Today we rejoin the Nixons on their first official visit to Disneyland, August 11, 1955, enjoying the attractions in Fantasyland. Shot #1 shows Nixon tenderly placing his daughter Julie into one of the Dumbo Flying Elephants; note that at this early stage of the game, the ears still have their “flappable” configuration. Fess Parker watches on the left, as Pat whispers something to daughter Tricia. In shot #2, the entire Nixon family is together in one teacup, and they seem to be having a blast:
Now come the dark ride photos; definitely my favorite from this batch. First up is Peter Pan. “My favorite ride was (and still is) the Peter Pan ride,” says daughter Julie. Nixon flies off with one of Julie’s cousins.
Next up are 4 fantastic shots of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride; Nixon is with daughter Tricia and one of the cousins; Pat is in the car behind with daughter Julie.
Exiting the attraction, all is well!
Last one for today is from the Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Julie is turning around to see her sister Tricia emitting a playful scream on the mine car behind her.
Come back tomorrow to see the Nixons exploring Frontierland! See more Nixon family photos at my website.
9 comments:
as i was looking at these amazing pictures....i was wondering if a sitting VP today could has this type fun at disneyland today; do you think for 1 second you could get a picture with no secret service in the view?
what a special time and place!
So weird, I was going to leave a comment that is so close to what Thufer said that I might as well just say: "Ditto"!
Wow, what interesting pictures... aside from the historical aspect of the Nixon Family at Disneyland, the photos are just stuffed full of set details. Notice the Tea Cups still have the original "Boardwalk" turntables.
.. And Fess Parker is probably the only man with a beard in the park that day...
Great pics Dave. BTW very cool pic of you and Julie.
Wow - check out the good, clear views of some of the 2-D flat devils in the final scene of toad! Rare stuff sir...
Beautiful vintage Disneyland pictures. They truly take us to a time so different from today.
If only we could have had a photo of Nixon riding in the car that says "Weasel"...(sigh).
Sorcerer Mickey - A very cheap shot and totally unnecessary. It would behoove you to stray from the tacky comments and research all of the positive things that Nixon did for this country (and other countries) during his lifetime. Under the intense scrutiny that his life has been put through, few other American Presidents would emerge unscathed either.
That's funny how Nixon is in a car named Toad and Dopey in Snow White.
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