Aunt J Medley

Inspired by the recent acquisition of a vintage black and white negative, today's post gives a medley of Aunt Jemima photos when the character worked at her namesake Disneyland restaurant, Aunt Jemima's Kitchen.



Here are two winter 1956 images of her from my collection:





All three of these are from the original location, which had a thatched roof and was located where the River Belle Terrace is today.



From the Radio Years website comes this 1955 shot of Aylene Lewis who portrayed Aunt Jemima:



Another shot of Aunt Jemima in front of the newly constructed Southern Plantation-style building for her restaurant, circa September 1962:



And from January 1964:



Although Aylene Lewis did perform at Disneyland, none of these women look like her (at least in my opinion). Like any other "character" in the Park, Aunt Jemima most likely had a number of ladies play the role.

See more photos at my main website.

Escape to Margaritaville

I'm not a huge Jimmy Buffett fan, so when my friend Julius said he was in the Broadway musical "Escape to Margaritaville" I somewhat cringed. Still...it's a Broadway show, and he was able to get me front row tickets. Can't bitch about that!



To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. The music of Buffett was seamlessly woven into the fun tale of two couples who meet on a tropical island vacation and find their lives unexpectedly changed. Naturally it was awesome to see Julius perform!



That's a trite summary of a VERY fun show that has a few good messages but doesn't use a sledge hammer to hit you over the head with them.



Paul Alexander Nolan and Alison Luff have the perfect chemistry as the romantic leads, and Luff's voice is phenomenal.





Eric Petersen and Lisa Howard play the second couple with just as much chemistry as their costars.



Will Lisa's character get to eat that cheeseburger in Paradise or will she go back to her fiancee at home who wants her to stay on a diet of carrot juice and a handful of seeds?





How many times do you get acknowledged with a wink from a Broadway cast member?



We got to go "backstage" after the show as Julius gave us a tour around.



I can't thank him enough for a fantastic evening and the red carpet treatment for me and my friends.



Get your tickets before it's too late; the show closes July 1: http://escapetomargaritavillemusical.com

See more "Escape to Margaritaville" photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesdays: A Night at Ciro's

This candid shot from August 13, 1949 shows Shirley Temple out at Ciro's Nightclub with first husband John Agar. Here's a vintage exterior shot of the famous Hollywood hotspot located on Sunset Boulevard:



Less than four months later, Shirley would be in court signing the divorce papers that would end her short marriage to him.



Both Shirley and John have passed on, and so has Ciro's. Today, it operates as the Comedy Store:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Da Plane! Da Plane! Right here in LA...

"Fantasy Island" aired on ABC from 1977—1984. Ricardo Montalbán played the mysterious Mr. Roarke, who granted the fantasies of wealthy visitors; however, every fantasy came with a price. And the moral of the story was...



The house with the bell tower seen in the opening credits, where Tattoo (Herve Villechaize) rings the bell, is the Queen Anne Cottage, located in the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia.



The plane, "arriving" with the guests, was filmed in the lagoon behind the Queen Anne Cottage. Elias Jackson (“Lucky”) Baldwin’s Queen Anne Cottage was constructed in 1885-86, probably as a honeymoon gift for his fourth wife, sixteen- year-old Lillie Bennett (yikes). Actress Amanda Kruger accompanied me on my first visit to the Arboretum.



You can almost hear Tatoo now: "De plane! De Plane!"



Here's a vintage shot from January 1959 of the Cottage:



A closeup of the truck and some guests peering into the windows. And a duck. Why a duck? I don't know. You'll have to ask Groucho.



See more Los Angeles Arboretum photos at my main website.

Chicken of the Sea Bonanza

Just another quickie...my life is nothing but quickies these days. This undated 1950s shot is a unique view taken from the entrance of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant, looking back towards the Fantasyland Skyway Station.

Although the menu is too blurry to read very easily, it is interesting to see this closeup of Captain Hook's hook...



which is still being used today, in the queue of Peter Pan's Flight:



Just for good measure, here's a 1956 shot featuring the Chicken of the Sea mermaid:



See more vintage Disneyland Chicken of the Sea photos at my main website.

Town Square, 1956

Three vintage 1956 images showing Town Square and Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland. First up is the Fire Department and Bekins Storage.

Curtains are closed; wonder if Walt's in there?



A closeup of the horse-head above Bekins:



Here's the surrey with the fringe on top that you've heard so much about:



Check out those balloons!



The C.K. Holliday is ready for another spin around the Park:



Last one from this batch shows the Horseless Carriage on Main Street:



Rudolph Valentino is playing at the Main Street Cinema:



See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Teen Temple

For Shirley's 16th birthday, co-star Monty Woolley decided to give her a gag gift. From the publicity blurb:

Monty Woolley presented Shirley Temple with this appropriate volume when she celebrated her 16th birthday anniversary on the set of Vanguard's "I'll Be Seeing You." Monty and Shirley recently appeared together in Selznick's "Since You Went Away."



The gag was on Woolley, though. Will Rogers already did so back in 1935:



Here's another previously posted shot from Shirley's 16th, as she smells some perfume from her stand-in and friend, Mary Lou Isleib:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

At the Horseshoe, circa 1956

Here are three vintage images from 1956 of Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Saloon. The first one shows the exterior sign. Interesting to note that the male cast members are named, but not the female, who would have been Betty Taylor at the time (having replaced the original Slue Foot Sue, Judy Marsh).

Next up (and of course in sequential order!) are the GH Can Can Girls!



Final shot from the trio shows tenor Donald Novis and Wally Boag:



A closeup of the two featured players:



See more Disneyland Golden Horseshoe photos at my main website.