Disneyland Hotel Miniature Golf, 1971

This November 1971 shot was taken from the Disneyland Hotel. So many things to see here! Below, you can see the Midcentury Modern Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge, with Tomorrowland in the foreground. I see the Rocket Jets, I see the Carousel of Progress…yes, Romper Room at it's very best (IFKYK).



In this detailed view, you can see the Matterhorn Christmas star, still twinkling away.



Here, you see the sign for the Golf Course and Mini Golf Course. What?!? Yes…at one time you could play golf at Disneyland.



Below is a shot I took back in May 2004; same view, but way different sights! Downtown Disney and mature trees have almost made this image unrecognizable compared to the 1971 shot.





The August 1961 Disneylander Newsletter featured this info about the miniature golf course:

The most interesting miniature 18 hole course is practically a replica of Disneyland itself. It will be completely lighted for night play and many feel it will be so popular with Disneylanders as well as Hotel guests and residents of the Disneyland area that it will be the wee small hours of the morning before it closes for the night. Each hole on the miniature course will remind players of one of Disneyland's many features. As an example, the first tee is a replica of the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad Station at the Main Entrance to the Park, while the third tee has a miniature of the Fantasyland castle, draw bridge, courtyard parapet and rock island. The fifth tee represents the Matterhorn ticket office and the hole will feature raceways to three separate greens and will include two metal tubes for crossing the bobsled waterways. The seventh, eighth and ninth holes will remind players of the Rocket to the Moon, the Submarine Voyage and the Richfield Autopia respectively while the eleventh will consist of rock work, benches, and simulated cacti. The Frontierland area is easily recognized in the next three holes with a reproduction of the Frontierland Fort entrance, Indian Village and the Grist Mill on Tom Sawyer's Island. The popular Story Book Land adventure is reproduced on the fifteenth hole with a replica of Monstro the Whale while Peter Pan and the adventures of the Darling children will be seen and enjoyed on the next hole. The eighteenth and final hole will feature a water fountain showing Mickey Mouse himself, holding a golf club, which will make a fitting finale to a delightful experience for anyone who cares to play a game of miniature golf, the Disneyland Hotel way. The Disney art director on the miniature course has been Yale Gracey and Al Applegate [Engineering] has acted as the coordinator of construction. Other Disneyland experts who have supervised the construction include Andy Anderson [Carpentry], Larry Smith [Paint Department] and Bud Washo [Staff Shop]. Their advice is that even Disneylanders who have never had a golf club in their hands should be sure to try a game as soon as possible.



The above and below images were supplied by Daveland reader Ross; a score card and a view from the Park map showing the location of the golf course, driving range, and miniature golf course.



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my main website.

1950s Disneyland: Town Square

Today seems like a good day to relax in Disneyland’s Town Square, especially with some photos from the Park’s early years. In this 1956 image, chicken wire is still the standard for protecting the plants, and the Bekins Storage area features the unique architectural details that would later be removed.



Ugh. Who approved this change?



Back to happier times…a detailed view of a cast member cleaning up one of the A-Frame signs in the Square.



A few from March 8, 1956:



Who wants to be a Fireman? This could be your opportunity.



Note that City Hall at this time is for First Aid and Press Information:





Both these boys are doing their part to show support for Mickey Mouse!





Mabel Normand is at the Main Street Cinema and two Keystone Kops are getting ready to wow guests with some music as they cross the street.





Glad I wasn’t there that day; the Disneyland Railroad was temporarily closed!





Music stands are piled up in the Opera House alcove, awaiting the Disneyland Band to pull them out for a concert.



See…I don’t make this stuff up!



This was back when there was a Print Shop in Town Square; the Disneyland News is for sale in front of the window:



These two DANGEROUS gents are getting ready to attempt some mischief in Town Square, roughly 1955-56:



Be glad there was no ammo in the 19th century cannon. Walt was smart enough to have these sealed up before these screwballs arrived. Also note the chicken wire around the landscaping:



One of the goofballs thought it would be funny to have his buddy take a photo of him pretending to blow his head off with the rifle the Tobacco Wooden Indian was holding. I wonder if these kids survived into adulthood?



Moving ahead a few years to August 3, 1959:



Bekins is still there!



Thus ends our day in 1950s Town Square.

See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Little Miss Marker sets, Pt. 3

Time to bring this series of “Little Miss Marker” (1934) set stills to a close! First up is the plush apartment of Bangles Carson (Dorothy Dell). In the screenshot below, crusty Sorrowful Jones (Adolphe Menjou) drops by to see how Marker/Marky (Shirley Temple) looks in the new clothes Bangles picked out for the little girl.



A detailed view showing the thought and care that went into decorating the set, right down to the curios on the table.



Another angle of Bangles’ apartment:



This part of the set is shown during a key scene where the relationship between Bangles and Menjou begins to change.



Despite the age and appearance gap, the expert performances between Menjou and Dell make the chemistry appear real. Makes me think of “Easter Parade.” Even though Peter Lawford seems like a better physical match for Judy Garland, you still root for Fred Astaire!



And speaking of performances, the musical number between Dell and Temple (“Laugh, You Son of a Gun”) shows the loving chemistry between these two performers. Dell had the sex appeal of a Mae West and the husky voice of an Alice Faye. In addition, she had a vulnerability that made her even more appealing. It makes one wish she hadn’t died so young and that she and Temple could have been paired again. Personally, I think she could have given “Now and Forever” a bit more heart than Carole Lombard did.



When Marky needs an operation, the best doctor for the job must be torn away from his wedding day to perform the surgery. This overhead shot is most likely a combination of a set and a matte painting:



The lobby of the church was definitely a set:





Combining a few screenshots, I was able to get this panoramic view from the film, showing the Doctor (Frank Conroy):



A closeup of the “stained glass”:



A few stills showing the lobby and elevator of the hospital:





Big Steve (Charles Bickford) exits the elevator with the intent of revenge on Bangles and Sorrowful for their betrayal of affections:



Another view of the hospital lobby including the nurse’s desk:



A corresponding screenshot where everyone waits anxiously for a donor for Marky’s surgery:



With some Photoshop magic, I was able to create this panoramic view from the set stills:



The set for the operating room; note the crude sketch showing which bed Shirley would be in. You can also make out the faint writing that states as much:



The corresponding screenshot where Big Steve is the blood donor for Marky:



Even for a movie oft-watched, you can catch new details, such as the Nurse getting high on what I would “assume” is oxygen, but in Hollywood, one never knows!



The Damon Runyon story on which the film drew its inspiration was first published in Collier’s magazine, March 26, 1932: 



The story is darker and doesn’t have the same ending as the movie.



One of the ads in the magazine features a Philco 112X floor model console radio; remember, this was back in the day when families gathered around a large radio for their entertainment instead of a TV or computer screen.



A detailed view of the radio, housed in a gorgeous wood cabinet:



I was able to find a few shots online of one for sale:



Can you imagine if this kind of craftsmanship was put into TV/Computer Screens today?!? Edited from tuberadioland:

The Philco model 112X was introduced in January of 1932, billed as the first radio scientifically designed as a musical instrument. It used an updated version of Philco's 11-tube superheterodyne plus chassis and was the company's first model to use the inclined sounding board, a new invention that was their latest salvo in the ongoing battle for superior tone. It looked radically different to any Philco that had preceded it and this prompted the use of another catchy marketing phrase: It Looks Different. It Sounds Different. It IS Different! The importance of this innovation was such that, starting with the 112X, models using it would have an X appended to the model number. The 112X's cabinet was styled by Edward L. Combs (patent), who was also responsible for the design of the cabinets for the very successful models 70 and 90, introduced the previous June. The "inclined sounding board" was designed to provide clearer high frequency reproduction by directing high notes up towards the listener and away from the floor - keep the music off the floor they proclaimed. Furthermore, according to ads for the 112X, high frequencies emitted from the cabinet's rear were not only attenuated by Philco's new echo absorbing screen, mounted behind the speaker chamber, but were moreover directed down to the floor instead of being reflected back to the listener off of walls behind the radio.



One of the illustrations from the Collier’s article:


 
…and the corresponding scene from the movie:
 


Stay tuned for another upcoming series featuring set stills from Shirley’s other Paramount film, “Now and Forever”! 
 
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.