More CBJ on GDB, December 1973

Hopefully you saw the first five photos from Disneyland's "Country Bear Jamboree" in an earlier post - today I am sharing the final five. I chose to post them in the order in which they were taken, because it felt right. 

This first one shows Henry (the show's MC) singin' and strummin'; I had to do a little research about the CBJ, because I only saw it once, and don't remember much about it except for the audience of college-age young people who laughed way too loud at the corny jokes! It's possible that Henry is performing the song  "Mama, Don't Whip Little Buford", which (according to Wikipedia) he sang with Wendell. 

I didn't recognize this bear, but, because it comes after the photo of Henry, but before the photo of the Sun Bonnet Trio, the picture probably shows Terrence as he sang "How Long Will My Baby Be Gone" (a Buck Owens tune). Please correct me if I am mistaken!

Speaking of the Sun Bonnet Trio, here they are. They sang a song called "All The Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down". I feel as if I didn't need to know what turned them on, and will now watch all of the "Fast and Furious" movies to try to erase the concept from my brain (those movies will conveniently erase everything else from my brain also). Hey! They're wearing sun bonnets! Now I get it!

Next we have Teddi Barra; Teddi Berra is a unique bear because she never appears on stage. Instead she descends from a hole in the ceiling on her swing, which is decorated with pink roses. She is a brown bear and wears a blue hat with a pink feather as well as a long pink boa around her neck. Her song - "Heart, We Did All That We Could".

I'm rather surprised that our photographer did not take a picture of Big Al. Maybe he found the talk of blood to be distasteful. "Why couldn't he sing about bubblegum??". Instead we get a photo of the whole cast (minus Teddi Barra and Big Al, that is) as they performed, "Ole Slew Foot".

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the Country Bear Jamboree! The same photographer also took 10 pictures inside "It's a Small World", so you'll see those coming up soon.

Too Too Twain

Hey! Did you know that the Mysterious Benefactor has photos of the Mark Twain to share with us? Maybe you've seen a few on GDB! I'm not clairvoyant, so I don't know. Well, today I have five more Twainy pix for your viewing enjoyment. 

Ahoy up there! The pilot always has time to greet the little people, even though he secretly despises them. He has issues. This guy is holding a strange device in his hand, probably for communicating with the dead.

If a guest manages to climb up to the pilot house, he or she will be rewarded with a delicious snow-cone. Cherry, the best flavor! Try it the next time you go to the park, you'll be glad you did.

At first glance, one might think that the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island" is at the wheel. But it's not Alan Hale Jr., instead it is Captain Mike! The man, the legend. He appears to have a microphone just above his head, perfect for telling "dad jokes".

Here's one of his jokes: 

"Where did Captain Hook buy his hook?"

"The second hand store".

That young fella has finished his snow-cone and is now learning the ways of the river - she is a fickle mistress (only you can't say "mistress" around him because he's only eight). There's snags and sand bars and sometimes the river can change course overnight. You also have to look out for barges, rafts, and exploding ducks.

THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!

Blurzles™

It's time for more BLURZLES™ - a very specific sort of Snoozle, though not rare (unfortunately). Today's examples are particularly heartbreaking because the photos could have been so good otherwise. 

From *sometime in the 1960s* comes this photo, taken from the Monorail as it zoomed to the Disneyland Hotel; while I am disappointed that it is a little bit blurry, at least it is understandable - the Monorail was traveling at near light speed. The sky diffuses the sunlight so that we get no harsh shadows, and we should be able to observe some good details from up here. BUT... no such luck.

This next one (from the 1950s) is even more frustrating - an action-packed scene from Frontierland, with Black Bart (that cowardly scoundrel!) firing his pistol. Who is he shooting at? Perhaps Sheriff Lucky is out of frame to our left, but it almost looks like he's going to take out that young fella with the camera. The guests are fun to observe - at first I thought the two boys in red (with Keppy Kaps) were cast members. The person to the right with the striped shirt and shorts looks like "Young Mr. Smee" (hey, Disney+, there's a series idea for you). Behind the people is a cloth shade above a souvenir stand that I've never seen before - one of the items on display is the souvenir fan that I shared not too long ago. Casa de Fritos is to our right.

Los Angeles, July 1966

I have a small group of 1966 photos from around Los Angeles; they aren't the greatest ever, but still offer some fun. And fun is my middle name! 

First is this photo featuring a true landmark of Hollywood, the 13-story Capitol Records building. While many assume that it was designed to look like a stack of records, that is apparently not correct. I hope those people feel appropriately ashamed! The historic building is on Vine Street, just north of the famous "Hollywood and Vine" intersection. It was completed in 1956 (so it was only a decade old at the time this photo was taken), and was sometimes called "The House That Nat Built", because Nat King Cole was such a phenomenally popular performer who made big bucks for Capitol Records.

Next, we're in downtown L.A., with a look at Googie's restaurant on the corner of 5th Street and Olive, near Pershing Square. Eventually, there were four Googie's locations - this was the second one, it opened in 1955, with a design by architects Arnet and Davis. The restaurants had playful styling that spawned the term "Googie Architecture": Googie architecture is a type of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, jets, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. It originated in Southern California from the Streamline Moderne architecture of the 1930s, and was popular in the United States from roughly 1945 to the early 1970s.

And finally - the theater where the ABC TV show "The Hollywood Palace" was filmed from January 4th, 1964 to February 7th, 1970. It was a midseason replace for the disastrous Jerry Lewis talk show. Unlike similar programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show, the series used a different host each week. Among the show's many performers and hosts were Bing Crosby (who hosted the series' first and final episodes and had the most appearances as guest host: 31 in all, including his family on several of the annual Christmas shows), Dean Martin, Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis Jr., Sid Caesar, Peter Lawford, The Rolling Stones, Groucho Marx, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Jimmy Durante, The Supremes, Ginger Rogers, The Temptations, Dusty Springfield, Phyllis Diller, and Elizabeth Montgomery. The Rolling Stones... made their first US television appearance on the June 6, 1964, episode, and The Jackson 5... made their first national television appearance on the October 18, 1969, episode.

I hope you have enjoyed these photos of Vintage Los Angeles!

Ralph and the Mules, June 12th, 1962

Today is PART TWO featuring photos of a cool dude named Ralph who explored the beauties of Nature's Wonderland on the back of a trusty mule. By now Ralph and Buttercup (his mule) were one, they knew each other's thoughts. Buttercup knew where Ralph wanted to go before Ralph did. It was beautiful.

Ralph knows that a one-finger point is the worst thing a person could do, so he alerts us to a feature of interest in his own inimitable manner. He could also whistle through his teeth! Sadly we don't know what he was pointing at. 

The brave companions are crossing a natural arch bridge, a true wonder of nature's artistry. The lady in blue is apparently wearing some sort of cast on her forearm, so I will forgive her rude one-finger point. I believe everyone is looking in the general direction of the Rainbow Desert (while Bear Country was to the left). 

Well, everyone is on the gradual descent back into civilization (pun intended?), with the rooftops of Rainbow Ridge down below. It's been quite an adventure, and one that you could only have at Disneyland!

A Random Pair From April, 1974

Here's a pair of slide scans from April, 1974, starting with this interesting (and odd) photo taken from the old parking lot. I think the chain link fence flanked a walkway that prevented guests from getting squished as they trudged toward the ticket booths ("I don't trust those trams, Martha!"). Looking between Monorail pylons usually reveals ghosts, but there are none present, thankfully. In the distance, we see the Administration Building.

A friend of mine had worked at the park a few years before these pictures were taken, and he commented about this view: ... as I recall, the yellow building is the where Primeval World is, the Grand Canyon building is on the other side of the driveway where Harbor House is. The Administration building was on both sides of the Dioramas.   But as I recall, the interviews for new hires were all done on the parking lot side of the structure.  The park side of the building housed the costume department, some of the executive offices (Nunis's office would have been right on the corner, top floor, nearest the Opera House, and Disneyland University).

Next is a scan that might be a Snoozle™. It's certainly unconventional. Somebody was dining at the Tomorrowland Terrace (I believe) and decided to take a quick pic of those hanging flower pots. Or maybe they wanted the tippy-top of the Matterhorn? Or they are fans of blue patio umbrellas. Or "all of the above", which is the answer I like best.

 

Birthday Fun, and Two From June, 1962

 It's GDB friend Andrew's birthday today! And Sue B. sent a scan for this special occasion. I never had this many kids at a birthday party, but that's because I was what some people refer to as "a handful". Screaming, crying, the whole deal. Was it Joey's birthday? He's Mr. Popularity. "Lisa! You look bee-you-tiful! I'll save you a piece of cake with a frosting flower!'. "Gene! Old Gene, Gene, the jellybean. I'll bet you're two inches taller than the last time I saw you!". "Mikey, I love your new haircut. It looks even better on you than it did on Moe Howard".  I'm not sure what to make of those odd beige paper caps, like bad bald caps. Let's all look like little old men! Thank you for the photo, Sue.

And now on to our usual blog pix, starting with this shot of the Flying Saucers. As is often the case, there doesn't appear to be much of a line for this ride, in spite of its legendary low-capacity. The lady with the pink ostrich feather has a clear advantage, using it like a sail and allowing her to destroy the other guests. By the end, her saucer was the only vehicle still in one piece.

The Disneyland Band (sans Vesey Walker) is marching into Tomorrowland, causing a rift in the time-space-kitten continuity. How can an old-fashioned marching band be in the Land of Tomorrow? To folks from the future, it's akin to seeing cavemen on the moving sidewalks.

Another Installment of BUPIX

It's time for more Bupix™, courtesy of GDB friend Bu. He was a Tour Guide back in the 1980s, and he has lots of stories of his days in the thick of it. As usual, Bu has provided detailed commentary for each photo, which makes them more fun. LET'S GO!

All of these photos were taken in City Hall on the first floor.  I’m not sure what is here now, and everyone has told me “offices”…right…  The phone room and lead desk were behind the reception desk up front.  The lead desk was also in this room: the other lead had their own office down the way….that lead was the “desk” lead: meaning the one who assigned tours and was stationed at the desk in the Tour Garden.  When you are not giving tours, you are answering the phone: the information line: not the PBX... that is for the ladies above Mr. Lincoln: and I think PDX is STILL there.   I’m not sure Dottie is still around, but when you hear “Disneyland, this is Dottie….it sounds EXACTLY like Dottie should sound.

Pic #1 - This is Kellie and you would have met her in a few other installations of BuPix™.   From Coke Terrace to bomb shell TG’s.  Stay tuned for more of Kelly.  At her phone carol (this is what it was called, but the spelling may be off: someone help…) there is the medium size Park Operating Calendar: complete with attendance projections….there was another large wall size version that was plastic coated, and also a wallet version as well.   Not all of these had attendance projections as those were “secret”.  We could say “this will be a light day in the park” or “that will be very busy, it’s best if you choose another”….saying 14,000 people FREAKS people out….and 14K is a super duper über light day.   Guests have no context, and supplying numbers lengthens phone calls just trying to explain attendance.   Phone should be answered in two rings or less.  People are “calling long distance” and should not be on hold.   Note to all: EVERYONE is calling long distance: this is the 80’s.  Even calling from Newport Beach would be “long distance”…maybe not from like London or something, but still costing more than Lemon St, Anaheim 92801.  You can see a small snippet of the white erase board behind Kellie. The information latest and greatest.   It’s my handwriting, so I must have been lead that day.  We updated this every morning, every day.   If I remember correctly, it was a chalk board when I started.  Beyond Kellie is the supervisor office: used for many things including crying, writing people up, numerous disciplinary action, guest complaints, VIP Disneyland Official Guest Book/Photo…and meetings…maybe meetings….another one of these photos shows another use…I got my reviews in this office, and certainly written up, but no tears.

Next photo is Rosemary .  Some interesting things about this photo: the drapes: I remember they were old and dusty and we were NOT allowed to open them for any circumstance.  This is actually the back side of City Hall and those windows went to the little alley behind, with the Jungle Cruise “shotgun” scene right there.  I think they didn’t want the windows in view because they didn’t want the ladies to be flirting with the Main St. Vehicle guys or something: Generally there was a horse or two back there, and where the street car “garage” was.  Horsies went back to the ranch after work, but hung out here during parades and such, and during their shift change.  They only worked 4 hours and day.  They got some snacks back here as well, and it was nice to go back there and do some petting now and again.  The pony farm guys were kind of gruff, but one married a TG.  [On the shelf is one of] the “new” phones (the old ones were the ones with “hold please” buttons) and although I liked the “click click click” of those, the new phones rang in order (so not the same person was answering the phone: some were lazy and would let it ring….and also there was a recording switch in case of bomb threats that were put in after some disturbance that no one spoke of, but was “water cooler” talk.   I used the switch once for something: I don’t remember if it was a bomb or just a general threat.  But it did involve some investigation of sorts…will have to do a memory deep dive on that.   That plastic Rolodex thing is what we would look up frequently asked questions: numbers to Grey Line, The Disneyland hotel, etc etc etc.  People called us for EVERYTHING…even things that had nothing to do with Disneyland or anything else.  That phone room could have been a TV show.  Also on that shelf if you look closely is some sort of doodling…Goofy…I think.  This was not the artist in the bunch…so perhaps the person that sat before.  Another odd thing is the paper under the Rolodex thing.   It’s a “Statement” form.  Something to document something that happened.  Very odd, but I recognize the paper.  Appearance guidelines dictated no eyeliner, and no french manicures….yup….as long as you could pull it off, we all turned away.  One TG wore way too much rouge and she looked like “Mrs. Candy Apple Face” one day, so we had to take her aside.  The boys got away with NOTHING.

Pic 3 is Kellie again, with Michele: who was Jim Cora’s daughter and a buddy of mine.  Alas: she is no longer with us: gone way too soon: what a fun gal she was.  Her mom was also a Tour Guide decades prior.  Kellie seems to be modeling some sticker or something that says “California”.   This may be from State Fair days…hmmmm….don’t know…but we were always subjected to do these tasks: like organizing stickers and whatnot….and other things that promotions/PR/et al would give us to do.  We were non union, so we did it all and more.  This was a guest facing office, hence the wood grain walls (all painted: not real grain) and Victorian style decor.  This is now part of the bigger lobby of City Hall where God knows what happens any more.

The last photo is of me holding another TG’s sweet baby.  Yes: babysitting duties ensued whilst reciting "$12 for an adult and 9 for children ages 3 through 11.”   I don’t remember why we have defiled Walt’s picture so…some stickers or something.  I’d like to say “it wasn’t me!” but….I would probably be the first in line for any controlled shenanigans.  It seems with the number of execs that would stroll through this room every day, that we should be so rebellious….perhaps it’s a shadow?   That was a new piece of artwork.  Things tended to show up over night on the wall.  If there wasn’t any room for art/a proclamation/et.al.  it would end up in the phone room or the TG lounge.  Behind me you can see the Walt Disney Co phone book in white, and the binders were Lead things.   Perhaps my desk was being used by someone else and they forwarded me the lead line here (?)   You can see the “bomb switch” there on the left of the phone.  My vest is unbuttoned: more craziness.  This HAD to have been past operating hours when no guests were in the Park.  That is a giant diamond ring on my finger.  Later, I hocked it because I needed tires.  I must have just come from vacation or time off or something as i am slightly burnt.  The guy behind me: I forgot his name, but he went on to a long career as a flight attendant.  He didn’t want photo’s of himself taken.  Unlike the rest of the ego crew who would push you over to get into the frame.  40 years later, we all still smile on cue.

I was instrumental in getting new chairs for the phone room.  The old orange ones were in super bad shape: they were from the 70’s, and I developed a bad back as a result.  I was put in charge of picking out new: they were $2500 each.  This was in the 80’s….so they were EXPENSIVE, but had great lower back support.  FIGHTING FOR THE PEOPLE!!!  The old ones are probably in someone’s garage.  Nothing at Disneyland was thrown away.

I hope you all had fun with this latest batch of Bupix! Many thanks to Bu for sharing these and for his wonderful commentary.

Along the Disneyland Railroad, 1950s

I want all of you to put on your $3,000 VR headsets and take a ride on the Disneyland Railroad with me - 1950's STYLE! These first two scans are very unusual, I don't think I have anything else quite like them. Or maybe I do? Who knows. As you can see, our photographer has leaned out of one of the old "cattle cars" (Maybe the photos were taken by a cow??) to capture a look at the water tower, which I believe is in its original location (not far from the Plantation House). 

We're headin' around the bend, with Frontierland Station dead ahead. Well, not dead, just kind of sleepy.

Speaking of Frontierland Station...! I love the gingerbread details, which feel "just right" for this remote outpost. Elegant, but not foofy. I've always wondered if the circular part of the decorative trim in the lower right was meant to evoke the Santa Fe (original sponsor of the Disneyland RR) logo?

See how the logo is at an angle on this old brochure?

Snoozles From March, 1960

Today's SNOOZLES™ come from a photographer who had an interesting eye for composition. Why point the camera at something interesting? That's what THEY expect! "I'll show those phonies. I'll show them all! They say I'm mad, but it is they who are mad!" (lightning flashes, thunder booms).

I don't care about that big mountain, or the nuclear submarines, or even that Monorail. What I like is a whole lot of empty sky. Magnificent! I guess I will allow one extra point for including Screechy the Richfield Eagle. 

Walt Disney wanted a faithful replica of the original "Columbia" sailing ship, which circumnavigated the globe in six hours (I think). But you know what is really amazing? That pine tree. It's producing oxygen, and pine cones. Pine cones that can be spray-painted gold and covered with glitter for the perfect Christmas decoration. Can you do that with the Columbia? I DON'T THINK SO!