The Final Voyage of the Queen Mary

Here's something a little bit different - a real piece of SoCal history! Many of you have visited the grand old ocean liner, the Queen Mary - it's a tourist attraction, for those of you who don't know; today's photos, courtesy of Steve Stuart, were taken as the QM arrived in Long Beach on December 9th, 1967. I think these are really great. Steve has done an awesome job writing up a nice account for us - here it is:

On Saturday, December 9, 1967, the Queen Mary arrived in Long Beach, California to begin another chapter in her storied life – now as a tourist attraction, hotel, etc., and I was there to welcome her to [what has so far been] her final resting place.  Here are some quotes from the L.A. Times marking the event:  

“The Queen Mary arrives in Long Beach following a 39-day voyage from England.  The city of Long Beach purchased the 31-year old vessel, which was slated for the scrap heap, for $3.45 million to serve as its waterfront centerpiece.”  The copy went on to describe the event as:  the arrival “… at her permanent residence in exile amid a tumultuous welcome that was bigger than any celebration in Southern California since the day World War II ended 22 years ago.”  Who knew-? 

"Tens of thousands – perhaps a million or more – on land, sea and in the air greeted the Queen as she glided along the coast and past the Long Beach Harbor breakwater at 10 a.m. on the last mile or so of the 39-day voyage from England, the home she will never see again”.  Oh, how sad.

About 1,200 passengers…  (let’s hope the ship’s manifest contained numbers more accurately representing the actual count, rather than “about”; otherwise I’m thinking someone could have attempted the ‘perfect murder-at-sea’-!) “…paying $8,000.00 each, [$58,428 in today’s dollars-!] took the final voyage.  Being too wide for the Panama Canal, the Queen Mary sailed around the tip of South America to reach Long Beach”.

Major Pepperidge here... I just love the masses of boats that came out to greet the Queen Mary as she arrived in Long Beach harbor, ranging from small sailboats to fancy pleasure boats, to what might be a Coast Guard escort!

Wow! What a great shot. It is definitely bittersweet to think that that magnificent ship with the distinctive 3 funnel profile was mere minutes from its final resting place.

Steve continues: You would have thought with all this hoopla and record-breaking numbers I would have stronger memories of the event.

Nope – nothing, nada, zip, bubkas-!  I have no doubt I was in attendance, in spite of the fact the only identifiable person seen in these images is that of my mom in the final photo – wearing, appropriately-enough:  A babushka-!  We did own a sailboat, but we certainly did not sail it down from Marina del Rey for the event.  Evidently whoever invited use along on his boat to witness the festivities up close and personal, was also lost to the ages along with other memories from that day.  Undoubtedly my mind was elsewhere – such as The Happiest Place On Earth – where any true Disneyland fan would rather be, wanting to take-in the still [almost new] New Tomorrowland, and even Pirates of the Caribbean.  (How did the commentary move that direction-?  I couldn’t possibly fathom a guess).

If anyone can ID any vessels or other mechanical contrivances seen in these images, please sing-out.  Thanks to The Major’s ‘eagle eye’, careful perusal of photo #5 reveals the Goodyear Blimp floating around overhead, capturing many images documenting the glorious day.

MANY THANKS to Steve for sharing these awesome photos. I thought that this was going to be the final post of his images, but he has since sent me a few more, so stay tuned!

RMS Queen Mary

Today I am posting the last few remaining slides of the Queen Mary from my collection!

Let's start with this fun shot of a 1985 billboard, featuring a rebus. Can you possibly crack the code?!

Here's a view from the water... I wonder if the photographer was taking a harbor tour. When I win the lottery I'm going to buy an old ocean liner and convert it into a seaside home. I'll wear full captain's regalia all the times (like Captain Bligh), of course. 

Up on deck, two girls pose in the bright Southern California sunshine. Wonder what those cylindrical things are sticking up in the foreground? I think they are birds that disguise themselves as cylindrical things to confuse predators.

Inside the Queen Mary, there are many exhibits. Check out this sweet, highly-detailed model of the QM herself. I built many Aurora and Revell models when I was a kid, but this thing is a masterpiece.

Yet another model, this time a battleship of some kind. Does anybody know the significance of the vessel shown here?

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to the Queen Mary!

The Queen Mary, Long Beach

The Cunard Line's "Queen Mary" sailed the seas from 1936 through 1967, setting a few speed records for crossing the Atlantic, as well as ferrying troops during WWII (painted battleship gray). By the 1960's, her future was uncertain; but the city of Long Beach, California put in a successful bid to keep the ship and renovate it as a tourist destination.

Here's a neat photo from December 1968, showing the QM in Long Beach more than two years before she would reopen for guests. As you can see, her familiar three-funnel silhouette has been altered; the funnels were removed to facilitate the removal of the forward engine room, the boilers, both generator rooms, and the water softening plant - basically everything below "C" deck. It turned out that the funnels were mostly rusted out, and only held together by many coats of paint, so replicas had to be manufactured.

To keep the ship stable, large quantities of mud were pumped into the now-empty lower portions! Did you know that the Queen Mary was offically deemed a building and not a ship by the U.S. Coast Guard, since her propellers and machinery were removed?

This photo was taken 8 years later. Permanent gangways were built (visible to the left) so that you wouldn't have to be flung aboard via a giant slingshot. We can also see an ocean, but I forget which one. Who can keep track! See that oil tanker? It's actually a whale, able to appear as an oil tanker in order to protect itself in the wild. Nature is magical.


Too bad you nobody is standing next to this propeller, it's hard to tell how big it is; the average person's head would not have reached the bottom of the lower blades. Anyway, the QM had four of those babies. There used to be a large tank on board the ship, like a giant swimming pool, and you could look down in it to see another propeller.

I've got more Queen Mary photos to share!

The Queen Mary, Long Beach

Ahoy, salty dogs! Today we be visitin' the most fearsome ship that ever sailed the Atlantic Ocean - The Queen Mary. You can do a search on this blog for info about the QM. Or visit your local liberry!

There she is, looking mighty fine. And as big as she is, today's cruise ships make her look like she needs to eat more steak. For instance, in the Queen's heyday, her weight was around 81,000 gross tons. The modern-day "Allure of the Seas" weighs in at over a quarter of a million tons!


Here is an artistic view of a smokestack, (also called "funnels" because they were used to pour sugar into bottles). As I said in an earlier post, the original funnels had to be replaced when it was discovered that the only thing holding the rusted metal together was many layers of paint. Notice the two great horns, also known as "tooty things".


Can somebody explain to me why ships like these usually had a large mast? Was it for radio communications?


I want to pull every one of those levers, and yell, "Ice berg, dead ahead!" into the speaking tube. And meet Kate Winslet, maybe. I'm sure she reads this blog.


Is this still something you can see on the QM? I remember looking down into the large enclosed pool that contained the giant bronze screw. Yes, I said it.


I have more photos from the Queen Mary, like it or not!

The Queen Mary, September 1973

Here are four more from The Queen Mary in Long Beach.

There she is, looming in the distance; the QM has become a real landmark in Southern California, but there is part of me that thinks it's a shame that she isn't out sailing the Atlantic anymore. Time marches on...


There's the pointy end of the ship! Something tells me that passengers weren't allowed out there by the tippy tip back in the ship's sailing days. Too dangerous, with ropes and chains and other equipment. Plus there was always the possibility of a narwhal attack; I'm still so worried about narwhals that I never leave my home.


The QM can't hit an ice berg anymore, but you never know, an ice berg might strike it! Never underestimate and angry ice berg. Luckily there are plenty of life boats hanging from the row of davits, ready to ferry folks 50 feet to shore.


I like this photo's composition, with the three giant funnels shrinking toward the horizon. Perspective! The many cables are there so that teams of trained monkeys can clean the entire ship each night.

You know I have more Queen Mary photos!

Queen Mary Interiors, September 1973

Welcome back to the Queen Mary!

We've seen a lot of the exterior of the 1934 ocean liner, so today we're going to take a peek at the inside. Most of the luxurious cabins were gutted and transformed into offices, hotel rooms, and public areas, but a few of the rooms were preserved for visitors to experience. Those twin beds look tiny, I'm sure my feet would stick out at the end by about a foot! I love the details, like the built-in book shelves, the burl-wood (maple? walnut?) headboards & footboards, and even the old-fashioned telephone. The inlaid wood mural on the wall is pretty impressive too.

This had to be one of the officer's quarters; notice the hat! Looks cozy. The doorways into these rooms were covered with plexiglass to keep people from throwing pennies, gum, and other junk inside. You know how people are!


Some wealthy travellers not only got a little bedroom, they even had a sitting room, with a writing desk, a sofa for company, and even a fireplace! I assume that the horrible fluorescent lighting was added late in the ship's existence, or maybe even just for the tour.


Wood paneling everywhere! And not that crummy knotty-pine stuff either. Another comfortable sitting room, complete with champagne glasses and brandy snifters filled with delicious epoxy resin. Mmmm! I presume that all of the furniture from the many demolished rooms wound up being auctioned off, probably for a song too. I need some of those club chairs.


Stay tuned for more from the Queen Mary....

More "Queen Mary", 1976

Today we'll spend a brief time in the bridge of the grand old ocean liner. This was one of my favorite places to see when I visited the Queen Mary long ago. Just look at all those gleaming brass thingamabobs! You can see the funnels that were used in to shriek commands to some sweaty guy in the engine room. And what kid wouldn't want to steer a big ship like this, spinning those wheels, pulling levers, and ordering people around just because you're the Captain and they all have to do what you say.


More shiny stuff than you can shake a stick at. Sure it looks cool, but you don't want to be the poor dope who had to polish that brass.


I guess this car was placed on deck to help give visitors a sense of what the world was like in the 1930's. Today, I would buy this car, shoot it up, splash some ketchup around, and tell people it was Bonnie and Clyde's death car. Because that's how I roll.


There's more photos from the Queen Mary to come!

Queen's Park, Long Beach California

Today's post is a tribute to a SoCal amusement park that I have heard almost nothing about, which is pretty unusual; we love our amusement parks! 

So, here is one postcard for Queen's Park in Long Beach. Since the early 1900's, the Long Beach Municipal Pier was home to a waterfront boardwalk and park known as "The Pike". As the years passed and competition for people's amusement dollars increased, The Pike was given a facelift and renamed "Nu-Pike" in 1954. One of Bud Hurlbut's famous miniature trains was added! In 1971, the named was changed to Queen's Park to coincide with the arrival of the RMS Queen Mary.

Considering that I lived in nearby Huntington Beach and my Navy dad worked in Long Beach, I am astounded that my family never went to Queen's Park. It looks like it would have been a lot of fun!

I was even more amazed to learn that Queen's Park lasted until 1980. Apparently it was featured in old episodes of Emergency!, S.W.A.T, and The Six Million Dollar Man... it would be fun to see those scenes!

At a recent paper show, I found this strip of tickets (on Globe paper, hooray!) from QP's first year. This would have kept you busy for a while! Presumably a guest handed this to the ticket taker who was armed with a special paper punch.

Goodbye, Queen's Park!

Long Beach, California

On today's "Anything Goes Saturday" I have two scans with a "Long Beach" theme. Just because!

We'll start out with this shot of the RMS Queen Mary as she nears the end of her 1,001st (and last) voyage; she reached Long Beach Harbor on December 9th, 1967.  As you can see, many locals turned out to witness the event. Be sure to see Nanook's family photos (taken from aboard a boat!) HERE; just think, he was not too far away when this picture was taken! As most of you know, the Queen Mary has been a tourist draw in Long Beach for decades now. Time and the elements have taken their toll, and the boat is in need of many expensive repairs. Let's hope that it gets the TLC that it deserves!

Next is this artistic October 1960 photo from The Pike, an amusement zone that started way back in 1902. I remember it well! The Pike had its ups and downs, and was re-dubbed the "Nu-pike" in the 1950s in an attempt to clean up its reputation and hopefully make it more palatable for families that might think of heading to Disneyland or Knott's instead. This long exposure makes the Ferris Wheel a blur of light. To the right we can just see one of the diving bells. To the left is a Tilt-a-Whirl, and behind that might be the "Laff In the Dark" attraction. I'm unsure about what the structure to the extreme left could be.

I was reminded of this vintage postcard!

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Long Beach, California.

Queen Mary, January 1974

It's time for another visit to that unique Southern California attraction, the Queen Mary! In beautiful Long Beach, don'tcha know.

This firsts photo shows a mom and her two daughters, walking on the long covered gangplank (or whatever they call it) that took you from parking lot level to the ship. They're actually leaving at this point, which just shows you that these are in no particular order.

Hey, there's Santa Claus, loafing on a sign that says that the QM is a PSA Hotel. According to Wikipedia, Hyatt operated the hotel from 1974 to 1980 (when it the Wrather Corporation - owners of the Disneyland Hotel - signed a 66 year lease). I guess this must have been from just before Hyatt took over.


Here's an interesting POV shot from the deck, looking out at Long Beach harbor and the glamorous, exciting parking lot. What the heck is that little mock-Tudor village?!


Hi mom! She's standing above the stern of the ship, looking so alone. Notice the little booth for radio station KBIG, which was one of the highest-rated stations in Los Angeles back in those days. "Beautiful music" was their format - lush instrumentals and some vocals. Yarg. Now they play "Hot Adult Contemporary" music.


Mom is standing next to a beautiful model of the RMS Mauretania. When it was launched in 1906, it was the biggest, fastest ocean liner in the world (holding speed records that lasted 22 years). Its sister ship was the Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the early days of World War One. The Mauretania was retired in 1934. Read about it in your local liberry!

Disneyland Band at the Plaza Gardens, February, 1977

If you're like me, you've never liked the incessant, juvenile caterwauling of rock and roll and pop music. Give me a brass band any time (or an accordion as a last resort)! If it ain't John Philip Sousa, I don't want to hear it (was he the Taylor Swift of 19th Century?). I believe that the gentleman leading the band is Stan Freese, according to Wikipedia he started at Walt Disney World and transferred to Disneyland in the Spring of 1974. 

Here's a bit more info about Mr. Freese (not Mr. Freeze): As leader of the Disneyland Band, Freese modernized the band's repertoire, giving the musicians more variety. In 1983, Freese became a talent booking director at Disneyland—auditioning and hiring musicians and bands for work in the park and special events, as well as forming bands and musical acts based on operational needs. Freese continued as a talent booking director for most of the rest of his Disney career, except for temporary assignments. He also served as a show director and entertainment producer at both Disneyland and the Queen Mary (Disney operated the Queen Mary for a short period in the 1980s and 1990s). In 1990, Freese returned to leading the Disneyland Band for two years, until Art Dragon was selected as the new leader. Freese was also instrumental in forming Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, a fan-favorite bluegrass band that performed at Disneyland from 1987 to 2014. In 2001, Freese became the talent booker and show director for the Downtown Disney shopping complex at the Disneyland Resort, organizing the atmosphere entertainment program. Perhaps our friend Bu knew Stan Freese?

Parade, September 1985

Everybody loves a parade! Especially JG, who would never use the opportunity to hit some rides with shorter lines during the spectacle. NEVER, do you hear? 

Meanwhile, Sue B. has scanned more slides taken by her dad, Lou Perry - these are from Disneyland's 30th Birthday Parade. These are sort of random views of the parade and of Main Street area; it's a lot for one post (10 images), but they felt as if they belonged together, rather than split up.

I would imagine that dancing on top of a moving parade float takes some getting used to. And what if the float slams on its brakes because a deer runs across the street?? I'll bet it happens more often than you imagine. I've read that these dancers are trained to "tuck and roll", so that they incur no damage more serious than some mussed hair (but not too mussed).

The Queen of Hearts from "Alice in Wonderland" is mercurial, temperamental, and pusillanimous. Well, OK, she's not pusillanimous, I just wanted to use a big word to impress you all. Did it work?

A Poppins Penguin has hopped out of a chalk painting and into our hearts. "Mr. Pepperidge, after studying the X-ray, we've determined that you have a penguin in your left ventricle, and we'll have to operate ASAP". "Jeepers!". The Tweedles are nearby. 

Hey! It's the Queen of Hearts again! Holding a bouquet of balloons, purchased at Party City. The Queen knows that balloons are the international symbol of friendship. There is a character in a blue dress behind the balloons, but we will never be able to identify her, and it is a fool's errand to even try.

I would expect the Town Square flagpole area to be packed with guests during a parade, and yet there is room to swing at least two mid-sized cats, much to my surprise. Since this was September, perhaps the crowds were a bit less than they would have been in July or August, since kids would be back in school (except for the lucky few whose parents were willing to pull them out of class for a day at the park). 

Whoa, what's in those shopping bags? Something bulky, and hopefully expensive. The lady in the pink ensemble looks like she walked off the set of "Miami Vice" (she played Sonny Crockett's love interest, Belinda Bikini, a forensics scientist & fashion model). 

It looks like this was the tail-end of the parade, you can see the Rope of Sadness being deployed by cast members. Don't be sad that the parade is over, be grateful that we had it to begin with. Bogdan and Alexei Tweedle, the Queen of Hearts, more Poppins Penguiins, and even Winnie The Pooh can be seen.

Other than the balloons, this corner of Town Square looks pretty "normal". I like that two Skyway gondolas are visible! 

Lou had a good view of the Opera House, which featured Wagner's most famous opera, The Walt Disney Story. If you have 9 hours, you can watch the entire thing. In the end, Walt drives a magic sword into an evil (and smelly) ogre named Fronk. SPOILER ALERT.

And finally, here's a kind of neat look up Main Street as the final float heads toward the Castle. It's fun to see it with everyone milling in the street. Look closely, you can see Mary Poppins' hat at the base of the float.

MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!!