Building Disneyland TWA Rocket Ship to the Moon

Because of all the black and white photographs I have been posting from Esther's photo album, I decided to add a little color. The images are from the placing of the TWA Rocket Ship to the Moon in Tomorrowland. The images come from a funky little strip of photographs that had an unusual viewer allowing the image to be seen in 3-D. The brown envelope sleeve reads Building Disneyland Scenes of Disneyland Taken During Construction Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom Anaheim, California. I will be posting more of the image sporadically throughout the next month or so.

Esther's Photo Album #10

The page for today's photo album features some pretty interesting people. The first is captioned Chris Evans Sells Guide Books. This is the same first job that Steve Martin held at Disneyland.

The second image is captioned Louie and Mary Jane. Louie is wearing a brass first name tag on his custodial uniform. From the looks of things, Mary Jane must have been a lot of fun to be around.

The third image is captioned Minnie and Mickey Mouse. Miehana will enjoy this image.

Finally the last photo on the page. The caption is Trinidad. He was the star member of the Disneyland Sanitation service.

Esther's Photo Album #9

Three more images of co-workers on Main Street. I still like the modern outfits the employees were wearing. The first is captioned Ken Jewelry Store.

The second is captioned Mary Jane Jewelry Store. I love her pose.

The final one is captioned Carmen Jewelry Store. I like the large Yale Key sign and the Lock Shop sign.

Esther's Photo Album #8

Some more friends of Esther. In looking at these photographs it appears the 1890s style of dress was in for the ladies, but the gentlemen are wearing 1950s style clothing with gabardine shirts and slacks. The only guy so far in 1890s style clothing was the ticket taker at the Cinema. The first image is captioned Jan Lock Shop. She is backstage with her Triumph sports car.

The second is captioned Ann Lock Shop.

Ant the third image is captioned Ken and Dwight Jewelry Store.

Esther's Photo Album #8

Some more friends of Esther. In looking at these photographs it appears the 1890s style of dress was in for the ladies, but the gentlemen are wearing 1950s style clothing with gabardine shirts and slacks. The only guy so far in 1890s style clothing was the ticket taker at the Cinema. The first image is captioned Jan Lock Shop. She is backstage with her Triumph sports car.

The second is captioned Ann Lock Shop.

Ant the third image is captioned Ken and Dwight Jewelry Store.

Esther's Photo Album #7

The seventh album page from Esther. The first photograph is captioned Jewelry store at right of lock shop.

The second photograph is captioned Dwight Longs Jewelry and Lock Shop.

The third photo is not captioned. He is the ticket taker for the cinema. It appears he has a mustache which must have been allowed at this time.

The next photograph is captioned Beverly and Jan Lock Shop.

The last image is captioned Dorothy.

Chris- unfortunately I do not have a picture of Jack from the Tobacco shop.

Esther's Photo Album #6 Plus Close Ups

The sixth page of the photograph album. The first image is not captioned but shows the Tobacco Shop and the Magic shop. I wonder if Steve Martin was in there at this time?

The second image is captioned Pen and Coin Shop Tobacco Shop Howard.

The third photo is captioned Dee Fisher Wurlitzer. By the way, Dee's Wurlitzer organ album Echoes of Disneyland is now available on I-Tunes.

The next images are all closeups from various images already shown. I thought all of you would love to see some of the details. The first is a close up of the window for Town Square realty advertising Apple Valley and Disneyland maps.

The second is the sandwich advertising board for the Horse Drawn Trolleys.

The third is the Disneyland News souvenir stand. Hey Cox Pilot, is that you in the crash helmet and Disneyland overalls in the middle?

The fourth is close up of the print shop and Show Business. Nice selection of albums in the Show Business window.

The fifth is a close up of the Emporium Annex window. And the little girl crying reminds me of my wife when she doesn't get what she wants...

Souvenir Friday- Frontierland Hand Painted Sign

I purchased this sign about a year ago from one a dealer who was selling a large Disneyland collection. He was not sure where it was used and neither was I. In posting yesterday's picture, I saw a poster I have not seen before on the Main Street looking South. The poster is on the wall at the entrance to the Penny Arcade. Here is a close up scan of the poster:

The poster advertises the Explorer Boats in Adventureland. Based upon this bit of photographic evidence and the posting by Ken at Outside the Berm of the Disneyland Fire Department sandwich board sign, I believe this Frontierland sign with the Railroad engine was on Main Street. The sign reminds me of the Railroad cards seen in Monopoly. The sign measures approximately 22 by 14 inches and is hand painted on the grey card stock.

If anyone has documentation of this sign, I would love to see it!!

Esther's Photo Album #5

Page 5 of the photo album from Esther who worked on Main Street in Disneyland. The first is captioned Main Street Looking North.

The second is marked Main Street Looking South. The time is 8:25 AM and it appears the park opened at 9 AM as the only people on the street are employees and there is a truck parked on the North end of the street.

Note that both of the Main Street photos are dated July 22, 1956.

The next two have no captions. The first shows the Liberty Street Preview fence and the Wurlitzer shop.

The second shows the Bekins and Emporium Annex. I like the vignette of the Japanese mom and two daughters having their photograph taken. I wonder where that image is now?

Saturday I will show some close up shots of interesting items in the images. Plus there are lots more to the photo album.

No Post Today

No post today as I am traveling back home.

Esther's Photo Album #4

Some more views of Main Street and Town Square. The first is of one of her co-worker friends, Jane who worked for Bank of America.

The second does not have a written caption but is a nice shot of the Upjohn pharmacy along with the Flower Market.

The third image is marked Santa Fe Station Entrance. The station is one of the classic icons of the park.

Finally the last photo is captioned News Office and Show Business. Show Business was a store that sold souvenir photographs, postcards and other items of Movie Stars and was run by a Hollywood Reporter Jimmy Starr. I have more on Jimmy Starr and one of these days will post some of the more interesting paper items.

Esther's Photo Album #3

I'm back to the blogging end of things. Here is the next page of the photo album. The titles are all hand written captions by Esther. The first image is the Fire Station. You can see the patio on the left hand side of the roof where Walt would take in the fresh air from his apartment.

The second image is Town Square. It appears the shot was taken early in the morning.

The third image is of the Bank of America.

The final shot is marked the Realty Office. It is a nice window display with some great signage.

I hope every one who attended the NFFC show yesterday found some good stuff. I found more photographs to post.

Souvenir Friday-Monsanta House of the Future Brochure 1961

On one of the Disney discussion boards there was a recent posting regarding how Disneyland had lost its edutainment component. That all the attractions and rides that not only entertained but also educated visitors had been lost. I totally agree with this assessment. Now with the redo of California Adventure, the attractions that were there for education and history are also being replaced. The House of the Future was one attraction in Disneyland showing the promise of the future. This brochure is from 1961 and features some nice interior views and discussion about the home and it's futuristic features.

The blog will be updated on Monday with more images from the photo album.

Esther's Photo Album #2

The second page of the photo album. This time we see some shots of Main Street and the exit area. The first is marked Santa Fe Station.

The next image is of the Employee Main Gate Entrance. I believe employees would check in with the guard at the structure to the left.

The next image is captioned News Stand inside the Gate. You can see a plethora of souvenirs and also the Disneyland News for sale in the stand.

Finally the last image is captioned City Hall and Fire Station. On city hall is a banner reading Orange County Residents Register to Vote Here and there are some sandwich style advertising boards for the Main Street Vehicles.

Esther's Photo Album #1

For those who read the Tikiranch blog there was a story on how Randy obtained Nat, an advertising figure made out of nuts and bolts. In the story, he tells how he traded a photo album filled with early Disneyland images kept by an employee. I ended up with the album. The first post is the first page of the album. The album belonged to a lady named Esther who worked on Main Street. She did take a lot of wonderful photographs of Main Street and her co-workers. However, she starts off with a construction image of Sleeping Beauty Castle dated 1954.

The second shot is much more recent, the Fire House in 1979.

Tomorrow some more images from Esther.

Stuck in the Seventies

A weekend find was a photo album kept by a family of some of their vacations. In 1972 they visited Southern California and Disneyland and Universal Studios. Today I am posting the Disneyland images. The first is the family shot in front of the Floral Mickey. Gotta love the fashions of my childhood!

The next is another family shot in front of the Castle. Dad is wearing his retro Mickey Mouse shirt.

Of course the girls wanted to ride Dumbo with their Dad.

And then on to It's A Small World. This is still one of my favorite aspects of the ride, the time clock out front and the parade of the Small World dolls.

A quick trip through Monstro.

And finally a ride on Alice In Wonderland. Quite a nice view of the back end of a caterpillar.

Readers have questioned how do these photographs get out. In this case it was an unclaimed storage locker that had been sold to pay for the owed rent. The seller would have thrown away the album if someone like me had not come by and purchased the album. It is real sad to see these images on the market becuase this is someone's childhood. But now the images are not buried in a landfill and lost forever.

Baroque Hoedown

Last image of the Electric Light Parade for a while. I hope you all have enjoyed the images and the lovely song throughout your days!

More Electrical Light Parade

Just to keep the joy going on in everyone's head, here are three more images from the Electrical Light Parade. The first shows on of the rare costumed characters, King Leonidas from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. He is the ruler of the island of Naboombu. The film was released in 1971 so this was a tie in to the current film.

The next slide is kind of an abstract of the lights on a float.

Finally what parade is a parade without large drums?

So just keep humming Baroque Hoedown all day and you will feel like you are back at Disneyland during the summer of 1971.

Electrical Light Parade

Three images of the Electric Light Parade heading down Disneyland in the Summer, circa early 1970s. Unfortunately no date stamp on the slides. The slides are not detailed and actually kind of blurry, but they do show the kinetic activity of the lights and the parades. Which of course made the Electric Light Parade a favorite of many fans. In fact it is so popular, it has been retired several times just to be brought back out of mothballs and presented at another park to boost attendance. I did enjoy the parade but the earworm of the song (Baroque Hoedown) really started to annoy me. If I hear it now I have the same reaction as most people have to It's A Small World music.

Delayed Souvenir Friday Post- Fly TWA to Disneyland Brochure

One of the prettiest brochures produced prior to park opening is this Fly TWA to Disneyland brochure. Wonderful graphics highlight the brochure with a map on the inside that is different from any other map. There are several versions of this brochure, each one marked for a sponsor. I have seen Kaiser-Frazier products, Bluebird shoes, TWA, Dutch Boy paint and one more which escapes my memory. Enjoy the color on this brochure.

Knott's Berry Farm Pitchur Gallery

Two of the souvenir photographs from the Ghost Town "Pitchur Gallery." The first is of a little girl on the bucking bronco. This is the most common pose having seen the same image (and the same stuffed horse) in photographs from the gallery dating from the 1940's to the 1990's. She is a cute little kid in her plaid dress and sweater.

The second image is more unusual. A smaller version of Sad Eyed Joe in his jail. But this time he has company. The souvenir photographs are a staple of amusement parks with Disneyland having their Fun Fotos, Knott's the Pitchur Gallery, The Pike in Long Beach with their jail setting and more.

There is a new blog celebrating Knott's Berry Farm. Check it out.

Submarine Voyage 1965

A nice couple posed on the dock at the Submarine Voyage. Nice detail is the Disneyland USA painted on the submarine.

Minnie of My Dreams

One of the joys of looking at vintage photographs of Disneyland is looking at the evolution of the character costumes. This Minnie Mouse is especially intriguing (or frightening.) It appears to be from 1961 when the costumes were transitioning from the large head and no stuffed body to the more rounded and "on model" costumes. If I remember correctly, John Hench was involved in redesign of the costumes in the mid 1960s to make them more "on model." One caveat, do not blame me for the nightmares you may have with this Minnie Mouse in them!

Motor Mania- Autopia 1956

I remember when one of my favorite rides was the Autopia. The chance to drive my own car and pretend I was Mario Andretti or Don "the Snake" Prudhomme racing my car towards the finish line. In 1956 when these photos were taken, the Autopia was free- not cost but rather there was no center rail to keep you on the track. The first image also shows an answer to a question, where was the circus tent that Professor Keller used in his Feline show. It appears it was at the end of Main Street in the same location as the Mickey Mouse Club Circus tent.

The second shot illustrated the freedom. In the background parked are the Police cruisers so no ticket for speeding for this young driver.

Two (Only Two) 1958 Trip Views

When rummaging through photographs at a swap meet I sometimes find only a couple of Disneyland pictures. I always wonder if there was more images at one time, and what happened to the other images? Back in the 1950s film was loaded either in 12 or 24 shot rolls. And to find only two images surprises me. Why are there only a couple of photographs of Disneyland? Why isn't there 12 images or even 24 images? Did the picture takers have too much fun and stopped taking photographs? Inquiring minds want to know! Anyway, here are two (only two!) nice images of Disneyland from a 1958 visit. Notice how the back cars are the only cars being loaded on the Viewliner.

Here is a nice image of the Huck Finn raft with three employees working on the raft. I like the Mark Twain in the background.

A Nostalgic Trip to Disneyland

After all those color shots from the 1970s, it is time for a change of pace. This is a nice collection of black and white snapshots of a visit to Disneyland in approximately 1957. The first image shows the lovely lady posing in front of the TWA Rocket to the Moon. I want to know how she got the Red Wagon Inn children's menu? She definitely is not a child!

Here is a nice image of the TWA Rocket. I am amazed that even at this time period, Tomorrowland had more activity than it does know. On the left hand side is the fence of the Flight Circle.

The next two images are of the Mark Twain circumnavigating the Rivers of America. The first picture is in front of the Chicken Plantation.

The next image is the lady standing in front of the Chicken of the Sea restaurant. It appears this is before lunch as she is not carrying the menu.

Finally here she is (well in a kind of Where's Waldo shot) in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. It appears none of the other guests saw her husband with the camera taking the picture.

Souvenir Friday- Santa Fe Railway Indian Village Chicago Rail Fair 1948

Most readers of this blog probably know that in 1948 Walt Disney and Ward Kimball took a trip from Los Angeles to Chicago to visit the Chicago Railroad Fair. The Railroad Fair is looked upon as one of the major influences for the construction and design of Disneyland. Not only did Walt get to play with lots of trains, there were also themed lands presented by each railroad. One of the most immersive themed lands was the Santa Fe Railway Indian Village. As can be seen in this brochure, Frontierland with its historical faux buildings, American Indian dancers, and theming can be traced to the village. Other influences on the design of Disneyland include Tivoli Gardens, Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, Knott's Berry Farm, and various World's Fair.

Casey Junior in Storybook Land

An image I should have posted yesterday. A nice full view of the circus train with all the animals running through Storybook Land.

Storybook Canal Boats

Two nice 1970s era images of the Storybook Canal Boats. The first is a Skyway view of the line with the light house at the front of the line. I assume they changed the line direction to decrease crowding and to be able to move the Teacups to their current location.

The second image is of the Cinderella scene. I do not see the pumpkin coach on the road so it must have been added at some time.

Since I mentioned them, here is a nice skyway image of the original Teacups ride. It does not look like it was that popular of a ride on this day, look at all the empty cups.

A Plethora of Disneyland Views

Today I just decided to put up 5 different views of Disneyland. The amazing thing to me was Tomorrowland and how many rides wrap around and interact with each other. And how much motion there once was in the area.