Opening Day 1955

Today is the 62nd anniversary of Press Preview Day for Disneyland. Opening on July 17, 1955, Disneyland ushered in a new entertainment form that is still evolving. I have pulled various press preview day items to present today. First up is the rare parking sticker for that day.

Next up is the scarce gold pass. Usually given to other studio executives, financial and other mover and shakers in the film world. This ticket allowed the bearer to write how many guests, I have seen one with 99 written on it...

Selected individuals received tickets and memos to ride on the trains during the opening ceremony. This is for the freight train, I have not seen one for the passenger train, but I would think there would be one.

For those participating in the parade 62 years ago, they received a rather plain ticket. Much more scarce than any other opening day ticket, but not as graphic.

And a couple of related documents. First up is a thank you letter to Jimmy Starr who was the entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He may have been biased as he also had a shop located next to the Opera House called Show Business.

One of my favorite pieces is this advertisement that ran in a San Diego area newspaper with the opening day to the public listed as Monday July 18th. Make sure you read the ad copy. This most likely ran on the Saturday or Sunday prior to the 18th.

Happy anniversary Disneyland and everyone who will be in the park today, have a great time!

1967 Disneyland

Although I have not had much time to update the blog, I am still out looking for pictures and other Disneyland items. This batch of slides I found locally in Denver and documents a 1967 trip. First up is a you are there in the monorail view of the parking lot, complete with a rare shot of the Monorail door pillar.

A band (I am not sure if this is a visiting band or the Disneyland band) marches down Main Street.

A pretty portrait of the mighty Matterhorn mountain bathed in the sun.

A couple of different views of the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship. First the family seems too involved in counting the remaining tickets to notice the lovely view.

And a dusk view showing the poop deck of the ship.

One of the then new attractions, it's a small world, also shines in the sun.

A view of Sleeping Beauty Castle from the courtyard.

A parade of characters coming down the street. This image captures the Pinocchio group and a few others.

The three little pigs with Alice and Snow White in the background.

The entrance to the New Tomorrowland with a space girl at the front greeting guests.

She delighted in posing with guests (and I assume guests delighted posing with her, especially male guests...)

The photographer truly enjoyed the encounter with the space girl, following her to the Space Stage.

I hope you enjoyed this quick trip back to 1967.

B'rer Animals in New Orleans Square

In preparation of Mardis Gras, a lovely image of B'rer Fox and B'rer Bear dancing in New Orleans Square. At this time period, Song of the South was still considered acceptable and released regularly to movie theaters. One of my all time favorite films with wonderful characters and a heart warming story. The costumed characters appear to be having a dance off. My money is on B'rer Bear as he has a tendency to use larger moves. In the background is a nice street sign. I will have to check if the street signs are still up the next time I am at Disneyland.

Matterhorn Madness

Sorry about the sporadic posting on the blog. I am spending more time adulting...but I will still strive to post on the blog. Today is Matterhorn madness with three pictures of the fantastic attraction. First up is a general view of the mountain. The photo is dated January 1968 but I believe it was taken in December of 1967. Looks like a nice sunny and uncrowded day at Disneyland.

The second image is from the same set showcasing the fabulous star that was placed on top of the Matterhorn during this time period. I really wished the rumors of an LED version would have returned. Note the climber almost at the peak...maybe he is going to change out one of the light bulbs? The perspective of the Skyway buckets is nice.

The last view for today is a newer picture showing the Swiss aspect of the mountain...the hole in the mountain to allow the Skyway to pass through. The photographer kindly let us be there with the interior of the top of the Skyway bucket.

Lost Safari and Ethan Allen

Two fun views today. First up is the original tableaux of the lost safari being treed by a rhino on the Jungle River Cruise. The antelope in the background have been moved and the scene is not as large in today's Jungle River Cruise.

The second image is of the Submarine Voyage and the Ethan Allen submarine starting on the voyage under the polar ice caps. I do miss the battleship gray coloring of the subs. In the background is the Douglas Rocket to the Moon (after TWA stopped their sponsorship.

Souvenir Friday on a Monday and Two Frontierland Views

My Friday morning was a little hectic and I was not able to post my Souvenir Friday post. So here is the University of Disneyland Newsletter for July 1966. Lots of promotions this month and no one wanted to see the Dodgers play baseball.

The next two photographs are unrelated. First up is the final Indian Village photograph featuring Melody from my January 25 post. Melody proudly poses in front of the Buffalo still holding her groovy bag.

The second image is of Tom Sawyer's treehouse with a rather dapper gentleman getting ready to relive his childhood days of playing in a tree house.

Adventureland Bazaar

A very interesting view of Adventureland. In the middle of the picture is the Adventureland Bazaar where any number of wondrous souvenirs could be purchased. I assume that this is where the Jungle Cruise snowglobes were stocked along with various Tikis and rubber snakes. The shop on the corner is Guatemalan Weavers with a variety of basket purses for sale.

Computer Troubles, Now Fixed so I am Doing a Mega Post!

So my file transfer program decided to act up...but that is now fixed and I am doing a Mega Post to catch up with everything. First up is the May 1966 issue of the University of Disneyland Newsletter for employees. Some interesting articles announcing management changes, ten year anniversaries, doctor's notes and special events at the park.

Next up are some nice images of a couple of ships at Disneyland. First up is an overhead view from the Skyway of the Fantasyland Pirate Ship. The ship appears fairly empty so it must not have been lunch or dinner time. In the background is Skull Rock and Monstro and way in the background is it's a small world and a yellow Peoplemover.

A nice dusk shot of the Mark Twain heading away from the Rivers of America dock. The Haunted Mansion looks foreboding and there is a construction fence on the left side of the image...maybe for Pirates of the Caribbean?

The last image is a nice view of Cascade Peak and the Three Sisters Falls. Note that the photographer followed the suggestion of a Kodak Picture spot.

Posing in Tomorrowland and Carnation

The first image shows Sherri and her boyfriend (he looks like a Howard to me...) posing at the entrance to Tomorrowland. In the background can be seen the sleek facades and the lovely yellow Peoplemover going by in the background. Sherri and Howard look like a nice couple.

The second image is Howard posing next to the Carnation ice cream truck on Main Street. The visor he is wearing has the peace symbol on it...a definite fashion of the late 1960s.

it's a small world Facade and Topiary

Continuing with the views from August 1970 of it's a small world with a nice view of the exterior façade designed by Mary Blair and Rolly Crump. The plain white color and many different textures and shapes make the exterior of this attraction very interesting. The eye wants to explore the various nooks and crannies created by the varied surfaces.

The second view is of a topiary animal set on the queue and load/unload area. Since the Tower of Four Winds was not moved to Disneyland from the New York World's Fair, the topiaries were placed in the area to add interest and a visual focal point for guests while waiting in line. .

it's a small world August 1970

Two nice views of it's a small world dated August 1970. The first view shows the steam trains passing in front of the show building. In this case, it is engine number the CK Holiday going by...I have always liked the look of an 1890s steam train in front of the fantastical façade of it's a small world.

The second image is of the photographers girlfriend (should we name her Sherri?) standing in line for the attraction. We will see Sherri in some upcoming photographs.

Two Views of Sleeping Beauty Castle

Two not very exciting views of Sleeping Beauty Castle in the late 1950s. First up is an east side view of the castle. The foreground horse hitch is nice and of course the dapper dressed guests.

The second image is a straight on view from Main Street. I wish I could walk up to that ice cream vendor and purchase a nice ice cream sandwich.

Souvenir Friday- University of Disneyland Newsletter May 1966

One of the company employee communications in 1966 was this University of Disneyland newsletter. I have posted three others and today we look at May 1966. The back page has some of the most interesting information with the hours of operation and which attractions were undergoing maintenance (and when the attractions were scheduled to be re-opened.) Note that it's a small world would be opening this month.

King Louie and Baloo Stroll Through Adventureland

After the Jungle Book was released theatrically, the character department at Disneyland developed costumes for the main animals and Mowgli to greet guests at Disneyland. This image features King Louie being followed by Baloo as they walk through Adventureland to greet guests.

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Fran and Melody Playing in the Indian Village 1969

Two friends visited Disneyland in August of 1969 and had a fun time in the Indian Village. In the first image, Fran wearing a fantastic mod dress (inspired by Piet Mondrain) and a souvenir hat poses at the entrance to a tipi. She is holding the tassel of her hat up in a provocative pose.

The second image is of the two friends, Fran and Melody, posing in front of one of the Northwest Pacific Indian Totem poles. Melody holds one of the grooviest bad designs (and a favorite of mine.) This picture just brims with color. I do wonder if they visited the Haunted Mansion.