle on a nice sunny day. The trees are practically obscuring the view! Look at all those groovy 70's people.

Now we're back in Florida for this lovely snapshot of the entrance to Tomorrowland, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun (from 1972). It looks like the fountains flanking the walkway are not on, maybe it was a windy day.

And finally, it's everybody's favorite float from "America On Parade", from October 1975. If you look in the background you can see the Global Van Lines vehicle, and in front of that, an aggressive photographer taking a picture of one of the doll-headed parade performers. Calm down, sir!

Many thanks to Lou and Sue! There's lots more to come from them.