Nature's Wonderland on a Friday

I’m a little late to the game today (hey, it's a holiday at work, so cut me some slack!), but figured I'd make up for it with a nice collection of 1960’s Nature's Wonderland images. The first one is from 1960, and I'm going to zoom in for a closer look at an area that guests were only able to see if they were on the Pack Mule attraction:



Wouldn't it be great to offer a hotel stay at the Rainbow Ridge Hotel? Guests are attempting to stay dry as they journey beneath the falls of Cascade Peak:



The rest of today's shots are from September 1964, presented (of course) in the order that they were taken. Four years later, and guests are still trying to stay drive!



How about a closeup of the cab?



Two shots of the Devil’s Paint Pots:



An unexpected geyser! Ain’t nature grand?



Last one shows the Mine Train at the Rainbow Ridge station:



See more vintage Mine Train/Nature’s Wonderland photos at my main website.

A Rainbow in the Desert

When one thinks of the desert, the immediate images that come to mind are cactus and scorched earth. This time of year though, the desert is a veritable rainbow of color as the wildflowers bloom for all to see. Today’s photos were taken on a recent visit to the incredible Miraval Resort and Spa in Tucson, Arizona.

We have yellow:



Orange:



Purple:



Red:



Blue:



White:



…and of course Green!



See more Miraval Resort and Spa photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Captain January

Today’s headlining Shirley Temple photo is from the 1936 film “Captain January” and shows Shirley between takes of an intricate tap number performed effortlessly on a spiral staircase. Seeing the 6 year old perform this number on film is one of the many reasons audiences embraced her. She was 100% natural without any artifice, and put a smile on the faces of those overwhelmed by the Great Depression of the 1930s. From the publicity blurb on the back of the photo:

“CAPTAIN JANUARY’S” LIGHTHOUSE - Midway on the spiral stairway are Guy Kibbee in the title role and Shirley Temple, the star, in Darryl F. Zanuck’s production of “Captain January,” for 20th Century-Fox, on a set especially built for the picture. The stairway is 31 feet high and weighs 6,000 pounds. It is used for a dance which Shirley performs descending the steps as she recites the multiplication table.



As is typical with any Shirley movie, there’s a villain. In this one, Sara Haden plays a truant officer who is hellbent on taking Shirley away from her guardian, Captain January (Guy Kibbee). Actors Slim Summerville and Kibbee are on the left; meanie Sara is on the right.



What to do? How does the poor Lighthouse keeper fight the villain?



Never fear; in a Temple movie, just when things seem darkest, a happy ending emerges, as seen here with a young and lanky Buddy Ebsen at right.



In the 2015 Love, Shirley Temple auction, four costumes from the film surfaced. The top of this sailor suit was worn during the "Codfish Ball” number and the pants were worn in the staircase sequence featured here:



The dress that belonged to her character’s mother, tailored to fit her for a comic opera trio with Summerville and Kibbee:



Shirley wears this during an exam that the truant officer has her take in the hopes that she can be proved to be dumb enough to warrant being taken away from Captain January. No such luck! Of course Shirley passes the exam with flying colors!



This beautiful dress is worn when Shirley strikes it rich, getting adopted by her wealthy Aunt:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Chicken of the Sea: That Girl!

Our denim-on-denim gal that we saw at the Castle today is doing her best Marlo Thomas on the deck of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship in Fantasyland. Aren’t you digging her 70s style?

Actually, by the time this October 1977 photo was taken, the “Chicken of the Sea” Pirate Ship had been re-branded as “Captain Hook’s Galley.” Who needs that pesky “Chicken of the Sea” sponsor?!?



A detailed view of the menu:



I’m not sure I’d want anything from Mr. Smee’s Kitchen.

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

Christmas at the Hollywood Hotel

It’s Christmas, 1954 at the Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. Hard to believe that only two years later, this huge historic hotel would be nothing but rubble.



This previously posted shot of Grumman’s from 1951 shows you the location of where it once stood.



Zooming in you can see the corner of the building:



And then in December 1956: GONZO!



Nothing lasts forever, especially in Hollywood!

See more photos at my main website.

Sleeping Beauty Castle: The 70's

A handful of previously unposed shots of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle from the Decade of Disco, the 1970’s. I vividly remember the colorful paper souvenir bags that the gentlemen on the left is holding in this April 1970 image. The girl’s pants remind me of a vintage thermos.

Spring has sprung early in these two February 1971 shots of Central Plaza and the colorful blooms that populate the area.





This October 1977 photo had me thinking the guest might be a flight attendant at first.



Zooming in, I can see that she is just sporting a scarf with her denim on denim combo. No airline uniform here!



It appears that the last time I shot this area was in 2008! Yikes!



See more Disneyland Sleeping Beauty 1970s photos at my main website.

Nashville Trip: Patsy Cline Museum

On my recent trip to Nashville, our group was on the way to dinner with about 45 minutes to kill. We stumbled upon the Johnny Cash Museum and all were excited to go inside and check it out. I noticed that a slightly smaller sign was promoting the Patsy Cline Museum one floor above. I quickly left the group.

It was a whirlwind for me, as I did not really have the time to absorb all the details as I would have liked. Instead, I adopted a “snap now look at later” mentality. Patsy has been a favorite of mine for years, ever since my early 30s when I discovered her vocal magic. This gal could sing like nobody’s business and put her heart and soul into every number.



On the way to superstardom, she tragically died in a plane crash in 1963 at the age of 30. Despite her life being cut short, superstardom was achieved posthumously, as “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight” are still favorites of music lovers everywhere.



The museum is small, but packed with a number of rare and extremely personal items related to Patsy, including many of the letters she wrote to fans and friends. Her down to earth quality is evident in all of them.



The soda fountain that Patsy worked at as a teen is represented by an actual booth and sign from the Drug Store in Winchester, Virginia:



You can even get a glimpse of Patsy’s house from the key:



to the den:



to the dining room, re-created with Patsy’s original decor:



Here’s La Cline in the actual room:



How about this lovely serving set?



It would have been a nice touch if they had put 3 cigarettes in the ashtray.



One of the most touching parts of the exhibit were these two costumes created after Patsy’s death. She had given very specific instructions to Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors about what she wanted them to look like just before her fatal crash. Finally, in 2017, Nudie’s carried out her wish; you can just about see her wearing these.



If you’re ever in Nashville, make sure you stop by here; and leave plenty of time!

See more Patsy Cline Museum photos at my main website.