Floating through the Matterhorn, 1980

Disneyland newbies probably don’t know this, but at one time you could “float” through the Matterhorn attraction in a Skyway bucket. Oops…those newbies might not even know that you could travel from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland in the air, looking over the guests and attractions while doing so. Ah…those were the days. These June 1980 images were taken by a guest doing said activity.



The Skyway existed from 1956-1994. The buckets were changed in 1965 for the Disneyland Tencennial celebration, converting the shape from round to a more square configuration. Below is a closeup of Fantasyland back when it had its original Festival Tournament façades. Another piece of history lost on the newbies.



This carefree family (they look like they might be a bit of fun) are exiting the Fantasyland Skyway Station (visible on the hill on the upper left). Yes, newbies…another piece of Disneyland history that is gonzo.



This November 1967 image gives a better view of the beautiful structure:



Also from November 1967, you can see one of the buckets entering the station:



Below is an undated 1960s image, back when you didn’t have to worry about guests throwing/spitting things from the bucket (for the most part!).



In the “don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today” department, the historic Hollywood Center Motel on Sunset Boulevard has burned to the ground. So glad I took the time last March to snap a few shots.



Edited from Empty Los Angeles:

The Hollywood Center Motel - consisting of a 1905-ish house surrounded by bungalows built a few decades later - caught on fire early this morning. The motel, which was originally housing, was recently nominated for landmark status. Victorian houses are very, very rare in Hollywood. LAFD reports that it was a knockdown fire. Citizen reports it was a two-story structure, and a few of the posted videos show fire damage to the original house, El Nido. The motel had a known issue with squatters (a vacate order was posted last month). At least two people were trapped inside the burning house, and one of them had to be taken to a hospital in unknown condition. I was afraid of this. I’ve mentioned previously that we have a demolition-by-neglect problem in Los Angeles, and the motel has had previous fires. Now LAFD’s arson unit is investigating. I also mentioned in an earlier post that the owner of the motel had previously applied for demolition permits, despite not having a replacement project lined up for the site. Because of this fire, they may not need one - at least for poor El Nido.



A fire due to squatters in California? Shocking.

See more Disneyland Skyway photos at my main website.

Golden Memories, 1939

On January 2, 1939, the Golden Memories themed 50th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade was held in Pasadena, California. Shirley Temple presided over the festivities as Grand Marshal. The Star-News and Post printed a commemorative booklet for the occasion with cover shown above. Although Shirley  was already approaching her 11th birthday, the art on the cover attempted to depict a much younger version of the child star to keep her more precocious to her adoring fans. Below is a color tinted image from the parade inside the booklet.



If you’re wondering why the 1939 parade was on the 2nd instead of the 1st, whenever the 1st falls on a Sunday, the parade shifts to Monday.


Another shot of Shirley with Rose Queen Barbara Virginia Dougall:



If you wanted to get an up-close-and-personal seat for the parade, you would have needed a ticket:



A float promoting the upcoming MGM film “The Wizard of Oz” included costumes and cast members from the film:



A few color screenshots showing the Oz float:






The football game that followed was between USC and Duke; USC took home the trophy!



A few additional images from my collection of Shirley in the parade:







You can see Shirley’s father seated below her, somewhat hidden by all the roses around him:





Rare color footage exists of Shirley enthusiastically waving to the crowds. Keep in mind the parade lasts roughly two hours! Her hand must have been exhausted!






See more Shirley Temple 1939 Rose Parade photos at my main website.

New Year’s Eve at the El Mirador

I finally acquired an establishing shot of the long defunct El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs. This March 1963 image was taken just nine years before the property was converted into the Desert Hospital. Ray Ryan bought ownership of the rundown El Mirador in 1960 from his other investment partners and spent over a million dollars refurbishing the property in an attempt to return it to its former glory.



Not sure why there’s a Hans Cristian Anderson sign on the palm tree. Perhaps it was tied to what appears to be the hotel’s “Copenhagen Smorgasbord” listed on the sign.



Below is a March 1960 shot of the hotel. While the rest of California shivered from low winter temperatures, the smart ones flocked to Palm Springs to enjoy the dry heat.



Back in the day, the El Mirador was a haven for Hollywood celebrities, like Spencer Tracy and John Wayne, as seen in this 1934 photo:



From the accompanying caption:

MOVIE LUMINARIES AT DESERT RESORT

Some of the colonists recruited from cinema ranks at the Mirador, Palm Springs, California, Desert Oasis, are Spencer Tracy (left) and Mr. and Mrs. John Wayne, shown reposed on the brink of the El Mirador Plunge. Wayne is a star of the “horse operas.”

At the time, Tracy was the bigger star and Wayne was still making westerns on skid row before getting his break in “Stagecoach” (1939).

While Shirley Temple typically stayed at the Desert Inn when she visited Palm Springs with her parents, she does have a connection to the El Mirador.



The following gem of a story is from the Palm Springs Life website as told by Frank Bogert, who created many a publicity stunt for the El Mirador:

“We had Governor Herbert Lehman of New York as a guest at the hotel,” Bogert recalls. “He wanted privacy. No interviews. No photos. But he expressed one wish. He said he'd like to meet Shirley Temple who was staying at the Desert Inn with her mother. I said I'd try to arrange it. And I did. Shirley's mother said she'd like to meet the governor. So they met for lunch beside the pool at El Mirador. I took several pictures and thought I was doing pretty well until little Shirley spoke up and said, 'Look, Mr. Bogert, why don't you stand over there with your camera? The governor can sit where he is and I'll cheat a little toward him. I think that will do much better.' . . . Well, I did what she said and got a picture that went all around the nation. By following the advice of a 7-year-old. But what a 7-year-old!

Below are images from the Temple/Lehman get together at the El Mirador from the Palm Springs Historical Society website:



Temple and Lehman crossed paths again in 1938 in New York when the child star took her famous cross-country vacation.



I hope you enjoyed the final rabbit hole post at Daveland for 2025!

See more Palm Springs photos at my main website.