Easy Livin At Disneyland Part 2

Thanks to a comment by Dan, I now know that Summertime was written by George Gershwin...I learn something every day! Today's post is from the same trip featuring the easy livin of hanging out in front of the Golden Horseshoe sitting on some barrels.

The next two images show a dream for many of us these days...an almost empty park. I love Main Street when it looks like this, and the Coca Cola spot looks almost barren without the warren of tables and chairs.

Disneyland without the major crowds, strollers, scooters, people claiming the perfect spot for fireworks and angry young teens...now that is easy livin!

Easy Livin At Disneyland

Thumbing through one of my binders containing the various slides in the collection, I came across a series of photographs and was struck by the similarities. Today I am posting the first set of what I am calling Summertime and the livin is easy (Cole Porter.) The first image is of the stately Mark Twain.

Let's take a closer look at how the easy livin is happening, from the second or Hurricane deck of the Mark Twain.

Now that is what I call relaxing!

Gepetto's Villags Storybook Canal Boats

A nice eye level image of the Gepetto's village as seen on Storybook. I like the use of forced perspective with the Matterhorn in the background appearing to be part of the Tyrolean Alps.

Cinderella's Dream Castle Storybook Land

Two different views of Cinderella's Dream Castle in Storybook Land. One of the main scenic elements is the large mountain and castle where Prince Charming lives, as seen in the animated film Cinderella. At the base of the mountain is the chateau where Cinderella worked hard for her step mother and step sisters.

Monsanto Sign

Just a short post this morning, but a fantastic image. From the Monsanto display at the end of the Adventure Through Inner Space is this display showing the reach of Monsanto across the world.

Some Views of Cascade Peak

A ride that has many fans is the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. One of the main scenic elements was Cascade Peak sitting on the banks of the Rivers of America. These two slides are from 1960, the opening year of Nature's Wonderland and show close up images of Cascade Peak,.

Also from 1960 is this view of the tunnel prior to the Cascade Peak part of the ride.

Finally a view of Cascade Peak from the Mark Twain.

Souvenir Friday- Tomorrowland 1967 Patches

One of my collecting focus is on the patches, badges and other insignia worn by cast members working at Disneyland. The image is part of that collection featuring the patches worn on costumes created for the 1967 Tomorrowland attractions. I do know there is a small patch for the Rocket Jets I do not own, and I would assume that Circle Vision had a unique patch as well. I have shown one of the patches before, but it made sense to put it in with the group. A couple of the patches have tape marks from being placed into a scrapbook by a long time cast member.

Submarine Pen from the Skyway

Reason #5 why I miss the Skyway- Submarine Voyage from the ride.

Omnibus At Night

On a cold winter night, no one wants to walk down Main Street, so everyone bundles up for a thrilling ride on the Omnibus. The image is from the Pacific Missile Range night held in 1964, one of the many private parties held at Disneyland after hours in the early 1960s to now.

Fantasyland Construction 1983

A nice aerial view of the construction going on for the New Fantasyland of 1983. I have left the image fairly large so you can see some of the details, such as the construction of the Mad Tea Party, cars parked backstage, carts in the middle of Fantasyland and the parking next to Casey Junior.

Submarine Voyage Construction

From Leonard Precision Products of Santa Ana comes this promotional photograph of the Submarine Voyage and Monorail beam under construction. I believe the product being showcased is the lift and work station mounted on the Monorail track in the middle of the photograph. Some nice details including the rock work and coral in the foreground. I did a quick check on the web to find out any information about the company and did not find anything. The address on the photo is 9200 Bolsa Avenue Santa Ana, Calif. By googling the address, the site is now in Westminster and is the Asian Garden Mall in Little Saigon.

Sorority Sisters at Disneyland April 1963

One of the ways to collect images to show on the net is to network. This means letting friends know what you collect and what you are looking for. In this case, one of my friends who goes to estate sales looking for tiki items was flipping through photos and found these three images of what appears to be a Sorority trip to Disneyland. The images are dated April 1963 and the style of the young ladies reflects the influence of Jackie Kennedy.

Thanks Zulu for the images.

Flying Saucer Publicity Photograph

Another Disneyland publicity photograph. This time it is of the Flying Saucers in Tomorrowland. The caption taped to the reverse reads: FLYING SAUCERS are now a reality based in a "Space Station" in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. Here the guests may climb aboard his own craft, fasten his safety belt and actually take off in free flight and guide his own space ship.

Souvenir Friday- Early Disney Name Badges

As a companion piece to last Friday's post on early Disneyland name badges, here are two related badges. The first is a real early and low number badge for the Disneyland Hotel and Restaurant. Also made by the LA Stamp and Badge company.

The next is an interesting badge. The badge reads WED Imagineering and has a number. The piece itself only measures 1.75 by 0.5 inches. The back is a simple safety pin glued to the piece of metal. I am not sure if this was a name badge, a visitor badge or someone just took a serial number piece and made it into a badge. Whatever it is, I do like the graphics on the front.

Swiss Chalet and the Matterhorn Mountain

An early 1960s Disneyland publicity photograph of the Matterhorn Mountain. The caption on the back reads: "Snow-capped" Matterhorn Mountain, rising 14-stories into the Anaheim skyline, is one of the chief landmarks and a highly popular 1959 addition to Disneyland. Two bobsled runs carry guests high up inside the Matterhorn and racing down, around and through the mountain before splashing to a halt in a "glacier lake" at the bottom. This Swiss Chalet is located at the entrance to the bobsled runs.

In the Roundhouse

Today I present two nice behind the scenes photos for the train fanatics. The first is engine number 1 the C.K. Holliday in the round house getting ready to steam up and head out on to the tracks. I like the flags on the cowcatcher.

The second shot is of engine number 3 the Fred Gurley sitting in its bay in the roundhouse.

The final photograph for today is the E.P. Ripley, engine number 2 out on the tracks in front of Main Street Station.

Riding the Rides

Two different photographs taken by two different groups, but have a common theme of people riding the rides. The first shows the happy family waiting for the start of the trip down Main Street on the Horse Drawn Trolley. It would appear that dad is taking the photograph.

The second image is from inside on of the original 1955 train sets. Here is what the photographer wrote on the back: The Matterhorn from the Disneyland train which goes all the way around the park.

January 1960 Trip Number 4

For the final set of photographs, we end up in Tomorrowland or at least close to it. The first image captures a speeding Monorail overhead.

The final image is of the Monsanto Home of the Future still wrapped as a present. I do not know what I like best about this picture, the home in the background, the popcorn boxes or the plaid pants.

January 1960 Trip Number 3

The exploring photographer traveled through Sleeping Beauty's Castle to take some nice images of Fantasyland. The first is from the location which eventually became skull rock.

The second is of the Alice In Wonderland ride with the attraction poster sitting on top of the Mushroom ticket booth.

January 1960 Trip Number 2

The intrepid photographer is now making his way down Main Street, deeper into Disneyland. He spots the Plaza and decides to take a photograph of the Matterhorn mountain. He does manage to get the horse of the horse drawn trolley he is riding into the image in the lower right hand corner.

He also takes an image of the second wonder of Disneyland, Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Souvenir Friday- Early Disneyland Name Badges

Well, they really are not name badges but rather identification badges. The first name badges did not have names on them, rather the badges had employee numbers. The earliest were made out of brass and quite heavy. The early one from 1955 is numbered 268 which is quite a low number. The back of the badge is marked for the LA Stamp and Stationary company, the company which made many badges for police and fire departments over the years. The second badge is made out of aluminum and quite a bit lighter. The only cast members with names on their badges during this time period were the supervisors and managers. I have seen only a couple of those throughout the years.

January 1960 Trip Number 1

Another nice little grouping of images is this set from a visit in January 1960. The prints are all marked Kodacolor print and measure an odd size (3.5 by 2.5 inches.) The pictures begin with Main Street Station.

Since Major posted an image of the Main Street Flower market on his blog (Gorilla's Don't Blog), I thought I would copy him and post this image as well.

Black and White Images from 1961

A nice little grouping of snapshots from 1961. The first is a father and son moment looking at the mighty sailing ship Columbia.

A busy day at the fishing pier. I wonder if any one kept the fish they caught?

A nice view of the Indian Village.

The Matterhorn with a climber on the top and a nice shot of an employee. I do want the hat she is wearing.

Trash Cans at Disneyland

The same photographer who took all the sign images, also took pictures of the trash cans throughout the park. Here is one of my favorite trash cans, the bamboo themed one in front of the Tiki Room.

A picture of the Main Street trash can at Town Square. This is one of the most distance views in the entire collection. I would say the picture was taken on a Monday or a Tuesday when Disneyland was closed.

I am back in Colorado so look for more postings on a daily basis. Thanks to all of you who stopped by my booth at the NFFC show to say hello.

First Aid, Rest Room, and Telephone Direction in Fantasyland.

Since I am in California visiting my parents and going to the NFFC Disney show and sale on Sunday, I do not have access to my regular computer and can not take a picture of a souvenir item. Therefore, I will post another sign. This time the First Aid, Rest Rooms, and Telephone sign from Fantasyland. And for Vintage DL Tickets, a corner of the ticket booth!

Penny Arcade Main Street Cashier Sign

For today's image, the photographer marched into the Penny Arcade on Main Street. The glittery sign on the Cashier cage caught his eye.

Disneyland Letter Mail Boxes

One of the unique innovations at Disneyland was placing Letter Boxes throughout the lands. By doing so, sales of postcards increased as people were more willing to purchase a postcard and drop it into the easily accessible mailboxes. In addition this increased the word of mouth advertising about Disneyland, enticing more guests to arrive. One of the nice traditions that has been maintained is the mailboxes throughout the park. The next time you are at Disneyland, buy a postcard, slap a message and some postage on it and send it to a loved one or a friend. A friendly cast member will collect the deposited mail and send it to the United States Postal Service.