Disneyland Time Capsule: August 1958, Pt. 3

A short visit to Fantasyland today, beginning with a group shot in front of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant. At this point in time, Skull Rock was still but a glimmer in Walt’s eye. Stepping back a bit for shot #2, we also see Dumbo’s Flying Elephants and the Casey Junior Ticket Booth...oh yeah, and that thing overhead called the Skyway.



Last one for today is a little dark, but you can still kind of see the Disneyland Marching Band playing on the Carrousel; the little girl is mainly interested in her popcorn, but she does manage to turn and take a quick glimpse at the source of the music behind her.



That’s it for today. See more vintage & current Fantasyland. photos at my regular website.



“Sleeping Beauty,” the Platinum Edition, is about to hit the streets, and boy is it a beauty (pun intended)! The section of extras on the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama is not to be missed.

Whatever Happened to Baby Sarah, pt. 1

World of Wonder is at it again, this time, with an exhibit entitled "HOLLYWOOD D.C: LIGHTS... CAMERA... ELECTION!" With the fine line between celebrity and politics, WOW thought they’d put together an exhibit highlighting some of the wacky possibilities as the two categories blend together. Opening night is October 23rd. A few more surprises to come as the paint continues to hit the canvas. This one is 24"x36", acryclic. Stay tuned! To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

Disneyland Time Capsule: August 1958, Pt. 2

There was a time when Disneyland was Autopia CRAZY! Tomorrowland Autopia, Midget Autopia, Junior Autopia...here is a view of some of the tracks. Shot #2 features the Tomorrowland Skyway Station AND the Autopia, as well as the Astrojets. I have included a closeup of the booth for the nosey Disneyland geeks.





More Richfield Autopia: you can practically smell the gas!



Sadly, this Tomorrowland Viewliner shot is a little blurry. It really does look like a toy; I can see why Walt wanted to upgrade it with the larger and sleeker Monorail.



See more vintage & current Tomorrowland. photos at my regular website.

Disneyland Time Capsule: August 1958

Most Disneyland geeks like myself focus on 1959 as being an historic year in the history of new attractions for the Anaheim Park. However, 1958 had its share of fun, as this series of photos proves. If you can ignore the top of the trash can on the Main Street Train Station balcony, you’ll get a nice view of Town Square and the banner that hangs over Main Street, U.S.A. proclaiming The Columbia in Frontierland and the Disneyland Railroad’s Grand Canyon Diorama. You’ll also note it’s a veritable traffic jam of vehicles; rarely do I see so many all at once.



Our photographer took the Omnibus from Town Square to the Castle, and got this nice view of the information booth near City Hall: once.



Looking back in the opposite direction, we also learn that Alice now has her own dark ride in Fantasyland.





Here are the 3 posters used to advertise these new 1958 attractions:







See more vintage & current Main Street U.S.A. photos at my regular website.

Golden Girls, August 1956, Pt. 3

Our Golden Girls are a little pooped after vehicle shopping in Frontierland yesterday, so they are taking a rest in Adventureland, sitting on a bench in front of the restaurant that would eventually become the Tahitian Terrace. After some R&R and with a little coaxing, Rose & Blanche are ready to try the Jungle Cruise, albeit with a little trepidation. Looks like the Suwannee Lady is going to be their vehicle of choice for the afternoon.



For those of you who read yesterday’s post, here’s a followup shot of our gals, aboard the Mark Twain. Obviously, they couldn’t resist hopping on board The Floating Wedding Cake.



Farewell, 1956. Until next time! See more vintage & current Adventureland photos at my regular website. “Sleeping Beauty,” the Platinum Edition, is to be released next week, and boy is this set a beauty (bad pun intended)! The section of extras on the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama is not to miss.

Golden Girls, August 1956, Pt. 2

Looks like Dorothy has just joined the group, with today’s Frontierland August 1956 entry. Black Bart is welcoming the gals who are just tickled pink to be photographed with this scalawag! Hard to imagine this smiling romeo in a daily shootout with the sherriff, isn’t it? I have included a close-up of the signage touting all of the wonderful Frontierland attractions that guests could enjoy.



Yesterday, we learned that the Golden Girls loved fast vehicles; once they got a glimpse of the Mark Twain from the E.P. Ripley, they had to see it up close to find out if it was the right mode of transportation for them.



The up close and personal view:



Although the Keel Boat was considered, I can’t imagine these gals spinning around the Rivers of America in such a tiny and cramped vehicle. Surely they picked the Twain, so as not to muss their outfits.



The Stagecoach has just pulled into town, with Rainbow Ridge in the background.



Last photo for today features the rarely seen Conestoga Wagon. With the wide open and undeveloped spaces of 1956, this area truly looks like a Frontierland.



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.

Golden Girls, August 1956

They’re not Blanche or Rose, but these 2 Golden Girls are definitely the best of friends and whooping it up at Disneyland only one year after the park’s opening. Shot #1 shows our fancy-footwear gals getting ready to take a spin around Town Square in a Horse-Drawn Streetcar. For Shot #2, they climbed the stairs of the Main Street Train Station for a nice overview of the park (could somebody please move that Flag Pole? It’s spoiling my view of the Castle!).



These two fun-lovin’ lassies are built for speed, and the Streetcar just couldn’t quench their thirst for it, so the E.P. Ripley had to come to the rescue. Looks like a garden hose is keeping things cool up front today.



After The Grand Circle Tour, our Ladies Who Lunch posed by everyone’s favorite Disneyland icon, The Sleeping Beauty Castle.



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.

Skyway over Fantasyland, 1964

It’s another one-post wonder today featuring this juicy colorful view of the Skyway over Fantasyland. Although this photo was undated, the Douglas Moonliner and the old-Skyway buckets helps narrow down the year. Be sure to notice the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship’s anchor peaking out on the left side of this image. I am also including a few fun closeups so that you can feast your eyes on the details:



Here’s the Mr. Toad loading queue mural:



And a better look at the buckets themselves:



And just for good measure, here is a view of the Fantasyland Skyway Station today, as it hides behind the trees that have grown around it over the last 50 years:







See more vintage Disneyland Skyway photos at my Skyway web page.

Va-Va-Voom: Bombshell at the Castle

Just one for today, folks. Don’t want to upset your pacemakers out there! I’m not sure who she is, but something tells me that this December 1957 guest is a wannabe starlet. No proper guest would pose so seductively in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle! In contrast to its faded color glory, here is one just taken the other day:



As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, thanks for the feedback to all; I have incorporated some of the leads onto my new Petrified Tree page. See more vintage & current Sleeping Beauty Castle photos at my regular website.

More Angels Flight Railway

Something about this historic landmark in Los Angeles that intrigues me; I really do wish it was back in service again. Not so much because it provides a needed transportation service, but because of its rich history and the fact that it adds a nostalgic element of fun to a city that often gets caught up in “what’s new.” This first shot is from March 1963. The rest were taken this month.











For more Daveland Angels Flight photos, visit my regular website.

Disneyland in Focus: The Petrified Tree

One of the more oft-told stories about Walt & Lillian concerns the Petrified Tree sitting in Frontierland on the Banks of the Rivers of America. As the story goes, Walt & Lillian were near Colorado Springs in June 1956; Walt saw a sign that said "Petrified Trees for Sale” and promptly pulled over. Leaving Lillian in the car, he checked things out for himself. Photo #1 was supposedly taken of Walt surveying the petrified goodies; I have included a close-up of “Walt’s” face; you be the judge.



About an hour later, Walt returned to Lillian, who had been waiting in the car the whole time. Knowing that he was in deep, Walt quickly said, “Lilly, I just bought you a wonderful present—a petrified tree.” The 5-ton marvel was shipped to the Disney’s Holmby Hills home just in time for their July 13, 1956 anniversary. I could say that Lillian was enthusiastic, but you’d know I was being a smartass. Other than Walt, how many people would have been enthused about a 5-ton Petrified Tree?!? It sat in her garden until Lillian “graciously” donated it to Disneyland about a year later. More than likely, this is where Walt wanted it in the first place. Here are two previously posted photos from November 1960 showing the tree and its original descriptive signage:





Here are a few shots of the Petrified Tree as it looks today:









See more vintage & current Petrified Tree photos at my regular website.