Tomorrowland Circa 1956

I love finding great Kodachrome color slides as the color just pops. This week I will be showing a grouping of Kodachromes from a trip circa 1956. Instead of saving the best for last, I decided to brighten Monday with some nice views of Tomorrowland. The first image is of the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry with the fountains and the great 1950s atomic symbol on the building. Check out the young boy who is proudly wearing his souvenir hat.

The wonderful iconic TWA Rocket to the Moon in all it's glory. Check out the plethora of signs in the back and the crowd enjoying the shade.

Souvenir Friday- Squeeky Postcards

Two rare squeaker postcards from the early days of Disneyland. These were created by ASI (American Souvenir Incorporated)and sold in 1955 and 1956. The postcards have a small insert which when squeezed squeak. First up are Chip and Dale frolicing in the forests of Frontierland.

Next up is Figaro in Gepetto's house.

Ocean Sky Ride at Pacific Ocean Park at Dusk

Last two POP images are of the bubble shaped Ocean Sky Ride. The photographs were taken at dusk and are slightly dark, but the views are very cool. First up is a view from the start of the ride looking out towards the end of the pier with the Jungle huts of the Banana Train Ride in the background.

The next image is a view from inside the ride with the pier and Santa Monica in the background.

Based upon reader's comments, here are both images reversed.

Banana Train Pacific Ocean Park

Three pictures of the Banana Train Ride at Pacific Ocean Park. The slides are all dark so I lightened them up which of course affected the image quality. But these pictures are very rare. First up is a train coming into station with a large waterfall in the foreground.

Another view of one of the trains and the neat jungle theming.

Final image is of the interior of the cavern with a neat waterfall and some black light effects. Bummer this slide was so dark.

The Major from Gorillas Don't Blog applied his photoshop magic and cleaned up a couple of the images. Take a look.

Pacific Ocean Park Fisherman's Cove and Flying Dolphin

Two views of attractions found at POP. First up is the New England section of the Fisherman's Cove. You can see by the restrooms are George and Martha. Quite a crowd at the park on the day these photographs were taken.

The next image is of the Flying Dolphin, later repainted and named the Mahi Mahi. A large ride of which only six were manufactured, the sensation of flying while on the ride was very realistic. When the pier was eventually razed, tugboats were used to pull this structure into the ocean.

Pacific Ocean Park Ride Views

Three different views of rides at Pacific Ocean Park. First up is the Sea Spin ride which was the same ride found at carnivals and other amusement parks. The action in this photograph is neat but the theming was minimal. Note the Sea Serpent coaster in the background.

Next up is the exit to the Davy Jones Deep Sea Locker. I wonder where this sign lives?

59 Years Ago Today in the Little City of Anaheim Amongst the Orange Groves....

Disneyland had it's Grand Premiere with invited guests. July 17th is the birthday of Disneyland celebrated by fans and the company. Here are some images and items from that day. First up is the golden ticket that would get you into the park on that day 59 years ago...

Of course you also had to park the car in the parking lot and here is the parking pass.

If you were one of the lucky ones, you would receive a ride on the train pulling into the station as part of the broadcast Dateline Disneyland.

Or if you were part of the festivities, you would have this pass to get you inside the park.

One of the main happenings on July 17, 1955 was the largest at the time live broadcast. This required many cameras such as this one.

The cameras were there to cover all the stars that came out. Such stars as Fess Parker.

Gil Davis of Annie Oakley fame.

Debbie Reynolds and Ed Fisher.

George Reeves aka Superman.

Danny Thomas and family including Marlo.

Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen in costume.

Art Linkletter and his son.

Bob Cummings.

Of course Walt Disney was there as well. The first image is of Walt and California Governor Goodwin Knight.

And two shots of Walt being driven in one of the antique automobiles.

There was a grand parade with many floats and marching units.

The crowd followed the end of the parade.

To finish off the post, some random views of Disneyland on opening day.

Happy 59th Birthday Disneyland, looking forward to what the 60th will be like.

Even More Pacific Ocean Park Fountains

Even more views of the fountains at the entrance. The first image features another shot of the dapper guests coming into the park over the elevated sidewalk. The shell fountains on the walls are a great touch.

This image shows a seal in the fountain area. I would believe this practice did not last long, but would have added a great touch to liven up the fountains. The depth of the pool does not appear to be the same depth as the Sea Circus, so I believe this is not from inside the park.

Pacific Ocean Park Entrance Fountains

Continuing with the slides featuring Pacific Ocean Park, here are more of the fountain area at the entrance. In this first slide, you can see Jack's at the Beach restaurant in the far left side. Jack's was a celebrity restaurant attracting much of Hollywood and other stars. The stylized King Neptune points the way to the entrance to POP.

Next up is a nice overall view of the winding walkway and the well dressed visitors. The sculpture reminds me of modern brutalist sculpture, but is really based upon creatures found deep in the ocean.