Friday at the Frontierland Depot, July 1959

I’m a sucker when it comes to vintage Disneyland Frontierland Depot shots, and this July 1959 has so much going on! How about the gals wearing the matching style dresses? Did they use the same pattern? Were they best friends? Sisters? Who knows. And check out those positively primitive strollers at right. Note the Disneyland mailbox, for all those who want to send a postcard home to the loved ones.



This other shot, also from July 1959, was taken a few feet back, and shows the Ride the Fast Freight signs out front.



Highball in open air?



Not sure about the correlation between “Highball” and standing up in these open air freight cars.



Anyone? See more Disneyland Frontierland Depot photos at my main website.

Thursday at the Grant

The U.S. Grant Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in downtown San Diego, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Why was it named after the 18th President, you ask? Because his son, aka Junior, and wife, Fannie Chaffee, were the owners. They purchased the property in 1905 and Junior oversaw the building of the Grant Hotel. From the hotel website:

On October 15, 1910, with great pomp and circumstance, THE US GRANT opened her doors. Five years of construction in the heart of San Diego had built up a flurry of curiosity, a storm of excited press, and a staggering cost of $1.9 million. Thousands of guests flocked from all across the region to take part in the opening ceremonies of this hotel of untold luxury.

The architect was Harrison Albright, who also designed another Daveland favorite, the West Baden Springs Hotel. The hotel boasted two swimming pools and a ballroom on the top floor. The Grant was also the site of the very first San Diego Comic-Con International, held in 1970. The hotel is currently operated by Marriott Hotels & Resorts as a part of its Luxury Collection.

The U.S Grant was also home to the local radio station KFSD for a long time between early 1930’s and 1939 (note the towers visible in the above 1954 photo). Famous guests have included Albert Einstein, Charles Lindbergh, Woodrow Wilson, five former First ladies, and 12 United States Presidents.

The below image is from July 2014:



From March 2015:



These spectacular views of downtown San Diego and the Gaslamp District were from my stay at the Grant, circa December 2007:





Last week, I found myself back at the Grant to shoot a wedding.



Below is the entrance to the Grant Grill, the hotel’s signature restaurant. When it opened in 1952, ladies were not permitted to enter before 3pm, as the restaurant was known for its boys’ club power lunches. In 1969, a sit-in resulted in the end of that antiquated policy! 



The decorate of the Grill has a sense of humor!



The historic hotel has definitely given itself a decorative facelift, attempting to stay fresh and modern.





One of the fresh florals found in the lobby:



A letter box can be found near the elevators. Most hotels originally had these boxes, as guests would want to send postcards and letters home to loved ones.





The Groom and Bride:



She may not have been blushing, but she definitely looked gorgeous!



No Steinway? Oh well, I guess Yamaha will have to do.



See more U.S. Grant Hotel photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley saves Dr. Smith

“The Shirley Temple Show” ran on NBC from January 1960 to March 1961. Episode 9, “The Reluctant Dragon,” debuted on November 13, 1960. The above photo was accompanied by this caption:

DRAGON’S DEFENDER: Shirley Temple will portray a village maid, Gillian, who dissuades Saint George, the knight, portrayed by John Raitt, from killing a shy, poetic beast in “The Reluctant Dragon,” a musical version of the Kenneth Grahame fable, on Miss Temple’s program at 7 o’clock this evening over Channel 5. The hour-long presentation recounts how the knight, hired to slay the dragon, isntead stages a fake fight for the benefit of the town. Jonathan Harris will perform as the animal’s voice and Don Weissmuller as its body.

That’s right. Shirley’s character saves the dragon voiced by Jonathan Harris, best known as Dr. Smith from “Lost in Space.”



At least Harris didn’t have to don the pink dragon’s heavy costume. Oh, the pain!



At age 43, John Raitt was a bit long in the tooth to be portraying a prince. At 32, Shirley was somewhat more believable!



Also in the cast was Alice Pearce, the rubber-faced comic who brought Gladys Kravitz to life on “Bewitched.”



In later years, Harris was particularly rude in his memories of working with Shirley:

I’ll never forget the fact that this divine child actor became a non-actor! For “The Reluctant Dragon,” I had a song which they had written for me; Shirley was furious! She wanted a song! Oh yes! And I said to myself, “No, honey, my ass, you’re not getting my song!” And she didn’t! I had my “Reluctant Dragon” song!

In watching “The Reluctant Dragon,” Harris should have relinquished his musical number to Shirley; his voice (especially in the pitch area) was no match for hers! It is somewhat bewildering to hear Harris’ commentary on Shirley, as she definitely retained her star quality and beauty in every performance. If Shirley had known at the time that Harris would be so nasty about her, would she have let the dragon live?



I guess we’ll never know!

See more “Shirley Temple Show” photos at my main website.

Breakfast at the Coffee Shop

A recent undated 1960s batch of slides yielded this shot of the Disneyland Hotel. In an example of not-so-great planning, the sign had to read “Hotel Disneyland” because of the location of the elevator. Oops. This does help date the slides from somewhere between 1963 when the sign debuted and 1966 when the building was widened and the sign was able to be corrected. The below March 1964 shot gives a nice panoramic view of the hotel from the parking lot:



…and the signs for the Coffee Shop (at left) and the Restaurant by Gourmet on the right.



The undated 1960s batch of slides had this shot of a family enjoying breakfast at the Coffee Shop.



Let’s see what they had: eggs sunny side up, one order of pancakes, and two scrambled breakfasts. A good start to the day!



This detail shows a sign pronouncing the Top of the Park, the lounge you could reach via the same poorly-planned elevator from the first two shots.



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my main website.

Storybook View: A Happy Accident and Mystery Mural

Over on X (formerly known as Twitter, and yes, I’m on there too) the other day, there was a discussion about the view from Storybook Land of the Matterhorn. Image #1 for today is from August 7, 1957, and shows Gepetto’s Village with the Skyway in the background (also note the Zorro hat in the foreground). Below is approximately the same view from August 1958:



…and September 1958:



Flash forward to May 9, 1959 and you can see the Matterhorn under construction in the background:



This is what I would call the beginning of the happy accident.



The next shot in the sequence from May 9, 1959 moves over ever so slightly, showing more of the Village:



This June 2006 photo I snapped shows the peak of the Matterhorn blending in perfectly with the snow-capped mountains of Gepetto’s Village. I would love to know if this was planned or a “happy accident.” Unless Walt knew that the Matterhorn would be built three years after the Gepetto’s Village scenery debuted in 1956, my vote would be for an accident. I know…call me Debbie Downer.



February 2013:



The thread about the Matterhorn construction also included a question about this mural on the side of the church, as seen in the August 1957 image:



…and the May 1959 shot:



When comparing it to one of my contemporary shots, it is basically the same mural albeit with a few minor changes. My guess is that the mural tells the tale of Jesus and Peter and the miracle of the fish.



By 2013, it looks like the miracle was touched up with a silkscreen repair; note the dot pattern on the angel and the figure I am assuming is Jesus. It also seems like Jesus had a shave. The net is more pronounced in this version of the mural, too. Perhaps water damage caused the necessity of this repair, as a cut line is visible above the mural.



Anyone know more about this mural? See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.

The Back Side of Chicken

While the above image may look like the interior of the Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square (shown below), it’s actually the Chicken Plantation Restaurant EXTERIOR.



Here’s a daytime vintage image of the long-gone Chicken Plantation that once resided along the Rivers of America:



The front of this restaurant, which was removed in 1962 to make way for New Orleans Square, definitely inspired the Blue Bayou. The back…that’s an entirely different story! The corporate sponsor, Swift’s Premium Meats, did not give positive reviews for the Mexican Adobe styling of the backside. Swift Company reps thought it looked like a mud hovel and not very enticing to potential guests viewing it from the nearby Frontierland Depot. I can just hear this couple now, looking at the structure: “George, I wouldn’t eat at that dump if you paid me!”





Shortly after opening, the shutters were added to make it seem a bit fancier.



Another backside view with a cast member carrying a food tray. I love the rustic log fountain!



A previously posted shot of the backside of the restaurant:



…and a shot from the edge of the Rivers of America to give you an idea of where it was located:



See more Disneyland Chicken Plantation photos at my main website.