Somber Fantasyland, 1960s

We love our sunny skies in SoCal, but (thanks to chemtrails) clouds and weather do happen. Just look at this first photo - I guess it's not going to rain, but it really wants to! The genuine gold leaf on the façade still manages to gleam, I'm gonna sneak in one night and scrape all the gold off. I'll be rich! The family in the foreground is interesting. Mom (?) is in shorts and white go-go boots, while Junior wears a red sport coat. 

This might be a view from the upper level of the Carousel of Progress building, though I am not certain. The Matterhorn looks just a little sinister beneath those oppressive clouds. Three Skyway gondolas (two mustards and one ketchup) glide to and fro. I believe that I can see just a smidgen of a Bobsled, so buy a lottery ticket today.

Beautiful Frontierland, August 1961

Imagine being magically transported back to 1961. Tuck your mullet under a Keppy Cap so that you won't get looks! Take a stroll around Disneyland, especially Frontierland, and soak up all that vintage ambiance. Since I am reasonably sure that I never visited the Indian Village when I was a kid, I would want to head in that direction. If I time it just right, I can watch a performance of native dancing by members of a number of tribes. It would be so great!

Next is this lovely look at the Columbia; it looks like passengers are deplaning, and they are probably discussing all of the wonders of the wilderness that they just saw. "That moose looked right at me!". A raft is loading up at Tom Sawyer Island, ready to cross the river. To our right, the old, short-lived bandstand.

A Dream Team Selection

 I can't explain it, but today seemed like a good day to share more photos from the Dream Team - Irene, Bruce, and James. I'd guess that there are still around 35 images from that large batch of scans that remain, and I'm being very miserly with them to make them last. You understand! 

We'll start with this shot of Cascade Peak probably taken from the Mark Twain; by this time the Mine Train attraction was long-gone, but Cascade Peak survived as a feature seen along the river's edge for 19 years afterwards. It still looks nice here, with the waterfalls splashing past the disused track. Since many of the Dream Team's photos are from the 1990s, we know that the peak would be gone soon (it was razed in 1998).

It's nice to see this shot of the Jolly Trolley still in operation over in Toontown - I always liked the cartoony proportions of this trolley, based on the Los Angeles "Red Car" trolleys that were so beloved. The trolley swayed in an eccentric manner (hard to describe) as it traveled the short track, adding kinetic  movement and energy to the land. The Jolly Trolley operated from 1993 to 2003, so it has been more than 20 years since it’s last trip!

We're still in Toontown, over at the site of Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Toontown opened at Disneyland on January 24, 1993, while the Car Toon Spin didn't open until January 26, 1994, so we know that this photo was taken sometime in that interim. I quite enjoy RRCTS, though the queue can often be longer than I am willing to endure. 

Somewhere in Frontierland, you'd see this nice hand-painted sign - they buy and sell buffalo hides! Top prices too. It don't know exactly where this sign was, but it would not surprise me if it is still there today.

MANY THANKS to the DREAM TEAM!

July, 1969

Here's a nice duo of scans from July of 1969. Perhaps Apollo 11 was on its way to the Moon! This first example is a fun look at all Three Little Pigs, marching with the Big Bad Wolf. He has reformed his evil ways, but he's still a wolf, and can't stop dreaming about pork chops and bacon (that explains the lolling tongue). It's fun to see the smiles on some of the nearby guests. Overhead, the yellow Mark II Monorail passes with a peculiar hum and whoosh. I hope the pilot honks the air horn in a "shave and a haircut - two bits" rhythm.

Next, a somewhat standard (but still nice) view of the Sub Lagoon as seen from the Skyway. The "Ethan Allen" glides by below, and two Peoplemover trains move slowly above it. The Fantasyland Autopia (hello, Screechy!) appears to have quite a large queue, while other guests make their way back to It's a Small World. One Motor Boat makes a surprise cameo.

 

Snoozles

I have THREE Snoozles for you today! As you will see, the picture quality isn't too bad, the focus is within International Blog Committee (or IBC) parameters, and the lighting is pretty good. They're just boring! OR ARE THEY? You be the judge. Someone else can be the jury (I want to be the executioner).

From August, 1980 comes this "meh" photo of Main Street Station. I can't even think of anything to say about it, other than I miss the Santa Fe logo.

Also from August, 1980 (but from a different lot than the previous image) comes this shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle - other than the banner for Disneyland's first quarter century, there is nothing much of note.

Here's another photo of Main Street Station, undated but I believe it's from the late 1970s; Santa Fe went out for ice cream and never came home in 1974, so we know it's from after '74, anyway. Don't hassle me, man! "Oh little bird up in the sky, whence are you coming from, and where are you going?". I wrote that all by myself, with no help from AI.

Bali Hai, July 1964

I hope you are in the mood for a Hurricane or a Mai Tai, and maybe some Martin Denny or Les Baxter tunes, because we are visiting the Bali Hai tiki bar, operating since 1954 on Shelter Island in San Diego. From Wikipedia: (Shelter Island) is actually not an island but is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. It was originally a sandbank in San Diego Bay, visible only at low tide. It was built up into dry land using material dredged from the bay in 1934. It was developed in the 1950s and contains hotels, restaurants, marinas, and public parkland. Notice the stern (?) visage of Mr. Bali Hai to the left - there is a statue of him as well, restored by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily in 2001. The sign to the right says "Exotic Cantonese Dinners : DANCING TONIGHT : Polynesian Floor Show".

Up on the roof, a fearsome (but friendly?) fellow known as "The Goof" surveys the landscape below. Apparently there had been another "Goof" on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, and this example is a copy of that one.

Here's a great photo of Alice Hudson, who apparently was instrumental in bringing The Goof to the Bali Hai restaurant. A replica of a giant Tiki statue known as the “Goof,” which had long stood atop Christian’s Hut in Balboa, was hoisted to the roof of the elaborate new “Tiki temple” on Shelter Island, constructed from timbers hauled down from backcountry San Diego mountains. You can read an extensive history of Shelter Island's Bali Hai HERE.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Mike Cozart sent along a photo of the Bali Hai restaurant, taken shortly after its renovation. It looks wonderful! Thanks Mike.

Beautiful Tomorrowland, August 1960

Oh boy, vintage Tomorrowland, it's like catnip to me (these photos make me drool and roll around on the ground and act goofy - goofier than usual I mean). There's nothing that we haven't seen before, and yet... the park looks so exciting and beautiful. The colors are so nice, you can practically taste them. Go ahead, lick your computer screen, it's a free country.

It's August 1960, and the Matterhorn was only a year(ish) old, but wow, what a sight. No wonder over 50 photos have been taken of it (maybe 60)! By the looks of things, our photographer was going up the steps to the load platform of the Skyway terminal - maybe they were seconds from boarding their luxury gondola. After being handed a glass of premium champagne, they'll be whisked up into the clean, fresh Anaheim air. 

Here we are, whisking. WE'RE WHISKING! I love the hues of the early Skyway buckets, especially my favorite persimmon orange pal. Down below, the Autopia, and Screechy who stopped by to say "hello" (well, he just screeched, but we know what he meant). The red Mark I Monorail is at the station, and to the left, the Astro Jets are in the astro-jetting. 

More "America Sings", September 1983

Hopefully you've seen the first installment of photos (taken by Lou Perry and scanned/shared by Sue B) from "America Sings". They are unusually nice, with some startling closeups that you don't tend to see elsewhere. Great job, Lou!

Here's a disreputable piano-playing pig; Wikipedia says that you'd see him during the "Gay 90s" section during the song "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay". I believe that this animatronic was later repurposed as a female pig for the big showboat finale scene in Splash Mountain.

One of my faint memories from America Sings is these Cancan chickens (again, "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay"?), and their rather slow and arthritic kicks - the limits of technology did them no favors. These gals also appeared in the Splash Mountain finale. 

There was a Geese Quartet that performed several songs, including "She May Be Somebody's Mother" / "The Bowery" / "After the Ball" (from "The Gay 90s"), "Ja-Da" / "Darktown Strutters' Ball" / "Singin' in the Rain" (from "Modern Times"), and more. 

From the "Headin' West" portion of the show, this "Sombrero-wearing dog" sang (wait for it), "Who Shot The Hole in My Sombrero?". 

And finally, another scene from The Gay 90s, with a bird in a gilded cage singing "A Bird in a Gilded Cage". Who could have predicted it!

MANY THANKS to Lou Perry and to Sue B. for sharing these wonderful photos of a long-extinct attraction!

Three From January, 1974

Well... I have some "nice but boring" scans from January 1974 for you today. There's nothing really wrong with them, as photos go. But after viewing many thousands of Disneyland pix, these are very run-of-the-mill. Are they "Snoozles"? Kinda. 

It's that nutty old Mark Twain, with Cascade Peak still looking pretty good just behind it. I could almost see a picture like this showing up in a souvenir guidebook of the time. And yet... SNORE.

The Columbia, the first American vessel to circumnavigate Oxnard. It makes you proud. When it's in Fowler's Harbor, it ain't circumnavigating nuthin'! 

And lastly, you knew it had to be in this batch... a view of the Castle later in the day (in January that means 2:00). Again, there's nothing particularly wrong with this photo, but we've certainly seen many nicer and more interesting images of this feature over the years.

I promise to have something more interesting for you tomorrow!

Disneyland Hotel Brochure, March 1961

I love paper Disneyland ephemera, and today's example seems to be pretty scarce. It might look familiar though, stay tuned to the end of today's blog post.

SO... there it is, from March 1961 - a brochure designed to get you hyped for your stay at the most exciting resort in the World! Hey, it's subjective. I love the drawing of "Li'l Stubby", the Mark I Monorail, which (as it says in small print) was projected to open in June. You could be whisked to the park in the blink of an eye!

Here's one side, unfolded. The list of room rates is crossed out - yes, it drives me crazy, but there was a reason for this brutal defacement. Meanwhile, enjoy the spot illustrations to the left, SoCal has everything you need to be entertained. 

It's too bad we don't get color photos of the way the Hotel looked back in those early days, but you can't have everything.

Here's an insert showing the newest room rates, which explains why that portion was X-ed out of the main brochure. The prices are amazing, but don't forget that we must adjust for inflation. Multiply by 10, that's a good general rule. So a deluxe room is $30 per night (vacation rate) - that's around $315 today. Not cheap by any means, but a bargain compared to what you would actually pay in 2025.

I have no doubt that some of you remember the somewhat-more-common coral-pink version of the same flyer (printed a few months later) - "common" meaning "still pretty rare". Here's a comparison of the obverses:

And the reverses: