Friday, January 27, 2017

Disneyland 1963 in BW



This series of negatives from 1963 yielded some very clear shots of Disneyland, beginning with this view of the entrance. Oh those vintage attraction posters are magical!



This lovely lady is about to mail a letter, bragging to her friends back home about what a wonderful time she is having at Disneyland...while they're not. Oh, that hurts.



Made in St. Louis. Wonder if these are the same lamps there today? Banner Iron Works closed in 1986; looks like most of the buildings belonging to it have been demolished.



Wish I could read that address!



This cast member is assisting the guest onto the Amazon Belle (just for you, Matthew!).



Posing with an Indian at the Indian Village.



That wobbly old bridge at Tom Sawyer's Island!



I believe that's a bit of Rainbow Ridge visible in the background!



More vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, an Art of Animation attraction poster. Now that's rare find.

Chucl said...

Dave, I don't think that's the suspension bridge on TSI. It looks very different in design and height from the other period pictures of it you have on your main site. Additionally, looking at sightlines on overhead imagery, I think any picture taken from the interior of the island showing the suspension bridge would have featured Cascade Peak in the background rather than Rainbow Ridge.

I don't think I've ever seen this bridge before. Was this elsewhere in Frontierland?

Anonymous said...

I also find the suspension bridge in an odd position with that background. It just doesn't look like it's on TSI. Sure interested in anyone having the answer. BTW, that picture of the CM in the load position could have been me if it was taken 10 years later. KS

Daveland said...

I don't know if this makes a difference but I might have scanned the negative in reverse!

Matthew said...

Why thank you Dave for the shout out! Loved piloting the Amazon Belle through the Jungle. Cast Member is in perfect form for Front Load... back to the bow of the boat... one foot on the dock and one in the boat, looking directly into the line to receive the next victim... errr... visitor aboard.

I also find the Suspension Bridge photo not quite where it should be. Something is off and agree from that angle I should be looking out at either Cascade Peak and the Twin Sister falls... or looking toward Castle Rock and Fort Wilderness.

Finally, Agree with KS... it that photo was taken 23 years later (1986), that could have been me.

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle

Chuck said...

Dave, the more I look at these, the more I think that the last three photos (well, two photos and a closeup) were probably taken on a different day and at a different location.

On closer inspection, the stockade doesn't look like Fort Wilderness, and I don't think I've ever seen a photo of a Native American in traditional or "Hollywood" regalia posing with Disneyland guests outside the Indian Village. Also - if the woman in the flower-print dress in front of the Disneyland entrance is the same person as the older woman standing to the Indian's right in the stockade photo and turning to look at the younger woman in the bridge photo (and I'm not entirely convinced they are the same person), she isn't wearing the same dress at Disneyland as she is in the other photos.

If not Disneyland, then where the heck was this?

outsidetheberm said...

The last two photos were taken at Frontier Village, San Jose. That's Indian Island, folks!

Love your blog, Dave! Hope this info helps keep your files straight!

Daveland said...

Ken - You are awesome! Thanks for the info!

Chuck said...

Thanks, outsidetheberm!

Found another picture of the bridge to Frontier Village's Indian Island for reference.

outsidetheberm said...

You are very welcome!

And that's a nice additional shot of the bridge you added, Chuck. Thanks.

Just for fun, and keeping with the theme today, I went ahead and posted another Frontier Village photo over at our Facebook page at Stack's Liberty Ranch!

Connie Moreno said...

Back in the day....anything mailed at Disneyland had a special postmark that said Disneyland. I don't know what they stopped doing that but in the 1970s I would mail my bills from there on purpose, LOL!

K. Martinez said...

Ah, I'm too late to the party. Frontier Village in San Jose was one of my home parks I grew up on. If I was here earlier, I could've helped identify. Excellent job, outsidetheberm!

And thanks for more glorious black and white, Dave.