Happy 64th Anniversary, Disneyland!

In honor of the 64th Anniversary of Disneyland’s Grand Opening Gala, I will present a few memorable images of that historic day starting off with the christening of the Mark Twain. Art Linkletter mugs while actress Irene Dunne smashes the bottle of water from various American Rivers against the Twain.

Here Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen (aka Davy Crockett & George Russel) ride down Main Street in the Opening Day Parade:



The Mouseketeers, with Annette Funicello in the second row:



Walt Disney himself:



Walt was a busy man that day, running back and forth from Parades, the Disneyland Railroad:



to Town Square for the official opening ceremony:



to the Sleeping Beauty Castle with drawbridge being lowered for the first time to the public:



and hob-nobbing with celebrites Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher on Main Street, U.S.A.:



Congrats on your Anniversary, Disneyland - and thanks to Walt Disney for his creative vision and making this American Institution a reality!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Fess Gives A Tour

While Disneyland was still under construction, it appears that it fell to Fess Parker, aka TV's Davy Crockett, to give a tour to two suits. 160 acres of happiness...what a great tagline!



Thomas Brittinghame appears to have worked for Needham, Louis, and Brurby, which from what I can tell was some time of Advertising Firm out of Chicago.



Frank Pittman is the name of the gentleman next to Fess. I just love zooming in and being a Gladys Kravitz!



See more photos at my main website.

Vintage Disneyland: The Harry Pollack Collection Pt. 2

Today's undated 1950s images taken by Harry Pollack showcase Central Plaza at Disneyland. The first one shows the Organ Grinder and his monkey, who seem to have been a short-lived feature at the Park. The Davy Crockett coonskin hat on the monkey is a great little Disney touch! Next we have a lovely lady posing in front of the Red Wagon Inn Restaurant, which today is better known as The Plaza Inn.



Note the weather vane, featuring (of course!) a red wagon.



It appears that this gal's skirt has the Mark Twain on it - in pink no less!



Here's another previously unpublished shot of the Red Wagon from October 16, 1956. This one is not part of the Harry Pollack collection.



Another detailed view of the weathervane:



More vintage (and contemporary) Disneyland Central Plaza photos at my main website.

A Cutout A Day: Davy Crockett

Last one of this series shows the Davy Crockett cutout. Looks like the Frontierland hero has his name in lights; painted lights at least. I love the little boy's expression as he stares into the bear's gnashing teeth!

More vintage Disneyland cutout fun at my main website.

Gone Fishing

I have added a "new" vintage cutout to my collection. Located near the Plaza Inn during the 1950s, guests of Disneyland could poke their heads through the holes and create their own photographic souvenirs. Here are some of the other previously posted ones that guests could choose from:











More Central Plaza images at my main website.

Disneyland Pre-Selfie

Back in the day before you saw people connected to their phones, selfless and selfie-sticks were not even a blip on the radar. "Fun" had to be low-tech. These painted cutouts in Central Plaza were about as low-tech as you could get…but the guests loved 'em! First up from this batch of 1950's black and white images are one of a little boy who wants to be Captain Nemo from 20k Leagues Under the Sea.

Davy Crockett (this one spells the Davy with an "e"; somebody forgot to proof this one!) was another popular Disney "character" at the time:



My very favorite Disney character: Dopey!



Last shot for today is a stray one from this batch of an unidentified beach.



See more Disneyland cutout fun at my main website.

Fess & Buddy check out Disneyland, 1955

NOTE: Most of the photos that originally accompanied this post have been removed due to legal issues. Hopefully they will return in the future. In the meantime, just use your imagination!

Still wearing his George Russel costume from "Davy Crockett," Buddy Ebsen is seen here in a behind-the-scenes photo at Disneyland, while the park was still under its initial construction.

Zooming in, you can see some early Park printed publicity materials.

Here's Buddy's costar, Fess Parker (aka Davy himself), walking down an unfinished Main Street.

Not sure who the other two gents are, but it looks like Fess came straight from the set.

Wrong angle, but you can still get an idea of approximately where the three were standing.

Here, Fess and his buddies are having a very deep conversation about what they are seeing. Or at least they are giving a semi-convincing performance to that effect.

As you can see from this 1958 image, they were standing in front of what would become the Upjohn Pharmacy. Interesting to note in the Fess Parker image that the archway on the left gives an unobstructed view all the way through.



Backstage (at the Disney Burbank Studios), Roy Disney is standing with one of Fess' escorts/buddies. Perhaps this was shot before (or after) the day at Disneyland when Fess might have been picked up/dropped off at the Studio.

This one is a mystery to me, as I do not recognize either person standing in front of the official Disneyland car.

Experts?

See more vintage & current Disneyland construction/behind-the-scenes photos on my main website.

Trip Report: Photos from Frontierland

OK...I'd gotten my shots of the Market House Starbucks construction site, the former Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Hook hidden in the Peter Pan exit area, assorted Storybook Land shots, and The Court of Angels. Before my friends joined up with me, I decided to use my remaining time taking a spin around the Rivers of America on the Mark Twain.

It is wonderful spending time in Frontierland when the park first opens. Typically, guests rush to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland when the rope drops, and that's just fine with me. It's pretty durn awesome to have Frontierland and New Orleans Square to myself when they are bathed in early morning sunlight. According to the display at the turnstiles, I had a bit of a wait before the Mark Twain was ready for passengers.



Sitting across the way on a bench, I had time to relax and to notice the details...while attempting to dry off from the humidity that hung over Anaheim. Have you ever read the background signs that describe the flags hanging above the dock?



I can't get enough of these edutainment details.



A genuine FauxD© shot of the dock (hope you've taken your dramamine!):



A cast member appeared and let the guests wait in the cool shade of the dock's structure.



My excitement built as I watched the riverboat round the corner and approach the dock:



This cast member did not seem to share my excitement; he just appeared rather stoic.



All aboard!



The gilded crown caps were gleaming in the sun:



I was early enough to be able to get a ride in the Wheelhouse. Once you've done that, it's difficult to ride anywhere else on the Twain.



Inside, the size of the steering wheel is very impressive (and yes, I know the Twain rides on a rail. Thank you for wanting to tell me about that).



The bell that all guests must ring on the trip:



Pulling away, the dock gets smaller...



and smaller...



The sky over Tom Sawyer's Island was a vibrant blue, with the faintest covering of lacy clouds.



The trees have grown so much over the years that they hide all of the paths that little kids can explore upon The Island.



The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, The Columbia, and The Old Mill...this photo has a little bit of everything. Another benefit of riding up in the Wheelhouse.



The much adorned Castle Rock: proving that less is not always more.



The (former) Burning Cabin is now completely rethemed to Davy Crockett, with the Gullywhumper being the first visual evidence of the change.



As the cabin comes into view, you can hear the homespun voices of Buddy Ebsen and Fess Parker in character as George Russel and Davy Crockett.



I had never noticed just how fluid this animatronic Indian is; check him out on your next trip. It's pretty impressive.



Hidden in the trees is this (not as impressive) mechanical eagle and its young:



Back at the dock, I quickly snapped one of New Orleans Square:



and the still under construction Big Thunder Mountain:



Next up: staying cool in The Enchanted Tiki Room.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Rivers of America photos on my Rivers of America web page.